Pomo Bear Doctors

The essay examines an indigenous California belief in practitioners who assume grizzly-bear attributes to harm enemies, focusing on a Pomo variant in which the practitioner’s power resides in a ritual-crafted bearskin suit rather than in a guardian spirit. It presents a mythic origin account together with practical descriptions of acquisition of power, helpers and hiding places, construction and consecration of the magic suit, weapon use, ceremonial rites surrounding donning and handling the suit, and means of communication among practitioners. Comparative notes consider neighboring groups, and informants report independent operation, occasional meetings at secluded springs, and reciprocal vulnerability among these figures.