The Listening Bear · by Bear Heart Marcellus Williams
When I was in my mid-twenties, I vision-quested at Bear Butte in South Dakota. It was my fourth quest and the man who put me up there, a Cheyenne elder, has been gone a long time now. On the third day of my fast, I was sitting in my vision quest site, holding my Pipe in my hand, when a bear came walking up to me. This was not a vision or a dream or hallucination—it was a real, live bear. I laid my Pipe down and the bear stood up. When a bear stands up, he’s going to attack. Not wanting a big heavy bear pouncing down on me, I stood up, too, and as I did, he tapped me on my right shoulder. He didn’t really strike hard at all, but he was so strong he knocked me down. I got back up and he struck me with the other paw and knocked me down again.
Then I got up and spoke to him in my own language. “My dad was of the Bear Clan, so the bear is my father. I’ve been told to talk to my father, so I stand here talking to you now. If you want to put your mark on me, go ahead, do whatever satisfies you. I respect you as my father, so I’m not afraid of you. I’m not going to fight you—and I’m not going to run.” The bear seemed to listen all that time, then he turned around and walked away.
“The bear seemed to listen all that time, then he turned around and walked away.”
I went down the mountain and told my sponsor what had happened. He said, “That bear knocked you down twice yet you didn’t retaliate. Instead you spoke to him and he listened. When someone has to defend himself, he usually employs force. But instead of defensive actions, it can be better to explain your situation, as you did to the bear—say what you’re going to do and what you’re not going to do. Come to an understanding and you won’t have to use force. Because you stood up to him and didn’t run or fight, you showed the spirit and courageous heart of the bear. You have earned the name Bear Heart.”
So on that quest, I learned something about myself and my role in life, as well as earned my name.
