Mad Bear: Spirit, Healing, and the Sacred in the Life of a Native American Medicine Man

by Doug Boyd

Traces the life of the Tuscarora medicine man, and shares his views on Native American rights and the spiritual life

Genres: Native American, History, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Douglas Wright Boyd was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When he was 9 years old, he moved with his parents, Elmer and Alyce Green, and his three sisters, Pat, Sandra, and Judy, to Canada. They later moved to California, where he attended school, high school,and a couple of years of college. One of his first jobs was using his wonderful voice as a radio announcer. He left California as an army enlistee stationed in Korea. He reenlisted in order to attend the Monterrey language school, more thoroughly learn Korean, and then served in Intelligence in Korea, where he was discharged. While making many friends, Doug remained in Korea for eight more years, founded a language school, taught English, and mentored several students, helping them through college.

Doug was a dedicated humanitarian, researcher, lecturer, teacher, activist, internationally known author, and founding director of the Cross-Cultural Studies Program, a long-range investigation of traditional and esoteric ideologies. He traveled all over the world and was a student and friend of adepts and healers of many traditions and cultures. Possessed of incisive wit, he was a master storyteller who shared personal tales of telepathic experiences and communication, rainmaking, and psychic healing from his many years of experience working with and learning from culturally diverse yogis, monks, psychic healers, and medicine people. He was a student of some, a mentor to many, and a friend to more.

Reviews

[Jim Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doug Boyd was one of the greatest biographers of enlightened spiritual beings. His bio of Rolling Thunder pretty much set the standard by which all such books are judged. His bio of Mad Bear is another winner in this tradition. What Doug has done is get into the personality and the daily activities of these guys, and somewhat into the way that they dealt with the esoteric. They all did things that our culture insists are impossible, and they did them in a routine and offhand manner. No big deal. If the reader is interested in shamanism, native culture, and just a really good read, this is a really good place to go.

[Chasity Lynn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the 2 books that I have ever read all the way through. Mad Bear was actually my great uncle. My grandmother was his sister he called her Vicy (Violet). I never met him but I have heard stories of him from family and I have been in his house made of cider blocks the author speaks of. I always felt a protected in that house. I have some of my grandmothers old notebooks, she started to write a story about Mad bear as well. I wish I could have met him from what I have been told and read he was a very interesting old bear.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend...I was interested in Mad Bear's teachings and wanted to learn more about him. This was a good read. The author did well venturing into various topics.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mad Bear was a Tuscarora Indian from up around Niagra Falls. He was a medicine man, and quite a character, too. this book describes the author's experiences with him as they attempted to plan and attend various new agey type workshops before the new age really got kicked off--back in the late sixties to early eighties. Both Mad Bear and the author, Doug Boyd are now dead. Mad Bear back in the mid eighties and Doug Boyd, not all that long ago. I liked this book in a Findhorn Gardeny, My Dinner With Andre sort of way. I try to avoid reading a lot about American Indian spirituality (haven't we co-opted enough from them?), but this book reminded me of some of the Indians I have met. And some of the most attuned "spiritual leaders" I have met from a variety of spiritual traditions. So, in that way, it gave me a good old fashioned case of 1970's-era warm fuzzies. and the basic message of the book is good. Take care of the earth. Thank the earth. Good, earthy spirituality. It wasn't Shakespeare, but it was a pleasant, fast read.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. I liked the authors descriptive and investigative writing about the life of Mad Bear. He allows Mad Bear to describe life as a Native American directly and doesn't really add much to the description except the mood and surroundings in which Mad Bear tells his story. It dragged just a bit but it never the less was very informational. It's nice to read while listening to Native American chants and drinking tea on a very chilly Autumn morning.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is a must read for our time in history I believe.
(has local Kansas connections that are pretty amazing.)

[Laurianne Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awasome awakening.

[Laura Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older book but it still grabbed me - having known Mad Bear, it was even more interesting.