by Susan Couso
All over the world people universally enjoy the arrival of Spring. The warm sun after a long winter, the hundreds of shades of green against a bright blue sky, buds and blossoms and baby creatures. It was a rebirth of life, and cultures throughout the world have celebrated for centuries. The Native People of northeastern California were no exception.
In the springtime, the Maidu village would gather and decide when and where to hold a wedam. A jeponi, or head man, would send out notices to other tribes that a wedam was planned.
Reportedly, a knotted buckskin strip of leather would show how many days remained until the gathering, every day, one knot was untied. This was a big event, held at different places at different times, so that people could attend them all, and it usually lasted for three-days.
The site of the wedam was blessed by the medicine man or village head man before anyone arrived, and drums were played all night as travelers made their way closer.
It was a social gathering that brought the people together, but also spiritual one.
Today, many people call this wedam the ‘Bear Dance’ for indeed, during the event, a bear dances. The snake also participates. Two of nature’s most powerful creatures, the Grizzly Bear and the Rattlesnake, hibernate in the cold winter and arise again in the spring. They are also quite hungry and dangerous as people gather the ripening berries, tender roots and other spring delicacies.
So, people pay homage to these creatures at the wedam. The prayers giving thanks to Kodojapem, the Earth-maker, were the most important part of the ceremony, as Kodojapem was asked to protect people from the bears and snakes.
The munmuni, or wormwood grew tall in the springtime, and its bitterness was used to ward off bears and snakes. During the wedam, it was worn by all of the participants.
As people gather for the wedam, they hunted, prepared food and found old friends who shared news of family and acquaintances. They would pray special prayers as they worked, and elders would tell stories and explain the importance of their customs and the wedam to the young people. This was an important time to cherish the culture and the people who had come before. Much work was at hand to impress the sacred meaning of the wedam.
On the third day, the actual ceremony would begin at dawn. The medicine man would start the ceremony with prayers and blessing. The site was decorated, and the Grizzly Bear skin displayed, and then a breakfast was served.
By noon, the wedam was at hand. Dances were performed for different purposes, and one dance, the Protectors dance, was highlighted by men carrying baskets full of donated items for needy people. The Clown Dance brought humor to the group. The main dancing, started with the women, who were festooned with flowers and greenery. Then, the men and young people would join in.
Everyone would wear their best attire. A chosen man would cover himself with a bear skin and begin the dance, while other dancers used willow and wormwood switches to admonish him. “Do not look at human people. Leave us alone,” they would say. And the bear, in his embarrassment, would leave.
As the dancing ended, the people were led to a nearby stream, where they would say prayers and then throw their wormwood into the water and watch as it was swept downstream. With the wormwood, their negative thoughts were carried away. The bear skin was displayed, and in the evening, after a final prayer, it was ‘put to sleep’ until the next year. The next day, people would return home.
The wedam, or Bear Dance, one of the oldest Maidu customs, was over, only to return again in the spring.
