My grandfather on my father’s side was Little Grouse and at the time of his fasting year had a great medicine dream, "My son, I will be a guardian to you and give you some special power. Although you not to be a conjurer or a medicine man, still you shall have power to do good. I will give you good luck, but you must respect me in my earthly form and never kill me. Now I will go into your body." According to that medicine dream my grandfather believed there was a bear inside his body. He felt its presence at his back, or hip.

Centuries ago, when the Midewiwin sacred bear appeared to the early Ojibway and gave them the sacred knowledge of several hundred kinds of medicine through a horned serpent the medicines were represented by a cup.