CHIEF GRIZZLY BEAR HEART Family

Chief Grizzly Bear Heart Dances at Camp Ernst (above image is of Charlie’s family in Indian outfits) When my brother Charlie was a teenager, he went to Flagstaff, Arizona with a relative and the trip influenced him greatly. His goal in life, after that trip was to become an Indian Missionary Priest. He also became interested in the Native American culture and studied it on his own until he became the expert, first in the family and then in the whole Kentucky region, on Indian culture and ceremony. He became the noted Indian dancer in the area and was often asked to speak and perform at many local events. He collected Indian artifacts and outfits and the above photo is from an article in the Covington newpaper about his interests and accomplishments.

Chief Grizzley Bear Heart Dances at Camp Ernst

 

It was probably the summer of 1941 before WWII, I was 8 and served as the drummer for the Indian dances of Chief Grizzley Bear Heart, who was 16 and my brother. He had been an Indian dancer for 4 years and was the best dancer in Kentucky. The local YMCA invited him to perform at a campfire evening at Camp Ernst to instruct the young campers about Indian lore which they had been studying as part of their camp week. The campfire took place at the camp’s campfire site in the woods.The young campers were all seated on logs at the site with a big camp fire in the center. Around the fire in the middle was a space for the dance to take place. The setting seemed appropriate for the reenactment. The Chief had told me to go into the center near the fire and to start drumming continuously.Then he disappeared. I began drumming and the group, who anticipated the dancing just sat waiting in anxious silence. They waited and waited as the tension grew. All of sudden, there was this incredible scream or
ghostly yell from the forest followed by the rush into the fire-lit circle of this wild Indian figure with a weapon, leaping and contorting in beastly jumps and uncivilized dance moves. The total audience gasped and stared wide-eyed toward the counselors for help. The Chief responded by dancing even more wildly. I also got into it and drummed to match his velocity as the dance
continued. The Camp Ernst campers would never forget Chief Grizzley Bear Heart.