Instead of theorizing as to what the Aino thinks and imagines, let us observe his doings, his dromena, his rites; and most of all his great spring and autumn rite, the dromenon of the Bear.  We shall find that, detail for detail, it strangely resembles the Greek dromenon of the Bull.

As winter draws to a close among the Ainos, a young Bear is trapped and brought into the village.  At first an Aino woman suckles him at her breast, then later he is fed on his favourite food, fish—­his tastes are semi-polar.  When he is at his full strength, that is, when he threatens to break the cage in which he lives, the feast is held.  This is usually in September, or October, that is when the season of bear-hunting begins.

Before the feast begins the Ainos apologize profusely, saying that they have been good to the Bear, they can feed him no longer, they must kill him.  Then the man who gives the Bear-feast invites his relations and friends, and if the community be small nearly the whole village attends.  On the occasion described by Dr. Scheube about thirty Ainos were present, men, women, and children, all dressed in their best clothes.  The woman of the house who had suckled the Bear sat by herself, sad and silent, only now and then she burst into helpless tears.  The ceremony began with libations made to the fire-god and to the house-god set up in a corner of the house.  Next the master and some of the guests left the hut and offered libations in front of the Bear’s cage.  A few drops were presented to him in a saucer, which he promptly upset.  Then the women and girls danced round the cage, rising and hopping on their toes, and as they danced they clapped their hands and chanted a monotonous chant.  The mother and some of the old women cried as they danced and stretched out their arms to the Bear, calling him loving names.  The young women who had nursed no Bears laughed, after the manner of the young.  The Bear began to get upset, and rushed round his cage, howling lamentably.

Next came a ceremony of special significance which is never omitted at the sacrifice of a Bear.  Libations were offered to the inabos, sacred wands which stand outside the Aino hut.  These wands are about two feet high and are whittled at the top into spiral shavings. Five new wands with bamboo leaves attached to them are set up for the festival; the leaves according to the Ainos mean that the Bear may come to life again.  These wands are specially interesting.  The chief focus of attention is of course the Bear, because his flesh is for the Aino his staple food.  But vegetation is not quite forgotten.  The animal life of the Bear and the vegetable life of the bamboo-leaves are thought of together.