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      The Tunguska Event: Eyewitness Account


    Stepan Ivanovich Chuchana, Shanyagir Clan, Strelka-Chunya Trading Post

*Interviewed, together with his brother Chekaren, by I. M. Suslov, 1926.*

Our /choum/[1 <#fn_1>] stood on the banks of the Avarkitta. Before
sunrise Chekaren and I arrived from the Dilyushmo creek, where we had
stayed with Ivan and Akulina [Lyuchetkan]. We fell into a deep sleep.
Suddenly we both woke up at once: someone had jogged us awake. We heard
a whistle and felt a strong wind. Chekaren yelled to me ?Do you hear how
many golden-eyes[2 <#fn_2>] or mergansers are flying by?? We were both
still in the /choum/, you know, and we couldn?t see what was going on in
the forest. Suddenly someone shoved me again, so hard that I hit the
/choum/?s pole and then fell on the hot coals in the hearth. I got
scared. Chekaren also got scared, caught hold of the pole. We began to
yell father, mother, brother, but no one answered. Beyond the /choum/
there was some sort of noise, we could hear how the tree-trunks were
falling. Chekaren and I crawled out of our sleeping bags and already
wanted to leap out of the /choum/, but suddenly the thunder struck very
strongly. That was the first thunderclap.

The ground began to twitch and pitch, a strong wind slammed into our
/choum/ and knocked it over. I was squeezed hard by the poles, but my
head was not covered because the /ellyun/[3 <#fn_3>] had split. There I
caught sight of a terrifying marvel: The tree-trunks are falling, their
needles are burning, the dried ones on the ground are burning, the
reindeer moss is burning. There?s smoke all around, my eyes hurt, it?s
very hot, I could burn up.

Suddenly, above the mountain, where the forest had already fallen,
something started to shine intensely, and, I tell you, it was as if a
second sun had appeared; the Russians would have said ?something
suddenly flashed unexpectedly?; it hurt my eyes, and I even closed them.
It resembled that which the Russians call lightning. And immediately
there were /agdyllyan/[4 <#fn_4>], loud thunder. That was the second
thunderclap. The morning was sunny, there were no thunderclouds; our sun
shone brightly, as always, and here there appeared a second sun!

With difficulty Chekaren and I crawled out from under the poles and the
/ellyun/. After that we saw something flash above us, but already in a
different place, and there was loud thunder. That was the third
thunderclap. A wind flew at us, knocked us off our feet, struck against
the fallen tree-trunks.

We looked at the falling trees, we saw how their tops were broken, we
looked at the fire. Suddenly, Chekaren yelled ?Look up!? and pointed. I
looked there and there was lightning again, it flashed and struck again,
made /agdyllyan/. But the thump was a little less than before. That was
the fourth thunderclap, like normal thunder.

Now I remember well that there was one more thunderclap, the fifth, but
it was small and somewhere far away ? there where the sun sleeps at night.

? translated by Bill DeSmedt <../../whoisbill/billdesmedt.htm>


copyright (c) 2004 by amber productions, inc.

[1 <#text_1>] A ? /choum/? is an Evenki dwelling, not unlike a
tepee.*[Return to text.]* <#text_1>

[2 <#text_1>] A ?golden-eye? (Russian: ?/gogol?/?) is a species of duck
(/Bucephala clangula/).*[Return to text.]* <#text_1>

[3 <#text_3>] An ?/ellyun/? is the leather roof of a /choum/.*[Return to
text.]* <#text_3>

[4 <#text_4>] The Evenki believe that the thunder is caused by birds
sent forth by Ogdy or Agdy, the god of storms. These birds ? said to be
the size of a grouse, but made of iron ? are called /agdyllyan/ after
the god.*[Return to text.]* <#text_4>