The Cult of the Bear among the Peoples of the Amur and Primorye (based on the materials of Russian researchers)

Based on field materials and publications of Russian ethnographers, the article discusses the cult of the bear, which is widespread among the indigenous small-numbered ethnic groups of the southern part of the Far East. Among the native ethnic groups of the Amur Region and Primorye, this cult manifests itself in the so-called “bear” holiday, which was celebrated on two occasions: the first celebration was associated with the killing of an animal in a den, and the second - on the occasion of a bear grown in captivity. The peculiarity of this holiday lies in the fact that the bear at the region’s natives was a totem animal from the Neolithic era. Therefore, the “bearish” holiday among local peoples has pronounced totemic features that reflect various prohibitions. Starting with the killing of the beast and ending with the special process of eating it, all this was accompanied by magical actions aimed at diverting from the hunters the responsibility for killing the bear - a close “relative” in the female line. The peculiarity of the “bear” holiday lies in the fact that only men and the oldest women, incapable of having children, took part in it, and even then with a number of restrictions associated with eating meat. The totemic nature of this holiday is also reflected in the rite of keeping intact all the bones of the skeleton and skull of the bear, and their ritual burial is associated with the idea of reviving the dead animal. This holiday reflected the idea of the unity of two clans of one ethnic group and testified to a single process of cultural development among the peoples of the Amur and Primorye.