XII..] 
CHUKCH BURIAL. 
89 
Regarding the man, buried or exposed in this way, whom 
Johnson found on the 15th October, Dr. Almquist, who himself 
visited the place the next day, makes the following statement:— 
The place was situated five to seven kilometres from the 
village Yinretlen, near the bottom of the little valley which 
runs from this village in a southerly direction into the interior. 
The body was exposed on a little low knoll only two fathoms 
across. It was covered with loose snow, and was not frozen very 
hard. When it was loosened there was no proper pit to be seen in 
the underlying snow and ice. The corpse lay from true N.N.W. 
to S.S.E., with the head to the former quarter. Under the head 
lay two black rounded stones, such as the Chukches use in 
housekeeping. Besides these there was no trace of anything 
underlying or covering the corpse. The clothes had been torn 
by beasts of prey from the body; the back was quite untouched. 
but the face and breast were much wasted, and the arms and 
legs almost wholly eaten up. On the knoll evident traces of 
the wolf, the fox, and the raven were visible. Close to the 
right side of the corpse had lain the weapons which Johnsen had 
brought home the day before. Near the feet was found a sledge 
completely broken in pieces, evidently new and smashed on the 
spot. Not far off, we found lying on the snow pieces of a pesh 
and of foot-coverings, both new and of the finest quality. 
Beasts of prey had undoubtedly torn them off and pulled them 
about. On the knoll there were found besides five or six other 
graves, distinguished by small stones or a wooden block lying on 
the even ground. Two of the graves were ornamented b^y a 
collection of reindeer horns. The severe cold prevented me 
from ascertaining whether these stones concealed the remains 
of buried corpses. I considered that I might take the Chukch’s 
head, as otherwise the wolves would doubtless have eaten it up. 
It was taken on board and skeletonised.*’ 
