Year: 1879




Nordenskjolds nettsr5.


On the opposite side OF Cape SehIela
gskCj we steamed on the 9Th and 18th
through narrow, open and ic5,free
channel close to the beach, but with
slsbkened speed, not knowing the water,
which is often quite shallow in the coast
channel. In the night of the 8th of
September we were rmoored to g block
If ground ice The beach is here
formed by low wall of sand, running
between a small lagoon and the sea,
Further inland the country gradually
rises to q barren, free from snow hills, or
here and there thinly powdered by the
snowfall of the last few days. Lagoon
formations OF the kind we saw here for
the first time are characteristic of the
northeastern coast of Siberia. The vii.
lagos of the Tchukchi are usually con-
structed on the wall itself which sepa
rates the lagoon from the sea, The
dwellings consist of large, spacious tents,
containing. one or two places for sleep
ing. The latter form kind of separate
tent, surrounded by warm reindeer skins,
and lighted and warmed by q train oil
lamp. In the simmer, but not in win~
Ter, wood fire is made in the middle of
the outer tent, and for this a hole is
made in the top of the tent root. We
were everywhere received in the most
friendly manner, and they offered US
what they had. For the time being the
supply of food WIS abundant. In ottr
tent reindeer meat was cooked in large
pot of cast iron. Near another they
were occupied in taking out the entrils
of two reindeer lust shot or killed. In a
third, woman was about to take out
the green, spinacholike pluck from the
bowels o. the reind ser and to stuff it
into bag Of seal-skin. evidently to be
preserved as vegetable stock for the
winter. The pluck in the bowels of the
reindeer is also considered a deli
cacy by the Esquimaux of Green
land. Besides the unpalatable dish the
Tchukchi gather during the summer a
large supply of leaves and fresh sprouts
of several kinds of plants, among the n
a species of osier, which, when ferfnented
and frozen, is either eaten with meat,
without any further preparation, or
boiled to kind Of vegetable soup. To
satisfy their desire for vegetable food,
they also eat the roots of at least two
native plants. The one species of roots
forms round tubers, some larger than
hez9l nuts and almost like them in taste.
The other resembles the thick, conical
offshCOts of the roots Of the ithaca frizida
Possibly a third kind of roots may be
added to these, that of an umbil,ifoe.
Other bags OF seal skins were seen filed
with train oil. These bags are air and
water proof. They are made of the
whole skin, with the exception of that
covering the head, which is cut of st the
neck. When the bsg is used for hold
ing liquids it is tightly laced at the neck
and at the other opening of the skin, and
a spigot hole is made in a piece of wood
or bone, fastened to the inside # one OF
the forelegs. Outside tent two fresh
waIrus heads were living, with splendid
large teeth. There were plenty of child
rem, who were well treated, and all OF
them looked very healthy. They were
ten carried about on the back by the
women as well as by the men, and they
were then so bund ed that they looked
like balls of fur. Bat in the inner hut
they were peiectly naked, and sometimes
| saw them run out between the tents
on to the froz5n field without any other
garments at temperature below zero.
L bartered here quantity of household
implements, arms and dresses,


On the morning of the 9Th Of Septem-
Der we attempted to steam further, but
were again brought to a standstill by the
persistent and thick fog. On the f0g's
vanishing we saw that the ground ice.
to which we were moOred, extended to
the shore. Here we remained until the
next day, making a number of excurr
sions on land. This being the first time
a ship had ever been seen on this shore,
our arrival was, of course, great event
for the inhabitants. The news must
have spread like wildire, for, although
there were no tents whatever in the
neighborhood, we received numerous
visits. 1t is remarkable what similarity
exists between the house utensils of the
similarity extends to the smallest details,
as the arms and house implements / OBJ.
tanned by exchanging gave me the oppor
tunity of observing. Finding, in 1875
and 1876, that the small things that |
had taken with me to change with the
natives were not practicable - paper
money, on the other hand, being greedily
accepted-I did not, unfortunately, pro-
vide myself with any of these on setting
out from Sweden, but only brought Rus
sian gold. This is here of no use what~
ever. A twenty-five 1uble note is less
esteemed by the Tchukchi than a pretty
box of soap, and a gold or silver coin
less than tin or brass buttons. We found
valuable gold coins only appreciated
when they had been bored so as to be
worn as earrings. Tobacco is in general
use here. All men (and women, too,
when they have opportunity smoke
most extraordinary pipes, which they