What does the great bear in racing the great bear symbolize?

The Great Bear threatens the Great Peace. It decimates young men who don't face it with the ancestral gifts and with an ally. But Swift Runner has his ancestral gifts and the wisdom of the elders. He says, "I see you. I am after you. You cannot escape."

After Swift Runner beats the bear, he gets to take its power (its teeth). It brings back the life of the young men who faced it and lost.

We all have a Great Bear which stands between us and our next challenge, a challenge that can disrupt our peace and separate us from our vitality. The Great Bear can be greed, fear, self doubt, illusion, anger.