Bear worship ( also known as the Bear Cult or Arctolatry ) is the religious practice of the worshiping of bears found in many North American and North Eurasian ethnic circumpolar religions such as the Sami , Nivkhs , Ainu , and pre-Christian Finns . Bear worship ( also known as the Bear Cult or Arctolatry ) is the religious practice of the worshiping of bears found in many North American and North Eurasian ethnic circumpolar religions such as the Sami , Nivkh , Ainu , and pre-Christian Finns .