Siberian Yupik

The Siberian Yupiks, also called Yuits, are a group of Yupik people living along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far northeast of the Russian Federation and on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. They speak Central Siberian Yupik, known as Yuit, which is a Yupik language from the Eskimo–Aleut family.

Another group, the Sirenik Eskimos, also lives in the same area. Their language, Sireniki Eskimo, is no longer spoken.

Siberian Yupik communities work hard to keep their language alive. A big help for this is the 2008 St. Lawrence Island/Siberian Yupik Eskimo Dictionary. This dictionary has many words and helps teach younger people.

History

The Siberian Yupik people, also called Siberian or Eskimo (Russian: эскимосы), have a rich history. In 1931, the Soviet Union named them "Yuit" (юит, plural: юиты). They call themselves Yupiget (йупигыт), meaning "true people". After this, the government moved many villages to new places. Because of this, many people are now working to return to their old homes.

Between 1955 and 1960, a big change called the "Great Reform" happened. The government wanted to make the economy stronger, so they asked people in smaller villages to move to bigger towns. For example, the old village of Naukan (Nuvuqaq) was closed in 1958, and its people had to move. People from Ungaziq (Old Chaplino) also moved to a new place called Novo Chaplino. This time was hard because it changed old ways of life.

Traditional organization

The Siberian Yupik are organized into groups called "tribes", often named after their main village with the suffix -miit (Ungazighmiit) for those from Ungaziq. They follow a system of clans passed down from the father's side. Traditional villages had leaders such as the "master of the land" for rituals and a wealthy boat captain for managing trade and hunting.

Trade

For many years, the Siberian Yupik traded goods over long distances across the Bering Strait. They traded with Alaskan Native groups and Russian traders from the 1700s to the 1900s.

Material culture

Traditional crafts

The Siberian Yupik people on St. Lawrence Island, in Savoonga and Gambell, are known for their beautiful carvings. They carve from walrus ivory, whale bone, and the baleen of bowhead whales. Some carvings move and show scenes like walrus hunting or traditional dances.

Traditional tattoos

Traditional tattoos were important for Siberian Yupik women. They showed important life moments, cultural identity, and a person's role in the community. This practice slowed down in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but it is coming back as part of efforts to revive Indigenous culture.

Dwelling

Main article: Yaranga

In winter, the Chaplino Eskimos (Ungazighmiit) lived in a round, dome-shaped building called a yaranga. Inside was a smaller space for sleeping and living, called the /aːɣra/. It was separated from the colder outer part by reindeer skins and grass. The main room, called the /naˈtək/, was where people did daily work and kept items.

Other buildings included a modernized style and a type called /pəˈɬʲuk/ used in summer.

Forge and gathering edible plants

Central Siberian Yupik communities knew and used many types of edible plants in the northeastern Chukotka area. They made special tools from walrus tusks to dig up edible roots. These tools have been used for about two thousand years.

People gathered berries and leafy plants by hand and carried them in containers made from animal skins or walrus stomachs. They also used special tools to collect seaweed from the sea.

In autumn, people sometimes used a method called "trampling" to find winter food stored underground by small animals.

Spiritual culture

Shamanism

Many Indigenous Siberian cultures had special people called shamans. They helped connect humans with spirits.

For the Siberian Yupiks, shamans worked to keep good ties with sea animals. Some shamans were called ungazighmiit. They got special gifts for their work.

Becoming a shaman often started with strange experiences, like hearing voices or seeing visions. This was seen as a sign to help others.

Fighting the spirit of smallpox

The Even people in far eastern Russia thought a serious disease’s spirit looked like a woman with red hair. Shamans did special rituals to protect people if this spirit appeared.

Name giving

Siberian Yupiks thought when a baby was born, it might be the spirit of someone who had died coming back. Families looked for signs before and after birth. The baby’s name honored this spirit.

Amulets

Amulets were special items thought to bring safety. They could be things like a raven’s head at a house door or small carvings worn as charms. Hunting amulets included orca figures on hunting tools.

Concepts regarding the animal world

Animals like orcas, wolves, ravens, spiders, and whales were respected. Stories told of them helping people, like a spider saving a girl. It was believed animals killed in hunting could return to live again. Hunters treated animals carefully, cutting only at the joints.

Orca and wolf

Siberian Yupik beliefs said orcas and wolves were the same in different forms — orcas in summer and wolves in winter. Orcas were thought to help hunters at sea. Hunters would throw tobacco into the water to thank orcas for helping catch walrus. Even when an orca looked like a wolf, it was thought to guide reindeer.

Whale

Hunters believed only those chosen by the sea’s spirit could catch a whale. After catching a whale, it was treated like an honored guest. The hunter made sure it was comfortable with music and good food. When whale migration time came, a special ritual sent the whale back to the sea. If the whale was happy, it might return for future hunts.

Celestial concepts

In stories, the sky was like a big arch with holes where the sun, moon, and stars shone through. Beyond this arch was a very bright place.

Religion

The Siberian Yupik people had fewer visits from Christian missionaries than other Native communities in Alaska in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their religious traditions began to change after the Russian Revolution in 1917, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, Protestant missionaries from Alaska became more active, sometimes holding services on boats or in temporary tents.