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Bear Claw Bolo Ties symbolize courage, physical strength and leadership

Bear Claw Bolo Ties are amazing and illustrate strength and spirit. The mythical power of the noble Bear looms large in Indian folklore. Native American Indians were a deeply spiritual people and they communicated their history, thoughts, ideas and dreams from generation to generation through Symbols and Signs such as the Bear Symbol. The Bear symbol was important as it represented a protector and symbolized courage, physical strength and leadership. Bears are strong, agile, and quick. The black bear and the Grizzly were native to North America.

The meaning of the Bear Symbol was to signify a good omen and convey authority. The Native American tribes believed that the "Great Spirit" could take the shape of the bear. When the bear was killed, it was believed that its blood would seep into the earth and help change the seasons, moving the landscape of green summer into fall's deep reds and oranges. In the spring, the bear would emerge whole and alive once again and begin the life cycle anew. Among the Pueblo tribes, bears are considered one of the six directional guardians, associated with the west and the color blue. The Zunis ascribe healing powers to bears and carve stone bear fetishes to protect them and bring them luck.

A bear's claw was one of the talismans frequently included in medicine bundles, and warriors in some tribes wore necklaces of bear claws to bring them power and strength. Tribes with Bear Clans include the Creek (whose Bear Clan is named Nokosalgi or Nokosvlke,) the Chippewa (whose Bear Clan and its totem are called Nooke,) Algonquian tribes such as the Mi'kmaq and Menominee, the Huron and Iroquois tribes, Plains tribes such as the Caddo and Osage, the Hopi (whose Bear Clan is called Honngyam or Hona-wungwa), the Navajo and Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, and Northwest Coast tribes such as the Tlingit, Tsimshian, Nisgaa-Gitksan, and Salishan tribes.