Giving Voice to Bear: North American Indian Myths, Rituals, and Images of the Bear

by David Rockwell

The bear is the central figure of many Native American rituals, often representing transformation, growth, and renewal. Rockwell explores the role of the bear in tribal traditions and leads readers into the highly animate world of Native American spirituality. 40 photographs and 60 line drawings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Native American, Mythology

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1993

Reviews

[Henry DeForest]

I thought this was a pretty solid book all around. I learned a lot, enjoyed the depictions of artifacts, and left with a more comprehensive understanding of the ubiquitous presence of bears in indigenous beliefs and practices.

[Anita]

Beautiful Hardback copy, love the artwork and original artefact photos . Some interesting rituals, and stories about bears and different Native tribes.
I kind of got bored and skim read it.
Even Me being a fan of bears 🐻 it didn’t hold interest for me other than the artwork and photos. Interesting how Natives of all different tribes have their own style of killing bears, eating meat or rituals for women on their first Moontime.
Chapters about Shamans and Bear medicine
Killing bears
Some very odd stories of women teeth in women’s vaginas...... Yeh

[Don Flynn]

An excellent survey of Native American bear myths and beliefs that includes many tribes. Read this for research on a story and, though it's 25 years old, it was very helpful.