Review of Brother Bear (2003) by D. Marie L — 31 Jan 2010

The main characters of this story are three pre Ice Age Inuit brothers named Sitka the oldest, Denahi and then the youngest Kenai. In the beginning, Kenai prepares for his coming-of-age ceremony where he will receive his animal spirit totem. Kenia?s problems start before his ceremony when, in his excitement, he ignored a fallen basket of fish he did not tie off. Kenai ends up receiving the Bear totem of love and after his ceremonies, he finds the fish have been taken by the bears and calls them thieves and says that they could not love or feel. Kenai, in his anger, vows to kill the bear who stole his fish. Kenai finds the bear and is attacked but his brothers come to his rescue and in the battle, Sitka loses his life. Still angry, he vows to avenge Sitka and kill the bear. Denahi warns him by telling him that he will provoke the spirits. Kenai ignores the warning and his village?s teaching and kills the bear. As a result, Sitka and the Great Spirit animals appear and transform him into a bear. Danahi later finds Kenia?s clothes and thinks the bear killed him and chases the bear not knowing it is Kenia. Kenia meets up with a bear cub Koda and a friendship grows and Kenia starts to learn bears are actually afraid of humans. Kenai finds out the bear he killed was Koda?s mom and in great guilt tells Koda. Koda feels hurt and betrayed and leaves causing Kenai to call on his brother spirit for guidance. During this time Danahi finds Kenai thinking it is the bear and tries to kill him. While in a fight Koda arrives and chooses to save his friend. However, Kenai, seeing Koda in danger sacrifices himself to save Koda. Sitka changes him back into a human as a reward but Kenai sees that Koda is now orphaned and asks to be changed back. After Kenai is transformed into a bear he and Koda are welcomed into the Tribe and they place their paw prints on the wall where past tribe members who called upon their totem spirit placed their prints.

This movie is a representation of indigenous people and the cultures respect and connection to mother earth and all things on her. Animals and spirits are regarded sacred and not to be provoked. Mythology is shown in the way Kenai is turned into a bear. Story telling is part of indigenous people culture and history and this is an example of passing down culture. Inuit culture practiced a form of shamanism based on animist principals. Human, animals, and all things have a spirit form. They believed to offend a spirit would be a risk the spirits interfering their lives in and being provoked to anger. Indigenous people pass down their traditions in storytelling, mythology, music and dancing and all are still an important part of their culture today. In this movie, we can see almost all of these things depicted.