﻿APR. 
  19, 
  1922 
  SVERDRUP 
  : 
  CHUKCHI 
  NATIVES 
  Ol? 
  SIBERIA 
  211 
  

  

  The 
  language 
  has 
  one 
  peculiarity 
  worth 
  mentioning 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  pronounced 
  

   in 
  a 
  different 
  way 
  by 
  men 
  and 
  women. 
  If 
  a 
  man 
  uses 
  a 
  hard 
  sound 
  

   like 
  r, 
  i, 
  or 
  k, 
  the 
  woman 
  often, 
  but 
  not 
  always, 
  replaces 
  this 
  with 
  a 
  

   soft 
  z. 
  To 
  take 
  one 
  example. 
  The 
  word 
  for 
  sinew 
  is 
  pronounced 
  

   by 
  the 
  men 
  rat-tet, 
  by 
  the 
  women 
  ze-zet. 
  

  

  The 
  chronology 
  of 
  the 
  Chukchi 
  is 
  ver\^ 
  simple; 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  exist. 
  

   They 
  do 
  not 
  count 
  the 
  years, 
  so 
  nobody 
  knows 
  his 
  own 
  age. 
  They 
  

   have, 
  however, 
  a 
  word 
  for 
  "a 
  year" 
  and 
  names 
  for 
  the 
  different 
  seasons 
  

   and 
  for 
  the 
  full-moons, 
  of 
  which 
  usually 
  13 
  occur 
  in 
  one 
  year. 
  To 
  

   enumerate 
  the 
  13 
  months, 
  the 
  Chukchi 
  count 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  12 
  joints 
  

   on 
  both 
  arms 
  from 
  the 
  finger-tips 
  to 
  the 
  shoulders, 
  including 
  the 
  

   head 
  for 
  the 
  thirteenth 
  month. 
  

  

  Their 
  social 
  organization 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  simple 
  as 
  their 
  chronology. 
  

   The 
  Russian 
  officials 
  used 
  to 
  appoint 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  chiefs, 
  whose 
  main 
  

   duty 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  to 
  reconcile 
  parties 
  who 
  were 
  at 
  odds. 
  These 
  

   chiefs 
  had, 
  however, 
  very 
  little 
  to 
  do, 
  because 
  the 
  Chukchi 
  really 
  

   are 
  governed 
  by 
  the 
  unwritten 
  laws 
  of 
  public 
  opinion. 
  These 
  laws 
  

   require 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  respect 
  for 
  old 
  age, 
  and 
  forbearance 
  towards 
  

   the 
  weak 
  and 
  poor. 
  But 
  they 
  also 
  open 
  full 
  opportunity 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  

   and 
  hot-tempered 
  to 
  fight 
  out 
  their 
  controversies. 
  To 
  fight 
  an 
  old 
  

   man 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  crimes. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   unworthy 
  of 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  beat 
  a 
  woman, 
  unless 
  she 
  happens 
  to 
  be 
  his 
  wife. 
  

  

  The 
  women 
  are, 
  however, 
  generally 
  well 
  treated. 
  The 
  marriages 
  

   are 
  usually 
  settled 
  by 
  the 
  parents 
  when 
  the 
  children 
  are 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  

   years 
  old, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  reindeer 
  is 
  paid 
  for 
  the 
  girl. 
  She 
  

   moves 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  tent 
  of 
  her 
  future 
  husband 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve, 
  

   but 
  may 
  have 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  her 
  home 
  if 
  she 
  is 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  along 
  with 
  

   her 
  mother-in-law. 
  Single 
  marriages 
  are 
  most 
  common, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   men 
  have 
  two 
  or 
  even 
  three 
  wives. 
  

  

  The 
  Chukchi 
  are 
  accustomed 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  old 
  people. 
  This 
  is, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  no 
  act 
  of 
  cruelty, 
  but 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  mercy. 
  When 
  an 
  old 
  man 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  ill 
  and 
  is 
  unable 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  tent 
  any 
  more, 
  than 
  life 
  becomes 
  

   a 
  burden 
  to 
  him 
  and 
  he 
  a 
  burden 
  to 
  his 
  surroundings. 
  He 
  asks 
  to 
  be 
  

   killed, 
  and 
  his 
  son 
  renders 
  him 
  the 
  last 
  service 
  by 
  stabbing 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  

   heart. 
  The 
  custom 
  is 
  barbaric, 
  but 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Chukchi 
  

   treat 
  their 
  dead 
  is 
  still 
  more 
  barbaric. 
  

  

  The 
  body 
  is 
  taken 
  out 
  to 
  a 
  lonely 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  un- 
  

   covered, 
  and 
  an 
  oblong 
  of 
  large 
  stones, 
  with 
  its 
  axis 
  in 
  a 
  southeast 
  to 
  

   northwest 
  direction 
  is 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  this 
  

   oblong 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  toward 
  the 
  northwest 
  — 
  towards 
  the 
  darkness, 
  

  

  