Bear, Mohawk's original symbol (5)
I believe the answer is:
totem
'symbol' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'bear mohawk's original' is the wordplay.
'bear' becomes 'tote' (I've seen this before).
'original' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'mohawk' is 'm'.
'tote'+'m'='TOTEM'
(Other definitions for totem that I've seen before include "Natural item of spiritual significance" , "Object of veneration" , "Object adopted by N American Indians as emblem" , "symbol of spiritual significance" , "Venerated emblem" .)