November 2, 1998

The Indigenous peoples of Siberia have a rich oral history and tradition due to the fact that, until very recently, they were a people without written language. These tales illustrate numerous aspects of indigenous life including moral codes, systems of values, economic activity and the harsh living conditions of the Arctic. Specifically “The Father of Sickness” and Tynagirigin and Gitgilin” convey cultural vales of the Tungaus and the Chukchi respectively and assume that the reader has a knowledge of shamans and shamanistic cosmology.

“The Father of Sickness” is about a Nya Ngnanas, an evil spirit of sickness, who comes across a Tungus girl and makes her fall ill. Shamans are used to rid the girl of the evil sickness spirit. This tales conveys several cultural values of the Tungus people. Among these people sickness is considered to be evil and perpetuated by evil spirits. The tribe people believe that the girl has fallen ill because an evil spirit is tormenting her and the only way to cure her is to rid her of that evil sickness spirit. Illness is a major concern in the Arctic North because of the harsh environmental conditions. It is not stated in the story, but none the less it s known that it is difficult for even the healthy to survive, therefore an illness could mean death if not intervened with. Also because the indigenous people often live in rather unsanitary, crowded conditions, if an illness was no irradicated quickly it could easily spread to others.

The ill girl’s family and neighbors are very concern about her condition. The entire community is involved in the attempts to cure her. This is demonstrated when the young shaman calls for a wooden reindeer to be constructed, the entire community joins the effort. It is this wooden reindeer that the shaman uses to drive away the evil sickness spirit for good.

Another cultural value to exhibited with the situation surrounding the old shaman who is unable to see the evil spirit and cure the girl versus the young shaman who succeeds in curing her. In fact, the storyteller even reiterates at the conclusion of the tale that the community perceives that the first shaman is unable to cure her because he is old and weak, while a young shaman will always be able to purge the evil spirits of sickness. This conveys a message that the community notices when a senior member of the community, however wise, are too old to perform their duties and will be replaced by younger tribes men who are able to effectively perform his or her duties.

However the community still places a very high value on the shaman. The community looks to the shaman to deal with the urgencies of life. Since illness is a major concern of these people and the shaman is able to cure illness, he has a very important role within the community.

This tale also assumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of shamans and the shamanisic cosmology. The reader is expected to know that shamanism conveys that everything is alive and has a spirit, humans, animals, plants, fire, inanimate objects, and sickness. Evil spirits are responsible for illness. When someone falls ill they are believed to be possessed or tormented by an evil spirit. The evil spirit is attempting to steal the soul.

The shaman is believed to be the only one who can communicate with the spirits. It is the shaman, and the shaman alone who is able to cure sickness and protect the soul of an ill individual. In order to heal the shaman uses dance, drums, and charms to initiate his trance that allows him to erraticate illness. Though this odd display and ‘ecstatic’ trance is the only method of communicated with the spirits.

Shamanistic cosmology also holds that all things are connected. Nya Nganas who is a normal tribesman in his world, is an evil spirit in the world in which he encounters the Tungus girl. In fact, Nya Nganas learns that his people are all an illness of one form or another. The interconnection of all spirits is also shown by the fires reaction to the evil sickness quality of Nya Nganas’ spirit. The fire reacts to the evil spirit’s presence by hissing and crackling as if it were alive. The world of the Tungus and the world that Nya Nganas comes from are connected. Nya Nganas was able to enter the Tungus’ world though a type of portal when he feel into the stream.

The community, along with the shaman’s guidance, is able to produce the wooden reindeer that allows Nya Nganas to return to his world and allows the girl to get better.

The second tale, “Tynagirigin and Gitgilin,” also convey cultural messages and assume information about shamanism. In this tale a young Chukchi goes off to find a wife. The Chukchi encounters two evil spirits in the form of giants. These giants, Tynagirigin and Gitgilin, torment the Chukchi, but he is able to overcome their trickery with the use of his shamanistic powers. The Chukchi eventually steals the giants’ wife.

The wife that the Chukchi steals is the wife of both the giants. Among the indigenous people it is not unlikely for two men to share a wife. In fact, the two giants are brothers; it is not uncommon for two brothers to have the same wife. The fact that the Chukchi is able to steal the giants’ wife and that the giants’ later come to reclaim her expresses an undertone that women are regarded as possession. This undertone is supported that she is stolen, argued over and claimed just like a possession would be. At no time does the story mention the wife having any difficulties adjusting to living with the Chukchi; she makes the transition without complaint, just as a object that had changed hands would not protest.

This wife bears the young Chukchi many children. This point is mentioned a couple times by the storyteller. Among the indigenous people having many children was considered a positive condition that leads to happiness. The harsh living conditions of the Arctic make it difficult for all the children to survive to maturity; if a family has numerous children, they are almost guaranteed of having a few survive to reach adulthood. Having many children is a necessity of survival.

The journey of the wife-seeking Chukchi assumes some knowledge of shamanism. The young Chukchi is a shaman and uses his powers to escape the torments that the giant’s subject him to during his quest for a wife. The tale shows that spirits are able to change form. The Chukchi changes into a mosguito to fly away from the boiling caldron the giants push him towards, he turns into a sparrow-hawk when pushed off the cliff, and turns into a mountain goat to hid from the giants’ during their shamanizing contest.

This ordeal has parallels to a shaman’s initiatory process. The Chukchi experiences all these life threatening situations and is able to live through them. The dismember body parts at the bottom of the cliff also contribute to the parallels of the initiatory process. It is possible that this tale is describing the initiation of a black shaman. The Chukchi process of becoming a shaman is guided by and originates from evil spirits of the giants’, who would be his tutelary spirits, and the underworld. This hypothesis is supported by the giants’ showing the Chukchi the underworld at the beginning of the process. It is the torment that the giants’ put the Chukchi through that allows him to gain the helping animal spirits that he will later use in his shamanistic healing.

Siberian folk tales convey a considerable amount of information about the cultural and shamanism of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. The tales allow the reader a glipse into the heritage of these people, giving us a picture of how these people lived before the introduction of western influences.