In hunting societies, animals were not seen as inferior beings but as possessing superior wisdom. Anthropologists observe that modern-day indigenous groups often refer to animals or birds as ‘peoples’, the same as themselves. They tell stories about humans becoming animals and vice versa. For these people, killing an animal is like killing a friend, so they often feel guilty after doing this. The hunt is seen as sacred; it is surrounded with ceremony, rites and taboos. After the meat is stripped from the bones of the animal it is laid out in an effort to reconstruct the animal and give it new life. The primary prey for these people was mammals that were similar to themselves. They created myths to help them come to terms with the necessity of having to kill creatures for which they felt a deep kinship. They honoured the animals that laid down their lives so humans could live.