Koryaks (original name nymylans, chavchuvens, alutorians) is Nativity of Kamchatka. Population size is about 7,400 (1959). Main group of Koryaks inhabit within Koryak national district. Some settlements are outside the district, in Bolsheretsky and Pyetropavlovsk localities of Kamchatka region and in Chutotka national district of Magadan region.
Koryak language with several dialects is one among the Chukotka-Kamchatka language family.
Reindeer breeding, fishing, maritime animals hunting and fur trade are Koryak traditional economical activities. Last years Koryaks commenced vegetable growing and cattle-breeding. Koryak way of living has been immensely changed in Soviet period. The nomadic population became settled as it was grouped in collective farms. Well-appointed housed were substituted for tabernacles-yarangas. Electricity, radio, schools, medical and other cultural and residential institutions were introduced into everyday life.
V.G. Bogoraz and B.E. Johelson in the beginning of 20th founded the collecting and scientifical research of Koryak oral works. The famous linguist and ethnographer S.N. Stiebnicki in 1930s recorded and published many Koryak texts in different dialects, he was the first in collecting and publishing the cycle of the Raven Kutkynneku-Kuykynnaky. Stiebnicki's recordings and translatins are now main source for witnessed Koryak oral folklore.
Many Koryak texts of different genres were recoreded in 1940s and 1960s by paleoethnographers I.S. Vdovin, N.A. Bogdanova and A.P. Zhukova.
A cunning he-fox said: "Well, who is cunning here?" "I am cunning! The Bear!" "Let you outwit me then!" "Come on! And if I fail, I'll give you a variegated coat." "All right, and if I can not outwit you, I would do the same."
And suddenly the fox exclaimed: "Take a look, a rider on motley reideer is coming!" The Bear glanced there. "It was easy to deceive you!" "How could I outwit you! Fox, of cource is more cunning." The fox took the variegated coat and a otter skin in addition. "Of course, I will outwit you lots of times!"
And they walked different ways to their homes. Came back. One day vixen Chachuchanavut said: "So let me deceive he-fox."
And she came to the sea shore. She found a lot of shells, brought it home and began cooking ground tubers.
And he-fox went for duck-hunting. But what can he get? Nevertheless, he hardly gained one duck. "Oh-oh-oh! It's hard to carry it home to my wife. I'll shoulder only a leg and carry it home."
He shouldered duck's leg and started for home. His children saw him was approaching and cried: "Wow! Father got ducks!"
And they rushed to him. They met father. The smallest child shouldered duck's leg and carried it home.
Then vixen Chachuchanavut went to visit the cunning fox. "Hi, Chachuchanavut! There you've come!" "Yes, I have. Here is ground tubers for you."
They began eating tubers. It is well-frozen. The cunning fox has broken all his teeth.
"Oh! I can't deceive anymore!"
Chachuchanavut said: "You can deceive better now as all your teeth are broken." "Oh well! Treat Chachuchanavut with some grease then."
Chachuchanavut went away. She came home. Her husband is angry: "Where have you been?" "I gave tubers to uncles of my grandfather line." "Well then. How did they treat you?" "They gave me some grease."
Then an Orthodox priest came to the cunning fox. When entering, he said in Russian: "A-tke-pro-se-se-se!" Came in. "What do you want, elder brother?" But he continues: "A-tke-pro-se-se-se!" "What do you want, elder brother?" But he persists: "A-tke-pro-se-se!"
Then he was called from outdoors and went out. "May be it is John the Prince talks outside?" "Yes, it's me!" "Come on in!"
Entered. They asked him: "What did that worthless one want?" "It was a cleric. He collects fox and sable skins. He came for dues."
So cunning fox went for hunting vixens. He reached a vixen and shot her, but missed. "Oh! Failure! So let me mount a trap!"
He mounted a trap. He went far away and hid. No animal goes into the trap. Only a vixen runs at a distance. "How could it be: the Bear was outwitted so easily and the vixen can't be caught! What a failure!"
He came home. And the priest says: "Where is vixens?" "I can't outwit them no way." "And how did you do that with bears?" "So I should marry my daughter to the Bear for sable skins to pay you."
His wife is consent to marry their daughter to the Bear. But the daughter began to cry: "I won't go to the Bear!" "Don't you cry! You'll be the wife of the wealthy and you'll never be hungry." "Well all right then, let him take me as a wife!"
The fox drove his daughter to the Bear. He began to shout from far away: "Hey! Bear! I brought my daughter for you." "I'll marry her! How much sables for her?" "Only five pieces!" "All right, deal."
The Bear gave him five sable skins. Thereupon they went for their homes. The Bear leads the girl into his house, looks at her - but there is a boy!
"Ah you rogue, the cunning fox! You cheated me again! You'll have your pay-off."
And the boy rushes for home! He comes home and tells his father: "Father", says he, "you are cunning, but you gotta pay for that."
The fox replies:
"Once he tries to avenge, I'll outwit him easily."
# 157. Narrated by Moulenvilles, recorded and transcribed by S.N. Stiebnicky.
Published: Lymnylo, p. 120 (in Koryak with Russian word-for-word translation).
The plot scheme of this tale is heterogenous. The tale is contamination of several plots, arisen in different ages and in different social environments. The episode of fox and bear cunning contest is originated by common paleoasiatic tale cycle about animals: the episode of meeting of he-fox and vixen Chachuchanavut refers to the Koryak cycle about animals; the episode of meeting of he-fox and Russian priest-taxman is originated by specifix historical events of late 18th - early 19th century, when Russsian priests-missionaries tried to convert the Koryaks to Christians and acted as tax collectors at the same time; the episode of meeting of he-fox and John the Prince is originated by penetration of Russian magical tales to Koryaks, where John the Prince is a popular hero. Each episode of the tale has its social acuteness. Men and animals are characters of the Koryak social life of 19th century (priest-taxman forces the fox to marry his daughter the Bear, in order that obtained sable skins were payd as dues).
Published according to "Chukotka and Kamchatka Nativities' Tales and Myths" Compiled and edited by G.A.Menovshikov. Moscow, East literature chief editorial board of Nauka publishing, 1974, p. 491.