Child-monster in Rịke´wġi’s tale

Overview

Rịke´wġi’s child-monster narrative, recorded at Mariinsky Post in October 1900, begins with a birth while the father is away. The mother does not bring the infant out despite repeated calls from the household. During the night the crying infant receives an answering cry from a ke´lẹ outside. It emerges from beneath a pillow and strides toward another sleeping-room, then drops down when a boy wakes and cries out. A woman who investigates its mother’s room finds blood and no occupants: the infant has eaten its mother and her female companions. The text connects the disaster with the ke´lẹ answering the neglected child, but does not state a precise exchange, possession or parentage mechanism.

The survivors leave the child alive and move uphill. When the old man regrets leaving a large knife behind, one of two suitors volunteers to retrieve it despite his warning. Inside the dark house, the still-crying infant scents and pursues him. He reaches the knife and escapes, circling the house before returning to the new camp; the child goes back inside. The successful suitor marries the old man’s daughter. No one kills or cures the infant, and the story supplies no enlarged body, extra limbs or permanent species classification. Its account of household and birth practices belongs to this recorded narrative and its collector’s framing, not a claim about all contemporary Chukchi families.

Origins & earliest records

Chukchi; Rịke´wġi, identified by Bogoras as a Maritime Chukchee man, Mariinsky Post

Records & interpretation

Complete English narrative, ending and attached notes read; title page, introduction and HTML transcription limitations inspected.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Chukchee Mythology

   Waldemar Bogoras, recorder and translator; narrated by Rịke´wġi; series edited by Franz Boas · 1910

   Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, Volume VIII, Part I; 8. (The Child-Monster.); Opening before the p. 54 marker through p. 58; footnote on p. 55

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical recorded narrative and English translationBogoras, 8. (The Child-Monster.)Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.