Giving Voice to Bear: North American Indian Myths, Rituals, and Images of the Bear

Wonderful book!

Tons of photos that should be in the kindle version are missing. just the caption is there

I’ve recently had a few dreams and daytime visions of Bears attacking me, so I found myself looking for books on Bears and Giving Voice to Bear appeared. Within the first few pages I was hooked.The author does a great job of weaving together different bear traditions and beliefs into a seamless and magical story that invites a deeper understanding of Bear energy.The author is very objective in that he does not include himself when talking about Native Traditions, but rather speaks about them as if he were an outside observer even though I could tell he has a deep and respectful relationship with the Bear himself. I love reading from people who not only share their experiences and wisdom, but who inspire and invite us to grow and walk our own Paths. David Rockwell is one of those people.Rockwell does a great job of offering some short stories and myths, initiation rituals, antidotal teachings, divinational techniques, mystical rites, magical operations, hunting traditions, and art. As for the art and imagery, nearly every page has some visual image to appreciate.One way the author shares different aspects of Bear energy is to tell us small episodic stories to help enliven the teachings. It feels as if we are there witnessing the story unfold as a passive participant. For instance, on page 25 there is a short episode of a wife preparing a Bear skull before handing it to her husband who then puts a tobacco plug in the jaw and hangs it on his dream lodge for a vision of where to hunt. It’s as if I am there.As for something I did not like, at some points it felt belabored and repetitious as the author relayed yet another story of ritual from another tribe. Rather than highlight some differences the author will relay a whole story and then give contrast. At times this seemed a little unnecessary, as I would have much rather moved on to a different facet/aspect of Bear medicine than to rehash subtle differences between different Native Traditions. For example, on page 89 the author again mentions how another Tribe believed Bear Medicine was the most powerful in that it can bring a near dead person back to life. This is the fourth or fifth time this particular belief is mentioned.Beyond that petty complaint, I loved the book. If you want to connect with Bear energy this is definitely a book to have.

a complete and unique guide of the place of bear in american indian tribes. thank you so much for this item