The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-05-13
ARCTIC INDIANS.
Some Of the Queer People Visited by
NOrdenski Oh -.r
Lieut.. Palander . Narrative

Lieut.. Palander Narrative.
The natives inhabiting the coast of
Siberia between Cape Shelagskoi and
the southern part of Behring Strait, are
called Tchuktchis. The number is e.
mated to be about three thousand in
Guiding nomadic tribe called the
Rein Tchuktchis, vino subsist by keep
ing reindeer herds. These form link
between their brethren on the coast and
the inland tribes of Siberia to the latter
of whom they dispose of their goods,
consisting of seal and walrus hides, wal
rus teeth, etc., which they receive from
the country population in exchange for
The coast population live in villages
numbering from three to twenty tents,
spread along the coast, as near to the
shore as possible, and at q few miles
distance from each other.
The Tchuktchis are divided into two
sections each with its respective chief.
The eastern population have for their
chief Menka, who resides at Markowa,
on the Anadyr river. The western
again, are under the chief, Amra Urgin,
who resides in the vicinity of Kolyma
river.
The Tchuktchis are people of small
stature, although among them may be
found perfect giants, as, for instance, q
woman whom we saw six feet three
inches tall. Their complexion is sal
low, the mems being usually darker
than that of the women. Occasionally,
however, one may see, especially
among the women, complexion as
fair and clear as that of the Inhabitants
of northern Europe. The eyes are
dark, and often set oblique like the Chi
nese. The hair, which is coalblack, is
worn by the men quite short; while the
women allow it to grow freely, part in
the middle of the brow, and wear it in
plaits of twelve to eighteen inches long,
which hang down at each ear. They
also wear lock combed down and cut
across which covers half the forehead.
The men also use a similar lock-. and
sometimes a long tuft at the corner of
the head. This tuft is worn, 80 far as
could learn, only by chiefs.
Their clothing is made principally of
reindeer skin, and consists of pesk or
blouse reaching to the knees, with an
opening at the top just sufficient for the
head to pass through. In addition the
men have tight-ftting trousers of rein
deer.skin, which are tucked down into
boots of the same material, the latter
with soles of walrus hide. The women
also wear trousers, but these are wide,
ending Immediately at the knee, where
they are similarly tucked into the
boots.
In the outer clothing the hairy side
of the skin is always to the exterior,
but, on the contrary, the hairy side of
these articles worn next the body dur
ing the cold season is turned inward.
A close fitting hood of reindeer skin and
mittens Of the same material complete
their dress.. In this costum they defy
any kind of weather. Often so clad,
night after night, and even in the most
severe cold, they pursue their seal-fsh-
ing miles away from the shore without
any other protection from the icy
winde.
The weapons of the Tchuktchis con-
sist of a bow and arrows, q spear
which, like the arrows, has point of
iron or of bone "a knife and kind of
sling used for catching birds. The iron
for the arrow and spear-heads is OBJ
tanned from the Americans and Rue
slams in their bartering transactions.
They themselves have no iron at their
command nor any knowledge of it's
working. To their hunting implements
belong the sealing-net, made of fine-cut
strips of seal-hide, Melted with three
inch mesh. With these the young seals
are caught. The net is extended be-
tween two blocks of ice, and the seals
get entangled in its mesnes. and 50
become an easy prey to the husters.
The principal food of the natives con-
sists of seal-fesh and blubber, in addi-
ton to which they use feathered game,
bear and reindeer flesh, when such can
be obtained. The roots of certain
shore plants, also willow leaves, ranun-
cA1lus, and saxifrage, etc., enter pretty
largely into their diet. The leaves are
collected in the latter end of summer,
pressed, and consumed during the WIN
ter, and in these they are provided with
q powerful anti.scorbutic. During the
winter, when getting short of other pro-
visions, the homes of seals and walruses
caught during summer are crushed
and prepared in the form of a broth or
soup, which is Consumed by both men
and dogs. OF the latter there are
great number in every village. which
are chiefly employed in conveying their
owners by sledge from one place to an
other. Although these dogs are not
large, three or four of them can with
ease carry man long distances. When
the Tchuktchis undertakes long Jour-
neys of three hundred to five hundred
miles he often has as many as eighteen
dogs hitched to his sledge, with which
he is able to accomplish seventy to
eighty miles day.
During the first half of the winter
We were Dolly visited by twenty to thir-
ty natives, who got any food the crew
might have left. Beside this they re-