Connecticut western news., 1882-07-19
A SIBERIAN YAKOOT.
HE TELLS ABOUT HIS PEOPLE AND
 COUNTRY
From the New York Sun. l

From the New York Sum-
 The Yakoots are Siberian tribe of Asiatic origin; they live on the shores of the Lena, where Capt. De Long and his party found snowy graves. The name of tbis Yakoot is MT. Brakhim. He is of middle stature, with hardly any hair on his chin and lip, though he IS twenty-five years old. His promi- nent cheek bones and the square con- tour of his face show his Asiatic origin, yet his eyes are rather those of white man. His legs are somewhat bowed, owing to an apparatus which the Ya- koots use in training their babies. MT. Rrakhim speaks his own Yakoot lan- guage, and also Russian, though with a peculiar accent.
 What induced you, MT. Brakhim, to leave Yakootsk and come to this country ?" asked the reporter in Rus sian.
 'In 1876, he replied, "there was a congress of Orientslists in St. Peters. burg, and the Russian government brought to that congress a number of Yakoots, Buriats, Ostiaks, Kirghizes and members of other Siberian tribes as samples of Russianization. I was one of the Yakoot samples. Once in St. Petersburg, I decided to see more of the civilized world. I have been in France and in England, and now I want to see America. would like to study this country, it's people and it's institu- tions,"
 Are the Yakoots numerous race ?''
 'There are about 25O, 1000 of them. Tbe lead semi-nomadic life along the Lena and it's tributaries. Twice a year they change their abode. In summer they settle on the numerous islands of the Lena and on the shores of the other rivers, where they mow hay and cultl- vate little barley and still less rye. In winter they move to their winter quar- ters, where they stay for seven long, cold months"
 s'What is the chief occupation of your race p
 sWe keep COWS and mares. We use the mare's milk to make koumiss. The rich men among us own from 100 to 50C COWS and half that number of mares. The poor own about dozen COWS. A man who IS worth 1000 roubles (about $700) is looked upon as very wealthy. We supply the gold miners with butter and meat. We keep 8 few deer, and with them make exeAfsions to the ice ocean.
 s'Our villages consist of number oi tents built regardless of any order, SC that we have no streets. The tents are square at the base and pyramidal in shape; they are built generally oi rough posts, put side by side. The rich men, however, use cut wood, or even make houses. There are small windows about foot square, with ice panes dur. ing the winter and with sheets of mica or small pieces of broken glass set in birch-bark frames during the summer Glass panes four inches square are the largest ever saw in the houses of oul rich people. The. ice windows last through the winter, although fire if kept on the hearths night and day, anG when they begin to melt we know tha the time has come for us to move to ou summer quarters. We do Tot move our tents, which are left standing per manently in both summer and winter quarters. The stables in winter adjoir the tents, so that our cattle have the benefit of the fires. Ample yards, witt high fences complete the picture of oul village"
 "What about your people? ?"
 "Ihe Yakoots are of middle stature and have straight black hair, broad noses, prominent cheek bones, and eyes that resemble somewhat those of the Chinese. The men cut their hair short and leave long loose lock on the back of the head something like a Chinese queue. The women have rich black hair, which they always cover with q handkerchief. The Yakoots are not prolific. A family usually has about three children. They are friendly and peaceable, and the women are regarded as equal to the men in every respect. Monogamy is strictly observed.
 'sIn the morning we drink tea-brick tea. We scrape it with knife, boil il in clay pot and drink it with milk The rich families use also little sugar which they bite of in small pieces. W. have no bread at all, for we cannot bake it on our hearths. Bread is 8 grea luxury, and when one of us brings { loaf of it from the city of Yakootsk it i! divided into small pieces and distributed around. We have, however, barle, flour, of which we sometimes prepare kind of bun or custard- About nool We eat butuhas-that is, sour mill