Climate Change Adaptation: Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples Inhabiting the Arctic and Far North Marine Hunters of Chukotka
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Climate Change Adaptation: Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples Inhabiting the Arctic and Far North Marine Hunters of Chukotka
- The Polar Bear
- Land Animals
11 Climate Change Adaptation: Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples Inhabiting the Arctic and Far North Marine Hunters of Chukotka All five species of pinnepeds, bowhead and grey whales, as well as the beluga whale are hunted by the sea mammal hunters of Chukotka. These animals provide the indigenous peoples with their main source of protein food and high quality fat. In the old days the residents of eastern Chukotka especially valued and worshiped the bowhead (Greenland) whale. One whale could feed and keep warm a small settlement for a long polar winter.
Nikolai Galgaugye, Sireniki, 1981 At present the main object of whale hunting for the indigenous people of eastern Chukotka is the grey whale. It is significantly smaller in length and body mass than the bowhead whale (maximum size – 15.5 meters and 35 ton), but it is more abundant and more accessible. The meat of the bowhead whale can be fermented for winter in semi-underground meat cellars, which cannot be done with grey whale meat. The grey whale meat rots and has to be kept in a freezer dug out of the permafrost. The indigenous residents love the skin of these whales with some fat on it (in Yupik this skin is called mantak), and eat it both, raw and boiled. For a long time, the bones of Greenland and grey whales served as the main building material. They were used to make boat rafters, raised storage platforms for various household needs, cult and burial structures, and, most importantly, for communal and family dwellings. White whale is another type of whale hunted in eastern Chukotka. The walrus was always the main object of hunting for the people of Chukotka and remains so to this day. In the old days the Eskimo were even called “the walrus people”, because it was impossible to find any sphere of their life in which walrus products were not used. Young males are used for food, because the meat of older animals is too tough and the skin on the front side of their bodies is covered with hard bumps. Old walruses are valued for their long tusks that can grow up to a meter in length. The tusks are an exceptionally tough material used for making
12 Climate Change Adaptation: Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples Inhabiting the Arctic and Far North Marine Hunters of Chukotka various household items, especially useful in the conditions of the treeless tundra, where wood is rarely found. The skins of female walrus were used to make covers for hunters’ skin-boats. Of the four types of seals, the most important for hunting are the bearded seal and the ringed seal. The meat of these animals is very tasty, and the fat of the ringed seal is used for various dishes, for cooking and heating the houses in wintertime, and even for drinking as a health tonic. Bearded seal hides are used for making boot soles and thongs for connecting various frame pieces for boats and sleds. In addition bearded seal hides and thongs are still the most important object of trade in the exchange between marine hunters and reindeer herders. The reindeer herders use them to weave chaty (lassos) for catching reindeer. The pelts and skins of the ringed seal are still used for making clothes, mostly the top part of the boots and waterproof men’s trousers for working on the ice. They are also used to make jackets, bags, and many other items. Inflated ringed seal skins bags shaped into a bubble are still considered to be the best floats in marine hunting. Two other kinds of seals, the spotted seal (larga) and the ribbon seal, are not as numerous and play less important role in the traditional economy of the marine hunters. The Polar Bear The polar bear “connects” the animals of the sea and the land. This animal is a great swimmer that easily moves across the land and the ice. The polar bear is very much dependent on areas of ice. This animal, along with the ringed seal, is suffering the most from the rapid decrease of ice cover in the Arctic basin, and its population is on decline. Ritual figurines of polar bear are often found in ancient Eskimo burials, their images are carved by modern artists on walrus tusks, which evidences the important role of the bear in the cultural traditions of the sea hunters of Chukotka.
Hunters believe that all animals can be good or greedy, brave or cowardly, just like humans. In the beliefs of Chukotka aboriginal people, the animals do not wear an image-mask like in Russian folktales. In the Russian culture the fox is always cunning, the wolf is always stupid, etc. In Yupik legends the wolves can sometimes be wise and just, and in other cases - stupid and greedy. Here’s what the Yüklə 357,72 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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