Russian Brown Bears

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More about indigenous people of Siberia and far east parts of Russia (Including Korea and northeast areas of China too) and their relationship to the bear.

Quote:

"Man and Nature in Archaic Religion: Honoring the Bear

In almost all regions of the planet where bears have ever lived, this animal occupied a very special place in the religious and mythological concepts of hunters. 

The worship of the bear goes back to ancient times. Its origins are found in Paleolithic cave sanctuaries , for example, Chauvet and Montespan. In archaeological sites on the territory of the Cis-Urals and Western Siberia since the 7th century. BC. and up to the XII century. AD metal items with the image of a bear are widespread: plaques-decorations ( Plaque - a bear. Khanty. Khanty-Mansiysk national district ), hollow figurines-pierced beads ( Pronizka-bear. Khanty. Tyumen oblast, X-XII centuries ) and other items.

For the peoples of Siberia and the Far East (Khanty and Mansi, Evenks, Kets, Nanai, Ulchi, Negidal, Oroch, Nivkh, Ainu), the bear is one of the most important characters with which numerous rituals and beliefs were associated.

People often saw the master of the taiga in the form of a bear (Spirit-master of the taiga. Nanaitsy. Khabarovsk Territory, XX century  ). It was believed that he gives hunters prey, sends and heals diseases ( Buyu-Dilin - the head of a bear. Ulchi. Khabarovsk Territory, XX century ), punishes people for violating religious rules and prohibitions ( Duente - the spirit master of the taiga. Nanaitsy, XX century . ).

Hunting rules related to the catch of a bear and butchering of its carcass were strictly observed. In honor of the bear killed during the hunt, a holiday was necessarily arranged.

The Ob Ugrians have widely known an oath on a bear's paw, skin, head ( Bear Claw. Khanty. Khanty-Mansi national okru, early XX century ). It was assumed that the bear would punish the false oath. In order to protect against misfortune and disease, a bear skull was kept in the dwelling, over the children's cradle ( Bear. Nivkhi. Amur Territory, XIX - early XX centuries ), a paw or claws of a bear was hung ( Bear paw. Evenki. Evenk National District, early XX centuries ).

The bear was often viewed as the ancestor of certain human collectives. Many groups of Evenks trace their origins to the bear, and at present the Evenki consider the bear to be the ancestor of the entire Evenk people.

The bear could be both one of the shaman's helper spirits and his twin beast. Shamans, who during the ritual were reincarnated into a bear, were considered the strongest among the Kets. Among the Nganasan shamans, the bear played the role of a guide to the spirit world.


Text from here: http://www.gmir.ru/exposition/vera/vera_...48&id=2938

That link is to the site of State Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg, Russia

*This image is copyright of its original author

Evenki. Evenk National District, Krasnoyarsk Territory, pos. Ekonda. Beginning XX centuries Leather, claws, fabric

The bear's paw was considered an amulet that protects against disease and misfortune. For this purpose, it was hung over the cradle of the child. The paw was also hung on the necks of the deer to protect them from wolves, placed on the storage shed so that it would not be ravaged by predators. It was also used for fortune telling: a paw was thrown up, making a wish, and by the way it fell, it was judged whether it would come true or not. This paw was donated to the museum by the Evenki T.G. Kombagir during an expedition to the Krasnoyarsk Territory in 1984. According to the owner, the paw was kept in the family for several generations.
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