The Reindeer Thief

Like many St. Lawrence Island legends, this story is set in Siberia where Chukchi, the Reindeer People, live.

Pelaasi, an elder from Gambell, speaks Siberian Yupik. His mythical story, about a man who goes out in search of a reindeer thief, is an ungipaghaq, a tale that has been passed down unchanged through generations and believed to be based in truth.

Films in the Alaska Native Heritage Film series:

At the Time of Whaling

The Drums of Winter (Uksuum Cauyai)

From the First People

In Iirgus Time

Joe Sun

On the Spring Ice

The Reindeer Thief

Tununeremiut

Note on Term "Eskimo":

The films in this series make use of the name "Eskimo." While once broadly applied, it is a perjorative term and considered offensive. While the inception of the word is a matter of debate, it is no longer used or applied in our film catalog. The context in which the term appears in this series is an acknowledged relic of a colonial past, presented in its original version. DER apologizes for any offense caused.