The Goldi, neighbours of the Gilyaks, treat the bear in much the
same way. They hunt and kill it; but sometimes they capture a live
bear and keep him in a cage, feeding him well and calling him their
son and brother. Then at a great festival he is taken from his cage,
paraded about with marked consideration, and afterwards killed and
eaten. "The skull, jaw-bones, and ears are then suspended on a tree,
as an antidote against evil spirits; but the flesh is eaten and much
relished, for they believe that all who partake of it acquire a zest
for the chase, and become courageous."
The Orotchis, another Tunguzian people of the region of the Amoor,
hold bear-festivals of the same general character. Any one who
catches a bear cub considers it his bounden duty to rear it in a
cage for about three years, in order at the end of that time to kill
it publicly and eat the flesh with his friends. The feasts being
public, though organised by individuals, the people try to have one
in each Orotchi village every year in turn. When the bear is taken
out of his cage, he is led about by means of ropes to all the huts,
accompanied by people armed with lances, bows, and arrows.
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