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This bear-claw necklace comprises twenty-one bear claws mounted
on a leather thong. It was collected in 1842 in Alberta, Canada.
In the nineteenth century, grizzly bears were common in the North
American plains and Rocky Mountains. Native peoples greatly respected
them for their physical and spiritual power, and addressed them
as ‘grandparents’. After a bear was killed, its claws
were worn as a necklace by the hunter, or by someone who had a special
relationship with bears. Wearing the claws was a mark of respect
for the bear’s spirit, and a sign of the wearer’s hunting
or spiritual power. This necklace was collected amongst the Blackfoot,
for whom the bear is especially sacred.
View database record 1893.67.15
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