Ghost of the Spirit Bear
Plenty Coups, Crow Chief, and a Young Man Saw the Phantom Bear
It was at night. They saw a brilliant light in the woods. In the middle of the beam, they saw an enormous grizzly. Grizzlies are one of the most feared species of ursa.
Bear species
There are five ursa species classifications found in the Americas and Europe. All of these bears are omnivorous, eating both plants and other animals. There are differences among the species. The black bear, which may be brown and other colors ranging to white, has curved claws that are adapted for climbing. When they feel threatened, they will seek refuge in trees.
The spectacled bear distinctive circular bands of a creamy color which rings around its eyes. Its fur ranges from black to brown.
This bear lives the forested mountain areas of South America., from Venezuela and Columbia, to Ecuador, Peru, and on into Bolivia. They build nests in the tree tops to eat, sleep and rest.
The polar bear is the feared hunter of seals. Of all of the bears, they are the most carnivorous, but will eat berries and other plants if needed. They are the most aggressive of all of the species ursa.
The grizzly is a subspecies of the brown bear. The color of brown bears varies from black to cream. The brown bear lives in North America, Europe, Northern Asia and Japan. The Kodiak and Admiralty grizzlies of the Alaskan islands are considered the largest land carnivores in the world. Oddly, the black bear is one of the animals grizzlies prey upon.
Bear is revered by Pagans as a symbol of power and wisdom.
Glimpse of the Bear Spirit Ghost
The Crow tribe, originally, was called the Apsaalooke, “children of the long beaked bird.” There are six active clans in the Crow Nation. Chief Plenty Coups was the last traditional Crow chief.
The Chief went to Cody to attend the Fourth of July celebration each year. Tom Rousseau was old enough to drive his father’s car. The chief like him because he would swipe some of his father’s bourbon for him. When he had a few drinks, Plenty Coups wanted to go to different places. One night, he decided he wanted to go hunting.
They went to Eagle Creek and walked by the stream with their rifles. As they approached the creek’s mouth, they saw a brilliant flash of light in which they could see a huge silver-tipped grizzly bear. Plenty Coup gestured for Tom to sit. The young man could not believe the gargantuan size of the bear.
The bear stood on its hind legs and clawed marks into the pine tree. The bear faded, then the light went out. Plenty Coups and Tom shone their flashlights where the bear had stoop. There were no paw prints, but the claw marks on the pine were still there. The Chief told the young man they had seen the spirit of all animal life. Few were chosen to witness this.
The next day Plenty Coups left for the reservation and Tom told his father, a game warden, about the experience with the bear spirit. The father asked him if he had been drinking bourbon.
A week later, father and son went to Eagle Creek. The claw marks were still on the pine tree. Tom’s father was astonished at the height of the marks. They were fourteen feet above the ground. The grizzly bear can be as tall as 6 ½ feet.
Sources:
Psychic Pets & Spirit Animals, Connie Hill, ed. (Llewellyn Publications, 1997)
