THE BEAR - MATO

The Bear represents Power, Wisdom, Dreams, Visions, Strenght. For some tribes, Bear is the most spiritual and potent of all the four-legged creatures, being like a man in many ways because it can stand upright on two legs. It was Bear who taught the Native people which plants were good to eat. We say that Bear is the main creature who will lead us to medicine, as it holds great knowledge of healing plants. Bear also taught us to balance activity with rest. In winter the bear finds a secure den or cave where it will hibernate until spring. This is the time to seek for dreams and visions. Bear shows us that it's very important to find quiet times, to seek solitude away from the stressful activity of modern life, which will help us to nourish our inner world, give us time for ideas, insights and inspirations to arise, and also to renew our physical strenght. In many tribes, the medicine person will carry Bear power, and Bear claws are part of ceremonial jewelry or medicine bundles which provide healing and protection.


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bear claws necklace

the beautiful grizzly bear

powerful black bear

 The Lakota people have a very sacred place where they always practiced their ceremonies, and still do these days; it's Bear Butte mountain in the Black Hills.