A Russian traveler stopping one night in a Gilyak house discovered in the morning that his sledge was missing, and was gravely told that the spirit had taken it.
In 1814 the small pox raged in one of the tribes living on the Kolyma river, and the deaths from it were numerous.

The shamans practiced all their mysteries, and invoked the spirits, but they could not stop the disease.

Finally, after new invocations, they declared the evil spirits could not be appeased without the death of Kotschen, a chief of the tribe.

This chief was so generally loved and respected that the people refused to obey the shamans.

But as the malady made new progress, Kotschen magnanimously came forward and was stabbed by his own son.
In general the shamans are held in check by the belief that should they abuse their power they will be long and severely punished after death.