Beware the Bear

Respect for a person or thing does not mean they are loved. You can respect something and know that it is important, but that does not mean that you must like it. This describes the relationship between the Ndé and the bear. A healthy respect for a potentially dangerous animal is needed and it would assist in the tribes’ survival. If a child was not taught to fear the bear, it could try and get close to the animal and get killed. Most folk tales are lessons to teach people what to avoid and what is right. For the Ndé, the bear is to be avoided, but the bear is more than that.

Some of Ndé’s stories of the bear cast it as a villain along with the snake and owl. The bear represents a dangerous power that should be avoided. Some of the Ndé believe that bears are reincarnated ghosts of criminals according to James Haley in his book, Apaches: A History and Culture Portrait. This is not the belief of all, as the bear could also be a reincarnation of deceased relatives. Because of these views, bear hunting and consuming bear meat is prohibited. The only time a bear can be killed is in self-defense, but it should be done as far away as possible, and the remains should be left alone. Amelia Naiche, Ndé said, “And they have a respect for it. And that’s why they don’t eat the meat.” The bear was basically left alone as it was safer to leave the bear than to blatantly ignore the creature. The Ndé are very connected to animals, but this does not mean they find that all animals inherently good or evil.

The animals of Ndé culture are multidimensional, as they have different motives and are not clear in intention. The many stories told of the animals never fully make one species a villain nor a hero. The bear is a great example of this dichotomy. One story, told by Asa Daklugie, Ndé, has the bear as the antagonist. Daklugie tells the story of Botillo, who went hunting alone and made the mistake of setting down his gun while drinking from the river. A grizzly bear attacked the man, and he could not reach his gun. He had to fight back with his physical strength and a butcher knife. He finally overcame the bear and killed the animal. The body of the bear was left at his site. The next story has the bear as a hero who takes revenge for those who can’t. Gladys Scott Cojo, Ndé, retold the story of her former sister-in-law who was married to a Tonto Apache. Her husband was physically and emotionally abusive, which prompted her family to rescue her. During her escape, her husband came home early and started to chase her. She ran to the top of the ridge where she was met by a grizzly bear below her. Knowing bears could be the spirit of her ancestors, she asked the bear to help her. “You might be my grandfather or his sister. I am in trouble with that man. He is bad to me. He is very cruel. He beats me. He makes me a prisoner in the tipi. Please don’t let that man get me. Catch him, please. Don’t kill-just stop him from following me,” said the woman. The bear turned away from the woman and the woman continued to run. While running she heard a scream in the distance which she learned later was her husband. Her husband was not killed by the bear but had his hands mangled, his gun broken, and according to Cojo, his spirit broken. The bear stopped the man from finding his wife, which probably saved her life.

Ndé stories about bears are often personifying. The bear can attack and kill a whole village, yet in the next story, it can save individuals. Many Ndé stories do not clearly say who is a villain and who is the hero, unlike many Diné stories. The bears of the Diné are separated by species with the grizzly being evil, while the black bear is a healer and a guide. The bear of the Ndé cannot be pigeonholed. It might kill you or it might kill your enemies.

Written by Lillian Bowe, Interpretive Ranger, Bosque Redondo Memorial

Article credit: Aaron Roth, Site Manager