Anatol Donkan talks about the bear hunt

“This spear (see picture on the left) was used for bear hunting. The Nanai did not raise bears [like some neighboring peoples], but they hunted them. However, they rarely went on bear hunts, yet this hunt was important for a young boy to become a mature hunter one day. According to the stories of the old hunters, such a hunt was organized by an uncle for his nephews. When a boy was between 12 and 14 years old, the brothers of the boy’s father would take him hunting. The boy was invited and they said to him, ‘We should invite Grandfather home.’ The bear is considered the grandfather. Finally, they came to the place where the bear sleeps. They took young trees and built a funnel-shaped pit in the cave and covered it. When the bear stood up and its upper body was visible, they had to strike it with a spear at a certain spot on its body to kill it. At that moment, other hunters stood with spears aimed at the bear, and if the thrust was correct, the hunt was successful. Then the bear’s fur was skinned, and it [its soul] was treated to a feast. Finally, they said to the bear, ‘Now go and tell your village how good we are, and let another bear come to us next year.’ Afterward, stories were told about the young hunter who had killed a bear, marking the birth of a new hunter. The first hunt was important and had to be successful.

There is a sheath for the tip of a spear. It covers the tip so that one does not get injured while walking through the forest with the spear. With a sling, this sheath can be quickly removed.

Another spear (see picture in the middle) was used earlier to catch larger fish. It has a long cord. When they caught big fish, they could thrust directly from the boat. And if the fish started to struggle and the shaft accidentally slipped from the hand, they would hold the cord with their hands, which kept the fish secured and allowed them to pull it back up to the boat.” (Video in progress)

Recorded by Erich Kasten, Viechtach, 2024.