﻿APR. 
  19, 
  1922 
  sverdrup: 
  chukchi 
  natives 
  of 
  Siberia 
  209 
  

  

  little 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  civilized 
  world. 
  Captain 
  Amundsen 
  

   realized 
  that 
  a 
  unique 
  opportunity 
  was 
  here 
  afforded 
  of 
  gathering 
  

   information 
  about 
  this 
  little 
  known 
  tribe, 
  and 
  he 
  therefore 
  suggested 
  

   that 
  I 
  join 
  the 
  natives, 
  accompany 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  interior, 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  

   the 
  ship 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  Thus 
  it 
  came 
  about 
  that 
  I 
  spent 
  seven 
  and 
  

   one-half 
  months 
  alone 
  among 
  the 
  Chukchi. 
  The 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  

   natives 
  among 
  whom 
  I 
  stayed 
  depends 
  absolutely 
  upon 
  the 
  domesti- 
  

   cated 
  reindeer, 
  which 
  in 
  winter 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  sheltered 
  forests, 
  where 
  

   reindeer 
  moss 
  is 
  abundant 
  under 
  the 
  soft 
  snow, 
  and 
  in 
  summer 
  seek 
  

   the 
  grass-covered 
  tundra, 
  where 
  mosquitoes 
  and 
  hornets 
  are 
  less 
  

   troublesome. 
  Hunting 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  for 
  the 
  natives, 
  because 
  

   the 
  reindeer 
  give 
  them 
  practically 
  all 
  they 
  need 
  — 
  tents, 
  clothes 
  and 
  

   food. 
  In 
  addition, 
  they 
  need 
  seal 
  blubber 
  for 
  their 
  lamps, 
  and 
  seal- 
  

   skin 
  for 
  strings 
  and 
  soles. 
  These 
  articles 
  they 
  obtain 
  from 
  the 
  natives 
  

   at 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  exchange 
  for 
  deerskin 
  and 
  deer 
  meat. 
  Furthermore, 
  

   they 
  go 
  CA'ery 
  spring 
  to 
  the 
  Russian 
  settlements 
  at 
  the 
  Kolyma 
  River 
  

   to 
  the 
  yearly 
  fur 
  market, 
  where 
  they 
  exchange 
  their 
  furs, 
  mostly 
  foxes 
  

   and 
  squirrels, 
  for 
  tea, 
  tobacco, 
  matches, 
  knives, 
  cartridges, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  tents 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  live, 
  summer 
  and 
  winter, 
  are 
  very 
  well 
  

   adapted 
  both 
  to 
  their 
  nomadic 
  life 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  climatic 
  conditions. 
  

   Their 
  most 
  striking 
  feature 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  double, 
  one 
  being 
  inside 
  

   another. 
  The 
  outer 
  tent 
  is 
  large 
  and 
  almost 
  conical, 
  with 
  a 
  cover 
  of 
  

   reindeer 
  skin. 
  But 
  if 
  such 
  a 
  tent 
  in 
  cold 
  weather 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  heated 
  

   to 
  a 
  comfortable 
  temperature, 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  a 
  great 
  quantity 
  of 
  wood. 
  

   The 
  Chukchi 
  spend, 
  however, 
  only 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  cold 
  

   season 
  in 
  the 
  forests, 
  where 
  wood 
  is 
  abundant; 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  they 
  

   live 
  on 
  the 
  barren 
  tundra, 
  where 
  they 
  find 
  willows 
  to 
  furnish 
  sufficient 
  

   fuel 
  for 
  cooking, 
  but 
  not 
  for 
  heating. 
  Inside 
  the 
  large 
  tent, 
  therefore, 
  

   they 
  place 
  a 
  smaller 
  one, 
  used 
  for 
  living 
  and 
  sleeping. 
  This 
  inner 
  

   tent 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  heavy 
  deerskin, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  square 
  case 
  

   hanging 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  It 
  is 
  lighted 
  and 
  heated 
  by 
  a 
  flat 
  lamp 
  of 
  

   the 
  Eskimo 
  type, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  heat 
  is 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  people 
  

   who 
  gather 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  space. 
  The 
  temperature 
  may 
  rise 
  to 
  80° 
  F., 
  

   even 
  on 
  a 
  day 
  when 
  a 
  blizzard 
  is 
  raging 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  outdoors 
  is 
  

   — 
  20 
  ° 
  F. 
  , 
  because 
  the 
  inner 
  tent 
  is 
  protected 
  from 
  the 
  wind 
  by 
  the 
  outer 
  

   one, 
  and 
  because 
  the 
  reindeer-skins 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  made 
  are 
  highly 
  insu- 
  

   lating. 
  But 
  at 
  night, 
  when 
  the 
  natives 
  are 
  sleeping 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   covered 
  with 
  deerskins, 
  the 
  temperature 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  fall. 
  Accord- 
  

   ingly, 
  before 
  going 
  to 
  sleep, 
  the 
  natives 
  adjust 
  all 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   inner 
  tent 
  so 
  that 
  no 
  holes 
  are 
  left 
  through 
  which 
  cold 
  air 
  might 
  

  

  