Below is an excerpt from a newsletter written a few years ago. It includes some good history and info on the Bear Dance...

NOTES ON THE BEAR DANCE

Excerpted from November 2006
Newsletter "Keeping in Touch..." by Jim PathFinder Ewing
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November 2006:
We have just returned from putting the Bears to bed at Russellville, Ark., so the newsletter is a little late.

Each year, we awaken the Bears in the Spring and each Fall we put the Bears to bed. We will awaken them atthe Spring Equinox.

We have a number of new subscribers, so the recap, we belong to the Bear Medicine Society of Arkansas,
which “dances the Bear” for the healing of all people and the Earth. Some people Sundance; we dance
the Bear.

The ceremonial dance was begun by Clarence Atwell Sr., the spiritual elder of the Tachi Yokuts Tribe in
California. He was worried about his people, about alcoholism, about divorce, poverty, abuse. He went
upon the holy mountain there and was given a vision, to bring back the Bear Dance to the people.

Doc Davidson, “Chanter” in our tribe, was a drug and alcohol counselor working with Native peoples in the
California Prison System, living with the Yokuts. He began as a “wing man,” that is, one who keeps the
Dancers purified while they perform the dance, and learned the dance, and was given permission to
bring the Dance to Arkansas when he moved back there to be with his family. He completed his
seven-year commitment to dance last year, when we went with him to the Yokuts Reservation to
dance with them, in honor of the occasion. We hope to go to California again in the coming year.

When we awaken the Bears in the Spring, it will begin my fourth year to dance in the seven-year
commitment.

Becoming The Bear

In the Dance, the dancers wear bear skins and “become” the Bear. They “take on” all the ills of the
people assembled, and the ills are transmuted into healing power. It is not the dancers who heal the
people, but the healing power of the Bear. The wing men keep the dancers bathed in sage smoke,
so that the dancers themselves don’t “take on” the illnesses.

I watched the Bears dance for two years before Spirit moved me to become a Bear dancer. It
frightened me what they were doing because, having some knowledge of energy medicine, I
saw how dangerous it is; that dancers could easily “take on” the dis-eases and become ill themselves.
It is not an easy way of energy medicine. The dancers must “become” the bear, and stay “in” being
the Bear. To falter can be dangerous and instantly debilitating. So, the role of the wingmen is vital:
to keep the dancers “clear” of unwanted energy, and to help keep them grounded between the songs,
so that the dancers don’t “go off” into Spirit place and not come back. It is important for the dancers
themselves to stay “in” the Bear, and not falter, but also for them to stay reasonably grounded
between the songs. It’s a difficult dance; and, after three seasons, I’m starting to feel somewhat
comfortable with it, though each dance requires full attention.

Each dance is different, as well; some are relatively easy, some are quite difficult. Often the dancers
will “take on” something and have to be taken by the wingmen to the sacred fire, where they may
cough up dis-ease, or even collapse, if their connection with the Bear is not certain. The dance requires
four “sweats,” or time in (Asi/Inipi) Lodge; two to prepare, cleansing of unwanted personal energy;
one immediately before the dance to open connection with the Bear; and a fourth after the dance
as a “clean-up sweat” to remove any remnants of unwanted energy that may have attached during
the dance.

During the dance, the women of the drum sing sacred songs to keep the dancers in Spirit. This year,
Waya started drumming. It is a sacred duty, and in addition to having to impeccably know the many
songs, the drummers/singers must keep the energy flowing in a good way, so that the dancers are
floating on the songs, their connections kept cleanly.

The Drum is Sacred

The drum is sacred and the women are guardians of it. They keep the drum, and it is good that
women do this because their connection to the Earth Mother is so strong. They keep the men who
are dancing in balance.

There is a protocol to becoming a drummer and singer that is as important and sacred as being a
wingman and a dancer. All have their part to play in the dance. The wingmen, for example, must
constantly be present and attuned to the dancers. My beautiful brother Medicine Bull, for example,
is a wingman who is a great healer. He carries his wing wherever he goes, helping to heal people
outside of the dance, as well as during the dance. In shamanic terms, he uses the wing to remove
unwanted spiritual intrusions that can cause dis-ease. It is always a joy to dance having Medicine Bull
as a wingman, because he carries his medicine wherever he goes; and I feel safe dancing knowing he
is there.

The singing of the women is beautiful music, as well as being powerful spiritually. They evoke Spirit,
creating the right harmonies with song to connect all with Creator. The songs are sacred and ancient,
handed down. When they begin the first song, which is a request for the Above Beings to allow us into
their world, I feel the Bear coming over me, transporting me to another place where there is no sorrow,
only peace and wholeness. It is a beautiful place, so that when dancing, there is no “time,” and no pain.
We may dance for hours on end, but it will seem like only a few minutes, watching the Moon wheel
overhead, and the stars speaking to us, the sacred fire our only connection with this world, the whole
Earth as one being.

One time, we danced at a place where the ground had been bush-hogged, and the rough-cut grasses
were like knives, but I was oblivious to it; I only learned that my feet were bleeding when I went into
a visitor’s travel trailer and left bloody footprints. Exhausted after the dance, I collapsed into sleep and
danced in Dreamtime with the Bear, the guides, spirits, ancestors, angels until the sun awoke me. That
morning, there was no mark upon my feet; totally healed, not a scar, not a scab. The Bears had healed
them.

In traditional way, there is no fee for ceremonies such as this. We are always glad to perform the
ceremony for healing of the Earth and all beings. We perform the dance at festivals and ceremonies
at no charge or remuneration of any kind; we do have certain requirements such as a suitable place
to dance and availability of Asi/Inipi (sweat lodge) to prepare for the dance, and camping space or
motels nearby so we’ll have a place to lay our heads.

Dancing Your Power Animal

This year, too, Waya (wolf in Cherokee) learned to dance the Wolf, her power animal and totem,
and so she now is a dancer, too; opening the way before the Bear dance begins. In sacred dances,
it is not uncommon for Wolf dancers or Gourd dancers to prepare the grounds spiritually before the
main ceremony begins. Gourd dancers are usually veterans of war, warriors, who bring their power
to clear the grounds for peace. Wolf dancers epitomize that power, watching out for the people, the
perimeters, always guarding from danger and bringing good energy in.

In the shamanic way, we are taught to dance our power animals; we do this to honor them. Anyone
can honor their power animals, and I highly advise it, to keep your connection strong. Our power animals
guide and protect us; they are always with us. It is good to honor them, by keeping pictures of them
around, thinking of them, thanking them, or dancing them. To dance your power animal, allow yourself
the time and space to “be” with your power animal – whether it be a bird, fish, whatever – and while
listening to a drumming tape, or having someone drum, allow yourself to be guided into a dance. Even
if only for a few moments, it can be powerful and refreshing. (My book,
“Clearing: A Guide To Liberating Energies Trapped in Buildings and Lands” tells how to create sacred
spaces, anywhere; the next book, which is coming out in the spring, expands on that to include
simple healing ceremonies anyone can do, including dancing.)

Note: Three more of Pathfinder's books have come out since this article was written in 2006,
all of interest to anyone wanting to learn about shamanism and indigenous people's
healing ceremonies and how they can work in our contemporary times. We now hold Bear Dance in Lena, MS.