Envoys are despatched to bring their otherselves， the tortoises， from the sacred lake Kothluwalawa， to which the souls of the dead are believed to repair. When the creatures have thus been solemnly brought to Zuni， they are placed in a bowl of water and dances are performed beside them by men in costume， who personate gods and goddesses. After the ceremonial the tortoises are taken home by those who caught them and are hung by their necks to the rafters till morning， when they are thrown into pots of boiling water. The eggs are considered a great delicacy. The meat is seldom touched except as a medicine， which is curative for cutaneous diseases. Part of the meat is deposited in the river with kóhakwa (white shell beads) and turquoise beads as offerings to Council of the Gods. This account at all events confirms the inference that the tortoises are supposed to be reincarnations of the human dead， for they are called the otherselves of the Zuni； indeed， what else should they be than the souls of the dead in the bodies of tortoises seeing that they come from the haunted lake？ As the principal object of the prayers uttered and of the dances performed at these midsummer ceremonies appears to be to procure rain for the crops， it may be that the intention of bringing the tortoises to Zuni and dancing before them is to intercede with the ancestral spirit， incarnate in the animals， that they may be pleased to exert their power over the waters of heaven for the benefit of their living descendants.
5. Killing the Sacred Bear
DOUBT also hangs at first sight over the meaning of the bear-sacrifice offered by the Aino or Ainu， a primitive people who are found in the Japanese island of Yezo or Yesso， as well as in Saghalien and the southern of the Kurile Islands. It is not quite easy to define the attitude of the Aino towards the bear. On the one hand they give it the name of kamui or god； but as they apply the same word to strangers， it may mean no more than a being supposed to be endowed with superhuman， or at all events extraordinary， powers. Again， it is said that the bear is their chief divinity； in the religion of the Aino the bear plays a chief part； amongst the animals it is especially the bear which receives an idolatrous veneration； they worship it after their fashion； there is no doubt that this wild beast inspires more of the feeling which prompts worship than the inanimate forces of nature， and the Aino may be distinguished as bear-worshippers. Yet， on the other hand， they kill the bear whenever they can； in bygone years the Ainu considered bear-hunting the most manly and useful way in which a person could possibly spend his time； the men spend the autumn， winter， and spring in hunting deer and bears. Part of their tribute or taxes is paid in skins， and they subsist on the dried meat； bear's flesh is indeed one of their staple foods； they eat it both fresh and salted； and the skins of bears furnish them with clothing.
In fact， the worship of which writers on this subject speak appears to be paid chiefly to the dead animal. Thus， although they kill a bear whenever they can， in the process of dissecting the carcass they endeavor to conciliate the deity， whose representative they have slain， by ****** elaborate obeisances and deprecatory salutations； when a bear has been killed the Ainu sit down and admire it， make their salaams to it， worship it， and offer presents of inao； when a bear is trapped or wounded by an arrow， the hunters go through an apologetic or propitiatory ceremony. The skulls of slain bears receive a place of honour in their huts， or are set up on sacred posts outside the huts， and are treated with much respect： libations of millet beer， and of sake， an intoxicating liquor， are offered to them； and they are addressed as divine preservers or precious divinities. The skulls of foxes are also fastened to the sacred posts outside the huts； they are regarded as charms against evil spirits， and are consulted as oracles. Yet it is expressly said， The live fox is revered just as little as the bear； rather they avoid it as much as possible， considering it a wily animal. The bear can hardly， therefore， be described as a sacred animal of the Aino， nor yet as a totem； for they do not call themselves bears， and they kill and eat the animal freely. However， they have a legend of a woman who had a son by a bear； and many of them who dwell in the mountains pride themselves on being descended from a bear. Such people are called Descendants of the bear (Kimun Kamui sanikiri)， and in the pride of their heart they will say， As for me， I am a child of the god of the mountains； I am descended from the divine one who rules in the mountains， meaning by the god of the mountains no other than the bear. It is therefore possible that， as our principal authority， the Rev.
J. Batchelor， believes， the bear may have been the totem of an Aino clan； but even if that were so it would not explain the respect shown for the animal by the whole Aino people.