Schoolchildren can easily answer the question "Where do the Chukchi live?". In the Far East there is Chukotka or Chukotka autonomous region. But if we complicate the question a little: "Where do the Chukchi and Eskimos live?", difficulties arise. There is no area of the same name, you need to find a more serious approach and understand the national subtleties.
Are there any differences between the Chukchi, Eskimos and Koryaks
Certainly there is. All these are different nationalities, once tribes that have common roots and inhabit similar territories.
The regions in Russia where the Chukchi or Luoravetlans live are concentrated in the north. This is the Republic of Sakha, Koryak Autonomous Okrug and Since ancient times, their tribes have inhabited the extreme regions Eastern Siberia. At first they wandered, but after taming the deer, they began to adapt a little to them. They speak the Chukchi language, which has several dialects. Luoravetlans or Chukchi (self-name) divided themselves into sea hunters living on the coast Arctic Ocean, and deer, tundra.
Some anthropologists classify the Eskimos as a Mongoloid race of Arctic origin. This nationality lives in the state of Alaska (USA), in the northern regions of Canada, on the island of Greenland (Denmark) and quite a bit (1500 people) in Chukotka. In each country, the Eskimos speak their own language: Greenlandic, Alaskan Inuit, Canadian Eskimo. All of them are divided into different dialects.
Who are the Chukchi and Koryaks? The Luoravetlans first pushed back the Eskimo tribes, and then territorially separated from the Koryaks. Today, the Koryaks (a common ethnic group with the Chukchi) make up the indigenous population of the autonomous district of the same name in the Kamchatka region in Russia. In total there are about 7000 people. The Koryak language belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka group. The first mentions of the Koryaks are found in the documents of the 16th century. People are described, some of whom were engaged in reindeer herding, and the other - in sea fishing.
Appearance
Where do the Chukchi live and what do they look like? The first part of the question has been answered above. More recently, scientists have proven the genetic relationship of the Chukchi and Indians. Indeed, in their appearance much in common. The Chukchi belong to the mixed Mongoloid race. They are similar to the inhabitants of Mongolia, China, Korea, but are somewhat different.
The section of the eyes of Luoravetlan males is more horizontal than oblique. The cheekbones are not as wide as those of the Yakuts, and the skin color is with a bronze tint. Women of this nationality in appearance have more similarities with the Mongoloids: wide cheekbones, swollen noses with large nostrils. The hair color of the representatives of both Men cut their hair short, women braid two braids and decorate them with beads. Married - wear bangs.
The winter clothes of Luoravetlans are two-layer, most often sewn from fawn fur. Summer clothes are capes or jackets made of deer suede.
Traits
Drawing a psychological portrait of this nation, they note the main feature - excessive nervous excitability. Luoravetlan is easy to bring out of a state of spiritual balance, they are very quick-tempered. Against this background, they have a tendency to murder or suicide. For example, a relative can easily respond to the request of a seriously ill family member and kill him so that he does not suffer in agony. extremely independent, independent. In any dispute or struggle, they show unprecedented perseverance.
At the same time, these people are very hospitable and good-natured, naive. They selflessly come to the aid of their neighbors and everyone who needs it. Very easy to relate to the concept of marital fidelity. Wives are rarely jealous of their husbands.
living conditions
Where the Chukchi live (pictured below), there is a short polar summer, and the rest of the time is winter. To indicate the weather, residents use only two expressions: "weather is" or "weather is not." This designation is an indicator of the hunt, that is, whether it will be successful or not. From time immemorial, the Chukchi have continued their fishing traditions. They love seal meat very much. A happy hunter gets three in one outing, then his family with children (usually 5-6 of them) will be fed for several days.
Places for yarang families are most often chosen surrounded by hills, so that there is more calmness. It is very cold inside, although the dwelling is lined up and down with skins. Usually in the middle there is a small fire surrounded by rounded boulders. On it is a suspended cauldron with food. The wife is engaged in housekeeping, butchering carcasses, cooking, salting meat. Beside her are the children. Together they gather plants in season. Husband is a provider. This way of life has been preserved for many centuries.
Sometimes such indigenous families do not go to villages for months. Some children don't even have a birth certificate. Parents then have to prove that this is their child.
Why is the Chukchi a hero of jokes?
There is an opinion that humorous stories about them were composed by Russians out of fear and respect, a sense of superiority over themselves. Since the 18th century, when Cossack detachments moved across boundless Siberia and met the Luoravetlan tribes, there was talk of a warlike people, which is very difficult to beat in battle.
From childhood, the Chukchi taught their sons fearlessness and dexterity, raising them in Spartan conditions. In the harsh area where the Chukchi live, the future hunter must be sensitive, be able to endure any discomfort, sleep standing up, and not be afraid of pain. The beloved national wrestling takes place on a spread slippery sealskin, along the perimeter of which sharp claws stick out.
Militant reindeer herders
The Koryak population, which earlier became part of the Chukchi Russian Empire, ran away from the battlefield if it saw at least a few dozen luoravetlans. Even in other countries there were stories about militant reindeer herders who are not afraid of arrows, evade them, catch and launch them at the enemy with their hands. Captured women with children killed themselves so as not to fall into slavery.
In battle, the Chukchi were merciless, accurately hit the enemy with arrows, the tips of which were smeared with poison.
The government began to warn the Cossacks not to fight the Chukchi. At the next stage, the population decided to bribe, persuade, then solder (more in Soviet times). And at the end of the XVIII century. a fortress was built near the Angarka River. Fairs were periodically held near it in order to trade with reindeer herders in exchange. Luoravetlans were not allowed into their territory. Russian Cossacks have always been interested in where the Chukchi live and what they do.
Trade affairs
Reindeer herders paid tribute to the Russian Empire in the amount they could afford. Often they weren't paid at all. With the beginning of peace negotiations and cooperation, the Russians brought syphilis to the Chukchi. They were now afraid of all representatives of the Caucasian race. For example, with the French and the British did not have trade relations just because they are white.
Settled with Japan, a neighboring country. The Chukchi live where it is impossible to mine metal ores in the bowels of the earth. Therefore, they actively bought protective armor, armor, other military uniforms and equipment, metal products from the Japanese.
With the Americans, the Luoravetlans exchanged furs and other mined goods for tobacco. The skins of blue fox, marten, and whalebone were highly valued.
Chukchi today
Most of the Luoravetlans mixed with other nationalities. There are almost no purebred Chukchi now. The "ineradicable nationality," as they are often called, assimilated. At the same time, they retain their occupation, culture, and way of life.
Many scientists are sure that the small indigenous ethnos is more threatened not with extinction, but with the social abyss in which they find themselves. Many children cannot read and write and do not go to school. The standard of living of the luoravetlans is far from civilization, and they do not aspire to it. Chukchi live in harsh natural conditions and they don't like it when their orders are imposed on them. But when they find frozen Russians in the snow, they bring them to the yaranga. They say that they then put the guest under the skin along with his naked wife so that she warms him.
Chukchi (self-name - lygyo ravetlan) - a distorted Chukchi word "chavchu" (rich in deer), which the Russians and Lamuts call the people living in the extreme north-east of Russia. The Chukchi were subdivided into deer - tundra nomadic reindeer herders (self-name chauchu - "deer man") and seaside - sedentary hunters of sea animals (self-name ankalyn - "coastal"), living together with the Eskimos.
The Russian Chukchi encountered for the first time back in the 17th century. In 1644, the Cossack Stadukhin, who was the first to bring news of them to Yakutsk, founded the Nizhnekolymsky prison. The Chukchi, who at that time roamed both east and west of the Kolyma River, after a stubborn, bloody struggle, finally left the left bank of the Kolyma, pushing the Mamalla 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 on the Kolyma River in the west and Anadyr in the south, from the Amur Territory, did not stop. In 1770, after the unsuccessful campaign of Shestakov, the Anadyr prison, which served as the center of the struggle between the Russians and the Chukchi, was destroyed and his team was transferred to Nizhne-Kolymsk, after which the Chukchi became less hostile to the Russians and gradually began to enter into trade relations with them.
In 1775, the Angarskaya fortress was built on the Angarka River, where, under the protection of the Cossacks, an annual fair for barter with the Chukchi took place. Since 1848, the fair has been moved to the Anyui fortress (250 versts from Nizhne-Kolymsk, on the banks of the Small Anyui). The Chukchi brought here not only the ordinary products of their own production (clothing made of deer furs, deer 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 nasal Chukchi exchanged for tobacco among 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 stretched from Omolon, Bolshoi and Maly Anyuev in the west to the Penzhin and Olyutor camps in the southeast. Gradually, it increased, which was accompanied by the allocation of territorial groups: Kolyma, Anyui, or Maloanyui, Chaun, Omolon, Amguem, or Amguemo-Vonkarem, Kolyuchi-Mechigmen, Onmylen, Tuman, 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. Deer give the Chukchi almost everything they need: meat for cooking, skins for clothing and housing, and are also used as draft animals.
The main occupation of the coastal Chukchi is hunting for sea animals: in winter and spring - for seals and seals, in summer and autumn - for walrus and whale. 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. So far, only hunting for birds with the help of the "bol" has been preserved. Fishing is developed only among some Chukchi. Women and children also collect edible plants.
Traditional Chukchi dishes are mainly made from venison and fish.
The main dwelling of the Chukchi is a collapsible cylindrical-conical yaranga tent made of deer skins among the tundra and walrus - among the coastal Chukchi. The arch rests on three poles located in the center. The dwelling was heated with a stone, clay or wooden fat lamp, on which food was also cooked. The Yaranga of the coastal Chukchi differed from the dwellings of reindeer herders by the absence of a smoke hole.
The type of Chukchi is mixed, generally Mongoloid, but with some differences. Eyes with an oblique incision are less common than those with a horizontal incision; the width of the cheekbones is less than that of the Tungus and Yakuts, and more often than that of the latter; there are individuals with thick hair on the face and wavy, almost curly hair on the head; complexion with a bronze tint.
Among women, the type is more common, with wide cheekbones, a swollen nose and twisted nostrils. The mixed type (Asian-American) is confirmed by some legends, myths and differences in the life of the deer and coastal Chukchi.
Chukchi winter clothes are of the usual polar type. It is sewn from the fur of fawns (grown up autumn calf) and for men it consists of a double fur shirt (the lower fur to the body and the upper fur out), the same double trousers, short fur stockings with the same boots and a hat in the form of a female bonnet. Quite peculiar women's clothing, also double, consisting of one-piece sewn trousers along with a low-cut bodice, pulled together at the waist, with a slit on the chest and extremely wide sleeves, thanks to which the Chukchi easily free their hands during work.
Summer outerwear overalls are made of reindeer suede or colorful purchased fabrics, as well as kamlikas made of fine-haired deer skin with various ritual stripes. Most of the Chukchi jewelry - pendants, bandages, necklaces (in the form of straps with beads and figurines) - have a religious significance, but there are also real jewelry in the form of metal bracelets and earrings.
The original pattern on the clothes of the Primorsky Chukchi is of Eskimo origin; from the Chukchi, he passed to many polar peoples of Asia. Hair dressing 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 on 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 of the head.
According to their beliefs, the Chukchi are animists; they personify and deify certain areas and phenomena of nature (masters of the forest, water, fire, sun, deer), many animals (bear, crow), stars, sun and moon, they believe in hosts of evil spirits that cause all earthly disasters, including diseases and death, have a number of regular holidays (autumn holiday of slaughtering deer, spring holiday of horns, winter sacrifice to the star Altair) and many non-regular ones (feeding the fire, sacrifices after each hunt, commemoration of the dead, votive services).
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 carried out in it. Phonetics is very difficult for the European ear.
The main mental traits of the Chukchi are extremely easy excitability, reaching a frenzy, a tendency to kill and commit suicide at the slightest pretext, love for independence, perseverance in the fight; along with this, 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 from mammoth bone, striking in their fidelity to nature and bold poses and strokes and reminiscent of the wonderful bone images of the Paleolithic period. Traditional musical instruments are vargan (khomus), tambourine (yarar). In addition to ritual dances, impromptu entertaining pantomime dances were also common.
general information
Chukchi - indigenous people Russian Federation, one of the small peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East. Self-name - lygoravetl'an ("real people"). Self-names are widespread according to the place of residence or nomadism: uvelelit - “Uelentsy”, chaalyt - “wandering along the Chaun River”, etc. According to the way of life, the Chukchi are divided into two large groups: tundra nomadic reindeer herders (self-name - chauchu, “deer man”) and seaside - sedentary hunters for 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, which are quite well preserved today. The writing was created in 1931 on a Latin graphic basis, later replaced by the Russian alphabet.
According to modern research, the ancestors of the Chukchi lived in the interior of Chukotka at least 6 thousand years ago. At the beginning of the first millennium A.D. e. due to the appearance of an excess population in the Chukchi tundra and changes in climatic and natural conditions, some Chukchi tribes moved to the sea coast, into the area inhabited by the Eskimos, partially assimilating them, partially assuming many features of their culture. As a result of the interaction of land and sea hunting cultures, economic division labor. The Yukagirs also took part in the ethnogenesis of the Chukchi.
Territory of settlement and population
In the Russian Federation in 2002, there were 15,767 Chukchi, of which 12,622 people (about 70%) live in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Chukchi lived mainly in the territory of the Chukotka, Providensky and Iultinsky regions. The intensive development of reindeer breeding in the 18th century, the need for new pasture lands caused the Chukchi to move to the west and south. By the beginning of the 20th century, they occupied the entire modern territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, part of the Chukchi ended up in Kamchatka, another small group - beyond the Kolyma in Yakutia. Here they live at the present time: in Kamchatka - in the Olyutorsky district (village Achai-Vayam, etc.) of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug (1530 people), in Yakutia - in the Nizhne-Kolymsky district (1300).
The distribution of the Chukchi over the districts of the district in recent decades indicates their weak migration. Changes in the number are mainly due to natural growth and changes in the boundaries of the regions (Shmidtovsky, Anadyrsky). 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 prevail.
Lifestyle and provision system
The main traditional occupation of the tundra (reindeer) Chukchi is nomadic reindeer herding. Reindeer herders spent most of the year on the move. Each group of Chukchi had permanent roaming routes, their own grazing territory. In the forest zone, migrations were made every 5-6 days, in the tundra - 3-4 times during the winter. Semi-free reindeer grazing was practiced everywhere. AT summer time the herds were on the coast of the ocean, where there were fewer mosquitoes and gadflies. About a quarter of the reindeer Chukchi spent their summers in the continental part of Chukotka on the northern slopes of the mountains, where snow remained. With the onset of autumn, all reindeer herders moved inland to the border of the forest. The Chukchi did not know the shepherd dog, and the shepherds were with the herd around the clock. Reindeer breeding provided everything necessary for life: food, clothing, housing, means of transportation.
basis economic activity Primorye Chukchi was the marine fur trade, the products of which (meat, fat for food and heating, clothes) also provided all the necessities of life, and also served as a subject of exchange with reindeer herders. Some of the reindeer Chukchi also engaged in sea fur hunting during the stay of the herds on the coast. Fish were caught in case of extreme need in their free time from grazing. Some greater value fishing was in the basins of large rivers - Anadyr, Chaun, Kolyma. The development of trade relations stimulated the development of the fur trade, which before that also had no of great importance. In Soviet times, reindeer husbandry in Chukotka developed successfully. Improvement in the breed of animals, a more rational structure of the herd, success in the fight against necrobacteriosis (hoof) and other diseases, anti-water treatment of animals contributed to a significant increase in the number of livestock and productivity of the industry as a whole. By the beginning of the 90s. Chukotka had one of the largest herds of domestic deer in the world - about 500 thousand. Reindeer breeding was the basis of the economy of state farms, covering the losses of other industries, was the main area of application of labor for a significant part of the Chukchi, and ensured their economic prosperity.
In the conditions of market reforms, intensive destruction of the industry is observed. The number of deer in the district has decreased by more than half. The reform of state farms, the transition to new forms of organization of the industry on the basis of private and collective-shared ownership, not supported by material and technical resources, led to the curtailment of production. Virtually all livestock breeding farms, a number of fur farms where Chukchan women worked, have been liquidated.
Ethno-social setting
The ethno-social situation in many regions of Chukotka is extremely complex. Its main components are mass unemployment of the indigenous population, problems with the provision of villages with fuel, food, electricity, an increase in the incidence and mortality of the natives. 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 distressed 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 figures for the non-indigenous population. In 1996, there were 737.1 patients with active tuberculosis among the indigenous population per 100,000, including 233 children. communities. In September 1996, a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation "On urgent measures to stabilize the socio-economic situation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug" was adopted. AT last years, with the advent 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 native by 27.6% of the Chukchi. The Chukchi language is taught in many settlements. 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 the regional radio and television programs are broadcast. Since 1953, the Sovetken Chukotka newspaper has been published (currently, Murgin Nuteneut, supplement to the Krayniy Sever regional newspaper). Teachers of the Chukchi language are trained by the Anadyr Pedagogical College, Russian State Pedagogical University. Herzen in St. Petersburg, Magadan Pedagogical Institute. Part of the Chukchi youth speaks their native language, which is certainly a positive and stabilizing factor. The main elements of traditional material and spiritual culture are preserved: vehicles, housing (in the tundra with reindeer herders), holidays, rituals and customs, and religious beliefs.
The work of the artists of the professional Chukchi-Eskimo choreographic ensemble "Ergyron", the Chukchi poetess A. Kymytval is widely known in the country and abroad. The traditional art of engraving and bone carving has been preserved and is developing. The Chukotka branch of the North-Eastern Complex Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences was established in Anadyr, which includes about 10 research workers from among the Chukchi and other peoples of the North. Various aspects of the traditional culture of the Chukchi, their language, folk methods treatment, transformation problems economic relations and forms of ownership and other topical problems for the district. However, the difficult socio-economic situation in the district as a whole does not allow 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.
Bodies of management and self-government
The Chukchi are one of the few indigenous peoples of the North of the Russian Federation who formally have their own autonomous formation. The 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, with the development of the mining industry in Chukotka, the growth in the number of newcomers, the district increasingly lost the features of a national-state formation, turning into an ordinary administrative-territorial unit. The only reminder of its former purpose was the position of the Chairman of the district executive committee, which, according to the established tradition, was occupied by a representative of the Chukchi people. In other state authorities, the Chukchi were represented purely symbolically. Suffice it to say that in the late 80's. only 96 Chukchi worked in the sphere of state and economic management, most of them in insignificant positions. Unfortunately, this trend continues today. The functions of a self-governing body are performed by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, established in 1989. Its territorial branches operate in each district of the Okrug.
Legal documents and laws
The legislative base 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 state authorities to protect and ensure the rights of indigenous peoples, develop education, culture, and protect environment, organization of local self-government and other important issues for the indigenous population. A Temporary Regulation "On the procedure for transferring land plots for reindeer farming" has been developed. A temporary regulation "On the procedure for coordinating the allotment of land plots for the use of the subsoil of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug" was approved, which takes into account the interests of minority peoples. Laws “On preferential taxation of enterprises participating in the development of the social infrastructure of national villages”, “On the referendum of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug”, “On the procedure and principles for granting tax benefits” were adopted. A number of provisions vital for the Chukchi and other indigenous peoples of the Okrug were reflected in the Decrees of the executive branch: “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), “ On the Chukotka District Scientific and Consultative Council for Whaling” (1997), etc.
Contemporary environmental issues
State natural environment in the district began to cause serious concern already in the late 80s. By that 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. The widespread deterioration of the pasture area, a decrease in the supply of fodder is observed at the present time. Eight specially protected territories have been created here with an area of 3 million hectares (4% of the entire territory of the district). Attempts are being made to implement international projects on the territory of the district (Beringia Park, ECORA project).
Prospects for the preservation of the Chukchi as an ethnic group
The Chukchi are one of the few northern peoples of Russia who are not yet threatened with disappearance 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 identity, ethnic solidarity allows us to make positive forecasts and look into 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 should also be emphasized that the Chukchi organizations and their leaders themselves should play a huge role in preserving and consolidating the people.
Everyone has heard the expression "naive Chukchi girl" and jokes about the Chukchi. In our understanding, this is a person far from the achievements of civilization. A symbol of naivete that borders on stupidity, starting any sentence with "however" and preferring vodka to their wives. We perceive the Chukchi as a distant northern people who are only interested in deer and walrus meat. Who are the Chukchi really?
Able to take care of themselves
Valdis Kristovskis, a Latvian politician and leader of the Unity party, in an interview with the Latvian newspaper Delfi inadvertently defended the phrase "Latvians are not Chukchi." In response to this insult, the newspaper Diena published the answer of Ooi Milger, a representative of the Louravetlan people (in other words, “Chukchi”). He wrote: “In your opinion, it turns out that the Chukchi are not people. This offended me greatly. The Louravetlans are a people of warriors. Many books have been written about this. I have my father's carbine. Latvians are also a small people who had to fight for survival. Where does such arrogance come from? Here you have "naive" and stupid Chukchi.
Chukchi and all the "others"
The small people of the Chukchi are settled on a vast territory - from the Bering Sea to the Indigirka River, from the Arctic Ocean to the Anadyr River. This territory can be compared with Kazakhstan, and a little more than 15 thousand people live on it! (data of the Russian population census in 2010)
The name of the Chukchi is the name of the people "louratvelany" adapted for the Russian people. Chukchi means “rich in reindeer” (chauchu) – this is how reindeer herders introduced themselves to Russian pioneers in the 17th century. “Loutwerans” is translated as “real people”, since in the mythology of the Far North, the Chukchi are the “highest race”, chosen by the gods. In the mythology of the Chukchi, it is explained that the gods created the Evenks, Yakuts, Koryaks and Eskimos exclusively as Russian slaves, so that they would help the Chukchi trade with the Russians.
Ethnic history of the Chukchi. Briefly
The ancestors of the Chukchi settled in Chukotka at the turn of the 4th-3rd millennium BC. In such a natural geographic environment, customs, traditions, mythology, language and racial characteristics were formed. The Chukchi have increased thermoregulation, a high level of hemoglobin in the blood, a fast metabolism, because the formation of this Arctic race took place in the conditions of the Far North, otherwise they would not have survived.
Mythology of the Chukchi. world creation
In the mythology of the Chukchi, a raven appears - the creator, the main benefactor. Creator of the earth, sun, rivers, seas, mountains, deer. It was the raven that taught people to live in difficult natural conditions. Since, according to the Chukchi, Arctic animals participated in the creation of the cosmos and stars, the names of the constellations and individual stars are associated with deer and crows. The star of the chapel is a deer bull with a man's sleigh. Two stars near the constellation Eagle - "A female deer with a deer." The Milky Way is a river with sandy waters, with islands - pastures for deer.
The names of the months of the Chukchi calendar reflect the life of the wild deer, its biological rhythms and migration patterns.
The upbringing of children among the Chukchi
In the upbringing of Chukchi children, one can trace a parallel with Indian customs. At the age of 6, the Chukchi begin the harsh upbringing of warrior boys. From this age, boys sleep standing up, with the exception of sleeping on a yaranga. At the same time, adult Chukchi brought up even in a dream - they sneaked up with a red-hot tip of metal or a smoldering stick, so that the boy developed a lightning-fast reaction to any sounds.
Young Chukchi ran after reindeer teams with stones on their feet. From the age of 6, they constantly held a bow and arrows in their hands. Thanks to this eye training, the Chukchi's eyesight remained sharp for many years. By the way, that is why the Chukchi were excellent snipers during the Great Patriotic War. Favorite games are "football" with a ball made of reindeer hair and wrestling. They fought in special places - either on a walrus skin (very slippery), or on ice.
The rite of passage into adulthood is a test for the viable. On the "exam" they relied on dexterity and attentiveness. For example, a father sent his son on a mission. But the task was not the main thing. The father tracked down his son while he was walking to fulfill it, and waited for the son to lose his vigilance - then he fired an arrow. The task of the young man is to instantly concentrate, react and dodge. Therefore, to pass the exam means to survive. But the arrows were not smeared with poison, so there was a chance of survival after being wounded.
War as a way of life
The attitude towards death among the Chukchi is simple - they are not afraid of it. If one Chukchi asks another to kill him, then the request is easily fulfilled, without a doubt. The Chukchi believe that each of them has 5-6 souls, and there is a whole "universe of ancestors." But in order to get there, you must either die with dignity in battle, or die at the hands of a relative or friend. Your own death or death from old age is a luxury. Therefore, the Chukchi are excellent warriors. They are not afraid of death, they are ferocious, they have a sensitive sense of smell, a lightning-fast reaction, and a sharp eye. If in our culture a medal is awarded for military merit, then the Chukchi on the back right palm got a dot tattoo. The more points, the more experienced and fearless warrior.
Chukchi women correspond to severe Chukchi men. They carry a knife with them in order to slaughter their children, parents, and then themselves in case of serious danger.
"Home shamanism"
The Chukchi have the so-called "home shamanism". These are the echoes ancient religion louravetlans, because now almost all Chukchi go to church and belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. But they are still "shamanizing".
During the autumn slaughter of cattle, the entire Chukchi family, including children, beats a tambourine. This rite protects deer from diseases and early death. But it is more like a game, like, for example, Sabantuy - the celebration of the end of plowing among the Turkic peoples.
Writer Vladimir Bogoraz, an ethnographer and researcher of the peoples of the Far North, writes that people are cured of terrible diseases and mortal wounds during real shamanic rites. Real shamans can grind a stone into crumbs in their hands, “sew up” a lacerated wound with their bare hands. The main task of shamans is to heal the sick. To do this, they fall into a trance to "travel between the worlds". In Chukotka, they become shamans if a walrus, deer or wolf saves the Chukchi at the moment of danger - thereby “transferring” ancient magic to the sorcerer.
A remarkable feature of the Chukchi shaman is that he can “gender me” at will. Men, at the behest of the spirits, become women, even get married. Bogoraz suggested that these are echoes of matriarchy.
Chukchi and humor
The Chukchi came up with the saying "laughter makes a man strong." This phrase is considered the life credo of every Chukchi. They are not afraid of death, they kill easily, without feeling heavy. For other people it is not clear how you can first cry over death loved one and then laugh? But despondency and longing for the Chukchi is a sign that a person was “captured” by the evil spirit of Kele, and this was condemned. Therefore, the Chukchi are constantly joking, making fun of each other, laughing. From childhood, the Chukchi are taught to be cheerful. It is believed that if a child cries for a long time, then his parents did not raise him well. Girls for marriage are also chosen according to their liking. If a girl is cheerful and has a sense of humor, she is more likely to get married than an eternally sad one, since it is believed that a sad girl is sick, and therefore dissatisfied, because she thinks about illnesses.
Chukchi and jokes
Not only the Chukchi laugh, but they also like to make fun of the Chukchi. The topic of the Chukchi in Russian jokes is one of the most extensive. They joke about the Chukchi since the days of the USSR. Associate Professor of the Center for Typology and Semiotics of the Russian State Humanitarian University Alexandra Arkhipova connects the beginning of the appearance of anecdotes with the film “Head of Chukotka” of the 1960s. There, for the first time, the familiar Chukchi “however” sounded. The image of the Chukchi in jokes is that he does not know Russian well, a wild, gullible person, he constantly reflects. There is also an opinion that we read the measure of our national superiority from the Chukchi. Like, the Chukchi is stupid and naive, but we are not like that. To date, the main theme of jokes has shifted towards the former Chukotka governor Roman Abramovich.
Chukchi or luoravetlans(self-name - ԓygyoravetԓet, oravetԓet) - a small indigenous people of the extreme northeast of Asia, scattered over a vast territory from the Bering Sea to the Indigirka River and from the Arctic Ocean to the Anadyr and Anyui rivers. The number according to the All-Russian population census of 2002 is 15767 people, according to the All-Russian population census of 2010 - 15908 people.
Number and settlement
The number of Chukchi in Russia:
The number of Chukchi in settlements(2002)
Srednie Pakhachi village 401
Origin
Their name, which the Russians, Yakuts and Evens call them, is adapted in the 17th century. Russian explorers Chukchi word chauch[ʧawʧəw] (rich in deer), what name do Chukchi reindeer breeders call themselves, as opposed to the Chukchi seaside - dog breeders - ankalyin(seaside, coasts - from anky(sea) . Self-name - oravetԓet(Men in singular oravetԓien) or ԓygyoravetԓet [ɬəɣʔoráwətɬʔǝt] (real people, singular ԓygyoravetԓen [ ɬəɣʔoráwətɬʔǝn] - in the Russian transmission luoravetlan). The neighbors of the Chukchi are the Yukagirs, Evens, Yakuts and Eskimos (on the coast of the Bering Strait).
The mixed type (Asian-American) is confirmed by some legends, myths and differences in the life of the deer and coastal Chukchi: the latter, for example, have an American-style dog team. The final solution of the question of ethnographic origin depends on a comparative study of the Chukchi language and the languages of the nearest American peoples. One of the experts on the language, V. Bogoraz, found it closely related not only to the language of the Koryaks and Itelmens, but also to the language of the Eskimos. Until very recently, according to the language of the Chukchi, they were classified as Paleo-Asians, that is, a group of marginal peoples of Asia, whose languages are completely different from all other linguistic groups of the Asian mainland, forced out in very remote times from the middle of the mainland to the northeastern outskirts.
Anthropology
Story
Voluntary death is a common occurrence among the Chukchi. A person who wants to die declares this to a friend or relative, and he must fulfill his request ... I know of two dozen cases of voluntary death ... [So] one of those who arrived after visiting the Russian barracks felt a stomachache. During the night, the pain intensified so much that he demanded to be killed. His companions granted his wish.
Anticipating many speculations, the ethnographer writes:
The reason for the voluntary death of the elderly is by no means a lack of good attitude towards them on the part of their relatives, but rather the difficult conditions of their life. These conditions make life completely unbearable for anyone who is unable to take care of himself. Not only old people resort to voluntary death, but also those suffering from some incurable disease. The number of such patients who die a voluntary death is not less than the number of old people.
Folklore
The Chukchi have a rich oral folk art which is also expressed in the art of stone bone. The main genres of folklore: myths, fairy tales, historical legends, legends and everyday stories. One of the main characters was a raven - Kurkyl, culture hero. Many legends and fairy tales have been preserved, such as "Keeper of Fire", "Love", "When do the whales leave?", "God and the Boy". Let's take an example of the latter:
One family lived in the tundra: father, mother, and two children, a boy and a girl. The boy looked after the deer, and the girl helped her mother with the housework. One morning, the father woke up his daughter and ordered her to build a fire and make tea. A girl came out of the canopy, and God caught her and ate her, and then ate her father and mother. The boy from the herd has returned. Before entering the yaranga, I looked through the hole to see what was going on there. And he sees - God sits on an extinct hearth and plays in the ashes. The boy shouted to him: - Hey, what are you doing? - Nothing, come here. The boy went into the yaranga, they began to play. The boy plays, and he looks around, looking for relatives. He understood everything and said to God: - Play alone, I'll go before the wind! He ran out of the yaranga. Untie two of the most angry dogs and ran with them into the forest. He climbed a tree, and tied the dogs under a tree. He played, God played, he wanted to eat and went to look for the boy. He goes, sniffing the trail. I got to the tree. He wanted to climb a tree, but the dogs caught him, tore him to pieces and ate him. And the boy came home with his herd and became the owner.
Historical traditions have preserved stories of wars with neighboring Eskimo tribes.
Folk dances
Despite the difficult living conditions, the people found time for the holidays, where the tambourine was not only ritual, but simply musical instrument, the tunes to which were passed down from generation to generation. Archaeological evidence suggests that dances existed among the ancestors of the Chukchi as early as the 1st millennium BC. e. This is evidenced by petroglyphs discovered beyond the Arctic Circle in Chukotka and studied by archaeologist N. N. Dikov.
A striking example of ceremonial and ritual dances was the celebration of the “First Slaughter of a Deer”:
After the meal, all the tambourines belonging to the family, hanging on the poles of the threshold behind a curtain of raw skins, are removed, and the ceremony begins. The tambourines are beaten throughout the rest of the day in turn by all family members. When all the adults have finished, the children take their place and, in turn, continue to beat the tambourines. While playing the tambourines, many adults invoke "spirits" and try to encourage them to enter their body... .
Imitative dances were also widespread, reflecting the habits of animals and birds: “Crane”, “Crane looks out for food”, “Crane flight”, “Crane looks around”, “Swan”, “Dance of the seagull”, “Raven”, “Bull (deer) fight )”, “Dance of ducks”, “Bullfight during the rut”, “Looking out”, “Running of a deer”.
Trading dances played a special role as a type of group marriage, as V. G. Bogoraz writes, they served on the one hand as a new connection between families, on the other, the old family ties are strengthened.
Language, writing and literature
see also
- Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation
Notes
- Official website of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census. Information materials on the final results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census
- All-Russian population census 2002. Archived from the original on August 21, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
-
- [http://std.gmcrosstata.ru/webapi/opendatabase?id=vpn2002_pert Microdatabase of the 2002 All-Russian Population Census
- V. G. Bogoraz. Chukchi. Part 1. Leningrad 1934 p.3
- MONGOLOID RACE
- Chukchi letter
- Yakut army
- Description of the haplogroup N1c1-M178
- TSB (2 edition)
- Dishes from Chukchi cuisine
- Food for northerners in love
- Chukchi sailor
- V. G. Bogoraz. Chukchi. Part 1. Leningrad 1934 pp. 106-107
- Ibid pp. 107-108
- Chukchi Fairy tales and legends
- Ethnography of Kamchatka
- Chukchi, songs and dances
- also found the name seaside Chukchi
- See further: N. N. Cheboksarov, N. I. Cheboksarova. Peoples, races, cultures. Moscow: Nauka 1971
- V. G. Bogoraz. Chukchi and religion. Glavsemorputi L., 1939 p.76
- Folklore sector
- Ibid p. 95
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