Club FAQ
- How can I join the Deutsch-Kanadischer Business-Club?
- Where does the Club meet?
- Is the Deutsch-Kanadischer Business-Club a government organization?
- What does the club logo show?
- What does the bear represent to the Haida First Nations of Canada?
- What is the Haida Bear Legend?
How can I join the DKBC BB e.V.?
For details on joining the DKBC BB e.V., visit our “Becoming a Member” page on this website..
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Where does the club meet?
We meet every third Monday of the month at the same location: Midtown Grill, Berlin Marriott Hotel, Inge-Beisheim-Platz 1, 10785 Berlin. For directions, see this page.
Is the Deutsch-Kanadischer Business-Club a government organization?
No, the club is a not a government organization. However, the club has been established under the patronage of the Canadian Ambassador to Germany and maintains strong links to the Canadian Embassy.
What does the DKBC BB club logo represent?
The logo of the Deutsch-Kanadischer Business Club Berlin-Brandenburg was designed by one of founding members, Eric Strong, who is now back in Canada. Eric is from northern Manitoba and has roots in the First Nations community, as well as some terrific artistic skills. It features the Berlin Bear coat of arms drawn in the Haida First Nations artistic style. According to his design notes:
- Canada is represented by the Haida First Nations artistic style
- Germany is represented by the colours of the German national flag
- Berlin is represented by the bear
This image is copyrighted and may not be used except by permission of the artist, Mr. Eric Strong.
What does the bear represent to the Haida First Nations of Canada?
The bear is the subject of many legends and superstitions and is often featured in art works, particularly totem poles and button blankets, as it is an important family crest. Referred to by Haida west coast people as “Elder Kinsman”, the bear represented power and had many human-like qualities. When killed, it was taken to the chief’s house, sprinkled with eagle down (a symbol of welcome and friendship) and generally treated as high-ranking guest. When represented in art, the bear has ears, large flaring nostrils, a wide mouth with conspicuous teeth, sometimes with canines, and/or a large protruding tongue. Claw-like hands and feet are characteristic, and the minimal tail of the bear is generally ignored.
What is the Haida Bear Legend?
One popular Haida legend (shared also by other First Nations cultures) tells of some women from a tribe who were out gathering huckleberries. All but one of them was singing to appease the bears. She chattered on about her own concerns, and it angered the bears – they felt that she was mocking them. So as the berry-pickers headed home, the chatterbox was the last to go for she had spilled her berries and had to gather them up again. As she worked, she was approached by two men wearing bear-fur robes, who looked like her brothers. One of them offered to help her if she would go with him. She agreed.
She followed them to a large house where inside were several people, all of whom were dressed in bearskins. One of them told her that she had been taken to a bear den and that she had now become one of them, a Bear-people. She noticed that she too was wearing a bearskin robe. The chief of the Bear-people took her as hi???ӆ?s wife and she gave birth to twin sons who were, therefore, half-human and half-bear.
One day, her brothers came looking for her. They found her and, unfortunately, murdered her husband. However, before the Bear Husband died, he taught her the songs that her brothers must use over his corpse to bring good luck and speed his soul to the afterlife. The Bear Sons, the sons of the woman and the chief, lived with the tribe as humans until their mother died. Her death, however, ended the twin son’s connection with humanity and they became bears and returned to live with the Bear People. All members of the Bear Clan are descended from this woman and her two sons.
The Haida believe that there is a bear within all of us and that we must, therefore, come to terms with it in our lives. For some First Nations peoples, this myth extends to all of creation, while for other First Nations peoples, the entire human race is descended from the children of the Bear Sons. The Haida and many other First Nations of Canada, therefore, have a deep spiritual connection with bears.
