Chukchi - interesting facts, customs, holidays. Yaranga - the traditional dwelling of Chukchi reindeer herders (22 photos)

Chukchi (self-name - lyg'o ravetl'an) is a distorted Chukchi word "chavchu" (rich in deer), which Russians and Lamuts call a people living in the extreme north-east of Russia. The Chukchi were divided into reindeer - tundra nomadic reindeer herders (self-name Chauchu - “reindeer man”) and coastal - sedentary hunters of sea animals (self-name Ankalyn - “coastal”), living together with the Eskimos.

The Chukchi first encountered Russians back in the 17th century. In 1644, the Cossack Stadukhin, who was the first to bring news of them to Yakutsk, founded the Nizhnekolymsk fort. The Chukchi, who at that time were wandering both east and west of the Kolyma River, after a stubborn, bloody struggle, finally left the left bank of the Kolyma, pushing the Mamalli tribe from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to.

Since then, for more than a hundred years, bloody clashes between the Russians and the Chukchi, whose territory bordered the Kolyma River in the west and Anadyr in the south, from the Amur region, have not stopped. In 1770, after Shestakov’s unsuccessful campaign, the Anadyr fort, which served as the center of the Russian struggle against the Chukchi, was destroyed and its team was transferred to Nizhne-Kolymsk, after which the Chukchi began to be less hostile towards the Russians and gradually began to enter into trade relations with them.

In 1775, the Angarsk fortress was built on the Angarka River, where, under the protection of the Cossacks, an annual fair for barter trade with the Chukchi took place. Since 1848, the fair was moved to the Anyui fortress (250 versts from Nizhne-Kolymsk, on the banks of the Maly Anyui). The Chukchi brought here not only the everyday products of their own production (clothing made from reindeer furs, reindeer skins, live deer, seal skins, whalebone, polar bear skins), but also the most expensive furs (beavers, martens, black foxes, blue foxes), which the so-called nose Chukchi exchanged for tobacco with the inhabitants of the shores of the Bering Sea and the northwestern coast of America.

By the end of the 18th century, the territory of the Chukchi extended from Omolon, Bolshoy and Maly Anyuy in the west to the Penzhina and Olyutor nomads in the southeast. Gradually it increased, which was accompanied by the identification of territorial groups: Kolyma, Anyui, or Maloanyu, Chaun, Omolon, Amguem, or Amguem-Vonkarem, Kolyuchino-Mechigmen, Onmylensk, Tumansk, or Vilyunei, Olyutor, Bering Sea and others. In 1897, the number of Chukchi was approximately 11 thousand people. In 1930, the Chukotka National Okrug was formed, and since 1977 it has been an autonomous okrug. According to the 2002 census, the number of Chukchi was 16 people.

The main occupation of the tundra Chukchi is nomadic reindeer herding. Reindeer provide the Chukchi with almost everything they need: meat for cooking, skins for clothing and housing, and are also used as traction animals.

The main occupation of the coastal Chukchi is hunting sea animals: in winter and spring - seals and seals, in summer and autumn - walruses and whales. At first, traditional hunting weapons were used for hunting - a harpoon with a float, a spear, a belt net, but in the 19th century the Chukchi began to use firearms more often. To this day, only bird hunting with the help of a “bol” has been preserved. Fishing is developed only among some Chukchi. Women and children also collect edible plants.

Traditional Chukchi dishes are mainly prepared from venison and fish.

The main dwelling of the Chukchi is a collapsible cylindrical-conical tent-yaranga made of reindeer skins among the tundra and walrus among the coastal Chukchi. The vault rests on three poles located in the center. The home was heated with a stone, clay or wooden fat lamp, on which food was also prepared. The yaranga of the coastal Chukchi differed from the dwellings of the reindeer herders in the absence of a smoke hole.

The Chukchi type is mixed, generally Mongoloid, but with some differences. Eyes with an oblique cut are less common than eyes with a horizontal cut; the width of the cheekbones is smaller than among the Tungus and Yakuts, and more often than among the latter; there are individuals with thick facial hair and wavy, almost curly hair on their heads; complexion with a bronze tint.

Among women, the type with wide cheekbones, a blurry nose and everted nostrils is more common. The mixed type (Asian-American) is confirmed by some legends, myths and differences in the peculiarities of life of the reindeer and coastal Chukchi.

Chukchi winter clothing is of the usual polar type. It is sewn from the fur of fawns (grown up autumn calf) and for men consists of a double fur shirt (the lower one with the fur towards the body and the upper one with the fur outward), the same double pants, short fur stockings with the same boots and a hat in the form of a woman's bonnet. Women's clothing is completely unique, also double, consisting of seamlessly sewn trousers together with a low-cut bodice, cinched at the waist, with a slit on the chest and extremely wide sleeves, thanks to which the Chukchi can easily free their hands while working.

Summer outerwear includes robes made of reindeer suede or colorful purchased fabrics, as well as kamleikas made of fine-haired deer skin with various ritual stripes. Most of the Chukchi jewelry - pendants, headbands, necklaces (in the form of straps with beads and figurines) - have religious significance, but there are also real jewelry in the form of metal bracelets and earrings.

The original pattern on the clothes of the coastal Chukchi is of Eskimo origin; from the Chukchi it passed to many polar peoples of Asia. Hair styling is different for men and women. The latter braid two braids on both sides of the head, decorating them with beads and buttons, sometimes releasing the front strands onto the forehead (married women). Men cut their hair very smoothly, leaving a wide fringe in front and two tufts of hair in the form of animal ears on the crown.

According to their beliefs, the Chukchi are animists; they personify and idolize certain areas and natural phenomena (masters of the forest, water, fire, sun, deer), many animals (bear, crow), stars, sun and moon, believe in hosts of evil spirits causing all earthly disasters, including diseases and death, have a number of regular holidays (the autumn festival of deer slaughter, the spring festival of antlers, the winter sacrifice to the star Altair) and many irregular ones (feeding the fire, sacrifices after each hunt, funerals of the dead, votive services).

The folklore and mythology of the Chukchi are very rich and have much in common with those of the American peoples and Paleo-Asians. The Chukchi language is very rich in both words and forms; the harmony of sounds is quite strictly observed in it. Phonetics is very difficult for the European ear.

The main mental traits of the Chukchi are extremely easy excitability, reaching the point of frenzy, a tendency to murder and suicide at the slightest provocation, love of independence, perseverance in the fight; At the same time, the Chukchi are hospitable, usually good-natured and willingly come to the aid of their neighbors, even Russians, during hunger strikes. The Chukchi, especially the coastal ones, became famous for their sculptural and carved images of mammoth bone, striking in their fidelity to nature and the boldness of poses and strokes and reminiscent of the wonderful bone images of the Paleolithic period. Traditional musical instruments - jew's harp (khomus), tambourine (yarar). In addition to ritual dances, improvised entertaining pantomime dances were also common.

The Chukchi consider themselves a special people, which is emphasized in their self-name. From their folklore you can learn that the world was created by a raven. He taught people how to survive in harsh northern conditions. At the same time, the Luoratvelan people were recognized as superior. It is worth noting that they put Russians on the same level as themselves. According to researchers, in this way the Chukchi decided to justify the fact that their lands were part of the Russian Empire.

The Chukchi consider themselves the highest race and only put Russians on the same level as themselves // Photo: russian7.ru

By the way, the Russians could not win the war with the Chukchi. The colonial war, which lasted from 1730 to 1750, ended in victory for the northern people. The Chukchi were conquered under Catherine the Great not by military force, but by “fire water”, iron, sugar, tobacco and the like.

Life, customs and raising children

The Chukchi are forced to lead a nomadic lifestyle. This is due to the fact that the basis of their economy is deer. As soon as the deer eat all the food, the Chukchi are forced to change their camp site. The Chukchi live in polygonal tents covered with reindeer skins. To prevent the tent from being blown away by the wind, it is lined with stones around its perimeter. A special structure is erected at the back wall of the tent, where the Chukchi eat, sleep and rest.
Representatives of the northern people, young and old, are dressed in reindeer skins and fur. Newborn babies are also placed in a special deerskin bag with slits for the legs and arms. It is noteworthy that researchers attribute the invention of the baby diaper to the Chukchi. Since it was quite difficult for mothers to keep their children clean in low temperatures, they began to pour wood shavings into diapers, as well as reindeer moss, which has antibacterial properties.

the basis of the Chukchi economy are reindeer // Photo: asiarussia.ru

Illustrious Warriors

The Chukchi enjoy the glory of brave and strong warriors // Photo: cyrillitsa.ru

Chukotka women are no less severe than men. If the enemy wins, they kill their children, parents, and then commit suicide.

Of course, modern Chukchi are no longer as harsh as in ancient times. According to residents of the northern regions, the Chukotka people are distinguished by their extraordinary hard work, and also, as before, suffer greatly because of the “fire water”. The whole point is that the body northern peoples unable to produce an enzyme that breaks down ethyl alcohol. This is why the Chukchi become avid alcoholics literally after the first hundred grams of vodka or other strong alcoholic drinks.

The Chukchi are one of the peoples who most value a sense of humor in a person. It is almost impossible to meet a sad Chukchi. Even in ancient times, it was believed that if a person is sad, it means he has been possessed evil spirit. For this reason, representatives of the northern people could only enjoy life no matter what.

We are all accustomed to considering representatives of this people as naive and peace-loving inhabitants of the Far North. They say that throughout their history the Chukchi grazed herds of deer in permafrost conditions, hunted walruses, and played tambourines as entertainment. The anecdotal image of a simpleton who keeps saying the word “however” is so far from reality that it is truly shocking. Meanwhile, in the history of the Chukchi there are many unexpected turns, and their way of life and customs still cause controversy among ethnographers. How are representatives of this people so different from other inhabitants of the tundra?

Call themselves real people
The Chukchi are the only people whose mythology openly justifies nationalism. The fact is that their ethnonym comes from the word “chauchu”, which in the language of the northern aborigines means the owner large number deer (rich man). The Russian colonialists heard this word from them. But this is not the self-name of the people.

“Luoravetlans” is how the Chukchi call themselves, which translates as “real people.” They always treated neighboring peoples arrogantly, and considered themselves special chosen ones of the gods. In their myths, the Luoravetlans called the Evenks, Yakuts, Koryaks, and Eskimos those whom the gods created for slave labor.

According to the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, the total number of Chukchi is only 15 thousand 908 people. And although this people was never numerous, skilled and formidable warriors, in difficult conditions, managed to conquer vast territories from the Indigirka River in the west to the Bering Sea in the east. Their lands are comparable in area to the territory of Kazakhstan.

Painting faces with blood
The Chukchi are divided into two groups. Some are engaged in reindeer herding (nomadic herders), others hunt sea animals, for the most part they hunt walruses, since they live on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. But these are the main activities. Reindeer herders also engage in fishing; they hunt for arctic foxes and other fur-bearing animals of the tundra.

After a successful hunt, the Chukchi paint their faces with the blood of the killed animal, while depicting the sign of their ancestral totem. These people then make a ritual sacrifice to the spirits.

Fought with the Eskimos
The Chukchi have always been skilled warriors. Imagine how much courage it takes to go out into the ocean on a boat and attack walruses? However, not only animals became victims of representatives of this people. They often made predatory trips to the Eskimos, moving to the neighboring North America through the Bering Strait on their boats made of wood and walrus skins.

From military campaigns, skilled warriors brought not only stolen goods, but also slaves, giving preference to young women.

It is interesting that in 1947 the Chukchi once again decided to go to war against the Eskimos, then only by a miracle was it possible to avoid an international conflict between the USSR and the USA, because representatives of both peoples were officially citizens of the two superpowers.

Koryaks were robbed
Over the course of their history, the Chukchi have managed to quite annoy not only the Eskimos. So, they often attacked the Koryaks, taking away their reindeer. It is known that from 1725 to 1773 the invaders appropriated about 240 thousand (!) heads of other people's livestock. Actually, the Chukchi took up reindeer herding after they robbed their neighbors, many of whom had to hunt for food.

Having crept up to the Koryak settlement in the night, the invaders pierced their yarangas with spears, trying to immediately kill all the owners of the herd before they woke up.

Tattoos in honor of slain enemies
The Chukchi covered their bodies with tattoos dedicated to their killed enemies. After the victory, the warrior applied as many dots to the back of the wrist of his right hand as the number of opponents he sent to the next world. Some experienced fighters had so many defeated enemies that the dots merged into a line running from the wrist to the elbow.

They preferred death to captivity
Chukotka women always carried knives with them. They needed sharp blades not only in everyday life, but also in case of suicide. Since captured people automatically became slaves, the Chukchi preferred death to such a life. Having learned about the victory of the enemy (for example, the Koryaks who came to take revenge), mothers first killed their children, and then themselves. As a rule, they threw themselves with their chests on knives or spears.

Losing warriors lying on the battlefield asked their opponents for death. Moreover, they did it in an indifferent tone. My only wish was not to delay.

Won the war with Russia
The Chukchi are the only people of the Far North who fought with Russian Empire and won the victory. The first colonizers of those places were the Cossacks, led by Ataman Semyon Dezhnev. In 1652 they built the Anadyr fortress. Other adventurers followed them to the lands of the Arctic. The warlike northerners did not want to coexist peacefully with the Russians, much less pay taxes to the imperial treasury.

The war began in 1727 and lasted more than 30 years. Heavy fighting in difficult conditions, partisan sabotage, cunning ambushes, as well as mass suicides of Chukchi women and children - all this made the Russian troops falter. In 1763, the army units of the empire were forced to leave the Anadyr fort.

Soon British and French ships appeared off the coast of Chukotka. There is a real danger that these lands will be captured by long-time enemies, having managed to come to an agreement with the local population without a fight. Empress Catherine II decided to act more diplomatically. She provided the Chukchi with tax benefits, and literally showered their rulers with gold. The Russian residents of the Kolyma region were ordered, “... so that they should not irritate the Chukchi in any way, under pain, otherwise, of liability in a military court.”

This peaceful approach turned out to be much more effective than a military operation. In 1778, the Chukchi, appeased by the imperial authorities, accepted Russian citizenship.

They coated the arrows with poison
The Chukchi were excellent with their bows. They smeared the arrowheads with poison; even a slight wound doomed the victim to a slow, painful and inevitable death.

Tambourines were covered with human skin
The Chukchi fought to the sound of tambourines covered not with deer (as was customary), but with human skin. Such music terrified enemies. Russian soldiers and officers who fought with the aborigines of the north spoke about this. The colonialists explained their defeat in the war by the special cruelty of the representatives of this people.

Warriors could fly
The Chukchi, during hand-to-hand combat, flew across the battlefield, landing behind enemy lines. How did they jump 20-40 meters and then be able to fight? Scientists still don't know the answer to this question. Probably, skilled warriors used special devices like trampolines. This technique often made it possible to win victories, because the opponents did not understand how to resist it.

Owned slaves
The Chukchi owned slaves until the 40s of the 20th century. Women and men from poor families were often sold for debt. They did dirty and hard work, just like the captured Eskimos, Koryaks, Evenks, and Yakuts.

Swap wives
The Chukchi entered into so-called group marriages. They included several ordinary monogamous families. Men could exchange wives. This form social relations was an additional guarantee of survival in difficult permafrost conditions. If one of the participants in such a union died while hunting, then there was someone to take care of his widow and children.

A nation of comedians
The Chukchi could survive, find shelter and food, if they had the ability to make people laugh. Folk comedians moved from camp to camp, amusing everyone with their jokes. They were respected and highly valued for their talent.

Diapers were invented
The Chukchi were the first to invent the prototype of modern diapers. They used a layer of moss with reindeer hair as an absorbent material. The newborn was dressed in a kind of overalls, changing an improvised diaper several times a day. Life in the harsh north forced people to be inventive.

Changed gender by order of the spirits
Chukchi shamans could change gender at the direction of the spirits. The man began to wear women's clothes and behave accordingly, sometimes he literally got married. But the shaman, on the contrary, adopted the style of behavior of the stronger sex. According to Chukchi beliefs, spirits sometimes demanded such reincarnation from their servants.

Old people died voluntarily
Chukotka elders, not wanting to be a burden to their children, often agreed to voluntary death. The famous ethnographer Vladimir Bogoraz (1865-1936) in his book “Chukchi” noted that the reason for the emergence of such a custom was not a bad attitude towards older people, but difficult living conditions and lack of food.

Seriously ill Chukchi often chose voluntary death. As a rule, such people were killed by strangulation by their closest relatives.

general information

Chukchi - indigenous people Russian Federation, one of small peoples North, Siberia and Far East. The self-name is lygyoravetlan (“real people”). Self-names based on place of residence or migration are common: uvelelyt - “Uelenians”, chaalyt - “nomadic along the Chaun River”, etc. According to their way of life, the Chukchi are divided into two large groups: tundra nomadic reindeer herders (self-name - chauchu, “reindeer man”) and coastal ones - sedentary hunters of sea animals (self-name - ankalyn, “coastal”). Among the Western Chukchi, the self-name Chugchit (probably from Chauchu) is common. The Russian name "Chukchi" also comes from Chauchu.

They speak the Chukchi language, which has several very close dialects that are quite well preserved to this day. Writing was created in 1931 on a Latin graphic basis, which was later replaced by the Russian alphabet.

According to modern research, the ancestors of the Chukchi lived in the interior regions of Chukotka at least 6 thousand years ago. At the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. e. due to the appearance of excess population in the Chukotka tundra and changes in climatic and natural conditions, some Chukchi tribes advanced to the sea coast, into the area inhabited by the Eskimos, partially assimilating them, partially adopting many features of their culture. As a result of the interaction of land and sea hunting cultures, an economic division of labor occurred. The Yukaghirs also took part in the ethnogenesis of the Chukchi.

Territory of settlement and number

In 2002, 15,767 Chukchi lived in the Russian Federation, of which 12,622 people (about 70%) live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

IN early XVII centuries, the Chukchi lived mainly in the territory of the Chukotka, Providensky and Iultinsky regions. The intensive development of reindeer husbandry in the 18th century and the need for new pasture lands caused the Chukchi to move west and south. By the beginning of the 20th century, they occupied the entire modern territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, some of the Chukchi ended up in Kamchatka, another small group - beyond the Kolyma in Yakutia. They live here at the present time: in Kamchatka - in the Olyutorsky district (village Achai-Vayam, etc.) of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug (1,530 people), in Yakutia - in the Nizhne-Kolyma region (1,300).

The distribution of the Chukchi among the districts of the district in recent decades indicates their weak migration. Changes in numbers are mainly due to natural growth and changes in the boundaries of districts (Shmidtovsky, Anadyrsky). The Chukchi live in all settlements of the district together with Russians, Eskimos, Evens, Chuvans and other peoples. There are no purely Chukchi settlements, but in most villages the Chukchi predominate.

Lifestyle and support system

The main traditional occupation of the tundra (reindeer) Chukchi is nomadic reindeer herding. Most Reindeer herders spent years on the move. Each group of Chukchi had permanent migration routes and their own grazing territory. In the forest zone, migrations occurred every 5-6 days, in the tundra - 3-4 times during the winter. Semi-free grazing of deer was practiced everywhere. IN summer time the herds were located on the ocean coast, where there were fewer mosquitoes and gadflies. About a quarter of the reindeer Chukchi spent the summer in the continental part of Chukotka on the northern slopes of the mountains, where snow remained. With the onset of autumn, all the reindeer herders moved inland to the forest border. The Chukchi did not know a shepherd dog, and the shepherds were with the herd around the clock. Reindeer husbandry provided everything necessary for life: food, clothing, housing, means of transportation.

The basis of the economic activity of the coastal Chukchi was sea hunting, the products of which (meat, fat for food and heating, clothing) also provided all the needs of life, and also served as an object of exchange with reindeer herders. Some of the Chukchi reindeer were also engaged in marine hunting during the stay of the herds on the coast. Fish was caught in case of emergency in free time from grazing. Some higher value fishing took place in the basins of large rivers - Anadyr, Chaun, Kolyma. The development of trade relations stimulated the development of the fur trade, which previously also had no of great importance. IN Soviet time Reindeer husbandry in Chukotka developed successfully. Improved breeding of animals, a more rational structure of the herd, successes in the fight against necrobacteriosis (hoof bacilli) and other diseases, and anti-water treatment of animals contributed to a significant increase in the number of animals and the productivity of the industry as a whole. By the beginning of the 90s. in Chukotka there was one of the largest herds of domestic reindeer in the world - about 500 thousand. Reindeer husbandry formed the basis of the economy of state farms, covering the losses of other industries, was the main area of ​​employment for a significant part of the Chukchi, and ensured their economic prosperity.

In conditions of market reforms, intensive destruction of the industry is observed. The number of deer in the area has dropped by more than half. The reform of state farms, the transition to new forms of industry organization based on private and collective shared ownership, not supported by material and technical resources, led to a curtailment of production. Almost all livestock farms and a number of fur farms where Chukchi women worked were liquidated.

Ethno-social situation

The ethno-social situation in many areas of Chukotka is extremely difficult. Its main components are mass unemployment of the indigenous population, problems with providing villages with fuel, food, electricity, and an increase in the incidence and mortality of the aborigines. According to these and a number of other parameters, Chukotka, due to the peculiarities of its geographical location and climatic conditions, is in the most disastrous situation among other regions of the North. The incidence of tuberculosis among the Chukchi and other indigenous peoples of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is 10 times higher than the corresponding indicators for the non-indigenous population. In 1996, per 100 thousand population, there were 737.1 patients with active tuberculosis among indigenous residents, including 233 children. The socio-economic situation in Chukotka in some years became so aggravated that it required the intervention of the federal government and humanitarian assistance from the international communities. In September 1996, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted a decree “On urgent measures to stabilize the socio-economic situation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.” In recent years, with the arrival of a new governor, the situation has changed for the better, but much remains to be done to overcome the crisis.

Ethno-cultural situation

According to the 2002 census, the Chukchi language was considered the native language by 27.6% of the Chukchi. The Chukchi language is taught in many villages. Since 1992 it has been studied as part of the program high school. Educational, artistic and socio-political literature is systematically published in the Chukchi language, and district radio and television broadcasts. Since 1953, the newspaper “Sovetken Chukotka” has been published (currently “Murgin Nuteneut”, a supplement to the district newspaper “Far North”). Teachers of the Chukchi language are trained by the Anadyr Pedagogical College, Russian State Pedagogical University named after. Herzen in St. Petersburg, Magadan Pedagogical Institute. Some of the Chukotka youth speak their native language, which is certainly a positive and stabilizing factor. The basic elements of traditional material and spiritual culture are preserved: means of transportation, housing (in the tundra among reindeer herders), holidays, rituals and customs, and religious beliefs.

The work of professional Chukchi-Eskimo artists is widely known in the country and abroad. choreographic ensemble“Ergyron”, Chukchi poetess A. Kymytval. The traditional art of engraving and bone carving has been preserved and developed. The Chukotka branch of the North-Eastern Complex Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been established in Anadyr, which employs about 10 researchers from among the Chukchi and other peoples of the North. Various aspects are studied traditional culture Chukchi, their language, folk methods of treatment, problems of transformation economic relations and forms of ownership and other issues relevant to the district. However, the difficult socio-economic situation in the district as a whole does not provide the opportunity for the full development of all traditional forms of culture and art. People, especially in remote villages and in the tundra, are busy surviving in these difficult conditions. Today it is important to at least carefully preserve the surviving centers of culture.

Management and self-government bodies

The Chukchi are one of the few indigenous peoples of the North of the Russian Federation that formally have their own autonomous entity. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is currently a subject of the Russian Federation. The creation of the district played an important role in the development of the economy and culture of the local indigenous population. However, as the mining industry developed in Chukotka and the number of newcomers grew, the district increasingly lost the features of a national-state formation, turning into an ordinary administrative-territorial unit. The only reminder of his former purpose remained the position of Chairman of the district executive committee, which, according to established tradition, was occupied by a representative of the Chukchi people. In other government bodies, the Chukchi were represented purely symbolically. Suffice it to say that in the late 80s. Only 96 Chukchi worked in the sphere of state and economic management, most of them in minor positions. Unfortunately, this trend continues today. The functions of the self-government body are performed by the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, created in 1989. Its territorial branches operate in each district of the district.

Legal documents and laws

The legislative framework of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in relation to small peoples is represented by a number of documents. The Charter of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (adopted by the Duma in 1997) contains articles that define the policy of government authorities to protect and ensure the rights of indigenous peoples, the development of education, culture, environmental protection, the organization of local self-government and other important for the indigenous population questions. A temporary regulation “On the procedure for transferring land plots for reindeer herding farms” has been developed. A temporary regulation “On the procedure for approving the allocation of land plots for the use of the subsoil of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug” was approved, which takes into account the interests of small peoples. The laws “On preferential taxation of enterprises participating in the development of social infrastructure of national villages”, “On the referendum of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug”, “On the procedure and principles for providing tax benefits” were adopted. A number of vital provisions for the Chukchi and other indigenous peoples of the district are reflected in the Executive Resolutions: “On measures to implement the program for the development of national villages (1996), “On measures to streamline the production and sale of biologically active reindeer raw materials” (1996), “ About the Chukotka District Scientific Advisory Council on Whaling" (1997), etc.

Contemporary environmental issues

The state of the natural environment in the district began to cause serious concern already in the late 80s. By this time, as a result of industrial development and mismanagement of land, the area of ​​reindeer pastures had decreased by 5 million hectares compared to 1970. Widespread deterioration of pasture territory and a decrease in feed supplies are still observed today. 8 specially protected areas with an area of ​​3 million hectares (4% of the entire territory of the district) have been created here. Attempts are being made to implement international projects in the district (Beringia Park, EKORA project).

Prospects for preserving the Chukchi as an ethnic group

The Chukchi are one of the few northern peoples of Russia that are not yet in danger of disappearing from the national map of Russia in the promising future. The degree of preservation of the traditional culture of the Chukchi, the level of their ethnic self-awareness and ethnic solidarity allows us to make positive forecasts and look to the future. However, if in the near future the state and regional authorities do not provide significant support to the indigenous ethnic group of Chukotka and do not raise the socio-economic status of the district, then the Chukchi, as the most vulnerable part of the population, will be thrown far back in their development and survival. It must also be emphasized that huge role The Chukchi organizations themselves and their leaders must play a role in preserving and consolidating the people.

The number is 15,184 people. The language is the Chukchi-Kamchatka family of languages. Settlement - Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Chukotka and Koryak Autonomous Okrugs.

The name of the people adopted in administrative documents XIX - XX centuries, comes from the self-name of the tundra Chukchi nauchu, Chavcha-vyt - “rich in deer.” The coastal Chukchi called themselves ank"alyt - "sea people" or ram"aglyt - "coastal inhabitants".

Distinguishing themselves from other tribes, they use the self-name Lyo "Ravetlan - "real people." (In the late 1920s, the name Luoravetlan was used as the official one.) The Chukchi language is divided into Eastern, or Uelen (which formed the basis literary language), Western (Pevek), Enmylen, Nunlingran and Khatyr dialects. Since 1931, writing has existed on a Latin basis, and since 1936 - on a Russian graphic basis. The Chukchi are the oldest inhabitants of the continental regions of the extreme northeast of Siberia, bearers of the inland culture of wild deer hunters and fishermen. Neolithic finds on the river. Ekytikyveem and Enmyveem and lake. Elgytg date back to the second millennium BC. By the first millennium AD, having tamed reindeer and partially switching to a sedentary lifestyle on the sea coast, the Chukchi established contacts with the Eskimos.

The transition to sedentarism occurred most intensively in XIV - XVI centuries after the Yukaghirs penetrated into the valleys of Kolyma and Anadyr, seizing the seasonal hunting grounds for wild deer. The Eskimo population of the coasts of the Pacific and Arctic oceans was partially pushed out by continental Chukchi hunters to other coastal areas and partially assimilated. IN XIV - XV centuries As a result of the penetration of the Yukaghirs into the Anadyr valley, the territorial separation of the Chukchi from the Koryaks, associated with the latter by a common origin, occurred. By occupation, the Chukchi were divided into “reindeer” (nomadic, but continuing to hunt), “sedentary” (sedentary, having a small number of tamed deer, hunters of wild deer and sea animals) and “foot” (sedentary hunters of sea animals and wild deer , without deer). TO XIX V. main territorial groups were formed. Among the deer (tundra) are Indigirka-Alazeya, West Kolyma, etc.; among the sea (coastal) - groups of the Pacific, Bering Sea coasts and the coast of the Arctic Ocean. There have long been two types of economy. The basis of one was reindeer husbandry, the other - sea hunting. Fishing, hunting and gathering were of an auxiliary nature. Large-scale herding of reindeer herding developed only towards the end XVIII century In the XIX V. the herd numbered, as a rule, from 3 - 5 to 10 - 12 thousand heads. Reindeer husbandry of the tundra group was mainly focused on meat and transport. The deer were grazed without a shepherd dog, in the summer - on the ocean coast or in the mountains, and with the onset of autumn they moved inland to the borders of the forest to winter pastures, where, as necessary, they migrated 5 - 10 km.

Encampment

In the second half XIX V. The economy of the absolute majority of the Chukchi remained largely subsistence in nature. By the end XIX V. The demand for reindeer products increased, especially among the sedentary Chukchi and Asian Eskimos. Expansion of trade with Russians and foreigners from the second half XIX V. gradually destroyed the natural reindeer herding economy. From the end XIX - early XX V. In Chukotka reindeer husbandry, there is a stratification of property: impoverished reindeer herders become farm laborers, rich owners have a growing livestock, and the wealthy part of the settled Chukchi and Eskimos acquire reindeer. Coastal (sedentary) people were traditionally engaged in marine hunting, which reached XVIII V. high level of development. Hunting for seals, seals, bearded seals, walruses and whales provided basic food products, durable material for making canoes, hunting tools, some types of clothing and footwear, household items, and fat for lighting and heating the home.

Those wishing to download a free album of works of Chukchi and Eskimo art:

This album represents a collection of works of Chukchi and Eskimo art from the 1930s to the 1970s from the Zagorsk State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve. Its core consists of materials collected in Chukotka in the 1930s. The museum's collection widely reflects the Chukchi and Eskimo art of bone carving and engraving, the work of embroiderers, and the drawings of master bone carvers.(PDF format)

Walruses and whales were hunted mainly in the summer-autumn period, and seals - in the winter-spring period. Hunting tools consisted of harpoons, spears, knives, etc. of different sizes and purposes. Whales and walruses were hunted collectively, from canoes, and seals - individually. From the end XIX V. on foreign market The demand for skins of sea animals is growing rapidly, which at the beginning XX V. leads to the predatory extermination of whales and walruses and significantly undermines the economy of the settled population of Chukotka. Both the reindeer and coastal Chukchi caught fish with nets woven from whale and deer tendons or from leather belts, as well as nets and bits, in the summer - from the shore or from canoes, in the winter - in an ice hole. Mountain sheep, moose, polar and brown bears, wolverines, wolves, foxes and arctic foxes right up to the beginning XIX V. mined with bows and arrows, spears and traps; waterfowl - using a throwing weapon (ball) and darts with a throwing board; eiders were beaten with sticks; Noose traps were set for hares and partridges.

Chukchi weapons

In the XVIII V. stone axes, spear and arrowheads, and bone knives were almost completely replaced with metal ones. From the second half XIX V. they bought or exchanged guns, traps and mouths. In marine hunting to the beginning XX V. They began to widely use firearms, whaling weapons and harpoons with bombs. Women and children collected and prepared edible plants, berries and roots, as well as seeds from mouse holes. To dig up roots, they used a special tool with a tip made of deer antler, which was later replaced with an iron one. The nomadic and sedentary Chukchi developed handicrafts.

Women tanned fur, sewed clothes and shoes, wove bags from fibers of fireweed and wild rye, made mosaics from fur and sealskin, embroidered with deer hair and beads. Men processed and artistically carved bone and walrus tusk V. Bone-carving associations arose that sold their products. The main means of transportation along the sled route were reindeer harnessed to sledges of several types: for transporting cargo, dishes, children (wagon), and poles of the yaranga frame. We walked on snow and ice on racket skis; by sea - on single and multi-seat kayaks and whaleboats. Rowing with short single-blade oars. Reindeer, if necessary, built rafts or went to sea in the kayaks of hunters, and they used their riding reindeer. The Chukchi borrowed the method of traveling on dog sleds drawn by a “fan” from the Eskimos, and in a train from the Russians. The "fan" was usually harnessed 5 - 6 dogs, in a train - 8 - 12. The dogs were also harnessed to reindeer sledges. The nomadic Chukchi camps numbered up to 10 yarangas and were extended from west to east. The first from the west was the yaranga of the head of the camp. Yaranga - a tent in the form of a truncated cone with a height in the center from 3.5 to 4.7 m and a diameter from 5.7 to 7 - 8 m, similar to the Koryak one. The wooden frame was covered with deer skins, usually sewn into two panels. The edges of the skins were placed one on top of the other and secured with straps sewn to them. The free ends of the belts in the lower part were tied to sledges or heavy stones, which ensured the immobility of the covering. The yaranga was entered between the two halves of the covering, folding them to the sides. For winter they sewed coverings from new skins, for summer they used last year's skins. The hearth was in the center of the yaranga, under the smoke hole.

Opposite the entrance, at the back wall of the yaranga, a sleeping area (canopy) made of skins in the form of a parallelepiped was installed. The shape of the canopy was maintained by poles passed through many loops sewn to the skins. The ends of the poles rested on racks with forks, and the back pole was attached to the yaranga frame. The average canopy size is 1.5 m high, 2.5 m wide and about 4 m long. The floor was covered with mats, with thick skins on top of them. The bed head - two oblong bags filled with scraps of skins - was located at the exit. In winter, during periods of frequent migrations, the canopy was made from the thickest skins with the fur inside. They covered themselves with a blanket made from several deer skins. To make a canopy, 12 - 15 were required, for beds - about 10 large deer skins.

Each canopy belonged to one family. Sometimes the yaranga had two canopies. Every morning the women took it off, laid it out on the snow and beat it out of a deer antler with mallets. From the inside, the canopy was illuminated and heated by a grease pit. Behind the curtain, at the back wall of the tent, things were stored; at the sides, on both sides of the hearth, there are products. Between the entrance to the yaranga and the hearth there was a free cold place for various needs. To illuminate their homes, the coastal Chukchi used whale and seal oil, while the tundra Chukchi used fat rendered from crushed deer bones, which burned odorless and soot-free in stone oil lamps. Among the coastal Chukchi in XVIII - XIX centuries There were two types of dwellings: yaranga and half-dugout. Yarangas retained the structural basis of the reindeer dwellings, but the frame was constructed from both wood and whale bones. This made the home resistant to the onslaught of storm winds. They covered the yaranga with walrus skins; it had no smoke hole. The canopy was made of large walrus skin up to 9-10 m in length, 3 m in width and 1.8 m in height; for ventilation there were holes in its wall, which were closed with fur plugs. On both sides of the canopy, winter clothes and supplies of skins were stored in large bags made of seal skins, and inside, along the walls, belts were stretched on which clothes and shoes were dried. At the end XIX V. In the summer, the coastal Chukchi covered yarangas with canvas and other durable materials. They lived in half-dugouts mainly in winter. Their type and design were borrowed from the Eskimos. The frame of the dwelling was constructed from whale jaws and ribs; The top was covered with turf. The quadrangular inlet was located on the side.

The household utensils of the nomadic and sedentary Chukchi are modest and contain only the most necessary items: various types of home-made cups for broth, large wooden dishes with low sides for boiled meat, sugar, cookies, etc. They ate in the canopy, sitting around a table on low legs or directly around the dish. They used a washcloth made from thin wood shavings to wipe their hands after eating and sweep away any remaining food from the dish. The dishes were stored in a drawer. Deer bones, walrus meat, fish, and whale oil were crushed with a stone hammer on a stone slab. The leather was processed using stone scrapers;

Currently, bow drills are kept as a cult item of the family. The clothing and footwear of the tundra and coastal Chukchi did not differ significantly and were almost identical to those of the Eskimos. Winter clothes were made from two layers of reindeer skins with fur on the inside and outside. The coastal people also used durable, elastic, practically waterproof seal skin for sewing pants and spring-summer shoes; Cloaks and kamleikas were made from walrus intestines. The reindeer sewed trousers and shoes from old yaranga coverings that did not deform under the influence of moisture. The constant mutual exchange of farm products allowed the tundra people to receive shoes, leather soles, belts, lassos made from the skins of marine mammals, and the coastal people to receive reindeer skins for winter clothing. In summer they wore worn out winter clothes. Chukotka closed clothing is divided into everyday clothing and festive and ritual clothing: children's, youth, men's, women's, old people's, ritual and funeral. The traditional set of a Chukchi men's suit consists of a kukhlyanka belted with a belt with a knife and a pouch, a calico kamleika worn over the kukhlyanka, a raincoat made of walrus intestines, trousers and various headdresses: a regular Chukotka winter hat, a malakhai, a hood, and a light summer hat. The basis women's suit

- fur overalls with wide sleeves and short, knee-length pants. Typical shoes are short, knee-length, torbas of several types, sewn from seal skins with the hair outward with a piston sole made of bearded seal skin, made of camus with fur stockings and grass insoles (winter tobos); from seal skin or from old, smoke-soaked coverings of yaranga (summer torbas).

The traditional food of tundra people is venison, while that of coastal people is the meat and fat of sea animals. Deer meat was eaten frozen (finely chopped) or lightly boiled. During the mass slaughter of deer, the contents of deer stomachs were prepared by boiling them with blood and fat. They also consumed fresh and frozen deer blood. We prepared soups with vegetables and cereals. The Primorye Chukchi considered walrus meat especially satisfying. Prepared in the traditional way, it is well preserved. Squares of meat along with lard and skin are cut out of the dorsal and side parts of the carcass. The liver and other cleaned entrails are placed in the tenderloin. The edges are sewn together with the skin facing outward - a roll is obtained (k"opalgyn-kymgyt). Closer to cold weather, its edges are pulled together even more to prevent excessive souring of the contents. K"opal-gyn is eaten fresh, sour and frozen. Fresh walrus meat is boiled. The meat of beluga whales and gray whales, as well as their skin with a layer of fat, is eaten raw and boiled. In the northern and southern regions of Chukotka great place The diet includes chum salmon, grayling, navaga, sockeye salmon, and flounder. Yukola is prepared from large salmon. Many Chukchi reindeer herders dry, salt, smoke fish, and salt caviar. The meat of sea animals is very fatty, so it requires herbal supplements. The Reindeer and Primorye Chukchi traditionally ate a lot of wild herbs, roots, berries, and seaweed. Dwarf willow leaves, sorrel, and edible roots were frozen, fermented, and mixed with fat and blood. Koloboks were made from the roots, crushed with meat and walrus fat. For a long time, porridge was cooked from imported flour, and cakes were fried in seal fat.

Rock painting

K XVII - XVIII centuries The main socio-economic unit was the patriarchal family community, consisting of several families that had a single household and a common home. The community included up to 10 or more adult men related by kinship. Among the coastal Chukchi, industrial and social ties developed around the canoe, the size of which depended on the number of community members. At the head of the patriarchal community was a foreman - the “boat chief”. Among the tundra, the patriarchal community was united around a common herd; it was also headed by a foreman - a “strong man”. By the end XVIII V. Due to the increase in the number of deer in the herds, it became necessary to split the latter for more convenient grazing, which led to a weakening of intra-community ties. Sedentary Chukchi lived in villages. Several related communities settled on common areas, each of which was located in a separate half-dugout. The nomadic Chukchi lived in a camp also consisting of several patriarchal communities. Each community included two to four families and occupied a separate yaranga. 15-20 camps formed a circle of mutual assistance. The Reindeer also had patrilineal kinship groups connected by blood feud, the transfer of ritual fire, sacrificial rites, and the initial form of patriarchal slavery, which disappeared with the cessation of wars against neighboring peoples. XIX IN

V. traditions of communal life, group marriage and levirate continued to coexist, despite the emergence of private property and wealth inequality.

Chukotka hunter TO end of the 19th century V. the large patriarchal family disintegrated and was replaced by a small family. At the core religious beliefs and cult - animism, trade cult. The structure of the world among the Chukchi included three spheres: the earth's firmament with everything that exists on it; heaven, where the ancestors who died live a dignified death gave rise to corresponding cults among the tundra people associated with reindeer husbandry; near the coast - with the sea. There were also common cults: Nargynen (Nature, Universe), Dawn, Polar Star, Zenith, the constellation Pegittin, cult of ancestors, etc.

Sacrifices were communal, family and individual in nature. The fight against diseases, protracted failures in fishing and reindeer husbandry was the lot of shamans. In Chukotka they were not classified as a professional caste; they participated as equals in the fishing activities of the family and community. What distinguished the shaman from other members of the community was his ability to communicate with patron spirits, talk with ancestors, imitate their voices, and fall into a state of trance. The main function of the shaman was healing. He did not have a special costume, his main ritual attribute was a tambourine

Chukotka tambourine Shamanic functions could be performed by the head of the family (family shamanism). The main holidays were associated with economic cycles. For reindeer - with the autumn and winter slaughter of reindeer, calving, migration of the herd to summer pastures and return. The holidays of the coastal Chukchi are close to the Eskimos: in the spring - the holiday of baidara on the occasion of the first trip to sea; in summer there is a festival of goals to mark the end of the seal hunt; in autumn it is the holiday of the owner of sea animals. All holidays were accompanied by competitions in running, wrestling, shooting, bouncing on a walrus skin (a prototype of a trampoline), deer and dog racing, dancing, playing tambourines, and pantomime. In addition to production there were family holidays

There are also widespread myths about the marriage of a person and an animal: whale, polar bear, walrus, seal. Chukchi fairy tales (lymn "yl) are divided into mythological, everyday and tales about animals. Historical legends tell about the wars of the Chukchi with the Eskimos, Koryaks, and Russians. Mythological and everyday legends are also known. Music is genetically related to the music of the Koryaks, Eskimos and Yukaghirs. Every person had at least three “personal” melodies, composed by him in childhood, in adulthood and in old age (more often, however, he received a children’s melody as a gift from his parents. New melodies also appeared, associated with events in life (recovery, recovery). saying goodbye to a friend or lover, etc.) When singing lullabies, they made a special “crowing” sound, reminiscent of the voice of a crane or a woman. The shamans had their own “personal melodies.” and reflected the emotional state of the singer. The tambourine (yarar) is round, with a handle on the side (for coastal ones) or a cross-shaped holder on the back side (for tundra ones). There are male, female and children's varieties of the tambourine. Shamans play the tambourine with a thick soft stick, and singers at festivals use a thin whalebone stick. Yarar was a family shrine; its sound symbolized the “voice of the hearth.” Another traditional musical instrument is the plate harp of the bath yarar - a “mouth tambourine” made of birch, bamboo (float), bone or metal plate. Later, an arc double-tongued harp appeared. String instruments are represented by lutes: bowed tubular, hollowed out whole piece wood, and box-shaped. The bow was made from whalebone, bamboo or willow splinters; strings (1 - 4) - made of vein threads or guts (later made of metal). Lutes were mainly used to play song melodies.

Modern Chukchi

Max Singer describes his journey from Chaunskaya Bay to Yakutsk in his book “112 Days on Dogs and Reindeer.” Publishing house Moscow, 1950

Those wishing to download the book for free

Chukchi letter

The Chukchi letter was invented by the Chukchi reindeer herder (state farm shepherd) Teneville (Tenville), who lived near the settlement of Ust-Belaya (c. 1890-1943?) around 1930. To this day it is not clear whether Teneville’s letter was ideographic or verbal-syllabic. The Chukchi letter was discovered in 1930 by a Soviet expedition and described by the famous traveler, writer and polar explorer V.G. Bogoraz-Tanom (1865-1936). The Chukchi letter was not widespread. In addition to Teneville himself, this letter was owned by his son, with whom the former exchanged messages while grazing deer. Teneville put his marks on boards, bones, walrus tusks and candy wrappers. He used an ink pencil or a metal cutter. The direction of the letter is unsettled. There are no phonetic graphemes, which indicates the extreme primitivism of the system. But at the same time, it is extremely strange that Teneville, through pictograms, conveyed such complex abstract concepts as “bad”, “good”, “fear”, “become”...

This suggests that the Chukchi already had some kind of written tradition, perhaps similar to the Yukaghir. Chukotka writing is a unique phenomenon and is of particular interest when considering the problems of the emergence of written traditions among peoples at the pre-state stages of their development. The Chukchi script is the most northern script ever developed by an indigenous people with minimal outside influence. The question of the sources and prototypes of Teneville’s letter has not been resolved. Taking into account the isolation of Chukotka from the main regional civilizations, this letter can be considered a local phenomenon, aggravated by the creative initiative of a lone genius. It is possible that Chukchi writing was influenced by drawings on shamanic drums. The very word “writing” kelikel (kaletkoran – school, lit. “writing house”, kelitku-kelikel – notebook, lit. “written paper”) in the Chukchi language (Luoravetlan language ӆygyoravetien yiӆyyiӆ) has Tungus-Manchu parallels. In 1945, the artist and art critic I. Lavrov visited the upper reaches of Anadyr, where Teneville once lived. There the “Teneville archive” was discovered - a box covered with snow in which monuments of Chukchi writing were kept. 14 tablets with Chukchi pictographic texts are kept in St. Petersburg. Relatively recently, a whole notebook with Teneville's notes was found. Teneville also developed special signs for numbers based on the base-20 number system characteristic of the Chukchi language. Scientists count about 1000 basic elements of Chukchi writing. The first experiments in translating liturgical texts into the Chukchi language date back to the 20s of the 19th century: according to research recent years, the first book in the Chukchi language was published in 1823 in a circulation of 10 copies. The first dictionary of the Chukchi language, compiled by priest M. Petelin, was published in 1898. In the first third of the 20th century. Among the Chukchi, there were experiments in creating mnemonic systems similar to logographic writing, the model for which was Russian and English writing, as well as trademarks on Russian and American goods. The most famous among such inventions was the so-called writing of Teneville, who lived in the Anadyr River basin; a similar system was also used by the Chukchi merchant Antymavle in Eastern Chukotka (Chukchi writer V. Leontyev wrote the book “Antymavle - a trading man”). Officially, the Chukchi writing system was created in the early 30s on a Latin graphic basis using the Unified Northern Alphabet. In 1937, the Latin-based Chukotka alphabet was replaced by a Cyrillic-based alphabet without additional characters, but the Latin-based alphabet was used in Chukotka for some time. In the 50s, the signs k’ were introduced into the Chukchi alphabet to denote a uvular consonant, and n’ to denote a velar sonant (in the first versions of the Cyrillic Chukchi alphabet, the uvular did not have a separate designation, and the velar sonant was denoted by the digraph ng). In the early 60s, the styles of these letters were replaced by қ (ӄ) and ң (ӈ), but the official alphabet was used only for the centralized publication of educational literature: in local publications in Magadan and Chukotka, the alphabet was used using an apostrophe instead of individual letters. At the end of the 80s, the letter l (ӆ “l with a tail”) was introduced into the alphabet to designate the Chukchi voiceless lateral l, but it is used only in educational literature.

The origin of Chukchi literature dates back to the 1930s. During this period, original poems appeared in the Chukchi language (M. Vukvol) and self-recordings of folklore in the author’s adaptation (F. Tynetegin). In the 50s, the literary activity of Yu.S. began. Rytkheu. At the end of the 50s - 60s of the 20th century. The heyday of original poetry in the Chukchi language falls (V. Keulkut, V. Etytegin, M. Valgirgin, A. Kymytval, etc.), which continues in the 70s - 80s. (V. Tyneskin, K. Geutval, S. Tirkygin, V. Iuneut, R. Tnanaut, E. Rultyneut and many others). V. Yatgyrgyn, also known as a prose writer, was involved in collecting Chukchi folklore. Currently, original prose in the Chukchi language is represented by the works of I. Omruvier, V. Veket (Itevtegina), as well as some other authors.

A distinctive feature of the development and functioning of the written Chukchi language must be recognized as the formation of an active group of translators of fiction into the Chukchi language, which included writers - Yu.S. Rytkheu, V.V. Leontiev, scientists and teachers - P.I. Inenlikey, I.U. Berezkin, A.G. Kerek, professional translators and editors - M.P. Legkov, L.G. Tynel, T.L.

The specificity of the Chukchi language is incorporation (the ability to convey entire sentences in one word). For example: myt-ӈyran-vetat-arma-ӄora-venrety-rkyn “we protect four vigorous, strong deer.”
Also noteworthy is the peculiar transmission of the singular through partial or complete reduplication: lig-lig egg, nym-nym village, tyrky-tyr sun, tumgy-tum comrade (but tumgy-comrades). Incorporation in the Chukchi language is associated with the inclusion of additional stems in the form of a word. This combination is characterized by a common stress and common formative affixes.
Containing words are usually nouns, verbs and participles; sometimes - adverbs. The stems of nouns, numerals, verbs and adverbs can be included. For example: ga-poig-y-ma (with a spear), ga-taӈ-poig-y-ma (with a good spear); where poig-y-n spear and ny-teӈ-ӄin is good (base – teӈ/taӈ). Ty-yara-pker-y-rkyn - come home; pykir-y-k – to come (base – pykir) and yara-ӈы – house, (base – yara). Sometimes two, three, or even more of these stems are included. The morphological structure of a word in the Chukchi language is often concentric; cases of combining up to three circumfixes in one word form are quite common:
ta-ra-ӈы-k build-a-house (1st circumfix – verbalizer);
ry-ta-ra-ӈ-ava-k force-to-build-a-house (2nd circumfix – causative);

t-ra-n-ta-ra-ӈ-avy-ӈy-rky-n I-want-to-make-him-build-a-house (3rd circumfix – desiderative). An ordinal model has not yet been constructed, but, apparently, in a verbal word form, the root is preceded by 6-7 affixal morphemes, and the root is followed by 15-16 formants. The ethnonym Chukchi is a distortion of the local word Chauchu, “rich in deer,” which is the name by which the Chukchi reindeer breeders call themselves in contrast to the coastal Chukchi dog breeders. The Chukchi themselves call themselves Lygyoravetlan “real people.”

The main mental traits of the Chukchi are extremely easy excitability, reaching the point of frenzy, a tendency to murder and suicide at the slightest provocation, a love of independence, and persistence in struggle. The Primorye Chukchi became famous for their sculptural and carved images of mammoth bone, striking in their fidelity to nature and boldness of poses and strokes and reminiscent of the wonderful bone images of the Paleolithic period.

The Chukchi first encountered Russians back in the 17th century. In 1644, the Cossack Stadukhin, who was the first to bring news of them to Yakutsk, founded the Nizhnekolymsk fort. The Chukchi, who at that time were wandering both east and west of the Kolyma River, after a stubborn, bloody struggle, finally left the left bank of the Kolyma, pushing back the Eskimo tribe of Mamalls from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Bering Sea during their retreat. Since then, for more than a hundred years, bloody clashes have continued between the Russians and the Chukchi, whose territory bordered the Russian-populated Kolyma River in the west and Anadyr in the south. In this struggle the Chukchi showed extraordinary energy. In captivity, they voluntarily killed themselves, and if the Russians had not retreated for a while, they would have been deported to America. In 1770, after Shestakov’s unsuccessful campaign, the Anadyr fort, which served as the center of the Russian struggle against the Chukchi, was destroyed and its team was transferred to Nizhne-Kolymsk, after which the Chukchi began to be less hostile towards the Russians and gradually began to enter into trade relations with them. In 1775, the Angarsk fortress was built on the Angarka River, a tributary of the Bolshoi Anyui.

Despite their conversion to Orthodoxy, the Chukchi retain their shamanic faith. Painting the face with the blood of the murdered victim, with the image of a hereditary-tribal sign - a totem, also has ritual significance. Each family, in addition, had its own family shrines: hereditary projectiles for producing sacred fire through friction for famous festivals, one for each family member (the lower plank of the projectile represents a figure with the head of the owner of fire), then bundles of wooden knots “removing misfortunes”, wooden images of ancestors and, finally, a family tambourine.

In Chukotka there are unique and original rock carvings in the tundra zone, on the coastal cliffs of the river. Pegtymel. They were researched and published by N. Dikov. Among the rock art of the Asian continent, the petroglyphs of Pegtymel represent the northernmost, clearly defined independent group. Pegtymel petroglyphs were discovered in three locations. In the first two, 104 groups were recorded rock paintings, in the third there are two compositions and a single figure. Not far from the rocks with petroglyphs on the edge of the cliff, sites of ancient hunters and a cave containing cultural remains were discovered. The walls of the cave were covered with images.
Pegtymel rock carvings are made in various techniques: chiseled, worn, or scratched into the surface of a rock. Among the images of rock art of Pegtymel, figures predominate reindeer with narrow muzzles and characteristic lines of horns. There are images of dogs, bears, wolves, arctic foxes, moose, bighorn sheep, sea pinnipeds and cetaceans, and birds.

Anthropomorphic male and female figures are known, often wearing mushroom-shaped hats, images of hooves or their prints, footprints, and two-bladed oars. The plots are peculiar, including humanoid fly agarics, which are mentioned in the mythology of the northern peoples.

The famous bone carving in Chukotka has a long history. In many ways, this craft preserves the traditions of the Old Bering Sea culture, with characteristic animalistic sculpture and household items made of bone and decorated with relief carvings and curvilinear ornaments. In the 1930s fishing is gradually concentrated in Uelen, Naukan and Dezhnev.

Numerals

Literature:

Dieringer D., Alphabet, M., 2004; Friedrich I., History of writing, M., 2001; Kondratov A. M., Book about the letter, M., 1975; Bogoraz V.G., Chukchi, parts 1-2, 1., 1934-39.

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Yuri Sergeevich Rytkheu: The end of permafrost [journal. option]

Chukotka plan

Map on a piece of walrus skin, made by an unknown resident of Chukotka. At the bottom of the map, three ships are shown heading to the mouth of the river; to their left is a bear hunt, and a little higher is an attack by three Chukchi on a stranger. A series of black spots represent the hills stretching along the shore of the bay.

Chukotka plan Plagues can be seen here and there among the islands. Up on the ice of the bay and leads five reindeer harnessed to sledges. On the right, on a blunt ledge, a large Chukchi camp is depicted. Between the camp and the black chain of mountains lies a lake. Below, in the bay, the Chukchi hunt for whales is shown.

Kolyma Chukchi

In the harsh North, between the Kolyma and Chukchi rivers, there is a wide plain, the Khalarcha tundra - the homeland of the Western Chukchi. The Chukchi as a numerous people were first mentioned in 1641 - 1642. Since time immemorial the Chukchi have been warlike people, people hardened like steel, accustomed to fighting the sea, frost and wind.

These were hunters who attacked a huge polar bear with a spear in their hands, seafarers who dared to maneuver in the inhospitable expanse of the polar ocean in fragile leather boats. Original traditional occupation, the main means of subsistence for the Chukchi was reindeer herding.

Currently, in the village of Kolymskoye - the center of the Khalarchinsky nasleg of the Nizhnekolymsky district - representatives of the small peoples of the North live. This is the only region in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) where the Chukchi live compactly.

Kolymskoye along the Stadukhinskaya channel is located 180 km from the village of Chersky, and 160 km along the Kolyma River. The village itself was founded in 1941 on the site of a Yukaghir nomadic summer camp, located on the left bank of the Kolyma River opposite the mouth of the Omolon River. Today, just under 1,000 people live in Kolymskoye. The population is engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer herding.

In the 20th century everything indigenous people Kolyma went through Sovietization, collectivization, the elimination of illiteracy and resettlement from inhabited areas to large settlements performing administrative functions - district centers, central estates of collective and state farms.

In 1932, Nikolai Ivanovich Melgeyvach became the first chairman of the nomadic council, heading the Native Committee. In 1935, a partnership was organized under the chairmanship of I.K. Vaalyirgina with a livestock of 1850 deer. 10 years later, during the most difficult war years, the number of the herd was increased tenfold thanks to the selfless heroic work of the reindeer herders. For the funds raised for the Turvaurginets tank for the tank column and warm clothes for the front-line soldiers, a telegram of gratitude came to Kolymskoye from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin.

At that time, such reindeer herders as V.P. worked in the Khalarcha tundra. Sleptsov, V.P. Yaglovsky, S.R. Atlasov, I.N. Sleptsov, M.P. Sleptsov and many others. The names of representatives of the large reindeer herding clans of the Kaurgins, Gorulins, and Volkovs are known.

Reindeer herders-collective farmers at that time lived in yarangas and cooked food over a fire. The men looked after the reindeer, each woman sheathed 5-6 reindeer herders and 3-4 children from head to toe. For every corral and holiday, the plague workers sewed new beautiful fur clothes for all children and shepherds.

In 1940, the collective farm was transferred to a sedentary lifestyle, and on its basis the village of Kolymskoye grew, where an elementary school was opened. Since 1949, the children of reindeer herders began to study at a boarding school in the village, and their parents continued to work in the tundra.

Until the 1950s, on the territory of the Khalarchinsky nasleg there were two collective farms, “Red Star” and “Turvaurgin”. In the early 1950s, income from deer slaughter raised the standard of living of the population.

The Turvaurgin collective farm thundered throughout the republic as a millionaire collective farm. Life was getting better, the collective farm began to receive equipment: tractors, boats, power plants. A large high school building and a hospital building were built. This period of relative prosperity is associated with the name of Nikolai Ivanovich Tavrat. Today, his name is given to a national school in the village of Kolymskoye and a street in the regional center, the village of Chersky. In the name of N.I. Tavrata also named a tugboat of the Zelenomyssk seaport, a student scholarship.

Who was Nikolai Tavrat?

Nikolay Tavrat started his labor activity in 1940 in the Khalarcha tundra, he was a shepherd, then an accountant on a collective farm. In 1947, he was elected chairman of the Turvaurgin collective farm. In 1951, the collective farms merged together, and in 1961 they were transformed into the Nizhnekolymsky state farm. The village of Kolymskoye became the center of the Kolyma branch of the state farm with 10 herds (17 thousand deer). In 1956, the construction of modern residential buildings began in Kolyma by the collective farmers themselves. According to the recollections of old-timers, three 4-apartment houses, a kindergarten, and later a canteen for the Kolymtorg trading office and an eight-year school were built very quickly, since collective farmers worked in three shifts. The first two-story 16-apartment building was built in the same way.

Nikolai Tavrat knew his native tundra well. Many times he helped out the Nizhny Kolyma aviators, helping them find reindeer herders’ camps in the vast expanses and difficult weather conditions. In 1959, one of the Soviet film studios shot a documentary about the Turvaurgin collective farm and its chairman N.I. Tavrate. In one of the conversations, the chairman said: “My father’s house is unusual. It spreads over thousands of kilometers. And there is, perhaps, no other place on earth where man is so closely connected with nature as in the tundra...”

From 1965 to 1983 N.I. Tavrat worked as chairman of the Nizhnekolymsk district executive committee, was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of the 5th convocation (1959), and a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1947 - 1975). For his work, he was awarded the Order of the October Revolution and the Order of the Badge of Honor.

Local historian and local historian A.G. Chikachev wrote a book about him, which he called “Son of the Tundra.”

At the Kolyma National Secondary School named after. N.I. Tavrat students study the Chukchi language, culture, customs, and traditions of this people. The subject “Reindeer Herding” is taught. Students go to reindeer herds for practical training.

Today, residents of Nizhny Kolymsk deeply honor the memory of their fellow countryman, a prominent representative of the Chukchi people, Nikolai Ivanovich Tavrat.

Since 1992, on the basis of state farms, the nomadic community “Turvaurgin” was formed, a production cooperative whose main activities are reindeer husbandry, fishing, and hunting.

Anna Sadovnikova