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The Use Of Bear Claw, Cat and Wolverine Claws As Jewelry

One of the most popular uses of bear claw has been among the Native American people. This is perhaps due to their availability, and also, perhaps more importantly, because of their associated 'medicine qualities'. A hunter may wish to use 'bear medicine power' to help him on the hunt, or in warfare, and so the use of a part of the wolf gave him contact with the spirit of that animal. Some were made often made into a bear claw necklace surrounded by beads, shells, cat claw or wolverine claw. Even feathers from eagles or hawks were used.

Teeth and claws were the most often used parts, as these were the animal's most obvious expressions of power. The claws and teeth from all the animals of the peoples world were used. Puma,  badger, cat, wolverine, wolf, coyote and others. . These may have been tied to a shield perhaps, or made into a necklace, or fashioned into a small amulet which could be worn or tied to other items.

Some of these animal parts became symbols of membership to societies or almost badges of rank. For instance the Pawnee, amongst other tribes used the claw of the grizzly bear as a sign of great bravery, the number of men qualified to wear them through bravery resulting from contact with the bear spirit was limited; only a handful of the members of any tribe had the right.

The claws were fashioned into a necklace, many of them being made up from more than one bear. To get these, the man would have to kill the grizzly armed with only a knife, an act of considerable courage.

Sometimes personal items were taken from dead enemies as an act of power and to bring the courage of that enemy to the wearer. Strictly speaking, these were medicine items not items of decoration, although the distinction between the purely decorative and the sacred blurrs beyond recognition in much of plains art.

Other bones and animal parts are also used as decoration, these include the whole feet of birds, small skulls, and out spread skins from small animals and birds such as ermine and crow.
Vertebrae are usefully shaped bones, and are complete with a ready made hole; smaller ones such as rattle snake or fish, can be easily tied on to objects and are found used all over the Americas
Perhaps the most common bone bead is hair pipe. This is white bone (or black horn) tubing, which comes in various lengths and is used to make and decorate a number of items, men's and women's chokers and the large traditional breast plate. These items of plains costume have become important statements of identity in the last hundred years or so.