“Girl and bear” tale and Bear ritual

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  • 「娘と熊」の伝承と熊儀礼
  • 「 ムスメ ト クマ 」 ノ デンショウ ト クマ ギレイ

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Abstract

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[ABSTRACT] An Even tale narrates how a girl happened to spend a winter in a bear den, afterward gave birth to a boy and a bear cub. When the offspring grew up, the boy killed the brother-bear in fight. The bear left words how to perform own funeral, and told the mother not to eat the flesh of her son. The bears in the tales “Kajgus” of the Kets, “Kheladan” of the Evenks likewise leave the same indications. On the other hands in many descriptions of bear rituals of the northern peoples, we find that females are often restricted in eating bear flesh, in relation to the dead bears either. Another version of the Even tale describes how the boy destroyed the bear-brother in fight. This episode also has reflection in the Bear rituals where boys struggle with “bear”, a bundle of bones of the bear.

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