The Jakuts are a remarkably4 energetic race, for though subject to the Muscovite yoke5, they not only successfully maintain their language and manners, but even impose their own tongue and customs upon the Russians who have settled in their country. Thus in Jakutsk, or the “capital of the Jakuts,” as with not a little of national pride and self-complacency they style that dreary6 city, their language is much more frequently spoken than the Russian, for almost all the artisans are Jakuts, and even the rich fur-merchant has not seldom a Jakut wife, as no Russian now disdains8 an alliance with one of that nation.
At Amginskoie, an originally Russian settlement, Middendorff found the greatest difficulty in procuring9 a guide able to speak the Russian language, and all the Tunguse whom he met with between Jakutsk and Ochotsk understood and spoke7 Jakut, which is thus the dominant10 language from the basin of the Lena to the extreme eastern confines of Siberia. In truth, no Russian workman can compete with the Jakuts, whose cunning and effrontery11 would make it difficult even for a Jew to prosper12 among them.
Though of a Mongolian physiognomy, their language, which is said to be intelligible13 at Constantinople, distinctly points to a Turk extraction, and their traditions speak of their original seats as situated14 on the Baikal and Angora, whence, retreating before more powerful hordes15, they advanced to the Lena, where in their turn they dispossessed the weaker tribes which they found in possession of the country. At present their chief abode16 is along the banks of that immense river, which they occupy at least as far southward as the Aldan. Eastward17 they are found on the Kolyma, and westward18 as far as the Jenissei. Their total number amounts to about 200,000, and they form the chief part of the population of the vast but almost desert province of Jakutsk.
They are essentially19 a pastoral people, and their chief wealth consists in horses and cattle, though the northern portion of their nation is reduced to the reindeer20 and the dog. Besides the breeding of horses, the Russian fur-trade has developed an industrial form of the hunter’s state, so that among the Jakuts property accumulates, and we have a higher civilization than will be found elsewhere in the same latitude21, Iceland, Finland, and Norway alone excepted. Of an unsocial and reserved disposition22, they prefer a solitary23 settlement, but at the same time they are very hospitable24, and give the stranger who229 claims their assistance a friendly welcome. Villages consisting of several huts, or yourts, are rare, and found only between Jakutsk and the Aldan, where the population is somewhat denser25. Beyond the Werchojansk ridge27 the solitary huts are frequently several hundred versts apart, so that the nearest neighbors sometimes do not see each other for years.
In summer the Jakut herdsmen live in urossy, light conical tents fixed28 on poles and covered with birch rind, and during the whole season they are perpetually employed in making hay for the long winter.
In 62° N. lat., and in a climate of an almost unparalleled severity, the rearing of their cattle causes them far more trouble than is the case with any other pastoral people. Their supply of hay is frequently exhausted29 before the end of the winter, and from March to May their oxen must generally be content with willow30 and birch twigs31 or saplings.
88. A JAKUT VILLAGE.
At the beginning of the cold season the Jackut exchanges his summer tent for his warm winter residence, or yourt, a hut built of beams or logs, in the form of a truncated32 pyramid, and thickly covered with turf and clay. Plates of ice serve as windows, and are replaced by fish-bladders or paper steeped in oil, as soon as the thaw33 begins. The earthen floor, for it is but rarely boarded, is generally sunk two or three feet below the surface of the ground. The seats and sleeping berths34 are ranged along the sides, and the centre is occupied by the tschuwal, or hearth35, the smoke of which finds its exit through an aperture36 in the roof. Clothes and arms are suspended from the walls, and the whole premises230 exhibit a sad picture of disorder37 and filth38. Near the yourt are stables for the cows, but when the cold is very severe, these useful animals are received into the family room. As for the horses, they remain night and day without a shelter, at a temperature when mercury freezes, and are obliged to feed on the withered39 autumnal grass which they find under the snow. These creatures, whose powers of endurance are almost incredible, change their hair in summer like the other quadrupeds of the Arctic regions. They keep their strength, though travelling perhaps for months through the wilderness40 without any other food than the parched41, half-rotten grass met with on the way. They retain their teeth to old age, and remain young much longer than our horses. “He who thinks of improving the Jakut horse,” says Von Middendorff, “aims at something like perfection. Fancy the worst conceivable roads, and for nourishment42 the bark of the larch43 and willow, with hard grass-stalks instead of oats; or merely travel on the post-road to Jakutsk, and see the horses that have just run forty versts without stopping, and are covered with perspiration44 and foam45, eating their hay in the open air without the slightest covering, at a temperature of -40°.”
But the Jakut himself is no less hardened against the cold than his faithful horse. “On December 9,” says Wrangell, “we bivouacked round a fire, at a temperature of -28°, on an open pasture-ground, which afforded no shelter against the northern blast. Here I had an excellent opportunity for admiring the unparalleled powers of endurance of our Jakut attendants. On the longest winter journey they take neither tents nor extra covering along with them, not even one of the larger fur-dresses. While travelling, the Jakut contents himself with his usual dress; in this he generally sleeps in the open air; a horse rug stretched out upon the snow is his bed, a wooden saddle his pillow. With the same fur jacket, which serves him by daytime as a dress, and which he pulls off when he lies down for the night, he decks his back and shoulders, while the front part of his body is turned towards the fire almost without any covering. He then stops his nose and ears with small pieces of skin, and covers his face so as to leave but a small opening for breathing—these are all the precautions he takes against the severest cold. Even in Siberia the Jakuts are called ‘men of iron.’ Often have I seen them sleeping at a temperature of -4° in the open air, near an extinguished bivouac fire, and with a thick ice-rind covering their almost unprotected body.”
Most of the Jakuts have an incredible sharpness of vision. One of them told Lieutenant46 Anjou, pointing to the planet Jupiter, that he had often seen yonder blue star devour47 a smaller one, and then after a time cast it out again.13 Their local memory is no less astonishing; a pool of water, a large stone, a solitary bush imprints48 itself deeply into their remembrance, and guides them after a lapse49 of years through the boundless50 wilderness. In manual dexterity they surpass all other Siberian nations, and some of their articles, such as their poniards and their leather, might figure with credit in any European exhibition. Long before the Russian conquest they made use of the iron ore on the231 Wilui to manufacture their own knives and axes, which, either from the excellence51 of the material or of the workmanship, rarely break, even in the severest cold—a perfection which the best Sheffield ware52 does not attain53. Since time immemorial they have been acquainted with the art of striking fire with flint and steel, an invention unknown even to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Their leather is perfectly54 water-tight, and the women make carpets of white and colored skins, which are even exported to Europe. It is almost superfluous56 to mention that a people so capable of bearing hardships, so sharp-witted, and so eager for gain as the Jakuts must needs pursue the fur-bearing animals with which their forests abound57 with untiring zeal58 and a wonderful dexterity.
The horse renders the Jakut services not less important than those of the reindeer to the Samoïede or the Lapp. Besides using it for carrying or riding, the Jakut makes articles of dress out of its skin, and fishing-nets of its hair; boiled horse-meat is his favorite food, and sour mare’s milk, or kumyss, his chief beverage59. Of the latter he also makes a thick porridge, or salamat, by mixing it with rye-flour, or the inner rind of the larch or fir tree, to which he frequently adds dried fish and berries, and, to render it perfect, a quantity of rancid fat, of which he is immoderately fond. He is in fact a gross feeder, and some professional gluttons are capable of consuming such astonishing masses as to shame the appetite even of an Esquimaux. During his stay at Jakutsk, Sir George Simpson put the abilities of two distinguished60 artists to the test, by setting two pouds of boiled beef and a poud of melted butter before them. Each of them got a poud of meat for his share; the butter they were allowed to ladle out and drink ad libitum. The one was old and experienced, the other young and full of zeal. At first the latter had the advantage. “His teeth are good,” said the elder champion, “but with the assistance of my saint (crossing himself), I will soon come up to him.”
When about half of their task was finished, Sir George left his noble guests to the care and inspection61 of his secretary, but when he returned a few hours after, he was informed that all was consumed, while the champions, stretched out on the floor, confirmed the secretary’s report, and expressed their thanks for the exorbitant62 meal they had enjoyed by respectfully kissing the ground. After one of these disgusting feats63, the gorged64 gluttons generally remain for three or four days plunged65 in a torpid66 state like boa snakes, without eating or drinking, and are frequently rolled about on the ground to promote digestion67. It may also be noticed, as a proof of the low state of intellectual culture among the Jakuts, that at every wedding among the richer class two professed68 virtuosi in the art of gormandizing are regularly invited for the entertainment of the guests. One of them is treated at the bridegroom’s expense, the other at that of the bride, and the party whose champion gains the victory considers it as a good omen55 for the future.
The Jakuts, besides being a pre-eminently pastoral people, are also the universal carriers to the east of the Lena. For beyond Jakutsk, the only roads are narrow paths leading through swamps, dense26 forests, or tangled69 bushes, so that the horse affords the only means of reaching the more even and lower232 countries where reindeer or dogs can be attached to sledges70. Without the Jakut and his horse, the Russian would never have been able to penetrate72 to the Sea of Ochotsk, and from thence to the Aleutian chain; but for him, they never would have settled on the Kolyma, nor have opened a commercial intercourse73 with the Tchuktchi and the western Esquimaux.
Before the possession of the Amoor had opened a new road to commerce, thousands of pack-horses used annually74 to cross the Stanowoi hills on the way to Ochotsk; and when we consider the dreadful hardships of the journey, we can not wonder that the road was more thickly strewn with the skeletons of fallen horses than the caravan75 routes through the desert with the bones of famished76 camels. But the Jakut fears neither the icy cold of the bivouac nor the pangs77 of hunger, which, in spite of his wolfish voracity78, he is able to support with stoical fortitude79. He fears neither the storm on the naked hill, nor the gloom of the forest, nor the depth of the morass80; and, bidding defiance81 to every thing else, fears only the invisible power of “Ljeschei,” the spirit of the mountain and the wood. The traveller wonders when he sees on an eminence82 crowned with firs an old tree from whose branches hang bunches of horse-hair. The Jakut who leads the caravan soon explains the mystery. He dismounts, and plucking a few hairs from the mane of his horse, attaches them with a great show of respect to a branch, as an offering to propitiate83 the favor of Ljeschei on the journey. Even those Jakuts who pass for Christians84 still pay this mark of respect to the dethroned divinity of their fathers; and there can be no doubt that they still retain the old belief in Schamanism, and an abject85 fear of all sorts of evil spirits.
While travelling they sing almost perpetually melancholy86 tunes87, corresponding with the habitual88 gloom of their national character. The text has more variety and poetry, and generally celebrates the beauties of nature, the stately growth of the pine, the murmuring of the brook89, or the grandeur90 of the mountain. The singers are mostly improvisatores, and to conciliate the favor of Ljeschei, they praise the desert through which they pass as if it were a paradise.
Like the impoverished91 Samoïede or Lapp, the indigent92 Jakut, who possesses neither cattle nor horses, settles near some stream. His only domestic animal is his dog, who carries the fish on a light sledge71 from the river-bank to his hut, or follows him into the woods on his hunting expeditions. With the skins of fur-bearing animals he pays his jassak, and is glad if the surplus allows him to indulge from time to time in the luxury of a pipe of Circassian tobacco.
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1
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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gluttons
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| 贪食者( glutton的名词复数 )； 贪图者； 酷爱…的人； 狼獾 | |
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4
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
disdains
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| 鄙视，轻蔑( disdain的名词复数 ) | |
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procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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10
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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11
effrontery
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| n.厚颜无耻 | |
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12
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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13
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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14
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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15
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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16
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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17
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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19
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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23
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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truncated
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| adj.切去顶端的，缩短了的，被删节的v.截面的( truncate的过去式和过去分词 )；截头的；缩短了的；截去顶端或末端 | |
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33
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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39
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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41
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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42
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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larch
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| n.落叶松 | |
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44
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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45
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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46
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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47
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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48
imprints
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| n.压印( imprint的名词复数 )；痕迹；持久影响 | |
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49
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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50
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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51
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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52
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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53
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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54
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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55
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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56
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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57
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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59
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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60
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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61
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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62
exorbitant
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| adj.过分的；过度的 | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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gorged
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| v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕 | |
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65
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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digestion
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| n.消化，吸收 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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70
sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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71
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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72
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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75
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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78
voracity
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| n.贪食，贪婪 | |
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79
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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80
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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81
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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82
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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83
propitiate
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| v.慰解，劝解 | |
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84
Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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85
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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86
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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87
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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88
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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89
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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90
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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91
impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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92
indigent
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的 | |
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