▁belief ▁that ▁nature ▁is ▁a ▁living ▁being . ▁ ▁This ▁idea , ▁"[ t ] he ▁emb od iment , ▁animation , ▁and ▁person ification ▁of ▁nature — what ▁is ▁still ▁called ▁the ▁anim istic ▁world view — is ▁the ▁key ▁component ▁of ▁the ▁traditional ▁world view ▁of ▁h unter - g ather ers " ▁( S ir ina , ▁ 1 3 ). ▁Although ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁Even k is ▁have ▁been ▁" sed ent ar ized " — that ▁is , ▁made ▁to ▁live ▁in ▁settled ▁communities ▁instead ▁of ▁following ▁their ▁traditional ▁nom adic ▁way ▁of ▁life ▁( F ond ahl , ▁ 5 ) — " [ m ] any ▁sch ol ars ▁think ▁that ▁the ▁world view ▁characteristic ▁of ▁h unter - g ather er ▁soci eties ▁is ▁preserved , ▁even ▁if ▁they ▁make ▁the ▁transition ▁to ▁new ▁economic ▁models ▁( S ir ina , ▁ 3 0 , ▁qu oting ▁Bar n ard ▁ 1 9 9 8 , ▁Lee ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁Pet erson ▁ 1 9 9 9 ). ▁ ▁Although ▁nomin ally ▁Christian ized ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Even ki ▁people ▁maintain ▁many ▁of ▁their ▁historical ▁belief s — es pecially ▁sh aman ism ▁( V as ile v ich , ▁ 6 2 4 ). ▁The ▁Christian ▁trad itions ▁were ▁" conf ined ▁to ▁the ▁formal ▁performance ▁of ▁Orth odox ▁r ites ▁which ▁were ▁usually ▁tim ed ▁for ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁the ▁priest ▁in ▁the ▁ta