book chapter

Tent life in Siberia: and adventures among the Koryaks and other tribes in Kamtchatka and northern Asia

G.P. Putnam and Sons ; S. Lowe, Son and MarstonNew York • Published In 1870 • Pages:

By: Kennan, George.

Abstract
The author was an explorer for the Russo-American Telegraph Company in 1864 and 1865 when this organization was working on a telegraph line from America to Europe by way of the Bering Strait. Most of his time was spent in Kamchatka where he lived among the Kamchadal and the Koryak tribes. His observations, as a result, are first-hand observations of a people whom he knew and lived among for a short period of time. Some 56 pages of his travel account have been excerpted here for the files, and this material covers both the Maritime and Reindeer Koryak with whom he came in contact. Most of the account is concerned with the Reindeer Koryak, the more numerous group and the group with whom the author has the most sympathy. The material included here in the files is primarily on the material culture of the Koryaks, though there is considerable emphasis also upon the religion of the tribe, interpreted from the point of view of its intimate connection with the environment in which these people live. Material included in categories 157 and 181 must be regarded with caution, for it is doubtful that an explorer for a telegraph company can give an entirely accurate interpretation of the personality of the entire tribe. On the whole, however, Mr. Kennan can be relied upon as a better-than-average observer in a strange land.
Subjects
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Pastoral activities
Diet
Animal transport
Nuptials
Community structure
Shamans and psychotherapists
culture
Koryaks
HRAF PubDate
2003
Region
Asia
Sub Region
North Asia
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Traveler
Document Rating
3: Good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent
Analyst
RCH ; 1950-1956
Field Date
1865
Coverage Date
1865
Coverage Place
Koryak Autonomous District, Kamchatka Province, Russia
Notes
By George Kennan …
This document consists of excerpts
LCCN
13025843
LCSH
Koryaks