The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-10-11


perhaps more customs curious
may be found than anywhere else in
Asia, and that Is saying a great deal.
II Is a country not easy to get Into.
From Krasnoarsk, a station on the
Trans-Siberian railway, there Is river
trip of two days up the Yenlsel to
MinusInsk, which Is n city of some pre-
tentions, about 100000 in population.
and in many ways not unlike a hust-
ling American city passing through It's
boom period. From Mlnusinsk there
Is n 72-mlle stretch covered by wagon
road in the curious Russian wagon
called n taliega. then there Is 100 miles
by trail over the mountains and then
another 1866 miles by wagon road
again.
For crossing the river ferry Is
used most surprising to the traveller on
first meeting, says writer In Grit.
One may come up to river and hail
the ferryman on the other side. Imme-
dlately boat puts out driven by
splashing paddle wheels Of which the
motive power Is at first puzzle; there
Is no smoke or steam and no gasoline
popping. When the craft comes near
er, the secret Is revealed. Three horses
on a raised platform pull around n
sweep attached to n vertical shaft
which Is itself geared to horizontal
shaft and drives the paddles.
Home Of the soyotes.
rpy,a vattx,, iphahltaptS % ba
treme border region are most inter-
esting people. They call themselves
Tubanulus, the Chinese call them Urin-
XIII and the Russians Soyotes.
The strip they inhabit was for many
years 'no-man's land" its owner
ship being in dispute between Russia
and Mongolia. II Is beautiful, we'll
watered mountain country, rich In
vegetation and In game, including
many furbearlng animals. Recently
Russia established her claim to the
country. The Soyotes are therefore
now Russian people. They are no.
madlc by nature, living in sheltered
mountain passes In winter, on noun
tain terraces In summer and In the
broad valleys in spring and fall. They
migrate thus to get pasturage for
their herds and flocks.
Some among them are cattle breed
ers; such live in tents, round like a
cheese, 10 to Is feet in diameter, made
of felt an inch thick mounted on a
lattice framework. Others are rein
deer breeders who live In conlcal huts
made like an American wiklup Of birch
dress In the same way, cloaks and
breeches, made of furs and sheep skins
In winter. and OF cotton and Chinese
silk in summer. They are fond of
bright colors and are picturesque In
their pointed hats and long flowing
cloaks. They are fine riders, have ex.
cellent horses and train and take good
care of them. But horse stealing is n
virtue among them. Therefore the
Russians ON the principle of "set q
thief to catch thief" employ them as
cowboys and shepherds.
All Thieves and Liars.
They are a quiet people, submisslv,
to authority. kind to their wives, bu
thieves and liars all, and until recent
ly practiced torturing as form o.
punishment, including such pleasan
practices as burying alive and freezin,
off the hands and feet. while ideas o
morality are not highly developed
among them. When clld Is born.
is named after the first object seen b.
the woman after its birth. The result
are both comical and poetic. The Sc
votes pay their taxes In the form o
pelts of squirrel, sable, fox. mink. mar
ten, etc.
The Russian peasants here. not tn
Soyotes, carry on kind of farming
probably the Queerest In the world
elk raising. 1t seems that the Chimes
who still cling to the medieval syster
tlon and not altogether unlike witch
craft, prize nothing more for their pr,
scriptions than the horn of the elk l
the velvet. They send agents all owe
Siberia to buy this commodity, an
, since elk are getting scarce, the priC
is going up and the canny peasant
see chances for big profits in raisin
the beasts for their horns. They g
/ S4.50 a pound for the horn, SO II II
elk has been shot and still has Its sku
, bones and pair of antlers will weie
up to 20 pounds-a fair profit, CO
sldering that after harvesting h
horns you still have your elk for ne.
years crop.
Communal Elk Farms.
There is indeed craze for elk-farr
ing; even villages have communal e
farms. The elk are pastured In e
closures surrounded by ten-foot fenc
and are bred like cattle while fre.
Wild elk run down ny peasants {