Founder of Medicine Bear Arts | Turtle Island Artist | Cultural Storyteller & Advocate

Jadeon Rathgeber, also known as Medicine Bear, is a First Nations artist, storyteller, and grassroots advocate whose life journey embodies cultural survival, transformation, and resistance. A proud descendant of
wâpi-maskwa okimâw
(the White Bear Chief) and member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Jadeon’s roots trace deep into the traditions, artistry, and stories of Turtle Island. He began carving in 2006 after leaving behind a life of gangs, and drug addiction— finding healing and purpose through ceremony, mentorship, and woodcarving.

From his early awakening through teachings with his carving mentor
gyuauustees and his uncle Splitting the Sky (John Boncore Hill), Jadeon committed himself to exposing colonial injustice, cultural erasure, and the environmental destruction of Indigenous lands. His work is deeply tied to spiritual symbolism, family lineage, and a matriarchal worldview that uplifts feminine energy and ancestral knowledge.

Jadeon has spent the last two decades visiting First Nations communities across Canada, selling hand-carved jewelry and sharing and hearing stories that educate and empower. His pieces, including the monumental Keeper of the House of All the Eagles, have lived in sacred places such as the Kamloops Residential School. Through Medicine Bear Arts, Jadeon not only creates heirloom jewelry — he builds a platform for truth-telling, healing, and visioning a future where Indigenous sovereignty and land-based living are fully restored.

His timeline is more than a biography — it’s a journey of survival, awakening, and resurgence.