BEARS. Bears are a significant presence in the religious lives of various peoples in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For thousands of years bears and humans have lived within the same habitat and competed for the same foods but not without encounters leading to one killing the other. Thus it has long been in the best interest of each species to give the other a wide berth of space.

By maintaining a safe distance from the brown bear, the Cahuilla people of California allowed these bears greater presence in their religious lives. Ironically by avoiding physical closeness, the Cahuilla brought the grizzly religiously nearer, such that an encounter with the bear incited a confrontation with ancestors, supernatural powers, and wisdom. The Cahuilla believed their safety relied on an ability to converse with the big bear, which they called "great-grandfather," and so they talked to the bear in a...