Petr Berel’tuev talks about the special way bear teeth are treated

00:00 – 00:13

Petr Berel’tuev explains the traditional Evenk beliefs and practices surrounding bear fangs. In the past, only elders, hunters, and shamans were allowed to take a bear’s teeth. The fangs were kept in homes or worn as protective amulets, believed to provide strength, good health, courage, and freedom from fear. Bears were considered masters of the taiga and were generally not hunted, but a bear entering a settlement had to be killed. Its eyes were covered before the hide was removed, and only afterward were the fangs taken. The teeth were cleaned, washed, and pierced so they could be hung up discreetly in the dwelling. Today, such fangs are increasingly sold as protective amulets.
(Subtitles: cc)

Recorded by Mariia Berel’tueva (Tepkegir), Uliunkhan, Kurumkan District, Republic of Buryatia, December 2025.
Translation: Mariia Berel’tueva.
Transliteration: Mariia Berel’tueva, Daniil Nikitenko.
Editing: Nadezhda Mamontova.