Chapters 7.22
7.22- Bear Meat
Ronan Willard, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Willard .R. (2022) Mammals. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
General Bear Information
Eight living species fall into the family Ursidae (Bears) and they could be found living in the wild on every continent at some point in time with the exception of Antarctica (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Bears are an important part of many indigenous cultures across Canada (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). The three different species of bear found in the Canadian wilderness are black bears (Ursus americanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Bears typically weigh anywhere from 100-800 pounds and can live 20-30 years in the wild for the aforementioned species, however, they often end up being killed prematurely (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). All of the bears found in North America migrated from Eurasia by way of the Bering land bridge (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). North American bears all share the ability to hibernate for 4-7 months over the winter, they will gain large amounts of weight in the fall so that they can recede into their dens and enter a state of slower metabolic activity (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). They also share similar reproductive characteristics, they do not become sexually mature until around the age of 3 years, and generally have a litter of 2-3 cubs every 2-4 years (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Bears typically breed in the summer and have cubs in the winter or early spring, when the cubs are born, they are blind and weigh less than a kilogram (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Bears can undergo a process called delayed implantation. This process means that a bear can be bred months before active gestation begins to ensure that there is enough access to food to support the cubs (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). The active gestation period is only 60-70 days while the pregnancy itself is often over 200 days (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021).
Black Bears (Ursus americanus)
Black bears are the most widespread species of bear in North America, they live in every province and territory except for PEI, where they were hunted to local extinction (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017; Environment and Climate Change Canada [ECCC], 2014). Their preferred habitat is boreal forests and mixed forests, but they also commonly live in the Canadian rainforests, the arctic tundra and even in and around human civilization (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Black bears are omnivores that typically have a vegetarian diet that consists mostly of nuts, berries, seeds, grasses and garbage or food waste from humans (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). However, they will still eat insects, fish, birds and some larger animals (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Black bears live throughout most of the continental United States, they also live in Mexico, but only in certain parts of the Sierra Madre Mountain range (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Due to black bears having such an extensive range they have adapted to living in so many different climates, there are now 16 different recognized subspecies of the black bear (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021)
Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)
Polar bears are the largest primarily land-based carnivore in the world, sometimes weighing over 1,700 Lb (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). They are also the only migratory species of bear, in the early summer they tend to hunt for seals on the sea ice in the arctic circle while later in the year, once a lot of the sea ice has broken up, they head south to the shores of Baffin Island and the Hudson Bay (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Despite their contrasting appearances, polar bears are closely related to the brown bear, they are thought to have diverged around 0.6 - 1.1 million years ago (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). The key characteristics that differentiate them is the white coat that the polar bear developed to be able to camouflage in the arctic snow as well as their longer neck and larger paws which are both likely adaptations suited to their partially amphibious environment (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Another key difference between polar bears and other North American bears is that only gestating females hibernate over the winter (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). The reason for this is that polar bears are perfectly suited to survive the arctic winter conditions and it is the ideal time of year for polar bears to hunt their preferred food, ringed seals (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021)
Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)
There are 2 main types of brown bears in North America, the continental brown bear, commonly referred to as the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) and the coastal brown bear, also known as the Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021; Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). As the name suggests, Kodiak bears typically inhabit pacific coastal regions, they also tend to have a higher population density and larger size than grizzly bears (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). This is likely due to coastal regions providing ample access to food such as salmon and a more favourable climate (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). Grizzly bears live inland, specifically in and around the Rocky Mountains and throughout the northern territories (Penteriani & Melletti, 2021). They are solitary animals that exhibit territorial traits when it comes to protecting their young and food sources in times when food is scarce, which can lead to extreme aggression (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017).
Traditional Uses of Bear by Indigenous Peoples
The ways that bears were traditionally hunted and harvested by indigenous people involved using tools that included wooden clubs, spears, bows and arrows, snare traps and deadfall traps (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). However, after first contact with the Europeans, indigenous groups such as the Mistissini Cree relied heavily on rifles and more complicated steel traps (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). The Inuit, Naskapi, Micmac, Southern Okanagan, Eyak and Montagnois people preferred to hunt bears around the spring just after they awoke from hibernation (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). People from the Upper Liard Kaska, Tselona Kaska, Fort Nelson Slave and Waswanipi Cree tended to hunt bears in the summer when they could often be found foraging in berry patches, they typically trapped the bear first and then killed it once it's movement was restricted (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). Several other groups like the Maliseet, Ottawa and Iroquois would leave their settlements for long periods of time in the winter to find bears when they were hibernating in their dens (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). It was said that at this time of year a bear could easily be killed by just one man and his dog, which led to the Potawatomi referring to January as big bear month (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017).
The methods used to prepare bear meat varied wildly depending on the needs and cultural practices of the associated indigenous peoples (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). The most common methods of preparing bear included drying it to be stored over winter, roasting the meat over a fire and boiling it in water (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). However, what almost every group of indigenous people have in common with their methods of preparation was harvesting the fat from the bear (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). The different cooking methods often involved saving and extracting as much grease as possible (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). When the meat was boiled the water would be changed part way through so that the grease that cooked off could be saved and when cooked over a fire there would often be trays positioned around it to catch the dripping grease (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). The grease was stored in bark containers, deerskin bags, and the stomachs and bladders of various animals to be used later (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). Some Inuit groups used the meat primarily as food for their dogs despite believing that the bear was the greatest of all animals besides humans (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). Bear grease was a very important resource for a lot of indigenous communities as it had so many uses and was considered by most to be a delicacy (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). Bear grease was used to preserve other foods, used as cooking oil, drank as a beverage, used as an ingredient in pemmican and also as a medicine for certain skin conditions (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017).
Associated Indigenous Peoples
Since bears have been found in all provinces and territories in Canada, innumerable different indigenous groups have used bears as a source of food and medicine (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017). Figure 5 depicts the territories associated with different indigenous groups across North America and figure 6 depicts the territories associated specifically with Canadian indigenous groups. Some of the indigenous groups that used bear include the Abenaki, Eyak, Haida, Takelman, Nass-Gitksan, Tsimshian, Haisla, Kwakiutl, Nootkan, Kutenai, Interior Salish, Ojibwa-Algonquin, Chilcotin, Chipewyan, Gwich'in, Han, Tanaina, Tutchone, Tlingit, Central Salish, Bella Coola, Montagnais-Naskapi (Innu), Ahtna, Beaver, Koyukon, Yupik, Inuit-Inupiaq, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, Micmac, Shawnee, Huron, Mohawk, Onondaga, Chinook, Tillamook, Heiltsuk, Blackfoot, Dakotan, Cree, Carrier, Dogrib, Ingalik, Kolchan, Sekani, Slavey-Hare, Tahltan-Kaska-Tagish, Tanana and Metis (Kuhnlein & Humphries, 2017)
Current Uses
Bears are still hunted and purchased in modern times for a few different uses. Bear meat is still consumed by many people for food, especially in communities where people hunt for sustenance (ECCC, 2014). Bear grease can also be purchased online for ~$11/oz and it is advertised as a treatment for skin ailments, ligament problems and damaged hair (Turtle Lodge Trading Post, 2022). Another market is for novelty items harvested from bears, this includes their fur, mounted heads, paws, teeth, claws and even the entire taxidermied animal, prices for these products can range from as little as a few dollars up to tens of thousands for an entire taxidermy bear (The Taxidermy Store, 2017).
References
1.Alaska Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2016). Mother and Cub [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_alaska/28482692440
2.Bear Grease. Turtle Lodge Trading Post Inc. (2022). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://turtlelodgetradingpost.ca/products/bear-grease?variant=39275814453325
3.Canada History Project. (n.d.) Indigenous peoples at time of European Contact [Map]. Canada History Project https://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1500/index.html
4.Couperus, J. (2007). Black Bear [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jitze1942/1750394833/in/photostream/ CC BY 2.0
5.Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2014). American black bear: non-detriment finding. North York, Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada.
6.Hopkins, A. (2014). Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus), Female [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hoppy1951/50057644506 CC BY-ND-NC 2.0
7.Ishwar, Ish. (2005). Langs N.Amer.[Map] Wikipedia Commons. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Langs_N.Amer.png CC BY 2.0
8.Kuhnlein, H.V. & Humphries, M.M. (2017). Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America. Montreal, Canada: McGill University. Retrieved from http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/mammals/bears/
9.Kuhnlein, H.V. & Humphries, M.M. (2017). [Distribution of bears in North America] [Map]. McGill University. http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/mammals/bears/
10.Merriweather. (2014). Bearskin rug2 [Photograph]. Wikipedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bearskin_rug2.jpg CC0 1.0
11.Penteriani, V., & Melletti, M. (2021). Bears of the world: Ecology, conservation and management. Cambridge University Press.
12.The Taxidermy Store. (2017). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.thetaxidermystore.com/all-products.html