Before the hunt

"At the seashore, the shaman asks for a blessing and permission to hunt. It is a sad thing to kill animals. Before the hunt, one addresses the sea: ‘Do not be angry that we must take the lives of animals. I have children at home. I must feed them.’ Elements of this tradition of reconciliation with nature – and of giving thanks while asking for acceptance of the offering – are practiced in traditional form during the Itelmen festival Alkhalalalai. For the ritual, a bear skull is used, or symbolic representations of a fish or marine animals. Bundles of reed grass are used to drive away evil spirits."