Kamuy Fuchi Myth
The Ainu kamuy of bears and mountains, central to the bear-sending ritual.
Kim-un-kamuy (キムンカムイ, lit. 'god of the mountains', also called Metotush Kamuy and Nuparikor Kamuy) is the Ainu kamuy (god) of bears and mountains. Bears are prominent in Ainu mythology. They are generally considered benevolent, though there are tales of ararush ('monstrous bears'). A prominent ritual involved the capture of a live bear cub, which would be kept, fed, and well treated for a year. Then a bear ceremony was performed, during which it would be shot to death with arrows. Its flesh was eaten to free its spirit to return to the heavens, and when it reached Kim-un Kamuy's home, it would tell of the humans' piety in gratitude for this service.
Lore & Background
An important myth of Kim-un Kamuy explains the bear ceremony. One day, the bear god is told by the crow that his wife has gone down from the heavens to the village of humans and has not returned. He rushes home, takes his child, and goes to the human village, where he is greeted by Isosange Mat, the hunt goddess, who invites him to visit Kamuy Fuchi (also known as Kamuy Huchi), goddess of the hearth. While they are speaking, a fox bewitches him; then Kamuy Paseguru knocks him out. He regains consciousness in the branches of a tree, and sees the body of an old bear lying below, and a cub playing nearby. He observes while the humans worship the dead bear, making offerings of wine, millet dumplings, and inau (sacred rods). They subsequently take the bear's meat, and the cub, back to their village, where they present him with further offerings. He finds his wife there as well, sitting near the hearth, and they spend several days feasting with Kamuy Fuchi before returning to their home, where they give a feast for the other kamuy. The humans later make further offerings of wine and inau to the cub, leading to another feast.
Reader's Guide
The bear ceremony is a prominent ritual carried out by every village that could manage to do so. It involved the capture of a live bear cub. This cub would be kept, fed, and well treated for a year. The myth of Kim-un Kamuy explains this ritual: after the bear god's own journey to the human village, his cub returns a year later with further gifts of wine and inau, leading to another feast. This cycle reinforces the bond between humans and kamuy.
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