The Last of the Chukchi Shamans

Yuri Rytkheu (1930-2008) sailed the Bearing Sea and explored the Arctic on geological expeditions. The son of a hunter, he was born in the coastal village of Uelen on the Siberian Chukotka Peninsula. Considered to be the most significant indigenous author in Russia, he wrote over a dozen novels and collections of short stories describing the unique ecological and cultural wisdom of the Chukchi people. His novel A Dream in Polar Fog was a Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize Notable Book in 2006. The most recent English translation of his work is The Chukchi Bible, a collection of the myths and tales of Rytkheu's own grandfather, the last of the Chukchi shamans. The stories describe both a moving history of the Chukchi, who traditionally lived as hunters and nomadic reindeer herders, and the training of shamans; the passing on of rituals and healing skills. 
 
Rytkheu's poetic prose and vivid imagery bring out the best and worst of life on the Arctic coast. In a short introduction Rytkheu explains, "The book is not just the story of my lineage, and not just the story of our clan, but also the genealogy and the root of all my books." Essentially, Rytkheu himself becomes the last shaman, who as a writer magically revives Chukchi culture. Read an excerpt from the book as well as the short story "The Safekeeping of Names," a tale of the Shaman Kalyach.

Shamans and Stories

Kira Van Deusen is an author, storyteller and musician who has done extensive research on the oral traditions of Siberian indigenous peoples and the Canadian Inuit. Her in-depth books include Singing Story, Healing Drum: Shamans and Storytellers of Turkic Siberia, The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amura, and Kiviuq: An Inuit Hero and His Siberian Cousins. Van Deusen's books are a must-read for those interested in northern cultures, shamanism, oral storytelling, and cultural change. Read More