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| Representation of a Chukchi family by Louis Choris (1816) |
The Chukchi
The Chukchi are the ancient
people living within the Chukotka Peninsula (northeastern Siberia) as well as on the shores of the Bering Sea and
Chukchi Sea. It is believed that they originated from the inhabitants of the
Okhotsk Sea.
Traditionally, the Chukchi
are divided into two divisions: the Maritime Chukchi who lived along
the coast and are focused on hunting sea mammal and the Reindeer Chukchi who
wander within the inland tundra region with their reindeer herds.
The name Chukchi is Russian stems
from the word Chauchu – rich in
reindeer - and is used by the Reindeer Chukchi to identify themselves. They are
also referred to as the Anqallt (sea people).
During the prehistoric times
it is thought that these ancient people were engaged in the nomadic type of
hunting. Today they still hunt marine mammals, reindeer and polar bears.
Their religion is considered
a native form of shamanism in which every object whether animate or not had a
spirit. Their rich folklore included creation myths, jokes about foolish
people, misfortunes brought about by evil spirits, and ancient battles between
them and Eskimos.
Here
is an example of one folktale:
Several
shamans were traveling on the ocean when their boat started to
leak. The boat's owner succeeded in stopping the leak with the aid of
seaweed-spirits. When they got near land, he told the seaweed-spirits to depart.
The leak began again and he challenged the other shamans to stop it. Not as skilled, they could not drown. Only
the shaman who was able to master the seaweed-spirits swam to safety.
In 1920s, the Russian
Federation setup state-owned operations based on reindeer herding, walrus ivory
carving and more. As is often the case, they were educated within the dominant
culture school system. That resulted in
a loss of cultural ways, such as language and elements of their nomadic
lifestyle.
Today it has been reported
that their native language is being revived among many of the population of 16,000. So are some aspects of their
nomadic herding traditions.
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