Commenting on his study Daydreaming. A White Bear Hunter, Alexander Borisov wrote: ‘A Samoyed wearing a malitsa coat and a sovik coat about to hunt a polar bear at forty below zero. If a common man tries to put on both malitsa and sovik, he will be unable to move. The Samoyeds, however, wear such costume comfortably and are perfectly able to shoot and kill a bear neatly.’ (Malitsa is a reindeer skin coat. Sovik is a fur coat that is worn over the malitsa.)
Brown bear hunting was relatively rare among the Nenets people. The brown bear is found only in a few zones of the forest area that the Nenets move to in the winter. Interestingly enough, the Nenets have certain rites and taboos related to the brown bear hunting. As Borisov wrote, ‘brown bear hunting is part of their culture, they don’t sell its skin to the Russians; instead, they use it to make sleigh harnesses they brag about to each other. Although the polar bear skin is used the same way, it’s not that important in the eyes of the Samoyed. His faith is not connected to the polar bear hunting, and so he willingly sells its skin to the Russians.
The Nenets treats animals, plants, stones and natural phenomena as if they were able to understand him. For example, when a hunter comes across a bear, he doesn’t kill it immediately. Instead, he starts talking to the bear, admiring it, asking why they have met, begging it to not scratch him with its sharp claws. When the bear starts growling and moving towards the Samoyed, he starts negotiating, his gun and pike at the ready: ‘I hear what you are saying, Bear Prince, you are coming to me, you want me to kill you and to offer your skin to the shaitan. Come, come. Your death is here for you, but I am not looking for it.’ After this, he shoots the bear and considers himself righteous in the eyes of the bear’s family that could take revenge on him.’
Bears make appearance in Nenets folk tales. One of them tells a story about two bears, a polar one and a brown one, that went towards each other: the polar bear went to the South, and the brown bear, to the North. They ran straight into each other and started wrestling. The fight ended in a draw: the polar bear was stronger, the brown bear, more agile. So, the bears decided: since we are brothers, we will be living each one in his own land, without bothering each other.
Also, the Nenets believe that the polar bear taught people to use fire.
Brown bear hunting was relatively rare among the Nenets people. The brown bear is found only in a few zones of the forest area that the Nenets move to in the winter. Interestingly enough, the Nenets have certain rites and taboos related to the brown bear hunting. As Borisov wrote, ‘brown bear hunting is part of their culture, they don’t sell its skin to the Russians; instead, they use it to make sleigh harnesses they brag about to each other. Although the polar bear skin is used the same way, it’s not that important in the eyes of the Samoyed. His faith is not connected to the polar bear hunting, and so he willingly sells its skin to the Russians.
The Nenets treats animals, plants, stones and natural phenomena as if they were able to understand him. For example, when a hunter comes across a bear, he doesn’t kill it immediately. Instead, he starts talking to the bear, admiring it, asking why they have met, begging it to not scratch him with its sharp claws. When the bear starts growling and moving towards the Samoyed, he starts negotiating, his gun and pike at the ready: ‘I hear what you are saying, Bear Prince, you are coming to me, you want me to kill you and to offer your skin to the shaitan. Come, come. Your death is here for you, but I am not looking for it.’ After this, he shoots the bear and considers himself righteous in the eyes of the bear’s family that could take revenge on him.’
Bears make appearance in Nenets folk tales. One of them tells a story about two bears, a polar one and a brown one, that went towards each other: the polar bear went to the South, and the brown bear, to the North. They ran straight into each other and started wrestling. The fight ended in a draw: the polar bear was stronger, the brown bear, more agile. So, the bears decided: since we are brothers, we will be living each one in his own land, without bothering each other.
Also, the Nenets believe that the polar bear taught people to use fire.
