Three Accounts of the Vasil'ev-Shismarev Expedition of 1819-1822

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Chapter 6

Shishmarev's Article

This article by Shishmarev is apparently the only published account of the expedition dealing with a topical subject. It appeared in 1851, and except for the opening and closing paragraphs was taken directly from his journal.

Captain Shishmarev's Information about the Chukchi in 1821

In addition to information about the Chukchi of the northeast coast of Siberia collected by Plenisner (1765),1 Billings (1791), Sarychev (1791), and Litke (1828), we are adding information gathered by Captain Shishmarev on the sloop "Good Intent" in 1821 on St. Lawrence Island and in St. Lawrence and Mechigmenskaia (bay) bays during his famous expedition with Captain Vasilev in Bering Strait, described in Berkh's chronological history and in the article, "Russian voyages round the world" by G. Ivashintsov of parts VII and VIII of our journal.2 This information, in its comprehensiveness surpassing everything before it, is taken from Mr. Shishmarev's journal preserved in the archives of the Hydrographic Department.

"With good weather and a slight breeze from the WSW (on July 9, 1821), we succeeded, while sailing, in surveying

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The walrus ones are worn mostly by men, and sewn [in horizontal stripes] across the body, the seal ones, wsewn lengthwise, worn mostly by women. Some kamleis are from whale guts.

"Although we were told that they always live in one place, we saw many various kinds of sleds near every yurt, and therefore concluded that, in all probability, they move from here to somewhere in the interior of the country, which was confirmed by the fact that we had not seen a single winter yurt here. One must suppose that they move over here to hunt walrus, seal, whale, fish, and birds, which provide them food for the whole summer and a reserve for winter, which we saw buried in the ground.

"In every yurt, we saw kettles--copper, iron, cast-iron, pewter, and clay. The metal ones they probably get from Kolyma or Gizhiga, and the clay ones they make themselves, only I do not know where they get the clay. Their food they often use raw.

"From the vocabulary collected by us and compared with the vocabulary of Captain Billings, and from the fact that the Chukchi better understood our interpreter of the Chukotski language than the Aleut talking in Kadiak, it had to be concluded that we were dealing with the nomadic or Deer Chukchi.

"Concerning the Sedentary Chukchi I can only note the following. The eight persons who came to us in one baidar understood rather well the Aleut interpreter, but did not understand at all the Chukchi one. However, from their out-

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over earth to another creature, Kamaka, also invisible and immortal, but wicked, punishing disobedience by death. That is why it is said about one who dies: he is taken by Kamaka. Sacrifices are offered only to Kamaka.

"In ancient times, they sacrificed human beings of both sexes, but only old ones, never young ones, and always their own, never prisoners. The victims offered were killed and buried in the ground, from which the foxes and wolves dug them out, tore them apart, and devoured them. The bodies of those who died a natural death were always burned. But human sacrifice was abandoned long ago. As is known from legends, the Chukchi were never cannibals.

"Concerning present-day sacrifices, we could not get any details. We only saw, a little way from the settlement Nuniagma, planted into the ground in a square, two whale jawbones and two whalebones and in the middle, two heads and one rib. The chief who was with us glued to each of these objects by means of mucus, a tiny leaf of tobacco received from us, explaining to us that this was an offering. However, we could not learn from him whether this offering was for the whale or Kamaka. He only said that he also gave a piece from every hunt, not excluding the whale, and from every acquisition. From this, one concludes that the offering is made to Kamaka. We saw such altars for offerings in every settlement.

"In the voyage of Billings it is said that the Chukchi 'get their fire from small pieces of wood, shaped in the form

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them a few European knickknacks, which in their eyes appeared to be treasures.

"On the morning (of the 15th) came to us two baidars in which came from Mechigmenskaia Bay a chief of the Deer Chukchi by the name Lei-chai-gu, son of the late chief, Imlerata, who drove Captain Billings to Kolyma with his deer. He had three medals on his neck, one of which, a gold one, he got from his father, the other of bronze, and the third of pewter.

"From the behavior of this chief, it was clear that he was already somewhat familiar with European customs. For instance, he greeted me in the Russian way, that is, embracing and kissing me.

"Like Lei-chai-gu, all the Chukchi who were with him were dressed much cleaner and richer compared to those seen by us in St. Lawrence Bay. Their bows and other things were also finished smoother.

"I told him that a Chukchi promised to bring us deer the next day, but had fooled us. To that, he answered that, of course, that Chukchi wanted to fool us, because it was impossible to deliver any deer sooner than three days, and with that he expressed his regret that he had not brought any deer with him, not knowing of this need. Meanwhile, the wind rose from the NW, and therefore, not wasting time, we weighed anchor, and rounding the ice in the mouth of the bay, directed our course to Bering Strait. Lei-chai-gu remained with us until the sloop was under full sail.