Nanook

spirit · Canada · North America

Nanook is the master of polar bears in Inuit tradition, the great bear who decides whether a hunter succeeds. When a bear is killed, its hide is hung in a place of honor within the igloo and stays there for several days, and small offerings, tools for the bear's soul, are made so that its spirit will return. Such respect keeps the hunting balance between humans and the animals that sustain them.

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