Grizzly Bear Claw Necklaces

[Historian]

According to Norman Feder,

“...grizzly claw necklaces were apparently never vary numerous within any one tribe because of the difficulty in obtaining the claws.”
(Feder & Chandler, 1961, p. 7)

Even at a time when the great plains family of the grizzly bear species was abundant, it was difficult to hunt the animal. An early writer in the 1838 to 1840 period states,

“This famous grizzly bear is so ferocious that when the Osage wish to attack it, they raise a war party often fifty men strong”...“The victorious hunter is entitled to wear a necklace made with it’s claws.”
(Tixier, 1940, p. 248)

A common style of making the grizzly bear claw necklace among the Ponca, Osage, Iowa, Kaw, Omaha, Pawnee, Otoe and Missouri tribes has been described by Norman Feder as,

“...claws with double perforation, mounted on a core and covered with otter fur”...“a core that forms a continuous circle, and a tail composed of a separate otter skin pendant down the back.”
(Feder & Chandler, 1961, p. 11)

In addition, Thomas Mails makes reference to grizzly claw necklaces in “The Mystic Warriors of the Plains,” when he writes,

“The combined otter skin and bear claw necklaces”... “were made with broad bands of otter skin, and the long tail of the swift and cunning otter was arranged to hang down the center of the warrior’s back.”
(Mails, 1972, p. 372)

In most claw necklaces still in museum collections, there are an average of 40 claws in a necklace of this type, and usually only the longer front claws were used as the grizzly bear hind claws are much shorter. Large glass trade beads are often used as spacers between the claws, strung halfway down the claw at the secondary perforation alluded to above.

In latter years, with the depletion of the Great Plains Grizzly Bear (now extinct), many tribes made claw necklaces from Rocky Mountain Grizzly Bear, or from carved elk antler. In fact, as an example of how they became so popular, one of these grizzly claw necklaces made from carved elkhorn and collected at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as early as 1838, is on display at the American Museum of Natural History.

Historically among the Ponca, as an example, it was usually notable warriors who gained the honor and right to wear a Grizzly Bear Claw Necklace. Either by killing two or more Grizzly Bears and making a necklace of the claws, or by killing an enemy warrior who wore a Grizzly Bear Claw Necklace, thus giving you the right to wear his. (Abe Conklin, 1986)

While seen occasionally among straight dancers today, the Grizzly Bear Claw Necklace may not have the same meaning associated with it's use back in the day.

Some examples:

A Mandan style Grizzly Bear Claw necklace. - circa 1834
{Note: A complete Otter hide covers the claws. This may have been an earlier style which lead to the more elaborate styles shown below.}


A Sauk & Fox style Grizzly Bear Claw necklace - circa 1860.
{Note: Strips of Otter fur covers the claws. The attached tail worn down the back, is made from a second Otter hide, including the tail.}



Another Sauk & Fox style Grizzly Bear Claw necklace
pro.corbis.com/images/WF003247.jpg?size=67&uid=%7B24D2122D-1CFA-4226-801F-41D6476F1A48%7D



Grizzly Claw Necklace of the Iowa Chief called The White Cloud, displayed by the Iowa tribe of Kansas and Nebraska in their museum.


The White Cloud painted by George Catlin in 1845


Sauk & Fox - 1860 (Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian)


More examples:

Brave Chief - Pawnee - 1858


Pipe Chief - Pawnee - 1858


Man Chief - Pawnee - 1858


The Chief Whom They Look Upon - Pawnee - no date


L-R: Sun Chief, A Fine Horse, Lone Chief, Struck By A Tomahawk, One Aimed At - Pawnee - 1868


Brave Chief - Pawnee - no date


Boss Sun (aka Sun Chief) - Pawnee - 1884


George Kit-kah-hak with son, William Pollock - Pawnee - no date


Roaming Chief - Pawnee - 1902


*******

Medicine Horse - Otoe - 1869


Little Pipe - Otoe - 1869


Crawfish Maker - Otoe - 1880


Far Away - Otoe - 1884


Standing Eating - Otoe - 1884


Makes A Noise - Otoe - 1884


Big Black Bear - Otoe - 1884


Robert Headman - Otoe - 1898


William Faw Faw - Otoe - no date


Brother of John Pipestem with wife - Otoe - 1906


Red Bear - Otoe - 1908


*******

Medicine Horse – Iowa – no date


Victor Dupee – Iowa – 1900


Blue Hair – Iowa – 1900


*******

Standing Hawk, Little Chief, Rattling Thunder - Omaha - 1866


The Chief - Omaha - 1869


The Chief - Omaha - no date


Pa-de-gi-he - Omaha - no date


Shon-ga-skah - Omaha - no date


Standing Bear - Omaha - no date


*******

Keokuk - Sauk & Fox - 1847


Rising Fish - Sauk & Fox - 1858


The Grey Fox - Sauk & Fox - 1858


Sauk & Fox men – 1866


Wah-Com-Mo - Sauk & Fox - 1868


Fish Floating To The Shore - Sauk & Fox - 1868


Many Scalps - Sauk & Fox - 1868


Moses Keokuk - Sauk & Fox - 1868


Cannot Do It - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Cannot Do It - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Shining River - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Shining River - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Winding Stream - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Po-Ga-Ha-Ma-We - Sauk & Fox - 1896


Po-ga-ha-ma-we - Sauk & Fox - 1896


Fish Rub Against Something - Sauk & Fox - 1896


Fish Rub Against Something - Sauk & Fox - 1896


Push-E-To-Neke-Qua and Joe Tyson - Sauk & Fox - 1899


*******

Standing Bear with wife and child - Ponca - 1877


Standing L-R: John Baptiste Barnaby, (Interpreter) - Otoe/Pawnee; Charles LeClaire, (Interpreter) - Ponca/French Canadian
Sitting L-R: Big Elk, Standing Buffalo Bull, White Eagle, Standing Bear - Ponca - 1877


Standing L-R: Big Snake, John Baptiste Barnaby (Otoe/Pawnee), White Eagle, Charles LeClaire (Ponca/French Canadian), The Chief
Sitting L-R: Black Crow, Big Elk, Standing Bear, Standing Buffalo Bull, White Swan, aka Frank LaFlesche, Sr.(Ponca/French Canadian), Smoke Maker
Reclining: Hairy Grizzly Bear - Ponca - 1877


White Eagle, Standing Bear - Ponca - no date


Little Eagle – Ponca – circa 1880


Standing Bear - Ponca - 1881


Standing Bear - Ponca - 1881


*******

Pa-thin-non-pa-zhi – Osage – 1868


Osage man – 1868


Osage men – 1868


Black Dog – Osage – 1876


Black Dog, Not Afraid of Pawnees - Osage – 1877


Reaches The Sky – Osage – 1877

[Red Indian Bear]

The grizzly bear claws carried importance to the Indians as it was the symbol of bravery. It would mostly be worn by the chiefs in battle to show their ferocity. Bears, especially Grizzlies, carried very much importance in Indian culture.
The book shows some detail of grizzly claws necklaces.



books.google.com.pk/books?id=6JBBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA50&dq=the+grizzly+bear+claws+necklace+sioux+was+sign+of+bravery&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjb3uqHj5H2AhXwQvEDHX4FBoYQ6AF6BAgMEAM

[jones]

www.federalregister.gov/documents/2001/01/26/01-2346/notice-of-intent-to-repatriate-a-cultural-item-in-the-possession-of-the-detroit-institute-of-arts

Notice of Intent to Repatriate a Cultural Item in the Possession of The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Notice by the National Park Service on 01/26/2001
Notice is hereby given under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 43 CFR 10.10 (a)(3), of the intent to repatriate a cultural item in the possession of The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI that, based on preponderance of the evidence, meets the definition of “object of cultural patrimony” under Section 2 of the Act.
The 1 cultural item is a bear claw necklace composed of 30 grizzly bear claws separated by large, faceted blue glass beads attached to a foundation wrapped with trimmed otter fur.
During the 1950's, according to documentation and oral testimony, this cultural item passed through the possession of the Lyons Pawn Shop, Pawnee, OK; the Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center, Anadarko, OK; Mr. Warner, Oklahoma City, OK; Mr. Milford Chandler, Detroit, MI; and Mr. Richard Pohrt, Flint, MI. In 1981, The Detroit Institute of Arts purchased this bear claw necklace from Mr. Pohrt.
. . . Based on consultation and documentary evidence provided by historic photographs and newspaper accounts, this bear claw necklace is known to have been in the possession of Mr. James White Cloud (born 1841-died 1940), a tribal chief of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. . .

ioway.nativeweb.org/history/whitecloud_james.htm

James White Cloud "The-gro-wo-nung" was born May 15, 1840 near the sight of the Iowa Indian Mission east of Highland (Kansas) and died July 16, 1940 at his home near White Cloud. . . One of his prized possessions was a bear claw necklace that had been in the Iowa tribe for many years. . .

Photo of James White Cloud wearing his bear claw necklace:
ioway.nativeweb.org/images/whitecloud.jpg