Still More

Walrus Tusk Engravings

by

Valery Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn


Valery also creates scenes that depict coastal life in Chukotka. Here we see the familiar iaranga with slight variations on the basic design -- for example, the boulders used as weights are suspended from ropes around the sides of the dwelling. Next to it is probably a whale rib sticking out of the ground -- these large bones are often used in house construction in the coastal tundra. Behind the iaranga is a whaling boat, overturned for storage on a rack. The structure in the front could be a food cache -- the food would be covered with reindeer skins and secured around the edges with stones.


Here is a classic scene from the life of coastal dwellers: sea mammal hunting.  Coastal Chukchis and Yup'iks hunt seals, walrus, and the highly-prized whale. Here we see a whale hunt in progress, and Valery is showing us just how dangerous this work can be -- two of the hunters have already been thrown overboard, and a third is being helped as he nearly falls in the icy water (can you see the chunk of blue ice?).  The remaining men in the team struggle to harpoon the whale. A single whale can feed an entire village for months, so the risk is considered well worth it. The successful whale hunt was traditionally celebrated with days of festivities, the central theme being gratitutde to the whale "guest" for providing its flesh to feed the village.  The tips of the whale's nose, tail and flippers were returned to the sea, and from these the whale could regenerate its body. If it had been well-treated by it's human "hosts," it would report to its kin about this good hospitality, so other whales would visit. While sovietized Chukchis and Yup'iks may not practice these fesivities the same way these days, many have told me about their memories of these practices, and have shown me they still celebrate them, if only in their heart.

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Artwork © 1996 by Valery Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn; text © 1997 by Patty Gray.
Do not reproduce or use without permission from the authors.