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Like most cultures, Chukchi are looking for the answers about universe and human origin, eternity, and human role on earth. These questions are answered with folklore tales. Depending on the question being answered, Dolitsky classifies Chukchi tales into four categories. The first one is tales about magic and myths that often talk about the origin of the world, and gods. The second category is tales about animals. Animals in Chukchi tales have special abilities, can talk, and act almost like humans. The third category is tales of heroes where most often Chukchi face other non-Chukchi people and either outsmart them or Chukchi find themselves physically stronger them these people. The final category is tales about daily life. These tales dignify every day’s hard work with its great payouts.
Research: Bio
Kuz’mina has documented several tales in her research work Chukchi and Inuit Folklore. In these tales, the Sun and the Moon take the central place. They are the gods and life on earth obeys them. The climate that Chukchi live in is a big part of their identity. That part of identity is created and confirmed through tales. One of the tales recorded by Kuz’mina explains how the impatience of one of the young in early led to frequent storms in Chukchi Peninsula. Â
These stories are told to young children and adults through generations. They help to confirm their Chukchi sense of identity and the unique circumstances they are living in.
Research: Bio
From within, these tales show the belonging to the community, they explain and instill the values of the community and answer some fundamental questions about the universe and Chukchi’s role in it. These tales bring the community together and connect the generations.
From without perspective, these tales are interpreted as primitive stories that are told to children of uneducated indigenous people. These tales are only retold outside the Chukchi community for documenting purposes. Chukchi’s explanation of the creation of life by Raven and his wife are clearly different from those accepted by western society.
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Research: Bio
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