The pair of artifacts was uncovered in August 2021 at the Upper Nguyên Valley site in the Altai mountain range of southeastern Siberia—an area renowned for its cold, arid environment that preserves organic materials with remarkable clarity. The discovery occurred during the “Altai Prehistoric Hunting and Ritual Culture Survey,” a collaborative project between the Russian Federal Insтιтute of Archaeology and the North Asian Anthropological Research Group, led by archaeologist Dr. Irina Volkhova.
The objects were found within an oval-shaped burial pit, roughly 1.6 meters deep, accompanied by the remains of an adult individual interred in a contracted position. Flattened mᴀsses of hair and hide lay near the chest and alongside the arms of the deceased. Initially believed to be remnants of cold-weather clothing, the items revealed their true idenтιтy after careful laboratory restoration: two full-sized bear paws, preserved with fur, claws, and outer hide intact but with all internal bone structures removed.
Scientific analysis identified the hide as belonging to the brown bear (Ursus arctos), a species historically common in the Altai region. Microscopic examination revealed cut marks consistent with fine flint blades, suggesting a technique in which the skin of the bear’s foot was removed as a single tube, then dried and treated with resin from conifer trees—a natural preservative that inhibits decay and strengthens the fibers. The claws were left unaltered, retaining their natural curvature and sharpness. At the upper ends of the paws, small perforations indicated that cords or straps were once threaded through, likely to fasten the objects onto clothing or to suspend them during ceremonies. The remnants of plant-fiber string found within the perforations were identified as wild hemp, twisted into strong, flexible cords.
After digital reconstruction, it became clear that the artifacts were not practical gloves but ceremonial appendages intended to be worn on the outer forearms or across the chest. Their exaggerated size, intact claws, and the absence of wear patterns strongly indicate a ritual function rather than everyday use. The burial context supported this interpretation: the grave contained ritual objects such as a fox-fur headdress, a necklace of bone beads, and a decorated stone blade—items frequently ᴀssociated with individuals of elevated spiritual or social status.
Radiocarbon dating of organic sediments within the burial pit placed the interment between 3,200 and 2,800 years before present, aligning with the Late Stone–Early Bronze transitional period of the Altai region. During this time, local hunter–forager communities practiced complex ritual traditions centered around animal totems. Among these, the bear held profound symbolic weight, embodying strength, the cycle of death and rebirth, and the liminal connection between the human world and the realm of spirits.
The presence of these bear-paw hide relics in the burial suggests the deceased may have been either a ritual specialist or shaman, someone believed to mediate between the living community and supernatural forces, or a distinguished hunter honored for killing a fully grown bear—an act often regarded as both dangerous and sacred. The objects likely functioned as symbols of transformation, allowing the wearer to “become” the bear during ceremonies, invoking its protective or combative powers.
Ethnographic parallels from later Siberian cultures reinforce this interpretation. In many northern traditions, bear hides, claws, and paws were used not as trophies but as sacred regalia, integral to rites of pᴀssage, healing rituals, funerary practices, or communications with ancestral spirits. The Altai artifacts thus serve as an early archaeological testament to beliefs that would persist in various forms for thousands of years across the circumpolar world.
As one of the few intact organic ritual artifacts from this period, the discovery provides invaluable insight into ancient craftsmanship, ritual symbolism, and social idenтιтy. It contributes to a broader understanding of how prehistoric peoples perceived the bear not merely as prey but as a powerful spiritual enтιтy. Dr. Volkhova summarized the significance of the find by noting that “the boundary between hunting and ritual in prehistoric Siberia was never fixed; for these communities, every hunt was intertwined with ceremony, and every ceremony echoed the trials of the hunt.”
The pair of bear-paw hides stands as a rare and striking reminder of a belief system in which humans, animals, and the spirit world were deeply interconnected—an archaeological echo of a worldview in which power was worn on the body and carried into both life and death.
