Children’s-Death in Rịke´wġi’s narrative

Overview

Children’s-Death is a personified cause of infant mortality sought by a shaman in Rịke´wġi’s long narrative recorded at Mariinsky Post in October 1900. The Being-of-Darkness directs him to a neighbour described as a mere mouth smeared with dried blood. The account first calls this being a man, then uses female language; Bogoras explicitly flags that shift in a footnote. Reluctantly agreeing to visit the shaman’s father, the spirit carries the shaman through the air amid a tremendous noise. At their destination she changes from tree-sized to small enough for his palm and begins to dwindle further; his spitting makes her grow again.

The humans accuse her of killing newborn children and try to bind her. She breaks their thongs but cannot break a blade of grass. After struggling through the night, she says harmful conjurers compelled her actions and promises to become a Life-Giving-Being. Released, she returns to Darkness, who predicts that hunger will make her resume obeying them. The narrative nevertheless says that she ignores their later requests, then questions whether those commands are the only cause of children’s deaths. That qualification prevents the episode from being read as a claim that all childhood mortality ends. The figure and proposed causes belong to this historical narrative, not a medical explanation.

Origins & earliest records

Chukchi; Rịke´wġi, Mariinsky Post, October 1900

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 · 1910

   Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Volume VIII, Part I; Chukchee Texts II.1, (The Ai´wan Shamans.), complete pp. 7–25; Children’s-Death pp. 18–22; footnote p. 19

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, II.1, The Ai´wan ShamansResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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