106 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 571. 



yak mythology, 102 are also found in Indian 

 myths, 30 in those of the Eskimo, and 25 in 

 those of the Old World. He further finds 

 that 8 are common to the Koryak, Indian, 

 Eskimo and the Old World; 10 to Koryak, 

 Indian and Eskimo; but none to the Koryak, 

 Eskimo and Old World. Erom this the au- 

 thor draws the conclusion Ihat the interchange 

 pf mythological elements between the Indians 

 and the Koryak must be older than that be- 

 tween the Koryak and the Eskimo. 

 Vol. VII., Part I., The Ghuhchee. By Wal- 



DEMAR BOGORAS. 



The long-continued studies of Mr. Bogoras 

 carried on in the Kolyma district from 1889 

 to 1898, and his later studies for the Jesup 

 jSTorth Pacific Exjiedition at Anadyr and on 

 the coast of the Chukchee Peninsula, enable 

 him better than any one else to describe the 

 ethnology of the Chukchee. His book is full 

 of remarkg which show the intimate acquaint- 

 ance of the writer with the people he is de- 

 scribing. In the present volume, the habitat, 

 the general characteristics and the trade of 

 the people are described; but the principal 

 contents of the volume relate to their material 

 culture. The discussion of the methods of 

 reindeer-breeding of the Chukchee leads to 

 the conclusion that the domestication of the 

 reindeer among them is probably recent; that 

 in previous times the Chukchee were a littoral 

 people, like the Eskimo, and that they lived 

 principally by hunting sea-mammals. The 

 method of treatment of the reindeer differs 

 from that used by the Tungus and other 

 western Siberian tribes. The domestication 

 of the reindeer is less complete ; it is not used 

 for riding, but mainly for hauling sledges, 

 and the method of harnessing is peculiar to 

 the Chukchee. Mr. Bogoras also shows that 

 the present method of dog-harnessing, which 

 is the same as that used by other Siberian 

 tribes, is probably a new one, and that for- 

 merly the dogs were harnessed in the same 

 way as those of the Eskimo, i. e., all attached 

 at one point, not in pairs, as is customary at 

 the present tim^. The various kinds of 

 sledges used for the reindeer and the dog are 

 also described in detail. 



The method of hunting sea mammals is 



essentially identical with that used by the 

 Alaskan Eskimo. In traveling on sea, the 

 Chukchee use a skin boat, similar to the 

 Eskimo boat. The kayak, with double-bladed 

 paddle, is also used. Its distribution is rather 

 peculiar. It exists on the Arctic Ocean, it 

 is not found on the coast of the Pacific, but 

 it appears again on the waters of the Middle 

 Anadyr Eiver. Then it disappears again for 

 a long stretch, to appear finally on the Ok- 

 hotsk Sea among the Maritime Koryak. 



The traps are similar to those of the Es- 

 kimo, but a considerable amount of West 

 Siberian influence may be noticed. Auto- 

 matic bows and spring-traps, such as are 

 found also among the Alaskan Eskimo, are 

 clearly derived from Asiatic patterns. The 

 throwing-board of the Eskimo occurs also 

 among all the eastern Chukchee. 



A detailed description of the sinew-backed 

 bows and of the composite bow is given. The 

 composite bows are similar in type to those 

 found in more southern regions of Siberia. 

 The throwing- whip (p. 158), which is used 

 for propelling darts, is worth mentioning. 

 Mr. Bogoras also describes the iron-work, 

 which is used particularly for knives and 

 lances. These are clearly influenced by the 

 iron-work of the Yakut and of the Amur 

 River tribes. Of especial interest is a der 

 scription of armor, which was also formerly 

 used by the Chukchee. This is made of small 

 piepes of iron linked together and arranged in 

 horizontal rows. The head was protected by 

 a helmet of similar character, while around 

 the neck there was a large wooden protector 

 incased in hide, with movable wings. It seems 

 probable that the ivory armor found in Alaska 

 was an imitation of this iron armor, which, 

 in its turn, may be related to the peculiar 

 types of armor current in more southern parts 

 of eastern Asia. 



The detailed description of the Chukchee 

 tent brings out the fact that the large and 

 heavy tent of the tribe is not well adapted to 

 the nomadic mode of life necessitated by the 

 care of reindeer-herds. It seems plausible 

 that the movable tent must be considered as 

 a direct adaptation of the old permanent 

 wLnter-liouse of the Maritime tribe to the 



