6o THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



for the most part with the marriages of the children of Big- 

 Raven and of his struggles with supernatural beings. The book 

 closes with a detailed comparison of the Koryak mythology 

 with the other mythologies of Siberia and with those of the 

 Eskimo and the North American Indians, from which the author 

 concludes that the interchange of mythological elements between 

 the Indians and the Koryak must be older than that between 

 the Koryak and the Eskimo. 



Volume VII, Part i. The Chnkchee. By Waldemar Bogoras. 



This book shows the intimate acquaintance which the author 

 obtained through continuous studies made in the Kolyma district 

 from 1889 to 1898 and later investigations carried on for the 

 Jesup North Pacific Expedition at Anadyr and along the coast 

 of the Chukchee Peninsula, eastern Siberia. The volume for 

 the most part is devoted to the material culture of the people 

 and the author concludes that in earlier times the Chukchee 

 lived on the coast and that the present residence in the interior 

 and the domestication of the reindeer are comparatively recent 

 events. At the present time too the Chukchee are divided into 

 two sections, the Maritime and the Reindeer groups. The 

 method of harnessing reindeer is peculiar to the Chukchee, who 

 use the animal mainly for hauling sledges. The present method 

 of dog harnessing in pairs is that used by other Siberian tribes, 

 whereas formerly all the dogs were attached to one point of the 

 sledge, as is the present custom among the Esk-'mo. 



The Chukchee hunt the seal and other sea mammals in a 

 manner essentially the same as that used by the Eskimo. The 

 means employed for capturing land animals are a combination 

 of those employed by the Eskimo and by the tribes of western 

 Siberia. The Chukchee employ sinewback bows and com- 

 posite bows similar to those found farther south. The iron 

 work of the tribe is extensive and shows the influence of the 

 Yakut and the Amur River tribes. Armor made of small pieces 

 of iron linked together and arranged in horizontal rows was 

 formerly used by the Chukchee. The neck was protected by 

 a large wooden ring incased in hide. 



Detailed descriptions are given of the tents, the clay lamps 

 and household utensils, the food and the manufactures. The 



