Reawakening of the Medicine People, part 6: Return of the Bearwalker
- zhaawano
- Feb 21, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 30, 2025
Makwa-giizis (Bear Moon), February 21, 2024
Updated: Gichi-biboon-giizis (Big Winter Moon), December 30, 2025
"The Ojibways have great respect for the Bear. According to their legends, in the distant past the Bear had a human form and was in fact an ancestor of the Ojibways. Therefore he understands the Indian language and will never attack or fight any Indian if he is addressed properly."
- Miskwaabik Animikii (Norval Morrisseau)For the Anishinaabeg, the bear is the being capable of traversing the upper, middle, and lower worlds. The bear is considered a friend, teacher, and guide, assisting people in their journeys between these realms. Often perceived as female, she embodies the maternal figure who provides dreams and medicine, guiding us to find peace, safety, and direction in her northern home. She represents the essence of mino-bimaadiziwin – a good way of life.
This post focuses more on makomashkiki (bear medicine) rather than on makwa, the bear itself. The emphasis is on what makwa represents to us. Makomashkiki is incredibly ancient, which is why it is deeply embedded in the cultural heritage of the Anishinaabeg, Ininewak, and many other Indigenous nations. For this reason, it is regarded as a particularly potent "mashkiki." Mashkiki, or medicine, literally translates to "strength of the earth."
Since ancient times, makwag, as we refer to bears, have symbolized ziigwan, the spring season. Our People have always seen themselves reflected in the bear's annual cycle of hibernation, seclusion, and reemergence with new life after winter. This is why, even today, our ceremonies, initiation rituals, puberty rites, and a special women's ceremony known as the "spirit bear path," follow this cyclical pattern and draw upon the bear's power of renewal. In the realm of herbal medicine, Makwa is regarded by our healers as the ogimaa (leader) of all animals; if someone dreams of makwa, they are chosen by the bear to become an expert in using plant and berry-based medicine to cure illnesses.
Heya~wya~whe~ H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw!
Heya~wya~whe~.H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw!
H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw! H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw!
H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw! H ͤya~whe~yawhe~yaw!
Manidoo-makwa, gaa-bi-naagozid
Manidoo-makwa, bi-gizhaawenimishinaan!
(Yes-sey, yes-sey, yes, yes, yes!
Yes-sey, yes-sey, yes, yes, yes!
Yes-yes-yes! Yes-yes-yes!
Yes-yes-yes Yes-yes-yes!
Spirit Bear appears here.
Spirit Bear! Come, have zeal for us!)
- Ojibwe Anishinaabe Ogichidaa (Warrior) Sundance song to the spirit of the Bear - performed by a singer of the Nakawē (Saulteaux) branch of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe Nation
https://youtu.be/P8dMtCFo24o?si=6T43QPC1AXu-ywLF
That the Anishinaabeg chose makwa the bear to be a symbol of guardianship and motherhood stems from the origin story of the first Anishinaabeg, about how a mother bear volunteered to give her life to the twins whom Giizhigookwe (Sky Woman) had created and lowered to the Turtle Island/Earth. When the twins nearly died from malnutrition after Sky Woman’s breasts had dried up, the bear, who took pity on them, saved their lives by offering solid nourishment in the form of her meat. And from the time of her sacrifice, when hunters take the life of a bear, it is customary to pay tribute to its spirit; in the old days, oftentimes its skull would be placed in a tree above the camp or village so that its spirit continued to watch over the Anishinaabeg...
NOOKE is the name of the Ojibwe bear clan. It is no coincidence that the word forms the beginning of NOOKOMIS, which in our language means "grandmother." Grandmother bear is the one who, many strings of lives ago, initiated the manidoo makwa ikwewowin (spirit bear women's ceremony), a very old women's rite of passage that is still being conducted today.*
The ceremony, held as girls transition into womanhood and become mako-wii ("bear-woman"), connects young women with their spirit by instilling them with the strength of Grandmother Bear. Walking the Spirit Bear Trail provides women, in their roles as ikwe (woman) and weniijaanid (mother), as well as in roles such as odawemaan (sister), ozigosan (aunt), and odaangoshenyan (cousin), with support throughout their lives, reinforcing their place and purpose within their family and community.
Amanj igo apii waabamad maaba makwa gamiigwechendamomi. Gichinokiitaagna maampii makwa pane.
"Whenever you see the bear, we should give thanks. He works hard for the people."
– Odaawaa Anishinaabe saying
Bearwalker: A person powerful and malevolent and believed able to assume the shape of a bear or other animal.
– Meriam Webster dictionaryWhile the Bear is a positive symbol in our culture, she also has a negative, if not frightening, aspect. Many Anishinaabeg believe that the makwa bimosed or bear walker is a maji-mide (evil sorcerer) who roams at night and exploits Bear Medicine for selfish reasons, often causing harm to people through illness and death. But even if this is the case, does it mean bears are the embodiment of evil?
No, it doesn't. In life, everything is influenced by forces that are neither inherently good nor bad; they simply exist. It is the intention of a Mide (a person of the Midewiwin Lodge) and the direction of their heart that determines whether a force is used for good or evil. As with much in life, what exists simply exists, and everything has two sides. It can be directed towards good or evil purposes depending on one's heart and intent. Once a Midew (participant of the Midewiwin rites) reaches the second degree, they are granted supernatural powers typically used for healing. However, there are stories of maji-mideg, known as Bad Medicine Persons, who are sought by malevolent individuals to eliminate an enemy or rival. In such cases, a maji-mide – sometimes referred to as a maji-aya'aa, or evil being – will use their powers to transform into an animal (or occasionally a ball of fire), and after harming or killing the victim, regardless of their location, they revert to human form to appear innocent. This is why, in the past, footprints of a bear or another animal were sometimes found near wiigiwaaman (lodges) or homes of crime victims… this was allegedly the work of a maji-mide using their bear powers for selfish ends...
However, walking the bear path hasn't always been linked to human sorcerers performing evil.
Wii-da aangishkaakawen
Anaamakamig
(“Your footprints will fade
As if deep into the earth.”)
– Ojibwe Midewiwin song to the bearThe beginnings of the makwa bimosewiwin, or Bearwalker Society, were described to me like this. Originally, before people with malicious intentions started abusing their spiritual powers to turn into bears and harm others, bear walkers were seen by the people as symbols of hope. They served as reminders that life continues after death and that kind spirits could be called upon for help. This was the uplifting message or teaching that the makwa bimosewin conveyed to their community.
These helpful spirits didn't always manifest as bears. Sometimes, they were seen as fireballs moving across the ground without leaving scorch marks. Others reported witnessing floating or dancing spirit orbs. It could also be an unsettling feeling of being watched or a shadow enveloping a person or object. All these occurrences may indicate the presence of a spirit, a messenger journeying along the bear path on earth.
We are reminded here once more that Makwa is symbolic of the Anishinaabeg themselves: both bear and humans are known to “walk the bear path” both inside and outside the Lodge.
Generations ago, when the Anishinaabeg could still converse with animals, they believed in bawaaganag, or animal spirits, which aided them during famine, illness, and other challenges. Among all creatures, the Anishinaabeg held the black bear, or makwa, in high esteem, considering it a protector and healer. This reverence led the spirits to choose makwa as an ogimaa bawaagan (leading dream visitor), appearing as a bear walking upright. These bear walkers were once humans who had died and entered the spirit realm. The jiibayag (soul-spirits) of these deceased Anishinaabeg would appear as a black bear standing or walking on two legs to a chosen relative on earth, signifying that the spirits had heard their prayers and were providing assistance. Consequently, the spirits of departed Anishinaabeg were dispatched to travel a medicine path called makomiikana: The Bear Path. The spirits did not send ordinary makwag on the makomiikana because they believed that regular makwag would not effectively convey the message that the spirits were being summoned to help.
The spiritual and healing powers of the bear are so significant that Midewiwin healers traditionally follow makomiikana as they advance from a lower to a higher level within their Midewiwin Lodge. This reminds us again that Makwa symbolizes the Anishinaabeg: both bears and humans are recognized for "walking the bear path" both within and outside the Lodge.
I think that, especially in this day and age when conflict and negativity overshadow the world, it is time we ask for the gete-mino-bimosewag, the benevolent bearwalkers of long ago, to return and guide us back to mino-bimaadiziwin – a life that is good and wholesome.
>To read more about the topic of bearwalkers, see: The Girl Who walked the Bear Path.
NOTE:
*Another name for this ceremony is Manidoo Makwakwewowin : "Spirit Bear Ceremony."
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