Antler on the Sea (Loralie Berte)
Life Cycle and Ceremony:
 Fundamental element –-natural cycle and rhythm of environment; tied to
human life cycle
 Soviet gov’t. succeeded in controlling some aspects of village life however
life cycle events still marked by rituals and cultural meaning
 Yup’ik calendar marked by various subsistence activities of the seasons
Parents and Children
 Children highly valued, childlessness a humiliation
 Lack of contraceptives--pill unavailable, abortion a common method of
contraception
 Women monitored medically by doctors, behavior monitored by older
female family members for adherence of cultural traditions
 “Harm” is an amorphous threat-inflicted by bad spirits
 Lively belief in the supernatural and spiritual world
 Women sent to Provideniia to give birth-dorm style maternity ward --no
one allowed in delivery room
 Women “forbidden” to groan or receive help during childbirth-sign of
weakness
 Modern childbirth introduced by Soviets as an effort to “improve”
conditions and health of northern regions
 Children born registered w/village council-parents chose
svidedeli(godparents)
 Chukchi and Yup’ik each had several names-Russian name, native name
and nicknames
 Children cared for by grandmother--if she is too elderly children attend
sadik(kindergarten) run by state farm
 Grandparent/grandchild relationship very special
Childhood and Adolescence
 All children enter preschool at age 5 into Sovietized domain, contributing
to devaluation of their own cultures
 Children encouraged to be independent--by age 7 children fairly selfsufficient
 Pioneer Camp--similar to scouts
 Children honored publicly for work, danced weekly at Dom
Kul’tury(House of Culture) or the klub
 Klub exposed them to western culture through videos, exposure of
pornography, opinions varied due to disintegrating of Soviet system
allowing influx in these materials, yet to form consensus, did not want to
discourage openness
Adulthood
 Adulthood not marked by ceremony for women--usually birth of child or
marriage marks adulthood. Previously menses was marked w/ceremony
 Young men required to serve two years in army--upon return passage into
adulthood recognized
The Bania
 Bania-bath house run by state farm; a social and spiritual event-created
community relationships through likeness
Old Age and Death
 Elderly women keepers of culture due to short life expectancy of men-due
to alcoholism, accidents and military service
 Age respected but no structural outlet for traditional knowledge provided
 Death infused w/ indigenous cultural knowledge and performance
The Metaphysical World
 Shamanism was declared a crime, however shamanistic knowledge
survived
 Young Yup’ik and Chukchi interpret phenomenon according to cultural
conceptualization even though trained in scientific empiricism
The Economy: Production as Cultural Space
 1928 Sireniki organized into hunting artel--forerunner of collective farm-later fishing was added-was a state farm –-fox farm added in 1960’s-organized into state farm
 Provided primary infrastructure support
 Kollevtiv’s organized into brigades--headed by the brigadir
 Kollectivy acted as work organizations and units for distribution of scarce
goods
 Positions available to Yup’ik and Chukchi were low status(fishing,
trapping, etc.), but had high cultural value; while newcomers had access to
higher status positions
 This stratification reinforced the cultural and structural boundaries
Reindeer Herding
 Reindeer herding was a Chukchi endeavor; originally structured by family
unit; reorganized during collectivization
 Reorganization included settling nomadic peoples into sedentary lifestyle
 Brigades tended to be kin based –-herders decision
 Newcomers working on brigades did not herd, they transported herders
and supplied equipment
 Structural and cultural separation reinforced by behavior
 Herders had some special privileges such as the herders shelf of deficit
goods
 Herding provided an escape from Soviet interference to allow Chukchi’s to
act in culturally appropriate ways
Sea Mammal Hunting
 Yup’ik pursued sea mammal hunting
 Subjected to more regulations due to crossing into U.S waters
 Sea mammal hunting first economic activity brought under Soviet
structure
 Hunting crews consisted of related males, each representing a baidarasame principles as reindeer kolectiv
 Clothing consisted of Yup’ik and western items--on cold days kuklankas
and kamleikas (seal skin pants and fur hats) were worn-men preferred
clothing prepared by family
 Older women believed menstruating women who prepared clothing would
spoil the hunt
 Hunters had to sell their kill to the state farm, but could then purchase
meat back
 Hunters cabin acted as a men’s house in which supplies were stored,
meetings held and socialization occurred
 -Had no ceremonial function but provided a space for cultural
reproduction amongst men
 Alienation of Chukchi and Yup’ik workers occurred as they were isolated
from their social organization and culture-responsible to the state
The Informal Economy
 Existence of second (informal) economy--not officially sanctioned by state
but allowed to operate to control workers--functioned as oppositional space
in socialist system
 Second economy in Sireniki consists of subsistence activities
 System of personal reindeer--usually only one or two per family
 Subsistence activities made it impossible for complete Soviet hegemony
over nature
 Subsistence resources gathered--mostly by older women-mushroom
gathering and fishing important
 Subsistence resources did not interest the state farm--not defined as
production--thus it allowed Chukchi and Yup’ik to use it as a means to
cultural reproduction and identity
 Informal economy gave continuity to Yup’ik and Chukchi culture
Blat
 Blat-connections or pull--important part of economy--allowed people with
connections to receive better apartments, telephone service or Novocain
during dentistry
 Blat was allowed to operate to provide people with goods and to keep them
from rebelling
Alcohol: Commodity and Control
 Alcohol used as a pseudo currency--became such a problem Gorbachev
instituted restrictions on sale
 Newcomers tended to drink privately, while Chukchi and Yup’ik drank
publicly
 Gossip used to control drunken behavior--however alcohol seen as cause of
behavior and thus excusable
 State farms distributed alcohol to workers for fall reindeer slaughter-raises questions about ethics and state control