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 and was very different from the Siberian Yupik languages.

Siberian Yupik communities work hard to keep their language alive as an important part of who they are. A big help for this is the 2008 St. Lawrence Island/Siberian Yupik Eskimo Dictionary. This dictionary has about 10,000 words and includes both old words about their traditions and new words for things like technology and healthcare. It is very useful for teaching younger people.

History

The Siberian Yupik people, also called Siberian or Eskimo (Russian: эскимосы), have a rich history. In 1931, during a time when the Soviet Union was supporting indigenous cultures, they were officially named "Yuit" (юит, plural: юиты). They call themselves Yupiget (йупигыт), meaning "true people". After this, the Soviet government moved many villages, closing old settlements and changing where people lived. Because of this, many people are now working to return to their old homes and places to reconnect with their land.

Between 1955 and 1960, a big change called the "Great Reform" happened. The Soviet government wanted to make the economy stronger, so they told 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 to other coastal villages. Similarly, people from Ungaziq (Old Chaplino) were moved to a new place called Novo Chaplino between 1957 and 1960. This time was hard because it broke the old ways of life and the connection people had with their ancestral lands.

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. Unlike many other groups, 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 living on St. Lawrence Island, in the villages of Savoonga and Gambell, are famous for their beautiful carvings. They carve from walrus ivory, whale bone, and the baleen of bowhead whales. Some of their carvings are even "moving sculptures" that show scenes like walrus hunting or traditional dances, using clever pulleys.

Traditional tattoos

Traditional tattoos were an important part of Siberian Yupik culture for women. They marked important moments in life, showed cultural identity, and indicated a person's role in the community or clan. This practice slowed down in the late 1800s and early 1900s because of religious reasons, but it is coming back now 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 this building was a smaller space called the /aːɣra/, used for sleeping and living. It was separated from the colder outer part of the yaranga by reindeer skins and grass, held up by a frame. The main room of the yaranga was where people did their daily work, kept many items, and sometimes kept dogs during storms or at night. This room was called the /naˈtək/.

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

Forge and gathering edible plants

Central Siberian Yupik communities have long known and used at least twenty-nine types of edible plants found in the northeastern Chukotka area. They developed special tools and ways to collect these plants that work well in the Arctic. For example, they used tools made 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, like a weighted stick called a nakrutka lowered from boats or ice, and a weighted line called a zakidushka thrown from the shore.

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

Spiritual culture

Shamanism

Many Indigenous Siberian cultures had special people known as mediators between humans and spirits. These mediators, often called shamans, played an important role in their communities.

For the Siberian Yupiks, shamans were especially focused on keeping good relationships with sea animals. Some shamans were called ungazighmiit and received gifts for their work. These gifts had special names and meanings tied to their culture.

Becoming a shaman often began with unusual spiritual experiences, like hearing mysterious voices or seeing visions. These signs were seen as a call to help others through spiritual means.

Fighting the spirit of smallpox

The Even people, a tribe in far eastern Russia, believed the spirit of a serious disease could appear as a woman with red hair. Shamans would work together in special rituals to protect their people if this spirit was seen. These rituals were very important to keep everyone safe.

Name giving

Like other Indigenous cultures, Siberian Yupiks believed that when a baby was born, it might be the spirit of someone who had passed away returning. Before and after birth, families would look for signs to understand this connection. The baby’s name was very important, as it helped honor the spirit that had returned.

Amulets

Amulets were special items believed to bring protection. They could be made in many forms, such as a raven’s head hanging at a house entrance or small carvings worn as talismans. Hunting amulets were also used, including figures of orcas attached to hunting tools.

Concepts regarding the animal world

Animals like orcas, wolves, ravens, spiders, and whales were greatly respected. Stories told of these animals helping people, such as a spider saving a girl’s life. It was believed that animals killed during hunting could return to the sea and live again. Because of this, hunters treated the animals carefully, not breaking their bones but cutting only at the joints.

Orca and wolf

In Siberian Yupik beliefs, orcas and wolves were thought to be the same in different forms — orcas in the summer and wolves in the winter. Orcas were believed to help hunters on the sea. Hunters would even throw tobacco into the water as a gift to orcas, thanking them for helping catch walrus. Even when an orca appeared as a wolf, it was thought to help hunters by guiding reindeer.

Whale

Hunters believed only those chosen by the spirit of the sea could kill a whale. After a whale was caught, it was treated like an honored guest. The hunter would make sure the whale felt 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 during its time with the hunter, it was hoped it would return for future hunts.

Celestial concepts

In stories, the sky was imagined as a great arch with holes where the sun, moon, and stars shone through. Beyond this arch was a very bright and light place.

Religion

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