Stories and Teachings from the Earth, part 31: Gifts of the Medicine Bear
- zhaawano
- 1 day ago
- 17 min read
Manidoo-giizis (Spirit Moon) (January 5, 2026)
A phonetic chart is provided at the bottom of this page to help with the pronunciation of Ojibwe words in the text.*
Boozhoo, aaniin, biindigen miinawaa nindaadizooke wigamigong; enji-zaagi'iding miinawaa gikendaasong.
Hello! Welcome once again to my Storytelling Lodge, a space filled with love and learning.
Today, let's discuss bears, or more specifically, the natural medicines bears provide us from the earth.
Makwag, the bears, represent more than just the nooke doodem—a clan group known for producing generations of strong warriors and adept defenders of our nations and communities. The bear embodies all the medicinal powers in creation. As protectors of the healing medicines and sacred rituals of our medicine men and women, bears are designated as guardians of both the east door of the Medicine Lodges and the sweat lodges. Spiritually and in everyday life, the People reflect the bear’s annual cycle of hibernation, seclusion, and reemergence with new life at winter's end. Therefore, bears symbolize the spring season, regeneration, and new beginnings.
To the Anishinaabeg, terrestrial bears are seen as reflections of the trail of souls (the Milky Way) at night. Bears mirror the movements of the great bear who reigns from his lodges in the night sky—the stars—by digging for medicinal plants in the Earth during spring and summer. They also find a resting place in the earth's embrace when it's time to hibernate. Their claws unearth medicinal roots, and they visit medicine people in their dreams and visions, imparting knowledge on how to use these roots for healing practices. Haw sa, like his celestial cousin among the stars, the earthly bear offers us many teachings. By observing how the bear lives, you can learn many lessons!
Thus, for the Peoples of the Great Nation of Anishinaabeg, Makwa the bear serves as their foremost and most significant teacher. Among the Ojibweg, Odaawaag, Bodéwadmik, and other tribes, Makwa the bear is the guardian and protector of the midewigaan (healing lodge) and the madoodiswan (sweat, or purification lodge), where Midewiwin candidates cleanse their bodies and minds before engaging in the healing ceremonies within the midewigaan. When the first madoodiswan was built, a bear offered its hide, symbolically covering the Anishinaabeg as a People.
Mashkiki (ᒪᔥᑭᑭ in Ojibwe syllabics), which translates to "medicine" in Ojibwe, literally means "the strength of the earth." The word "Mashkawizi" translates to "it is strong," and "aki" means "earth." For the Anishinaabeg Peoples, Makwa (ᒪᑾ in Ojibwe syllabics) , meaning "Black One Who Is Born from Medicine," is the ultimate representation of mashkiki. The "mak-" component derives from the preverb makade (pronounced ma-ka-DEH), which means "black."
Traditionally, among all bagwaj-awensiinhyag (the wild land animals), Makwa the bear is considered the most spiritually powerful. The Woodland Peoples, including the Great Lakes Anishinaabeg, experience both awe and fear toward makwag, along with gratitude. For them, bears are gifts from Gichi-manidoo (the Great Mystery) because they serve many purposes; it can be said that bears are as significant to them as the buffalo are to their cousins, the Nakawē Anishinaabeg and Nêhiyawak Ininewuk (Cree) of the high plains in the Northwest. In Midewiwin tradition, the bear even surpasses its animal nature, often being referred to as “Anishinaabe”: a human being! Numerous stories, rituals, songs, and illustrations on birchbark and other materials depict bears as "contraries," representing the paradoxical nature of life. They are seen as forest doctors and healers who rejuvenate life, often transforming into humans and back.
An aadizookaan, essentially an origin story, tells of a time long before Wenabozho's birth. His uncle, Makwa the bear, a naawakamig manidoo (spirit from the earth's core), was created from medicine. This medicine bear rose to agidakamig, the middle world, the earth's surface known as Mikinaakominis (Turtle Island), and waited for events to unfold. One day, a female spirit from the Moon assisted the first humans, a pair of twins who descended from a hole in the sky. The spirit bear climbed a tall cedar tree, whose roots were deeply embedded in the earth and whose tip pierced the sky's layers, meeting the twins halfway. This same medicine bear was credited with building the first Lodge for a grandmother, where Wiininwaa, Wenabozho’s mother, was born. Consequently, the Mide people place a trunk of the giizhikaatig (northern white cedar), known as midewaatig, at the center of the midewigaan–their ceremonial Lodge. For them, the cedar tree symbolizes the Tree of Life, connecting the People with the beings of the underworld and the ancestors and clans in the sky world…
Another aadizookaan recounts a time when the different layers of the cosmos were linked by a giant northern white cedar tree, as previously mentioned. In this story, makwa plays a vital role, being assigned the task of moving this "tree of life" from the center world to the middle world, and then further into the sky layers. One particular tale that I love—more on this later—describes how makwa, while transporting the tree of life from the earth's surface toward the sky, revived a needy bird species using his medicine, which took the form of makomin—a bear-berry.
This leads us to the main focus of today's story: the strong connection between the bear and the earth's medicines.
At least four types of berries, plants, trees, or roots share the Ojibwe name for "bear."
"Makwa" is the Ojibwe term for bear, specifically the black bear. "Mako" is a compound form of "makwa," used when combined with another noun. In certain areas of Anishinaabe Aki, especially in the southeast and along the southern shores of Michigan and Wisconsin, it is used as a standalone noun to refer to a black bear.
Initially, there are the roots...and the flowers!
The Ojibwe term for osha root is makwajiibik, which translates to "bear root." In our language, the carrion flower, a climbing plant with small white flowers that emit a carrion-like odor, is referred to as makojiibik. Both terms mean "bear root."
Makwajiibik is likely named because our ancestors noticed bears consuming osha when they were ill or weak from hibernation to regain their energy. Alternatively, someone might have dreamed of a bear offering the bear root in a vision. The term osha possibly originates from a Zuni Pueblo word meaning "bear." Makwajiibik should not be mistaken for bebamakojiibik, dogbane, or baabiimaakwad-jiibikagisin (spreading dogbane, literally, "bear root it is found here and there," which are sacred roots among the Ojibweg.
When emerging from hibernation, the bear consumes the Makwajiibik root to restore balance to its digestive system. During the fall, it eats a plant to halt or significantly reduce bowel movements throughout hibernation. In the spring, the bear seeks out this root to reactivate this aspect of its system.
Bebamakojiibik or makonagizhjiibik (“bear root” or “bear entrails root”) is recognized across Anishinaabe Aki as a powerful medicine passed down through many generations in the Midewiwin. The roots of this bear medicine, occasionally chewed to repel evil charms, are primarily used to create decoctions for treating hemorrhages, headaches, convulsions, heart palpitations, earaches, and a baby's cold. When prepared for storage, the roots are cut and strung on a cord, closely resembling a necklace of bear claws.
Makojiibik (carrion flower) is utilized as mashkiki for its laxative properties and benefits to the urinary system. Makwajiibik, known as the osha root, is also believed to have healing properties among the Ojibweg; an Ojibwekwe (Ojibwe woman) recently mentioned that it is a remedy for easing breathing difficulties. Another Ojibwekwe shared that it aids in strengthening the voice, making it beneficial for pow-wow singers...
I am also aware that numerous Native Peoples from Turtle Island link the Osha bear root with protection, healing, and good fortune, using it as ceremonial incense. It wouldn't surprise me if some Ojibwe mashkikiiwininiwag and mashkikiiikekwikwewag carry the root in their biinjigosanan (medicine bag).
The Mountain Ash, a species of deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family, is referred to as makwiminaatig ("bear berry tree"; not to be confused with kinnickinnick/bear berry) by the Ojibwe Anishinaabeg. Depending on the dialect and species, it is also known as makominaatig, makominagaawanzh, makominzh, and ajimak. Its symbol is featured on the flag and logo of the present-day Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians of Michigan.
"Inashke! Look! Behold the tree on the distant hill that overlooks the rapids and cascades, guarding the towns and villages founded several winters ago by the clans of crane, loon, bear, marten, and catfish! It stands on the sacred ground where my brothers and I buried the Giant Bear’s heart and where the Great Sandhill Crane landed to guide the Anishinaabe migrants on where to settle! This tree is a grandfather, thriving in high places where others cannot, symbolizing the strength, durability, and strong character of those who came to colonize the area! In spring, it blossoms with white flowers, and in the fall, it produces large clusters of flame-red, berry-like fruit cherished by bears and our bird relatives. The berries, which sweeten with frost, ripen in late fall when most other natural food sources have dwindled! They, along with the leaves and bark, will be used for medicines by your healers to cure illnesses. The berries symbolize the hearts of the bears and the heart of your Nation. You will name this grandfather makwiminaatig, the “bear berry tree,” and like the sandhill crane you see circling high above the rapids, it will forever be honored and remembered by the Anishinaabeg, as long as the rapids flow and sustain the plants, the bears, the whitefish, the birds, the deer, and the People…”
– In the tale Birth of the Bear Berry Tree , these legendary words were spoken by Maajiigawiz, the elder brother of Wenabozho, at Baawiting, the Place of the Rapids ¹
As previously noted, there is the bearberry: makomin or makoonsimin in the Ojibwe language, which translates literally to bear berry or bear cub berry, respectively.
Makomin is a low-growing, creeping evergreen shrub that flourishes in sandy, well-drained soils and is commonly found in open pine forests, alpine areas, and coastal dunes. For the Anishinaabeg, it holds cultural, medicinal, and ecological importance. The plant features small, leathery leaves and produces delicate, bell-shaped flowers in spring. By late summer and early fall, the shrub is decorated with bright red berries, which serve as a food source for various wildlife, especially bears, giving rise to its common name.
The Anishinaabeg peoples have long used makomin for medicinal purposes, such as treating headaches, as well as for food and practical uses, like smoking the leaves in a pipe. The leaves, which can be harvested at any point during the summer and are dried for medicinal purposes, possess mild antiseptic and diuretic properties, and the fruit is edible. Traditionally, the berries are cooked with meat broth for flavoring, while the leaves, once dried and ground, are smoked together with miskwaabiimizh (red willow) and/or asemaa (tobacco). This blend is commonly referred to as kinnikinnick. The word "kinnikinnick" comes from kələk˙əní˙k˙an, the Unami Lenape term for this mixture, and is known as apaakozigan ("smoking mixture") by the Ojibweg.
makomin — "bear-berry" (bearberry/arctostaphylos rubra)
makomin — "bear-berry" (wild black currant)
makomin — "bear-berry (sorbberry)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry”
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (bearberry)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (kinnikinnick berry)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (mountain box)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (pipsissewa berry)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (bears' grape" [plant))
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (bearberry fruit)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (epigee rampante) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (gravel plant) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (ground laurel) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (mayflower) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (mountain pink" (plant)) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (winter pink" (plant)) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
makoonsimin — “small or young bear-berry" (trailing arbutus) - a term used by the Northwestern Ojibweg (NW Ontario)
Other names not associated with a bear:
zaagaakominagaawanzh — “berry plant emerges like a stick " - bearberry
zaagaakominaganzh — “berry with spikes” - alpine bearberry
bagwaji-miskwaabiimag — "wild red vine" - alpine bearberry
HOW MAKWA ASCENDED TO THE MIDDLE WORLD AND USED HIS BEARBERRY MEDICINE TO RESCUE A LOST SPECIES OF UNUSUAL, HAIRLESS CREATURES
In Anishinaabe cosmology, Waawiyekamig, the cosmos, is roughly composed of three distinct spheres or layers. The first layer, known as anaamakamig, is the underworld. This realm beneath the earth, rivers, lakes, and seas is home to numerous manidoog (spirits) and aadizookaanag (spirit grandfathers and shape shifters). The second layer, agidakamig, is the middle world, the earth's surface called mikinaakominis (Turtle Island), which contains countless corporeal and incorporeal beings. The third layer is Giizhigong, the Sky World, encompassing all of its beings, both corporeal and incorporeal.
Now, here's a tale about how the underground bear provided his medicine to a fragile species of hairless communicators from the middle world, rescuing them from extinction. It is a free adaptation of an aadizookaan (traditional story) retold by Keewaydinoquay Pakawakuk. ²
One day, a Gichi-zagaswe’idiwin (Great Meeting) was held. Everyone was there; spirits from all three realms attended. The ishpiming manidoog (spirits residing in the Sky World) expressed their concern about the future of a peculiar-looking species of furless beings living in the middle world, who seemed to be lost. Their oshkaabewisag (scouts), examining the middle world, had observed the poor creatures, hiding in shallow holes in the ground, were gathered in flocks and clearly struggling due to a lack of basic necessities.
The Sky spirits sought assistance from the furred beings of the underworld to save this vulnerable species of hairless creatures. Makwa the Bear, born from the roots of the giizhik, the cedar tree, and known for walking between the physical and spiritual realms, volunteered. His playful yet impatient friend, Nigig the otter, also offered to help. It was decided that to protect and give purpose to these needy hairless beings, a lasting connection needed to be established between the underworld (where all the medicine was stored) and the middle world (which lacked shelter and food, causing starvation). Nookomis Giizhik, Grandmother Cedar and Makwa's mother, who also lived in the underworld at that time, offered her help in creating a bridge between the two worlds. Without hesitation, Makwa began pressing his snout against her medicinal roots. Knowing that his friend Nigig had gone ahead and was waiting for him above, he used his powerful claws to dig through the layers of soil separating the underworld from the surface of the middle world. As he pushed up the Tree of Life, hoowah! a crack finally appeared on the surface of the middle world!
"Aashke naa wewiibitaan!" (C'mon, hurry up!) shouted Nigig, whose white fur had turned brown under the bright sunlight, "It's too hot up here, and besides, I don't have all day!" "Bekaa akawe! Daga na'egaaj!" growled Makwa, "Wait a minute! Please calm down!" Using his last bit of strength, the saggy beast, touching the miigis (sea shell) he wore around his neck, pushed the tip of his mother through the crack in the earth's surface. The earth trembled as the Tree of Life saw daylight for the first time.
For the first time ever, Grandmother Cedar felt the sun's warm light on her tall, slender form. She stood on a dune's sand, overlooking a vast lake filled with blue-green water stretching as far as the eye could see. It was a clear day, and a gentle breeze brushed against her bark and bare branches, which spontaneously began to sprout green leaves. As she basked in the warm sunlight, she let out a deep sigh. A sense of peace settled over her gentle soul. Three eagles circled her crown, their wings causing her blue-green needles to rustle softly. The world was at peace! Niyaa, but alas! the serenity was short-lived! A rumble from countless tiny beaks pierced grandmother's bark, causing her branches and twigs to tremble.
Makwa, emerging shortly after the Grandmother tree, paused briefly, squinting in the bright sunlight. He sniffed at the warm scents of the Middle world and shook the soil from his dense fur when he suddenly heard sharp, rhythmic noises emanating from the direction of the tree.
Perking up his ears, he curiously moved on all fours toward the trembling grandmother. However, Nigig, looking annoyed, blocked his path. "Daga, (come on!)" he said, "we've done our part; it's too hot and noisy up here. I want to return to the below-world!" "Bekaa ningwi! (take it easy, pal)" growled the bear, "I want to see the noisy furless creatures that seem to have invaded Grandmother Cedar and are beating on their little drums! Ikogaabawin daga! (Step aside, please!)." Skillfully, he maneuvered around the slender figure in front of him and, with curiosity, pushed his large head into a cavity of the tree where he believed the noise was coming from. Nigig, still sulking, followed his friend, and that's when they witnessed the most bizarre spectacle they had ever seen. The bark of the Tree of Life was crowded with the little furless beings the Sky Spirits had told them about! They were all vigorously pounding the bark, extracting insects and grubs and consuming them as if their lives depended on it.
Upon seeing the furred spirit beings from the underworld, tayaa! the strange creatures howled, released their grip on the bark, and fled, except for one small creature that couldn't stand on its hind legs. The two friends gazed at the defenseless little beast, shocked to find its body entirely hairless. "Tayaa! Inashke," Makwa exclaimed, my goodness, look! It's no surprise they need help. No fur, no claws, no teeth to chew with. Not even a miin (berry)!
Makwa, still in disbelief, gestured toward an opening in the creature's head, from which piercing sounds emerged. The shrieks that came from its tiny throat hurt his ears and made his fur stand on end. "Tayaa! There's not even a juicy berry in its pathetic little beak!" he yelled above the dreadful noise. "No berry? What are you talking about?" Nigig shouted, shaking his head at the absurdity. Makwa turned to his friend, leaned back his large head, and opened his gleaming jaws to reveal the back of his throat. Inashke! Look! he growled. Niigig, confused, peered into the dark hole before him and goda! there it was, hanging from the back of his friend's throat, a round, ripe berry. "Nishin, fine, you have a berry stuck in your mouth. But what are you going to do with it?" Nigig replied. Makwa sighed at such ignorance. "What should I do with it?" the bear snarled. "What do YOU think?" Shaking his large head, he explained to Niigig that the berry in his throat acted as a stopper, keeping the berries in his gut in place. Additionally, he mentioned, it ensured that even after he pooped out the contents of his intestines, he would always have a berry to swallow. "Thanks to this berry, I will never go hungry."
Nigig, irritated, shrugged his shoulders, turned away, and slid down the dune toward the water. "I really want to leave now. I don't understand why anyone would eat berries anyway. But if you believe that creature-child needs one, go ahead, just hurry up. Give him a bear berry and let's go!"
"Bear with me," Bear grumbled to his impatient friend. He squatted down on his large buttocks and slid down the sand dune onto the beach. His sizeable rear left a groove, from which a long vine with glossy green leaves and small round red berries sprouted, similar to the one dangling in his throat. He leaned over, picked a berry, and placed it into the mouth of the crying creature. "Aanii"sh inaa, well now," he rumbled gently as only bears can, "here, have a bear berry. Thanks to my medicine, you will live."
The frightened little creature remained motionless, its eyes wide open, swallowing rapidly as it struggled to keep the large berry down. Makwa, trusting that his medicine would suffice to enable the creature to live, walked around the grandmother tree, wondering were the rest of the flock was. Then he looked at the bearberry bush below him and, to his surprise, he noticed that the rest of the hungry flock had landed on the berry bush, chattering, eagerly swallowing the red bear medicine.
Tayaa! In the blink of an eye, faster than a bear could blink twice, the needy little hairless rhythm beaters transformed into magnificent winged red-headed beings! Their stunningly beautiful feathers, of pure white or decorated with checkered patterns of black and white spots, gleamed in the bright sunlight that lit up the scene that day as they spread their wings and flew back to the Tree of Life.
Makwa, realizing that his kind action had transformed a group of needy, hairless earth creatures into a vibrant and magnificent species of winged drum messengers, joyfully followed his friend the Otter into the lake. Just before diving in, his ears were filled with the rhythmic sound of countless beaks of baapaaseg and memeg tapping the bark of Grandmother Cedar to uncover hidden nourishment. He growled with satisfaction, thinking to himself: "Hoowah! From now on, those busy bark pounders will use the trees to set the rhythm and pace for all beings living on the vast Turtle Island..." ³
Giiwenh—the end.
FOOTNOTES:
¹ Maajiigawiz ("First-born Son"), the guardian of tradition and ceremonies, symbolized by makwa, the bear. Of the medicinal plants, giizhik (northern white cedar) is associated with him. Maajiigawiz is the eldest brother to Wenabozho. ^
³ The Ojibwe words for the Downy Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, and/or the Red-Headed Woodpecker are baapase or baapaasehns. These winged relatives, along with a crested species known as meme (Pileated Woodpecker), peck at trees to locate food, communicate, and build nests. The term baapase comes from "paapaa," which means something being pounded; therefore, baapaagan refers to a hammer. Baapaase-bineshiish ("rhythm beating bird") denotes the woodpecker family, and since the downy is the smallest species, the diminutive suffix "ehns" is sometimes added to signify the small woodpecker. ^
ILLUSTRATIONS OF PAINTINGS (listed from top to bottom):
Makwa miinawaa Mashkikiwan ("Bear and Earth's Medicines") ©2025-2026 Zhaawano Giizhik
Makomin Miigiwewin / Ombi-ayaa Agidakamig Makwa ("Gift of the Bearberry / Medicine Bear Rises to the Middle world") ©2025-2026 Zhaawano Giizhik
Makwa Odashamaan Igiw Manajaanyag ("Makwa Feeds the Nestlings") ©2025-2026 Zhaawano Giizhik
*This guide offers a general pronunciation of Ojibwe words. The consonants are pronounced in a way that is roughly similar to English. For details, see: NISIDOTAM SPELLING & PHONETIC CHARTS OF THE OJIBWE LANGUAGE.
“a”- sounds like the “a” in English"tuba" or the "u" in English "but"
“aa”- sounds like the extended “a” sound in the English word "pecan"
"ay" - sound like the "ye" in English "bye-bye"
“i”- sounds like the “i” in English "bit"
“ii”- sounds like the “ee” in English "reed"
“o”- sounds like the "u" in English "put": for example: "onjibaa" (s/he comes from a certain place) or the "u" in English "bush": for example: "animosh" (dog)
“oo”- sounds like the “oo” in English "loot"; for example: "boozhoo" (greetings). In some cases it resembles the "oa" in English "boat"; for example, "indoonjibaa" (I come from a certain place) or "gidoodem" (your clan)
“e”- sounds like the “ay” in English "stay" or the "e" in "ledger"
y - The letter “y” followed by a long or short vowel resembles the "y" sounds of "yin-yang"
"zh"- sounds like the "su" in pleasure.
Vowel + nh - The "nh" indicates a nasalized vowel, with the "h" not pronounced as a separate sound. Examples: aanh (also written as a'anh), enh, iinh, oonh.
An apostrophe (') is used to express a glottal stop.
Consonants: generally pronounced similarly to English consonants.
"sh" sounds like the "sh" in English show or the “su” in English measure - corresponding with "zh" in Fiero script
"zh" sounds like the “su” in English measure - corresponding with "zh" in Fiero script
"j" resembles the "j" sound in "Jim."