TANS

[Native American] The local gods of the Californian Hupa Indians. The Tans protect the deer in the mountains, and great herds are kept safe from hunters in a huge world within the hills. Every now and then, a few of the animals are let out as a reward to hunters who keep all their tabus and know and sing the special songs. The Tans are feared greatly, prayed to and propitiated, but almost never spoken to.