Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-11
Some of the Queer People Visited by Nor.
densiOld,

|
southern part of Behring strait, are called
Tchuktchis. Their number is estimated
to be about three thousand, including Il
nomadic tribe called the -Tchuktchis,
who subsist by keeping reindeer herds.
These form link between tneir brethren
on the coast and the inland tribes of Sibe.
ria, to the latter of whom they dispose of
their goods, consisting of seal and walrus
hides, walrus teeth, etc, which they re-
ceive from the country population in cX-
change for reindeer hides.
The coast population live in villages,
numbering from three to twenty tents,
spread along the coast or near the shore
rs possible, and at few miles distance
from each other.
The Tchuklchis arc divided into two
sections, each with its respective chief
Tho eastern population have for their
chief Nenka, who resides at Markowo on
the Anadyr river The western, again,
are under the chief Amra Urgn, who re-
sides in the vicinity of Kolyma river.
The tent of the coast Tchuktchis con-
sists Of u peculiar and clevery constructed
frame of wood, the material for which is
obtained from drift logs, with which the
shore is plentifully strewed. This is COW
cred with number of seal walrus hides
carefully sewed together. Inside the tent,
and right before the entrance is a smaller
cublform tent made of reindeer skins, and
used as the sleeping chamber, During
the cold season it is heated by blubber.
lamps. Even during severe cold the at
mosphere within this tent is so heated that
the natives who occupy it, without dis
tinction of sex or age, lie almost nude.
The Dimensions of the tent depend upon
the number of the family. In each tent
generally dwells only one family, in which
are included the sisters and brothers of the
married couple before they settle for them
selves.
| The Tchuktchis, the children of nature
in the Arctic regions, fostered among ice,
snow and cold, familiarized with bloody
scenes in the seal, whale and warus hunt,
without any of the influence of civilization,
are, Notwithstanding, II good .natured,
friendly, hospitable and honest people.
Although the Vega during the long win
ter was daily visited by at least twenty ma
lives it was only on two or three occa-
sions that they were found guilty of dis
honestly appropriating anything,and these
thefls were of the most trihing description.
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 sallow, the
mems being usually darker than that of
the women. Occasionally, however, one
may see, especially among the women,
complexion as fair and clear us that of the
inhabitants of Northern Europe. The eyes
are black, and often set oblique like the
| Chinese. The hair, which is coal-black,
is worn by the men cut quite short; while
the women allow it to grow freely, part it
in the middle of the brow, and wear it in
plaits of twelve to ei9 9hteen inches long,
which hang down at each ear. They also
wear a lock combed down and cut across
which covers half the forehead The men
also use similar lock, and sometimes a
long tuft at the crown of the head. This
tuft is worn, so 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 un open
ing at the top just sufficient for the head
to pass through. In addition the men
have tight fitting trousers of reindeer-s skin
which arc tncked down into boots of the
same material the latter with soles of
walrus hide. The women also wear trou-
sers, but those are wide, ending immed-
lately below 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 those arti-
cles worn next to the body during the
cold season is turned inward. A close
fitting hood of reindeer-skin and mittens
of the same material complete their dress.
In this costume they dety any kind of
weather. Often so clad, night after night,
even in the most severe cold, they pursue
their seal fishing miles away from the
shore without any other protection from
the icy winds.
The weapons of the Tchuktchis consist
of bow and arrow, II spear-whlch, like
the arrows, has u point of iron Or bone-a
knife and kind OF a sling used for catch
| ing birds. The iron for the arrow and
spear heads is obtained from the Ameri.
cans and Russians in the bartering trans
actions. They themselves have no iron at
their command nor any knowledge of its
working. To their huntiong implements
belong the sealing net made Of finely cut
strips of seal-hide, netted with three
inch mesh With these the young seals
are caught. The net is extended between
two blocks of ice, and the seals get entan-
glcd in its meshes, and so become IN easy
prey to the hunters.
The principal food of the natives consist
of seal-hesh and blubber, in addition to
which they use feathered game, bear and
reindeer flesh, when such can be obtained.
| ac oh ,,ln al
willow leaves, ranuncuus, and saXifrage,
ETC., enter pretty largely into their diet.
The leaves are collected i'll the latter end
of summer, pressed, and consumed during
the winter; and in these they are provided
with a powerful anti-soorbutic. During
the winter. when getting short of other
provisions the bones of seals and walruses
caught during summer are crushed and
prepared in the form of broth or soup,
which is consumed by both man 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 another. Although these
dogs are not large, three or four of them
can with case carrya man long distances.
| When the Tchuktchis undertakes long
journeys of three hundred to five hundred
miles, he often has rs many MS eighteen
dogs harnessed to his sledge, with which
he is able to accomplish seventy to eighty
miles day.
During the first half of the winter we
were visited by from twenty to thirty ma
tivcs, who got any food the crew might
have left. Besides this they received
considerable quantity of bread from the
ships stores. They made themselves
useful in several small ways, such rs
saving wood, carrying ice, etc, etc. In
the beginning of February, when their
provisions began TO run short, they all
removed from Pitlekai (the nearest village
to us) to another village farther east, call.
ed Naskai, where they raised temporary
tents, and carried on seal fishing in the
open water to be found in the vicinity.
About this time the natives made great
haul. allowing to each tent twenty-five to
fifty young seals. Beside seals, they got
in the same vicinity good catch of n fish
resembling cod.-Lieutcnam Ptitndcr's
Narrative IN BlackWood'S Magazine.
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