The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-06-11

| AM among far Northern savages
OF killing older members OF
the tribe is told by DR.. Bogaras, the
distinguished Russian anthropologist
who has lately returned from a six
years soiourn in the interest of the
American Museum of Natural History
among the almost unknown tribes of
northern Siberia. and who is now in
this city examining certain material in
| the National Museum and Bureau of
| EthnOlOgy, says the Washington
Post. Even since the days of Ber-
ing, Lisiansky, and Won Krucenstern
| the civilized world has known, in
somewhat vague and imperfect way,
| that in order to economic their food
resources the natives of Northern ST.
| IBERIA resort to the expedient Of killing
| older members of their tribe whom adj
vancing years have rendered unfit for
| active participation in the chase and
such other activities by which the
tribesmen keep themselves supplied
with food, but it. remained for DR.. BO-
| garas to witness such executions and
| to bring back the first definite, COM
| plete, and detailed information respect
| ing a custom which, prior to his visit,
many had regarded in the light OF an
exaggeratiOn. Not only did he witness
executions, but he brought back to CIV
ilization the first photographs ever
taken of these savage performances.
1.-THE life of the North Siberian saw
age" said the doctor to a Washington
reporter, lis one long, unending strug-
gle to escape starvation. True, one
might say the same thing of the peo-
pie of the United States or of any other
country, but the struggle for existence
here and in Northern Siberia is so diff
| ferent that there is no ground for COM
parison. The tribes given to this form
practice are the Chukches, Asiatic
Eskimo, and one or two others living
along the coast of the Arctic Ocean to
the west of the Chukches. The Yakuis,
| Tungooses, and other tribes living i'm
mediately to the south are, SO far as
| [ have been able to learn not given to
| this peculiar and revolving practice.
| The latter own large herds of reindeer,
| affording them a constant, regular, GER
tain, and inexhaustible supply of milk,
| meat, and cheese, while the Chukches,
Eskimo and other tribes bordering the
| Arctic ocean, having no domestic ami
| mails other than dogs, rely altogether
on hunting and fishing for livelihood.
They are like the American Indians in
the respect shat they have never I'M
dertaken to domesticate the reindeer
or any other useful animal. The first
step out of savagery toward civiliza-
| ton is when tribe takes proper meas
ures toward securing and establishing
a definite and certain food supply,
something the Chukches have never
done
Killed When No Longer Useful.
Nov the country in which these
Chukches live is so extremely barren,
cold, and desolate that unless those
who dwell within it's borders secure
and store away great quantities of i'm
ported supplies from Russia, China, or
some other outside source. or else
maintain large herds of reindeer, they
are almost certain to experience peri
DDS Of famine; and as the Chukches
do neither, it follows that they are con-
stantly on the verge OF starvation. The
fish and game in this the coolest region
on earth is limited Even the wild
reindeer, elk, bears, walruS, and seals,
animals Injured to cold and indigenous
TO high attitudes, are exceedingly scarce,
and not near SO common as they are
farther south and west, so that under
these conditions the country cannot
support more than a very limited pop
ulation Of hunters and fishers. To con-
tinue in existence under these cOndi-
lions the Chukches have adopted
means, peculiar and original. In their
own savage and cold-blooded way they
have reasoned out that in order to es-
cape famine the population must be
kept within limits, and that the pres
ence in the community of men too old
to hunt deer, walruS, and bear, and
women whom advancing years have
robbed of the strength and faculty to
dress skins, prepare food, and build
lodges, is menace to the welfare of
those who can, and a serious burden
on the community at large. Therefore,
the moment men or women reach the
age when they are no longer useful,
they are killed by their nearest rela-
tives in order that the latter may be
sure of their usual food supply.
Looked Upon IS Inevitable.
''Of course, this custom had its orr
gin far back in the dim prehistoric
past, and is SO old that it is today re-
garded as sacred and necessary prac-
Clc0, IN fnucn the same manner as CIV
ilized people regard church going, vot-
ing. marriage, or any other of our es-
tablished practices. 1t is a thing that
every man and woman looks forward
to as certain and unavoidable, and
when the time comes for them to lay
aside their rifles. bows, arrows, and
Embarrassing implements, they are
eager and anxious to be killed by their
nearest relatives They are thorough
ly convinced that the death-dealing
blow with spear, ak, or knife in the
hands of the nearest relative is pain
less, and the son looks upon murder
ing his father as duty as sacred and
necessary as that of obeying his direc-
lions and needing his father when the
latter becomes too old and infirm to
hunt, would be as great a scandal
among the Chukches as the murder
Of father by his son in this country.
Were such thing to happen, the faith
er of the unnatural youth would drive
him from the family lodge, the other
relatives would disown and ostracize
Il 1, I, L