Animal Totems: Mine Seems to be Black Bear
My friends and family know I love black bears, I think they’re majestic and beautiful. When I was decorating The Little House after it was built, I knew I wanted black bears to be the theme. In decorating, they also represent the embodiment of nature, the mountains and woods in which we live.
Our woods are alive with black bear. Although I’ve never actually seen one, we have seen the tracks. A friend of my aunt’s also saw a cub doing his business as she was driving down our road one night (answering that age old question about a bear doing it in the woods!)
Gone Fishin' Bear
Native Americans and those who embrace Native American spirituality believe there is more to being drawn to certain animals. Because they believe that God is everything that lives, they believe we are drawn to these animals because they represent our “totem,” the animal in nature that connects us to the Higher Power and acts as our spirit guide.
I’ve heard more than once, “Bear, now that’s a good symbol.” Although my name reflects Native American heritage, I wasn’t raised in the culture and have only read books on it, so I decided to take a look and see what the bear means to Native Americans. Of course, in this day and age, the research begins on the Internet.
