Novel-only. According to both the explorers and the Onkilons, the Chukchi suddenly attacked the Onkilons and forced them to leave their lands. However, on Rewatch Bonus, one can see that the two peoples had coexisted for a very long while and the conflict was probably more complicated than simply "the Chukchi wanting more land for themselves". The Onkilons' language is similar enough to Chukchi for Gorokhov to be able to act as interpreter using his knowledge of Chukchi. But it's stated early in the novel that the Onkilons' nearest relations are the Aleuts, and the Aleut language comes from a different language family from Chukchi, so the similarity can't be explained by genetic closeness. Therefore, the Onkilons and the Chukchi must have coexisted for many decades at the very least, for the Onkilon language to borrow so many traits (not just words, but the grammatical features) from Chukchi. Not to mention that real-life Eskaleut languages, to which the Onkilon language apparently also belongs, have borrowed extensively from Chukchi precisely because of longtime contacts.
Fridge Sadness
Novel-only. Annuir readily agrees to follow Ordin to the mainland. Sure, she is deeply in love with him, but still, she holds herself together remarkably well for someone who is leaving her culture, or better to say her entire world, forever behind. But then one remembers that right after the wife-choosing festival, Annuir's family was slaughtered in a Vampu attack. Even if she stays with the Onkilons, she doesn't have anyone to come back to. No wonder she clings to Ordin so much.
