The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 03Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 03
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Munday (3) we weyed and went roome with another Island, which was fiue
leagues Eastnortheast from vs, and there I met againe with Loshak, and went
on shore with him, and hee brought me to a heap of the Samoeds idols, which
were in number aboue 300, the worst and the most vnartificiall worke that
euer I saw: the eyes and mouthes of sundrie of them were bloodie, they had
the shape of men, women and children, very grosly wrought, and that which
they had made for other parts, was also sprinckled with blood. Some of
their idols were an old sticke with two or three notches, mode with a knife
in it. [Footnote: The accompanying _fac-simile_ of a quaint old engraving
of a Samoyed sleigh and idols gives an excellent idea of both.] I saw much
of the footing of the sayd Samoeds, and of the sleds that they ride in.
There was one of their sleds broken, and lay by the heape of idols, and
there I saw a deers skinne which the foules had spoyled: and before
certaine of their idols blocks were made as high as their mouthes, being
all bloody, I thought that to be the table whereon they offered their
sacrifice: I saw also the instruments, whereupon they had roasted flesh,
and as farre as I could perceiue, they make their fire directly under the
spit.
Loshak being there present tolde me that these Samoeds were not so hurtful
as they of Ob are, and that they haue no houses, as indeede I saw none, but
onely tents made of Deers skins, which they vnderproppe with stakes and
poles: their boates are made of Deers skins, and when they come on shoare
they cary their boates with them upon their backes: for their cariages they
haue no other beastes to serue them, but Deere onely. As for bread and
corne they haue none, except the Russes bring it to them: their knowledge
is very base, for they know no letter. [Footnote: This is one of the oldest
accounts of the Samoyeds we possess. Giles Fletcher, who in 1588 was Queen
Elizabeth's Ambassador to the Czar, writes, in his accounts of Russia, of
the Samoyeds in the following way:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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