The tribe that defied Russia
QUESTION Did the Chukchi tribes successfully defend themselves against the Russian empire?
Chukotka, the north-eastern part of Siberia, is one of the 85 federal subjects (or areas) of Russia. It gets its name from the indigenous Chukchi people, who were never defeated by the Russians.
the Chukchi came into conflict with Russian settlers during the early 18th century. at that time, they were a group of nomadic tribes numbering 10,000 reindeer herders and fishermen.
From the time of Ivan the terrible in the 16th century, the Russian Empire steadily expanded eastwards, absorbing many native peoples. they were made to pledge allegiance to Russia and pay the
yasak tribute, usually in valuable furs. those who refused were slaughtered by Cossack soldiers.
In the mid- 17th century, Russian settlers built a fort at the head of the anadyr River that flows into the Bering Sea. at first, the local Chukchi were deemed insignificant and mostly ignored. however, skirmishes flared when the Russians began trapping in their traditional hunting grounds.
In 1711, Peter the Great sent his ambassadors to collect the yasak, but the Chukchi refused to pay.
In 1727, his widow, Empress Catherine I, ordered a full- scale assault on the Chukchi. a Russian force of more than 400 raided their settlements, slaughtering 800 people.
the Chukchi planned revenge. Steeled by millennia living in the harshest of environments, they proudly considered themselves ‘ the only true people’ and prepared for battle.
Warriors in armour made from hardened leather launched a guerrilla campaign on Russian settlements.
In 1742, Empress Elizabeth ordered the Chukchi to be ‘ totally extirpated’. the mission to wipe them out was headed by the ruthless Dmitry Pavlutsky, who had led bloody raids on inhabitants of the kamchatka peninsula.
Between 1744 and 1747, he led his Cossacks in a military expedition to slaughter the Chukchi. however, they joined forces with other tribes to repel the Russians. In 1747, Pavlutsky’s regiment was ambushed and he was decapitated. his head was kept as a trophy for years.
the war was officially ended by the Russian senate in 1764 and the Russians retreated west.
In 1778 Catherine the Great offered the Chukchi Russian citizenship, and a peace treaty was signed in which the Chukchi were exempted from the yasak — though most of them knew little about it.
thereafter, the Russians began trading guns, ironware and textiles with the Chukchi.
Roger McIntyre, Leeds.
QUESTION What was Carol Lynley singing when the ship turned over in the film The Poseidon Adventure?
thE Poseidon adventure, in which she played the ship’s singer, Nonnie Parry, was one of Carol Lynley’s most memorable film roles.
the scene where the ship turns turtle features a New Year’s Eve dance where Nonnie is performing the Morning after, written by al kasha and Joel hirschhorn. however, Carol didn’t sing the song, she lip-synched it. the real singer was Renee armand, a songwriter from tennessee.
the Morning after won the 1972 oscar for best original song and has been covered by many artists, most successfully by Maureen McGovern, who had a u.S. No 1 with it in 1973.
New Yorker Carol appeared in many films, most notably an emotional performance as the wife ann in Bunny Lake Is Missing. She died last year, aged 77.
Danny Darcy, Reading, Berks.
QUESTION Was Britain’s longest industrial dispute the Eyam and Stoney Middleton Strike, 1918 to 1920?
thIS strike, which went on for nearly two-and-a-half years, was the longest in any industry involving women workers.
Stoney Middleton and Eyam are villages in Derbyshire’s Peak District. Eyam is historically famous as a plague village: its inhabitants chose to self- quarantine during an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1665 to stop the disease spreading.
By the turn of the 20th century, the villages had become important in the boot and shoe industry. a dozen factories employed a third of the working population, half of whom were women.
Stoney Middleton was famous for producing working boots. It was an important production centre for army boots in World War I.
Men in Stoney Middleton boot factories in 1918 earned a paltry £1 and 16 shillings for a 59-hour week. In the footwear manufacturing town of Leicester, men could earn up to £5, plus a war bonus.
Women were paid 12 to 16 shillings a week in Stoney Middleton for a 55½-hour week; in Leicester, women earned up to £3, plus a war bonus, for a shorter week.
Disgruntled workers joined the National union of Boot and Shoe operatives. after the sacking of 11 workers for union membership, employees at eight factories came out on strike in March 1918.
It ended in partial agreement in 1920. the union report read: ‘We are relying on a Government Bill to make law a 48-hour week and a minimum wage rate agreed by the association of Employers and Workmen’s union.’
Boot production continued at Stoney Middleton into the Seventies.
Britain’s longest industrial action was the Great Penrhyn Quarry Strike at slate quarries in Gwynedd. It began on November 22, 1900, after Lord Penrhyn refused to let union officials collect subs.
It ended three years later with the quarrymen forced back to work on Lord Penrhyn’s terms.
Ernie Beglin, Swansea.
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