Introduction
My conversation with Koonooka gave me important insights into the Siberian Yupik people of St. Lawrence Island, Savoonga, Alaska, including their culture, religion, way of life, and dwellings. Animistic religion, home designs, and the primary and secondary resources that support their way of life are all themes covered in the interview. Koonooka provides information about the indigenous people’s spiritual practices, including their ties to nature and the employment of shamans to address issues resistant to home cures.
The interview also provides insight into the people’s distinctive dwelling arrangements, such as the semi-subterranean sod and driftwood homes covered with Siberian walrus skin. The primary resources humans use for survival are also described by Koonooka, including sea mammals like walruses and whales, and the distinctive goods produced from their hides and guts. Overall, the interview offers insightful information about the Siberian Yupik people’s rich cultural legacy and relationship to the environment they live in.
Religion and Ideology
The conversation with Koonooka provides insight into the beliefs and ideologies of the St. Lawrence Island, Savoonga, and Alaska-based Siberian Yupik people. Animism is a core component of the Siberian Yupik religion, which holds that most discernible natural phenomena include a spiritual nature. Animal souls are thought to share various feelings with human souls and have a strong bond with the natural world. Shamans, primarily men, were called upon to solve issues like disease or game loss that did not respond to home treatment.
The Siberian Yupik believe Esghgamakista Nemen, their household guardian, safeguards their family from evil spirits. The Siberian Yupik’s religion and worldview are closely tied to their way of life, and their ceremonies demonstrate how closely they are connected to nature. The Kamegtaaq ceremony takes place after the whaling season, and it involves the carving and use of a whale or whale fluke (Koonooka 136). A whale figure with a tuft of reindeer hair for a spout hangs above the seal oil lamp at a whaling captain’s residence.
Every man with their female partner swings the figure back and forth to each other across the burning lamp to represent the actual hunt, which also requires the cooperation of women and men. After that, each woman presents her companion with a brand-new pair of skin boots (kamek), where the event gets its name. The Siberian Yupik reveres their natural surroundings strongly, and their religion and ideology reflect this. Their rituals and beliefs have been passed down through the years and are a significant element of their culture.
The Siberian Yupik also had a sophisticated system of household protectors and guardians. Esghgamakista Nemen is one such figure; he was considered a household protector who shielded families from evil spirits. The family constantly “fed” the effigy before starting its supper because it was treated like a child.
According to Koonooka, wooden figures were also employed in hunting, whaling, and weather rituals (136). After successful hunts, men used the blubber from whales, walruses, and seals to feed or anoint specific wooden figurines. Elaine Kingeekuk recounted that her grandmother kept a little figurine in the corner of the house to act as a guardian over the children who lived there.
Housing
According to Koonooka’s interview, the Siberian Yupik from St. Lawrence Island, Savoonga, Alaska, had many forms of houses. They used Ningaloo, or semi-subterranean sod dwellings, which were dug into the ground and covered with soil and sod to protect themselves from the severe Arctic cold. Koonooka also mentioned that they lived in a yurt-like structure called a mangtagaek, made of driftwood and wrapped in Siberian walrus hide. In addition, they slept in skin tents distinct from Central Yup’ik tents.
The Ningloo, according to Koonooka, was “half in the ground” and covered in sod, which protected it from the cold. There was a little ventilation at the top of the house, and the interior was separated into sleeping and kitchen areas. On St. Lawrence Island, the Ningaloo was the most typical type of home, according to Koonooka.
However, some families also had mangtagaeks. The mangtagaek was a walrus skin-covered driftwood frame home transported across from Siberia. According to Koonooka, this kind of house was portable and resembled a yurt. It could be disassembled and moved as needed. The mangtagaek’s interior featured a sleeping room and a kitchen, similar to the Ningaloo. The walrus skin, which is thick and effective at blocking the cold, is a crucial insulating element, according to Koonooka.
The Siberian Yupik used skin tents, which were distinct from those used by the Central Yup’ik, according to Koonooka as well. According to Koonooka, the tents were constructed from animal skins stretched over a wooden frame and stitched together. The tents, which could be moved easily from one location to another during the summer when the weather was milder, were used. The tents were especially beneficial for fishing and hunting trips, according to Koonooka.
Subsistence
The Siberian Yupik people of Savoonga, Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island, are mostly seafarers. According to Koonooka, they pursue polar bears, spotted, ringed, and bearded seals, bowhead, Winback, and gray whales. They cover boats (angyak) in the skins of female polar bears, and they utilize their intestines to manufacture waterproof parkas.
In addition, they produce remarkable seal gut skis, boots, poles, mittens, and black reindeer-skin parkas that resemble Inupiaq Seal Gut Parkas. The gut parkas were adorned with well-preserved feather crests and auklet beak bits, according to Koonooka. Another typical usage of the gut was the “berry bucket” with polar bear tufts.
Siberian Yupik’s secondary food sources include fish, birds, eggs, and plants. Koonooka also emphasized the significance of demographics. It takes more than one team to successfully and consistently harvest walrus and bowhead whales.
A minimum of five to eight boats is needed to search for bowhead whales, while two to four boats are necessary to search for walrus. One hundred fifty people are required for a successful whale harvest, with a 2:1 average ratio of dependents to hunters in the Bering Straits region (Koonooka 136). Similarly, 72 individuals are needed for a successful walrus harvest (Koonooka 137).
According to Koonooka, successful walrus and whale harvests in Gambell necessitate crews of 7-8 male hunters, with 50 hunters needed for good whale harvests and 24 hunters needed for successful walrus harvests (Koonooka 136). The Siberian Yupik’s subsistence methods are intimately related to their cultural customs. According to Koonooka, bowhead whale sculptures are made and used in Kamegtaaq, a celebration of thankfulness celebrated after the whaling season.
Conclusion
Talking with Koonooka provided a valuable understanding of the Siberian Yupik culture and lifestyle on St. Lawrence Island in Savoonga, Alaska. Through Koonooka’s comments, we discovered the people’s animistic beliefs and philosophy, as well as the distinctive house arrangements and subsistence practices that strongly depend on the sea for resources. This conversation serves as a reminder to respect and preserve these cultural practices handed down through the years and emphasizes the significance of conserving and honoring the diversity of cultures and traditions within our planet.
Work Cited
Koonooka, Christopher Petuwaq, et al. “Akuzipik/Yupik (St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA; Chukotka, Russia)-Language Snapshot.” Language Documentation and Description, vol. 20, no. 6, 2021, pp. 135-144.