By Tyler Marr

comfort, vision, strength

Giving, healing behind dreamcatchers crafted by River Heights Lodge resident

Feb 2, 2019 | 10:00 AM

Two feathers rest beside a bottle of glue and a small cup of red, black and gold beads on a table in front of Peter Bear.

Effortlessly, like an expert craftsman, he elegantly weaves white ribbon into a hoop and ties a pinhole-sized knot. He picks up the feathers, strings them together, and with a pair of scissors, snippes off the unnecessary length.

“Here you go,” he says, extending his hand and smiling as he presents a small dreamcatcher.

A dreamcatcher made by Peter Bear that was gifted to News Director Tyler Marr after the two spoke. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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The 57-year-old from the Flying Dust First Nation was born with muscular dystrophy. The disease causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. Over the years it has wreaked havoc on Bear’s body, confining him to an electronic wheelchair to where he now resides at River Heights Lodge in North Battleford.

For over 20 years, Bear has made dreamcatchers as a way to express the teachings of his culture. The first batch he ever assembled came about in an effort to help his wife, who taught him, as she was making 25 to accompany dignitaries from the Meadow Lake area who exchanged them with people in Cuba during their travels.

Bear now gingerly crafts dreamcatchers regularly for Friday bingos at the facility. He fulfils special requests or enthusiastically gives them away as surprise gifts – such as a large spiral piece he gifted a nurse at the facility for her wedding.

An example of a large spiral dreamcatcher Bear made.

“It helps people out with three things; comfort, vision, and strength,” he said. “The comfort of having one around, it is protection. I pray through them. It doesn’t matter who owns it. My creator will help me find that person or it will help me heal through prayer. That is all we want to do is heal.”

His dreamcatchers come in all shapes and sizes. Some have four strung together that dance in different directions when hung. Others contain over 3,000 beads in an array of colours — red, green and white for Christmas, orange, blue and white for the Edmonton Oilers or green and yellow for the Humboldt Broncos.

Some of the pieces made by Bear have four small dreamcatchers​ strung together that dance in different directions when hung.

Doing this, Bear said, not only passes the time but brings him joy and satisfaction, while fulfilling a mantra to never stop giving. Bear recalled a message seared in his mind that was passed along from a pastor who preached a message of never being scared to give.

“It will come back to you. It is a good thing. You do goodness and the goodness will follow you. That is the way it is,” he said. “Don’t ever be worried about what you give out, it will always come back to you.”

_{Listen to Bear’s story:}

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@JournoMarr