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ones, but not the private taboos of other Indians. The following list of 
the more general taboos indicates fairly well their character: 
(1) Do not throw beaver and bear bones to the dogs, but place them in the water 
or hang them to trees; for the beaver and the bear will use these bones again 
when they are reincarnated. If you violate this taboo the boss beaver and the 
boss bear will be offended. 
(2) Do not throw sturgeon bones to the dogs, for the sturgeon and the bear are 
the same animal. Sturgeons change to bears when the berries ripen, whence 
the large number of bears at that season. 
(3) Never sell a bear skin without cutting off the snout and hanging it to a tree 
away from the dogs. 
(4) Do not skin and dress an animal right away, lest its shadow learn to know 
you and prevent you from killing other animals of the same species. Wait 
half an hour before you skin your quarry. 
(5) Do not run away when you hear in the night heavy tramping as of a giant 
or a Windigo. It is porcupine, one of Windigo’s creatures, who is prowling 
round. If you run away it will chase you and call its comrades. 
Do not kill a porcupine idly and throw away its meat, or its shadow will 
harm your children. 
Always singe the nose and eyes of a porcupine when you skin it, so that 
its soul will not annoy your family. 
The boy who receives a blessing from porcupine during his adolescent 
fast must never eat porcupine meat or he will become a Windigo. His blessing 
will help him as long as he observes this taboo. 
(6) Never let the dogs eat the brains of any animal. 
(7) Never give the head of the muskrat to a dog. If you do the muskrat will 
recognize your soul and never go near your traps. Never break the head of a 
muskrat to get at its brains, or it will never enter your traps even if it 
approaches them. 
(8) Do not use the bladder of any animal, but cut it out and hide it in a hollow 
stump. If you idly throw it away you will find it hard to kill game. 
(9) Never torture an animal. If you do you will torture your own soul and 
surely meet with misfortune. 
Never torture an animal. If you do your child will fall sick, or suffer 
some other penalty. Stuttering often arises from torturing animals. 
Never torture an animal, but try to kill it outright by aiming at its heart 
or head. Animals do not like to suffer pain, and if you aim to wound them 
only, they will prevent you from securing much game. 
(10) The moose, the bear, and the fox exhale a poisonous air. Avoid the lee side 
of these animals, particularly of the fox. For when the fox runs over the snow 
it leaves a green or blue tinge behind it, and the man or dog that sniffs it 
will waste away within two weeks. 
(11) Do not troll for fish at night, or you may hook something that will irresistibly 
draw your line down; or a merman or mermaid may hold your hook fast to 
punish you, 
(12) Never scale trout. If you do the weather will be stormy and you will be 
unable to fish. 
(13) Do not catch more fish than you need when fishing with torch and spear 
through holes in the ice, or a big snake will appear in your fishing-hole. 
(14) Never boil two kinds of fish in the same pot simultaneously. 
(15) Do not fry trout during the autumn fishing or you will spoil your luck. Trout 
do not like the splashing of grease, so boil them instead. But you may fry 
sturgeon, bass, etc. 
(16) Do not give bear meat or the meat of the whistling duck to the sick for the 
bear eats unripe fruit and the whistling duck eats worms, bugs, and other 
H? clean Some Indians forbid porcupine flesh for the same reason 
(17) Do not give the sick (or women before and after child-birth) meat of the 
squirrel or partridge, fried fish, or strawberries. 
(18) Women if unwell, must not eat berries, or they will spoil all the berries on 
the bushes. 
