Waking the Bear: Understanding Circumpolar Bear Ceremonialism, Version 1

For centuries, Indigenous peoples across Eurasia and North American have maintained harmonious relations with bears with whom they share the world, honoring this relationship through elaborate ceremonies. At present, this website describes the bear ceremonies of Siberian people, the Mansi and the Khanty, through a rich narrative illustrated by photos, videos, and audio recordings. The content is in both English and Russian.

Between 2021 to 2022, the research project aims to reach out to Native American and First Nations communities in the United States and Canada, whose concern has been indicated by the unique Grizzly Bear Treaty of 2016, initiated by the Piikani First Nation of Canada and signed by representatives of more than a hundred tribes. The hope is that the website might provide the focus for a future, multidisciplinary Indigenous-led forum on sharing the world with bears and other-than-human persons.