What is the name of the Chukchi dwelling? Chukotka dwelling. The ancient traditional dwelling of the Asian Eskimos was a half-dugout with a frame made of bones, ribs and jaws of whales

The camps of the Chukchi reindeer herders numbered from 2 to 10 tents (yaran`s). They were usually located one after the other in a line according to the degree of prosperity of the owners from east to west. The first from the east was the yaranga of the owner of the camp, the last - the poor man.

The villages of the coastal Chukchi usually consisted of 2-20 (sometimes more) yarangas, scattered at some distance from each other. The size of the village was determined by the fishing capabilities of a particular area.

The Chukotka yaranga was a large tent, cylindrical at the base and conical at the top. The frame of the tent consisted of poles placed vertically in a circle, on the upper ends of which crossbars were placed horizontally; Other poles were tied to them obliquely, connecting at the top and forming a cone-shaped upper part. Three poles were placed in the center in the form of a tripod, on which the upper poles of the frame rested. The frame was covered with special tires. The reindeer Chukchi sewed a tire from old reindeer skins with cut hair; coastal people covered the yaranga with tarpaulin or walrus skins. To prevent the raging winds in Chukotka from destroying and overturning the yaranga, it was tied around the outside with belts with large stones attached to them, and the reindeer herders placed cargo sleds against it. The yarangas of the reindeer Chukchi, due to the need for migrations, were smaller in size and lighter than those of the seaside ones. Inside the yaranga, a fur canopy was tied to one of the horizontal crossbars (usually at its back wall) using additional poles. The canopy was a specific feature of the dwellings of the Chukchi, Koryaks and Asian Eskimos. It was shaped like a box turned upside down. Usually there were 1-3, rarely 4, canopies in a yaranga. The canopy could accommodate several people. They penetrated it by crawling, lifting the front wall. It was so hot here that they sat stripped to the waist, and sometimes naked. For heating and lighting the canopy, a fat pot was used - a stone, clay or wooden cup with a moss wick floating in seal oil. The coastal Chukchi cooked food on this fire, hanging the pot on a peg or hook. If wood fuel was available, a small fire was built in the cold part of the yaranga for cooking food.

In the yaranga they sat on spread skins. Low chairs or tree roots were also used. For the same purpose, horns were cut off along with the parietal bone.

Before half of the 19th century V. among the coastal Chukchi ancient type dwellings are half-dugouts. Their ruins have survived to this day. The round frame of the semi-dugout was made from the jaws and ribs of a whale (hence its Chukchi name valkaran - “house of whale jaws”), then it was covered with turf and covered with earth on top. Sometimes the bone frame was placed in a recess, then the result was a semi-underground dwelling with a roof protruding to the surface. The semi-dugout had two exits: a long corridor, which was used only in winter, since in the summer it was flooded with water, and a round hole at the top, closed with a whale’s shoulder blade, which served only in summer time. The floor of the half-dugout, or at least the middle of it, was covered with large bones; in the center there was a large grease pot that burned around the clock. On all four sides of the semi-dugouts, elevations were arranged in the form of bunks and 2-4 (according to the number of families) canopies of the usual type were built on them. As a result of replacing the half-dugout with a yaranga, the living conditions of the coastal Chukchi improved significantly. But the lack of windows, exceptional crowding in the canopy, constant soot from the grease pit, the presence of dogs in the yarangas, etc. did not make it possible to maintain the necessary cleanliness. The canopies of the Chukchi reindeer herders, as a rule, were cleaner than those of the coastal Chukchi: due to frequent migrations, the canopies were dismantled and knocked out, while the coastal Chukchi did this only twice a year - in spring and autumn. Knocking out yaranga tires and canopies is one of the difficult jobs of Chukchi women. For this purpose there were special upholsteries. The upholstery was made from deer antler or wood and was a stick slightly curved at one end, 50 to 70 cm long.

In the summer, some of the coastal Chukchi lived in tents during their travels along the seashore and some reindeer herders during their migrations to the tundra. In the absence of a tent, the coastal Chukchi built a tent-like dwelling from three oars and a sail or spent the night under an overturned canoe.

The Chukchi reindeer herders “did not have any outbuildings. They stored all excess things and food supplies inside the yaranga, and in the summer, unnecessary things were placed on cargo sleds installed near the dwelling, and covered with rovduga on top to protect them from rain.

The coastal Chukchi near the yarang usually installed 4 whale ribs with crossbars at a height of about 2 m from the ground. In the summer, sledges were placed on them, and in winter, canoes, so that the dogs would not eat the straps holding the sledges together and the leather tires of the canoes. The coastal Chukchi kept the rest of their property inside the yaranga.

The Chukchi had two types of dwellings: portable and permanent. The “sedentary”, or sedentary, had winter and summer dwellings. In winter they lived in half-dugouts, the type and design of which were borrowed from the Eskimos.

The most detailed information about the structure of half-dugouts of sedentary Chukchi is reported by Merck: “The outside of the yurts are covered with turf, rounded and rise several feet above the ground level. There is a quadrangular opening on the side through which you can enter. Around the entrance there are uprights placed around the entire circumference of the dugouts, except for only a place for passage, whale jaws... up to 7 feet. On top they are covered with whale ribs, and on top of that with turf. Through the mentioned entrance you first find yourself in a corridor the length of the entire dugout, about 6 feet high, about a fathom wide or more, and slightly deeper than the floor level of the dugout.

The dugout itself is always quadrangular in shape, its width and length are 10-14 feet, and its height is 8 feet or more. Closer to the walls, the height of the room decreases due to the bending of the ceiling. The dugout was sunk 5 feet into the ground, and on top of that, an earthen wall was laid three feet high, with whale jaws on top, mounted on all sides. On the mentioned whale jaws rest four separate identical whale jaws, laid lengthwise from the entrance itself at some distance from each other and forming the ceiling of the yurt.

Whale ribs are laid across them across the entire ceiling. At a height of three feet from the floor level, one rib is attached to the four corners of the yurt, which rest on supports in the middle of their bend, and boards are laid on them along all four walls. They represent the bunks on which the Chukchi sleep and sit. The floor is also covered with boards, and under the bunks, instead of flooring, walrus skins are placed. Near the entrance there is a lattice opening in the ceiling covered with a whale liver bladder.

Near the window there is another small hole in the ceiling in the form of a vertebra pressed into the roof; it is intended to release smoke from the lamps located at the four corners of the yurt. Some of the whale ribs that form the roof are painted on the sides White color and figures are depicted on them, such as whales, canoes, and so on... The canopy is illuminated by the same window built into the ceiling near the dugout itself" (MAE Archives. Col. 3. Op. 1. P. 2. P. 15- 17).

When comparing this description with the materials archaeological excavations a striking similarity is revealed with the dugouts of the Punuk period (VII-XVII centuries AD). The material from which the dugouts were built also coincides. The modern population of Chukotka has preserved the memory that there used to be two types of half-dugouts: valkaran (“dwelling of jaws”) and klergan (“men’s dwelling”). Clergan, despite this name, was simply a winter dwelling in which several families of close relatives settled. Valkaran is also a winter home, but for one family. According to informants, orphans or strangers lived in Valkaran, whom she could settle near her big family. Summer dwellings of sedentary Chukchi in the 18th century. differed in that their inhabitants were usually members of the same family. According to K. Merk, for one winter yurt there were several summer yarangs. For example, in Uelene there were 26 summer yurts and 7 winter ones (Ethnographic materials, 1978. P. 155). Approximately this ratio of winter and summer dwellings is typical for all sedentary Chukchi settlements.

Yarangas of the coastal Chukchi appearance and the internal structure was reminiscent of the yarangas of the reindeer Chukchi2. While retaining the structural basis of the reindeer herders' yaranga, the summer home of the sedentary Chukchi also had some differences. It did not have a smoke hole. In the treeless area, the Chukchi did not even build a fireplace. Food was prepared on fat lamps or in specially constructed “kitchens” near the yaranga, where they burned the bones of sea animals and doused them with fat. During voyages, if necessary, canoes were used for shelter from bad weather for temporary housing. They were pulled ashore, turned upside down and placed under their shelter.

At the end of the 18th century. winter dugouts began to fall out of use. Later A.L. Lazarev noted: " We did not see winter yurts among the Chukchi; summer ones are quite round at the bottom, from 2 and a half to 4 fathoms in diameter, and convex at the top, which is why from a distance they look like a haystack. We were told that the Chukchi live in these yurts in winter, which we did not believe at first, but they assured us that it is not cold in them in winter"(Notes on navigation, 1950. P. 302).

In the 19th century The semi-underground dwellings of the Valkaran and Klegran finally disappear. Instead of them in winter time Yarangas with sleeping canopies made of deer skins are used. F.P. Wrangel, who rode on dogs from Cape Shelagskoye to Kolyuchinskaya Bay, saw only the ruins of old dugouts, but nowhere does he say that the Chukchi live in them. " Sedentary Chukchi live in small villages, he wrote. - Their huts are built on poles and whale ribs, covered with deer skins."(Wrangel, 1948. pp. 311-312).

The reindeer Chukchi lived in yarangas both in winter and summer. The only difference between them was the quality of the skins from which the tire and canopy were made. Descriptions of the dwellings of Chukchi reindeer herders of the 18th century. indicate that with the development of production and changes public relations The yaranga also underwent changes, primarily its size.

“In yarangas they unite in the summer, as well as in winter, during long stays in one place, all connected by at least distant kinship. Such yarangas accommodate several canopies made of reindeer skins and therefore have significant dimensions” (MAE Archives. Col. 3. Op. 1. P. 2. P. 5-14). Community yarangas of the reindeer Chukchi existed in some places in the first quarter of the 19th century. By the 40s and 50s of the 19th century. the individual family becomes the main economic unit of Chukotka society; Apparently, there was a complete isolation in everyday life. In this regard, collective housing has lost its significance.

In the book Z.P. Sokolova"Dwelling of the Peoples of Siberia (Typology Experience)" is given detailed description devices Chukotka yaranga: "(yaran.y) - a frame cylindrical-conical non-lattice dwelling. For reindeer herders it was portable, for sea hunters it was stationary. The frame of a yaranga consists of vertical poles placed in a circle. In a portable yaranga these poles stand in the form of tripods connected with belts , in a stationary one they alternate singly or are connected in pairs by diagonal crossbars.

The upper parts of the vertical poles or tripods are connected by vertical poles forming a hoop, to which are attached poles of a conical covering, crossing the tops of each other and resting (in a stationary dwelling) on ​​a central support pole with a crossbar at the top or on three poles in the form of a tripod (three poles, connected by vertices). The poles of the conical covering are sometimes secured from the inside with a hoop and covered with inclined poles. In some yarangas, the top is slightly shifted from the center to the north... On top of the yaranga frame it is covered with tires made of deer or walrus skins, in the summer - with a tarpaulin. Outside, the yaranga is tied with belts to protect from the wind, to which stones are attached. The lower part of the frame of the stationary yaranga at the base and the entrance are covered by the Primorye Chukchi with turf or stones in the form of a low wall. The entrance hole is closed with a piece of leather or a wooden door only during snowstorms.

The interior space is divided into separate rooms for married couples or parents and children by three or four fur canopies (in the form of a rectangular box), heated by stone lamps with seal oil (zhirnik). The canopies are tied using poles to a horizontal pole at the back wall of the dwelling. They crawl into the canopy, lifting its front wall. A fire is lit in the cold front part of the yaranga (Sokolova, 1998, pp. 75, 77).

I.S. Vdovin, E.P. Batyanova
(from the book Peoples of North-East Siberia)

Dwelling of the reindeer Chukchi.

Dwelling of the reindeer Chukchi yaranga a tent, round at the base, with a height in the center from 3.5 to 4.7 m and a diameter from 5.7 to 7 8 m. The wooden frame consisted of poles resting on a tripod firmly standing on the ground from thick poles tied with a leather belt through holes into their top parts. Below, meter-long bipeds and tripods were tied to the poles and poles with straps, forming a wide circle of the base of the yaranga and supporting the transverse crossbars attached to them at their ends. A circle made of them, smaller in diameter than the base, strengthened the frame of the yaranga in its middle part.

At the top, closer to the smoke hole, there is another row of pepper bars. The wooden frame of the yaranga was covered (fur side out) with deer skins, usually sewn into 2 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. For 2 halves of the outer covering, about 40 - 50 large deer skins were required. The yaranga was entered between the two halves of the cover, folding their edges to the sides. For winter we used new coatings, for summer - those that were used last year.

In winter, during periods of frequent migrations, the canopy was made from the thickest skins with the fur inside. The shepherds driving their flock to the new one. pasture, lived in yarangas with a light covering and a small sleeping canopy. The hearth was in the center of the yaranga, under the smoke hole. Opposite the entrance, at the back wall, a sleeping area was installed - a canopy - in the form of a parallelepiped sewn from skins.

Chukotka reindeer herders do not live in tents, but in more complex mobile dwellings called yarangas. Next, we propose to get acquainted with the basics of construction and structure of this traditional dwelling, which Chukchi reindeer herders continue to build today.
Without a deer there will be no yaranga - this axiom is true in the literal and figurative sense. Firstly, because we need material for “construction” - deer skins. Secondly, without deer, such a house is not needed. Yaranga is a mobile, portable dwelling for reindeer herders, necessary for areas where there is no timber, but there is a need for constant migration for the reindeer herd. To build a yaranga you need poles. Birch ones are best. Birches in Chukotka, strange as it may seem to some, are growing. In the continental part along the banks of rivers. The limited area of ​​their distribution was the reason for the emergence of such a concept as “scarcity”. The poles were taken care of, they were passed on and are still passed on by inheritance. Some yaranga poles in the Chukotka tundra are more than a hundred years old.

Encampment

Yaranga frame prepared for the filming of the film “Territory”

The difference between a yaranga and a chum is the complexity of its design. It's like an airbus and a corn truck. A chum is a hut, vertically standing poles, which is covered with waterproof material (birch bark, skins, etc.). The structure of the yaranga is much more complicated.

Pulling the tire (rathem) onto the yaranga frame

The construction of a yaranga begins with determining the cardinal directions. This is important because the entrance should always be in the east. First, three long poles are placed (as in the construction of a tent). Then, small wooden tripods are installed around these poles, which are fastened together with horizontal poles. From the tripods to the top of the yaranga there are poles of the second tier. All the poles are fastened to each other with ropes or belts made of deerskin. After installing the frame, a tire (ratem) made of skins is pulled on. Several ropes are thrown over the upper poles, which are tied to the awning tire and, using the elementary laws of physics and the command “eeee, one,” only in the Chukotka version, the tire is put on the frame. To prevent the tire from blowing off during a snowstorm, its edges are covered with stones. Stones are also hung on ropes to the tripod posts. Poles and boards that are tied to the outside of the yaranga are also used as anti-sails.

“Strengthening” the yaranga to prevent the tire from blowing off

Winter tires are definitely made from hides. One ratem takes from 40 to 50 deer skins. With summer tires there are options. Previously, old rathams, sewn and altered, with peeling wool, were used for summer tires. The Chukotka summer, although harsh, forgives a lot. Including an imperfect tire for the yaranga. In winter, the tire must be perfect, otherwise a huge snowdrift will blow into the small hole during a snowstorm. IN Soviet time The lower part of the tire, which is most susceptible to moisture, began to be replaced with strips of tarpaulin. Then other materials appeared, so today’s summer yarangas are more reminiscent of a grandmother’s colorful blanket.
Yaranga in the Amguem tundra

Third brigade of MUSHP "Chaunskoe"

Yaranga in the Yanrakynnot tundra

Externally, the yaranga is ready. Inside, a large 5-8 meters in diameter sub-tent space appeared - chottagin. Chottagin is the economic part of the yaranga. In the chottagin, the cold room of the yaranga, in winter the temperature is the same as outside, except that there is no wind.

Now you need to make a room for living. On the wall opposite the entrance, a rectangular frame is attached using poles, which is covered with skins and wool inside. This canopy is a living space in a yaranga. They sleep in the canopy, dry clothes (through natural evaporation of moisture), and in winter they eat. The canopy is heated using a grease stove or kerosene stove. Due to the fact that the skins are tucked inward, the canopy becomes almost airtight. This is good in terms of heat retention, but bad in terms of ventilation. However, frost is the most effective fighter against natures with a refined perception of smells. Since it is impossible to open the canopy at night, they relieve themselves in a special container right there in the canopy. Believe me, this won’t bother you either if you find yourself in the tundra without transport for more than two days. Because one of the main human needs is the need for warmth. But it’s warm in the tundra, only in the canopy. Nowadays, a yaranga usually has one canopy; previously there could have been two or even three. One family lives in the canopy. If a family has adult children who already have their own families, a second canopy is placed in the yaranga for the first time. But over time, the young will need to assemble their yaranga.

Canopy outside

Canopy inside. Lighted and heated by a grease stove or kerosene stove

The hearth is organized in the center of Chottagin. The smoke from the fire escapes through a hole in the dome. But despite such ventilation, it is almost always smoky in Chottagin. Therefore, standing in a yaranga is not recommended.

Making a fire

Where can you get wood for a fire if trees don’t grow in the tundra? There are really no trees (with the exception of floodplain groves) in the tundra, but you can almost always find shrubs. Actually, the yaranga is mainly placed near a river with bushes. The fireplace in the yaranga is built exclusively for cooking. Heating chottagin is pointless and wasteful. Small twigs are used for fire. If the branches of the bush are thick and long, they are cut into small logs 10-15 cm in length. The amount of firewood that a taiga resident burns per night will last a reindeer herder for a week, or even more. What can we say about the young pioneers with their bonfires? Savings and rationality main criterion life of a reindeer herder. The same criterion is used in the design of the yaranga, which is primitive at first glance, but very effective upon closer examination.

The kettle is suspended above the fireplace on chains, vats and pots are installed on bricks or stones. They stop adding firewood to the fire as soon as the container begins to boil.

Firewood harvesting

Utensil. Small tables and small stools are used as furniture in the yaranga. Yaranga is a world of minimalism. Furniture in the yaranga also includes cabinets and shelves for storing food and utensils. With the advent of European civilization in Chukotka, especially during the Soviet period, concepts such as kerogas, primus, and abeshka (generator) appeared in the lives of reindeer herders, which somewhat simplified some aspects of life. Cooking food, especially baked goods, is now done not on a fire, but on primus stoves or kerosene gases. In some reindeer herding farms, in winter, stoves are installed in yarangas, which are heated with coal. Of course, you can live without all this, but if you have it, why not use it?

Afternoon

Evening leisure

In each yaranga there is always meat or fish hanging on the top and side poles. Rationalism, as I said above, is a key aspect of human life in a traditional society. Why should the smoke go to waste? Especially if it, smoke, is an excellent preservative.

Yaranga's "bins"

Traditional Chukchi dwelling

The villages of the coastal Chukchi usually consisted of 2-20 yarangas, scattered at some distance from each other. The size of the village was determined by the fishing capabilities of a particular area. By the time the Russians arrived, the Chukchi lived in semi-dugouts. The round frame of the dwelling was made from the jaws and ribs of a whale. Hence its name valharan- “a house made of whale jaws” [Levin N.G., 1956: 913]. The frame was covered with turf and covered with earth on top. The dwelling had two exits: a long corridor, which was used only in winter, since in the summer it was flooded with water, and a round hole at the top, closed with a whale’s shoulder blade, which served only in the summer. In the center of the dwelling there was a large grease pit that burned all day long. On all four sides of the semi-dugouts, elevations were arranged in the form of bunks, and on them, according to the number of families, canopies of the usual type were built [Golovnev A.I., 1999: 23]. The tires were deer skin and walrus skin, which were tied with leather straps wrapped around stones so that the raging winds in Chukotka would not destroy or overturn the dwelling.

The main form of settlements of reindeer herders were camps, consisting of several portable tent-type dwellings - yarang. They were located in a row stretched from east to west. The first in the row from the east was the yaranga of the head of the nomadic community.

The Chukotka yaranga was a large tent, cylindrical at the base and conical at the top (See Appendix, Fig. 4). The frame of the tent consisted of poles placed vertically in a circle, on the upper ends of which crossbars were placed horizontally, and other poles were tied to them obliquely, connecting at the top and forming a cone-shaped upper part. Three poles were placed in the center in the form of a tripod, on which the upper poles of the frame rested. The frame was covered on top with tires sewn from reindeer skins with the hair facing out, and tightened with belts. The floor was covered with skins.

Inside the yaranga, a fur canopy was tied to one of the horizontal crossbars (usually at the back wall) using additional poles. The canopy was a specific feature of the dwellings of the Chukchi, Koryaks and Asian Eskimos. It was shaped like a box turned upside down. Usually there were no more than four canopies in a yaranga. It could accommodate several people (separate married couples). They penetrated the canopy by crawling, lifting the front wall. It used to be so hot here that we sat there, stripped to the waist, and sometimes naked.

For heating and lighting the canopy, a fat pot was used - a stone, clay or wooden cup with a moss wick floating in seal oil [Levin N.G., 1956: 913]. If there was wood fuel in the cold part of the yaranga, a small fire was lit for cooking food.

In the yaranga they sat on spread skins. Low three-legged stools or tree roots were also common. For the same purpose they adapted deer horns, cut together with the parietal bone.

Schoolchildren can easily answer the question “Where do the Chukchi live?” On 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 region of the same name; we need to find a more serious approach and understand the national intricacies.

Are there any differences between the Chukchi, Eskimos and Koryaks?

Of course there is. All these are different nationalities, once tribes, having common roots and inhabiting 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 were nomadic, but after taming the reindeer they began to adapt a little. 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 reindeer, tundra.

Some anthropologists classify the Eskimos as a Mongoloid race of Arctic origin. This nation lives in the state of Alaska (USA), in the northern regions of Canada, on the island of Greenland (Denmark) and quite a few (1,500 people) in Chukotka. In each country, Eskimos speak their own language: Greenlandic, Alaskan Inuit, and Canadian Eskimo. All of them are divided into different dialects.

Who are the Chukchi and Koryak? The Luoravetlans first pushed back the Eskimo tribes, and then separated territorially from the Koryaks. Today, the Koryaks (a common people with the Chukchi) constitute the indigenous population of the autonomous district of the same name in the Kamchatka region in Russia. In total there are about 7,000 people. The Koryak language belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka group. The first mentions of the Koryaks are found in documents of the 16th century. People are described, some of whom were engaged in reindeer herding, and others in marine fishing.

Appearance

Where do the Chukchi live and what do they look like? The answer to the first part of the question is formulated 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 a mixed Mongoloid race. They are similar to the inhabitants of Mongolia, China, and Korea, but are somewhat different.

The eye shape of Luoravetlan men is more horizontal than slanting. The cheekbones are not as wide as those of the Yakuts, and the skin color has a bronze tint. Women of this nationality are more similar in appearance to Mongoloids: wide cheekbones, wide noses with large nostrils. Hair color for representatives of both Men cut their hair short, women braid two braids and decorate them with beads. Married women wear bangs.

Luoravetlan winter clothes are two-layer, most often sewn from fawn fur. Summer clothing consists of capes or jackets made of deer suede.

Character traits

Drawing psychological picture of this nationality, note the main feature - excessive nervous excitability. Luoravetlan are easily disturbed from a state of spiritual balance; they are very hot-tempered. Against this background, they have a tendency towards 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, original. In any dispute or struggle they show unprecedented persistence.

At the same time, these people are very hospitable and good-natured, naive. They selflessly come to the aid of their neighbors and everyone in need. They take the concept of marital fidelity very lightly. 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 refer to the weather, residents use only two expressions: “there is weather” or “there is no weather.” 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 catches three in one go, 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 length and breadth with skins. Usually there is a small fire in the middle, surrounded by round boulders. There is a hanging cauldron of food on it. The wife takes care of the housework, butchering carcasses, cooking, and salting meat. There are children near her. Together they collect plants in season. The husband is the breadwinner. This way of life has been preserved for many centuries.

Sometimes such indigenous families do not go to the 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 the hero of jokes?

There is an opinion that Russians composed humorous stories about them out of fear and respect, a sense of superiority over themselves. Since the 18th century, when Cossack troops moved across endless Siberia and met the Luoravetlan tribes, rumors began to circulate about a warlike nation that was very difficult to surpass in battle.

The Chukchi taught their sons fearlessness and dexterity from childhood, raising them in Spartan conditions. In the harsh terrain 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 favorite national wrestling takes place on a spread of slippery sealskin, along the perimeter of which sharply sharpened claws protrude.

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 several dozen Luoravetlans. Even in other countries there were tales about militant reindeer herders who are not afraid of arrows, dodge them, catch them and launch them at the enemy with their hands. Women and children who were captured killed themselves to avoid being enslaved.

In battle, the Chukchi were merciless, accurately killing the enemy with arrows, the tips of which were smeared with poison.

The government began to warn the Cossacks not to engage in battles with the Chukchi. At the next stage, they decided to bribe, persuade, and then solder the population (more so in Soviet times). And at the end of the 18th century. A fortress was built near the Angarka River. Fairs were periodically organized near it 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 she was not 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, they did not have trade relations with the French and British simply because they were “white.”

Established with Japan neighboring country. The Chukchi live where it is impossible to extract metal ores in the depths of the earth. Therefore, they actively bought protective armor, armor, other military uniforms and equipment, and metal products from the Japanese.

The Luoravetlans exchanged furs and other extracted goods for tobacco with the Americans. 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 left now. The “ineradicable people,” as they are often called, assimilated. At the same time, they preserve their occupation, culture, and way of life.

Many scientists are confident that the small indigenous ethnic group is threatened not by extinction, but by 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 strive for it. The Chukchi live in harsh natural conditions and they don’t like having their own rules 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 can warm him up.