The sacred seal of mainland Siberia, Lake Baikal, is home to the world’s only wholly freshwater seal, known locally as nerpa. This animal has been involved in a suite of meaningful relationships with foraging and pastoral groups living on lakeshores, both in the present and in the far distant past. Images of this animal are present in rock art panels, and bones of nerpa have been found at habitation sites, human cemeteries, and sacrificial offerings, the earliest of which is at least 10,000 years old. Importantly, hunting for nerpa remains a living tradition at Lake Baikal, albeit a dwindling one. Here seal hunters and their families strive to maintain their relationships with nerpa by staying in good standing with the spiritual master of the sacred seal and other local spirits, and through hunting, cooking, consuming, and sharing parts from this unique animal.