Residents of the tundra save guests from the frost with the help of their naked wife
What have we heard about the Chukchi and the northern peoples in general, besides anecdotes? Yes, practically nothing! However, there are people who thoroughly understand the topic. In particular, a world-famous scientist, Professor Sergei ARUTYUNOV, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who conducted ethnographic field work in Japan, Vietnam, India, the Caucasus, as well as in the Far North and Siberia, including Chukotka. Although jokes are also information!
“Chukchi, go to the shower and wash yourself!” - “It’s impossible, however! There will be grief! The first time I washed myself, the war began. I washed myself the second time - Stalin died. At all
woe!
They finally forced the Chukchi into the shower. A couple of minutes later a joyful exclamation: “Hurray! I found the shirt!” - "Where?!" - “It was under a sweatshirt!”
- Sergey Alexandrovich, why are there so many jokes about the Chukchi?
- For the same reason that in India they tell jokes about the Sikhs, in Great Britain - about the Scots, and throughout Europe - about the Belgians. It is human nature to choose some kind of victim for ridicule. Despite the fact that everyone understands that these peoples are no worse than others. By the way, the Chukchi also have jokes about Russians. For example this one. A young Russian comes to Chukotka for the first time. Naturally, they take it with vodka - they drink one bottle, a second, a third... Finally, he asks: “How to become one of our own in Chukotka?” - “We need to sleep with a Chukchi woman and shake the bear’s paw.” The Russian staggers out. He returns in the morning, all tattered: “Well, I slept with the bear, now give the Chukchi woman - I’ll shake her hand!” In general, the Chukchi are very hospitable people and are also ready to laugh at themselves.
What shocked you most about the customs? northern peoples?
- I am an ethnographer, accustomed to everything. But there were also funny moments. One of the visits to a Chukotka family about 50 years ago is very memorable. We arrived at yaranga, the dwelling of the Chukchi. It's cold in there, so in the center there's also a fur canopy made of reindeer skins...
- Is it warm underneath?
- Certainly! People heat up the space so much with their breath that they strip down to their underwear. The nomadic Chukchi are very fond of silk underwear. And not for the sake of beauty, but because lice do not grow in it - washing often under such conditions is problematic.
So, we sit and wait for the treat. And then the baby started crying and wanted to go potty. The hostess takes off his warm fur overalls and a diaper made of dried moss and gives him the opportunity to relieve himself in a wooden dish. Then this dish is placed behind the canopy - into the cold space of the yaranga, where the dogs are. A few seconds - and the dogs lick it all off until it shines. The hostess returns the dish and quite calmly begins to cut cold venison on it. This is what we ate with tea. By the way, she did not forget to thoroughly wipe the cups with a towel... To be fair, I will say that now, of course, the situation with hygiene has changed dramatically.
Fly agarics
Chukchi says to Russian:
- If you guess how many deer I have, I’ll give you both!
- Two.
- Wow, shaman!
- In one of your interviews you said that the Chukchi do not recognize mushrooms.
- Yes, they disdain them, they call them the excrement of the devil. This is primarily due to the fact that mushrooms pose a threat to losing deer. Deer experience protein starvation all the time. And the mushroom is the source of this very protein. So if a mushroom place comes across a deer’s path, that’s it, you won’t be able to gather the herd anymore, it will simply scatter. Therefore, as they approach the mushroom places, the Chukchi begin to yell, throw sticks, set dogs on fire - in a word, do everything so that the herd passes by as quickly as possible.
- But they still have respect for one mushroom.
- If you mean fly agaric, then yes. Among the Chukchi, fly agaric is common as a hallucinogen. And in order not to get poisoned, young people drink the urine of old people who use fly agarics, accustoming themselves to this “delicacy”. I just urge you not to practice this under any circumstances, the consequences can be fatal!
- And this kind of thing happens these days?
- Even about 20 years ago, young people were actively involved in fly agaric eating. That is, now these are people of about 40 years old. And there are even more fly agaric grandfathers! I don’t know how it is in our time. Still for last years A new generation has grown up with a more urbanized, urban mentality. Almost everyone receives secondary education. Although they certainly retain their Chukotka psychology.
- What does it consist of, this psychology?
- Don't stress. Not with anything. Including in sexual relationships.
One for two
The Russian asked the Chukchi for a loan of arctic fox skins for sale. He gave it. The second time he asked, he gave. The Chukchi sees - for the third time a Russian comes to him. He says: “Wife, tell me that I’m hunting, otherwise he’ll beg for skins again!” And he himself - under the bed. The Russian comes in, his wife says: “He’s hunting!” - "What a pity! And I brought the money with interest. Well, let's celebrate the deal! They drank and went to bed. And the Chukchi lies under the bed and thinks: “I need to take the money, I need to shoot the Russian, I need to beat my wife. And as luck would have it, I’m on the hunt!”
- How do the Chukchi generally relate to sexual intimacy?
- Easy enough. Let's say, in the past it often happened that a person lost in the taiga came across a nomadic camp. How to save him from hypothermia? The naked guest was placed with the naked wife of the owner of the house. And then - how it goes... By the way, in 1977, in the same way, a swimmer from the United States was saved from certain death, who was swimming from an American island to a Soviet one in the Bering Strait area. She was carried away by the current and was very cold. And the Russian doctor, familiar with the life of the Chukchi, undressed and climbed into one of her sleeping bags. Everything worked out fine.
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In folklore, Chukchi women often sleep with Russians. How attractive can a Chukotka woman be to anyone? white man?
- Among them there are many nice ones, by our standards. It is not for nothing that all polar explorers had representatives of northern peoples as mistresses or temporary wives. For example, the legendary American admiral Robert Peary, who first reached the North Pole at the beginning of the twentieth century, had an Eskimo as his “field wife.” The archives contain a nude photograph of her, a very impressive woman. And then his legal wife Josephine came to Piri. The ladies met and got along quite well.
- Well, in principle, how important is marital fidelity for the Chukchi?
- The Eskimos in Canada and Alaska still have a tradition of exchanging wives when their families go hunting in the summer. This usually happens between friends and very often on the initiative of women. In our Soviet time Nevertheless, communist morality prevailed, so the Chukchi never advertised such behavior. But the women there are very proud and freedom-loving. I knew one Chukchi family. His name was Robton, he was a whaler and a drunkard. And his wife named Ani got tired of his endless drinking.
“So that’s it,” she said. - I’m your wife, I’ll wash your underpants, put grass in the torboza (those fur boots) so that you don’t freeze, but as a husband you’re of no use. Therefore, at such and such a time, leave, and the store manager will come to me.
He seemed to have resigned himself. But when the store manager was at Anya’s, Robton came and told him: “Come on, putilka!” A bottle of vodka, I mean. He gave it. He comes for the second time: “Let’s go!” And then an enraged Ani jumped out into the corridor. “Who gave you the right to buy me for a bottle?!” - she shouted to the store manager. And she said this to her husband: “I am a free woman and I decide for myself who to sleep with!” With these words, she slashed him on the nose with a semicircular carving knife. And he, pressing the tip of his nose, ran to the paramedic. They barely sewed that nose on to him. In general, it is not uncommon for Chukchi women to have lovers, and their husbands take this calmly.
Like the Jews
The Chukchi became rich and bought a car. A month later they ask him: “So how?” - “Okay, however! Only the deer get very tired and the roof is slippery, I keep falling!”
- Sergey Alexandrovich, are there any rich Chukchi?
- In Soviet times, the Chukchi could earn eight thousand a year from whaling and arctic fox fisheries. And even more! By Soviet standards - a lot of money. But there were few such drummers, and they all drank. The situation changed somewhat under Gorbachev. During the fight against alcoholism, many stupid things were done, but for the Far North it was a blessing. After all, the physiology of the Chukchi is such that they get drunk from the first drink. Having lost the opportunity to drink freely, they rose up so much! And household appliances appeared (for those who lived in the villages), and they began to go to resorts.
A Chukchi friend told me: “I was in Crimea. I liked it, but it was very hot - plus 13 - 15 degrees!” He also bought a Moskvich. True, I went fishing from my village only about once a week, and then during the season - 12 kilometers. “What about the tundra?” - I ask him. “We buy snowmobiles for this, but many still use dogs.” - "Why?" - “What if there’s a snowstorm and you get stuck there for a long time? You leave with 12 dogs and return with four. Eight will go to feed the rest and eat yourself. But you can’t eat a snowmobile!”
And with the advent of capitalism, “new Chukchi” appeared?
- There are still guys who don’t drink who earn two to three million rubles a year. Mostly fishing. Once an Eskimo I knew tried to explain to me how they differ from the Chukchi. “You know, for us the Chukchi are like Jews for Russians. Compared to us, they are more crafty, commercially successful, and cunning.” However, a “new Chukchi” will never appear. There are few Chukchi in general, only 14 thousand, most of whom live in Chukotka. But everyone has nephews, cousins, uncles... “You get so much, but you don’t treat us!” - this is what the successful Chukchi hears. And - he treats, it’s customary. Until the money runs out.
- How many Eskimos are there in total?
- There are more than a hundred thousand of them, although only 1800 live in Russia. But there are even more small peoples. For example, the Uilta - there are only 300 of them left on Sakhalin. Or the Enets - only 250 in Taimyr.
You are a great protector for small nations. What can the state do for the same Chukchi? Look after them more? Or, conversely, not to interfere?
- Don’t interfere, don’t interfere! I think it would be right to put them on a reservation. And this is not an infringement at all. Vice versa! In America, when entering an Indian reservation, an announcement: “By crossing the red line, you agree to obey all decisions of the local tribal council!” If you look at a map of the United States, it is covered like a rash with reservation territories. It has its own laws. If, of course, God forbid, some complicated murder occurs, the investigation will be led by an FBI employee. But all the “everyday issues” are sorted out by local authorities. Of course, everyone is free to choose whether to live with their family or in another place.
- But what is this for? So that the Chukchi preserve their identity?
- First of all, to gain self-respect and survive. And then it is quite likely that the drunkenness to which nine-tenths of the Chukchi are subject will finally be put to an end.
The Chukchi, Luoravetlans, or Chukots, are an indigenous people of the extreme northeast of Asia. The Chukchi genus belongs to the agnate, which is united by the community of fire, common sign totem, consanguinity male line, religious rituals and ancestral revenge. The Chukchi are divided into reindeer (chauchu) - tundra nomadic reindeer herders and coastal, coastal (ankalyn) - sedentary hunters of sea animals, who often live together with the Eskimos. There are also Chukchi dog breeders who bred dogs.
Name
Yakuts, Evens and Russians from the 17th century began to call Chukchi with the Chukchi word chauchu, or I'm drinking, which translated means “rich in deer.”
Where live
The Chukchi people occupy a vast territory from the Arctic Ocean to the Anyui and Anadyr Rivers and from the Bering Sea to the Indigirka River. The bulk of the population lives in Chukotka and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Language
The Chukchi language, by its origin, belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka language family and is part of the Paleo-Asian languages. Close relatives of the Chukchi language are Koryak, Kerek, which disappeared by the end of the 20th century, and Alyutor. Typologically, Chukchi belongs to the incorporating languages.
A Chukchi shepherd named Teneville created an original ideographic writing in the 1930s (although to date it has not been precisely proven whether the writing was ideographic or verbal-syllabic. This writing, unfortunately, has not been widely used. Chukchi since the 1930s They use an alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet with the addition of a few letters. Chukotka literature is mainly created in Russian.
Names
Previously name Chukchi consisted of a nickname that was given to the child on the 5th day of life. The name was given to the child by the mother, who could pass on this right to a person respected by all. It was common to carry out fortune telling on a hanging object, with the help of which the name for the newborn was determined. They took some object from the mother and called names one by one. If the object moves when the name is pronounced, the child was named it.
Chukchi names are divided into female and male, sometimes differing in endings. For example, the female name Tyne-nny and the male name Tyne-nkei. Sometimes the Chukchi, in order to mislead evil spirits, called male name a girl and a boy female name. Sometimes, for the same purpose, the child was given several names.
The names mean the beast, the time of year or day in which the child was born, the place where he was born. Names associated with household items or wishes for a child are common. For example, the name Gitinnevyt is translated as “beauty.”
Number
In 2002, the next All-Russian population census was carried out, according to the results of which the number of Chukchi was 15,767 people. After the All-Russian Population Census in 2010, the number was 15,908 people.
Lifespan
The average life expectancy of the Chukchi is short. Those who live in natural conditions live up to 42-45 years. The main causes of high mortality are alcohol abuse, smoking and poor nutrition. Today, drugs have joined these problems. There are very few centenarians in Chukotka, about 200 people aged 75 years. The birth rate is falling, and all this together, unfortunately, can lead to the extinction of the Chukchi people.
Appearance
The Chukchi belong to the mixed type, which is generally Mongoloid, but with differences. The eye shape is often horizontal rather than oblique, the face is bronze in color, and the cheekbones are not very wide. Among the Chukchi there are men with thick facial hair and almost curly hair. Among women, the Mongolian type of appearance is more common, with a wide nose and cheekbones.
Women wear their hair in two braids on either side of their heads and decorate them with buttons or beads. Married women sometimes the front strands are released onto the forehead. Men often cut their hair very smoothly, leaving a wide fringe at the front, and two tufts of hair in the shape of animal ears on the crown of the head.
Chukchi clothing is made from the fur of a grown autumn calf (baby deer). IN Everyday life The clothing of an adult Chukchi consists of the following elements:
- double fur shirt
- double fur pants
- short fur stockings
- fur low boots
- double hat in the form of a women's bonnet
The winter clothing of a Chukotka man consists of a caftan, which is very practical. A fur shirt is also called iryn, or cuckoo. It is very wide, with spacious sleeves at the shoulder area, tapering at the wrist area. This cut allows the Chukchee to pull their arms out of their sleeves and fold them over their chest, taking a comfortable body position. Shepherds sleeping by the flock in winter time, hide their heads in a shirt and cover the hole in the collar with a hat. But such a shirt is not long, but reaches to the knees. Only old people wear longer cuckoos. The collar of the shirt is cut low and trimmed with leather, with a cord placed inside. The bottom of the cuckoo is covered with a thin line of dog fur, which young Chukchi replace with wolverine or otter fur. As decorations, penakalgyns are sewn onto the back and sleeves of the shirt - long tassels, painted crimson, made from pieces of young seal skins. This decoration is more typical for women's shirts.
Women's clothing is also distinctive, but irrational and consists of one-piece sewn double trousers with a low-cut bodice that is cinched at the waist. The bodice has a slit in the chest area, and the sleeves are very wide. While working, women free their hands from their bodice and work in the cold with bare arms or shoulders. Old women wear a shawl or a strip of deerskin around their necks.
In the summer, as outerwear, women wear robes made from deer suede or purchased variegated fabrics, and a kamleika of deer wool with thin fur, embroidered with various ritual stripes.
The Chukchi hat is made from fawn and calf fur, wolverine, dog and otter paws. In winter, if you have to go on the road, a very large hood, sewn mainly from wolf fur, is put on top of the hat. Moreover, the skin for him is taken together with the head and protruding ears, which are decorated with red ribbons. Such hoods are worn mainly by women and old people. Young shepherds even wear a headdress instead of a regular hat, covering only the forehead and ears. Men and women wear mittens made from kamus.
All inner clothing is put on the body with the fur inward, outer clothing - with the fur outward. In this way, both types of clothing fit tightly to each other and form an impenetrable protection against frost. Clothes made from deer skin are soft and do not cause much discomfort; you can wear them without underwear. Elegant clothes of the reindeer Chukchi white, among the Primorye Chukchi it is dark brown with sparse white spots. Traditionally, clothing is decorated with stripes. Original patterns on Chukchi clothes are of Eskimo origin.
As jewelry, the Chukchi wear garters, necklaces in the form of straps with beads, and headbands. Most of them have religious significance. There are also real metal jewelry, various earrings and bracelets.
Infants were dressed in bags made of deerskin, with blind branches for legs and arms. Instead of diapers, they used to use moss with reindeer hair, which served as a diaper. A valve was attached to the opening of the bag, from which such a diaper was taken out every day and replaced with a clean one.
Character
The Chukchi are emotional and psychologically very excitable people, which often leads to frenzy, suicidal tendencies and murders, even at the slightest provocation. These people love independence very much and are persistent in the struggle. But at the same time, the Chukchi are very hospitable and good-natured, always ready to help their neighbors. During times of hunger strike, they even helped the Russians and brought them food.
Religion
The Chukchi are animists in their beliefs. They deify and personify natural phenomena and its regions, water, fire, forest, animals: deer, bear and crow, celestial bodies: moon, sun and stars. The Chukchi also believe in evil spirits; they believe that they send disasters, death and disease to the Earth. The Chukchi wear amulets and believe in their power. They considered the creator of the world to be a Raven named Kurkyl, who created everything on Earth and taught people everything. Everything that exists in space was created by northern animals.
Each family has its own family shrines:
- a hereditary projectile for producing sacred fire by friction and used on holidays. Each member of the family had his own projectile, and on the bottom tablet of each was carved a figure with the head of the owner of fire;
- family tambourine;
- bundles of wooden knots “removing misfortunes”;
- pieces of wood with images of ancestors.
By the beginning of the 20th century, many Chukchi were baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church, but among the nomads there are still people with traditional beliefs.
Traditions
The Chukchi have regular holidays, which are held depending on the time of year:
- in the fall - the day of deer slaughter;
- in spring - the day of horns;
- in winter - a sacrifice to the star Altair.
There are also many irregular holidays, for example, feeding the fire, commemorating the dead, votive services and sacrifices after the hunt, the whale festival, and the kayak festival.
The Chukchi believed that they had 5 lives and were not afraid of death. After death, many wanted to go to the World of their ancestors. To do this, one had to die in battle at the hand of an enemy or at the hand of a friend. Therefore, when one Chukchi asked another to kill him, he immediately agreed. After all, it was a kind of help.
The dead were dressed, fed and told fortunes, forcing them to answer questions. Then they burned it or carried it to the field, cut the throat and chest, pulled out part of the liver and heart, wrapped the body in thin layers of deer meat and left it. Old people often killed themselves in advance or asked close relatives to do so. The Chukchi came to voluntary death not only because of old age. Often the cause was difficult living conditions, lack of food and severe incurable disease.
As for marriage, it is predominantly endogamous; a man could have 2 or 3 wives in a family. In a certain circle of brothers-in-arms and relatives, mutual use of wives is allowed by agreement. It is customary among the Chukchi to observe levirate - a marriage custom according to which the wife, after the death of her husband, had the right or was obliged to marry one of his close relatives. They did this because it was very difficult for a woman without a husband, especially if she had children. A man who married a widow was obliged to adopt all her children.
Often the Chukchi stole a wife for their son from another family. The relatives of this girl could demand that the woman be given to them in return, and not in order to marry her off, but because labor was always needed in everyday life.
Almost all families in Chukotka have many children. Pregnant women were not allowed to rest. Along with others, they worked and took care of everyday life, harvesting moss. This raw material is very necessary during childbirth; it was laid in the yaranga, in the place where the woman was preparing to give birth. Chukotka women could not be helped during childbirth. The Chukchi believed that everything was decided by a deity who knew the souls of the living and the dead and decided which one to send to the woman in labor.
A woman should not scream during childbirth so as not to attract evil spirits. When the child was born, the mother herself tied the umbilical cord with a thread woven from her hair and animal tendon and cut it. If a woman could not give birth for a long time, she could be given help, since it was obvious that she could not cope on her own. This was entrusted to one of the relatives, but after that everyone treated the woman in labor and her husband with contempt.
After the birth of the child, they wiped it with a piece of skin, which was soaked in the mother’s urine. Amulet bracelets were put on the baby's left arm and leg. The baby was dressed up in a fur jumpsuit.
After giving birth, a woman was not allowed to eat fish or meat, only meat broth. Previously, Chukchi women breastfed their children until they were 4 years old. If the mother did not have milk, the child was given seal fat. The baby's pacifier was made from a piece of sea hare intestine. It was stuffed with finely chopped meat. In some villages, babies were fed their milk by dogs.
When the boy turned 6 years old, men began to raise him as a warrior. The child was accustomed to harsh conditions, taught to shoot a bow, run fast, wake up quickly and react to extraneous sounds, and trained visual acuity. Modern Chukchi children love to play football. The ball is made from deer hair. Extreme wrestling on ice or slippery walrus skin is popular among them.
Chukchi men are excellent warriors. For each success in battle, they applied a mark-tattoo on back side right palm. The more marks there were, the more experienced the warrior was considered. Women always had bladed weapons with them in case enemies attacked.
Culture
The mythology and folklore of the Chukchi are very diverse; they have much in common with the folklore and mythology of the Paleo-Asians and American peoples. The Chukchi have long been famous for their carved and sculptural images made on mammoth bones, which amaze with their beauty and clarity of application. The traditional musical instruments of the people are the tambourine (yarar) and the harp (khomus).
Folk oral creativity The Chukchi are rich. The main genres of folklore are fairy tales, myths, legends, historical legends and everyday stories. One of the main characters is the raven Kurkyl; there are legends about wars with neighboring Eskimo tribes.
Although the living conditions of the Chukchi were very difficult, they also found time for holidays in which the tambourine was a musical instrument. The tunes were passed down from generation to generation.
Chukchi dances are divided into several varieties:
- imitative
- gaming
- improvised
- ritual-ritual
- staged dances or pantomimes
- dances of the reindeer and coastal Chukchi
Imitative dances that reflect the behavior of birds and animals were very common:
- crane
- crane flight
- running deer
- crow
- seagull dance
- swan
- duck dance
- bullfight during the rut
- looking out
A special place was occupied by trade dances, which were a type of group marriage. They were an indicator of the strengthening of previous family ties or were held as a sign of a new connection between families.
Food
Traditional Chukchi dishes are prepared from deer meat and fish. The basis of the diet of this people is boiled meat of whale, seal or deer. The meat is also eaten raw and frozen; the Chukchi eat animal entrails and blood.
The Chukchi eat shellfish and plant foods:
- willow bark and leaves
- sorrel
- seaweed
- berries
Among drinks, representatives of the people prefer alcohol and herbal decoctions similar to tea. The Chukchi are partial to tobacco.
In the traditional cuisine of the people there is a peculiar dish called monyalo. This is semi-digested moss that is removed from the stomach of a deer after killing the animal. Monyalo is used in cooking fresh dishes and canned food. The most common hot dish among the Chukchi until the 20th century was a liquid monyal soup with blood, fat and chopped meat.
Life
The Chukchi initially hunted reindeer, but gradually they domesticated these animals and began to engage in reindeer husbandry. Reindeer provide the Chukchi with meat for food, skin for housing and clothing, and serve as transport for them. The Chukchi, who live along the banks of rivers and seas, hunt sea creatures. In spring and winter they catch seals and seals, in autumn and summer - whales and walruses. Previously, the Chukchi used harpoons with floats, belt nets and a spear for hunting, but already in the 20th century they learned to use firearms. Today, only bird hunting with the help of a “bol” has been preserved. Not all Chukchi have developed fishing. Women and children collect edible plants, moss and berries.
The Chukchi in the 19th century lived in camps, which included 2 or 3 houses. When the food for the deer ran out, they migrated to another place. IN summer period some lived closer to the sea.
Tools were made of wood and stone, which were gradually replaced by iron. Axes, spears, and knives are widely used in everyday life of the Chukchi. Utensils, metal cauldrons and teapots, weapons used today are mainly European. But to this day, in the life of this people there are many elements of primitive culture: these are bone shovels, drills, hoes, stone and bone arrows, spear tips, armor made of iron plates and leather, a complex bow, slings made from knuckles, stone hammers, skins, stems, shells for making fire by friction, lamps in the form of a flat round vessel made of soft stone, which were filled with seal fat.
Light sleighs of the Chukchi were also preserved in in its original form, they are equipped with arc-shaped supports. They harness deer or dogs. The Chukchi, who lived by the sea, have long used kayaks for hunting and moving on water.
Coming Soviet power affected the life of the settlements. Over time, schools, cultural institutions and hospitals appeared in them. Today, the literacy level of the Chukchi in the country is at an average level.
Housing
The Chukchi live in dwellings called yarangas. This is a large tent with an irregular polygonal shape. The yaranga is covered with panels of deer skins so that the fur is on the outside. The vault of the dwelling rests on 3 poles, which are located in the center. Stones are tied to the cover and pillars of the hut, which ensures resistance to the wind pressure. The yaranga is sealed tightly from the floor. Inside the hut in the middle there is a fireplace, which is surrounded by sleighs loaded with various household supplies. In the yaranga the Chukchi live, eat, drink, and sleep. Such a dwelling is well heated, so the inhabitants walk in it undressed. The Chukchi heat their homes with a fat lamp made of clay, wood or stone, where they cook food. Among the coastal Chukchi, the yaranga differs from the housing of reindeer herders in that it does not have a smoke hole.
Famous people
Despite the fact that the Chukchi are a people far from civilization, among them there are those who have become known throughout the world thanks to their achievements and talents. The first Chukchi researcher Nikolai Daurkin is a Chukchi. He received his name at baptism. Daurkin was one of the first Russian subjects who landed in Alaska, made several important geographical discoveries in the 18th century, and was the first to compile detailed map Chukotka and received a noble title for his contribution to science. In the name of this outstanding person The peninsula in Chukotka was named.
Candidate of Philological Sciences Petr Inenlikey was also born in Chukotka. He studied the peoples of the north and their culture, and is the author of books on research in the field of linguistics of the languages of the northern peoples of Russia, Alaska and Canada.
You, of course, have heard jokes about the Chukchi. This is not a question - it is a statement. And you've probably told similar jokes to others. The Chukchi themselves, having listened to you, might have laughed: they loved to make fun of themselves. But most likely you would have been killed. At the same time, most modern weapons would hardly help if you were against such a dangerous enemy.
In fact, it is difficult to find a more warlike and at the same time ineradicable people than the Chukchi. It is a great injustice that we do not know about this today, although Spartan education or Indian traditions are in many ways much softer and more “humane” than the approaches to educating future Chukchi warriors.
"Real People"
Luoravetlans are “real people,” as the Chukchi call themselves. Yes, they are chauvinists who consider others second-class. They joke about themselves, calling themselves "sweaty people" and the like (but only among themselves). At the same time, the Chukchi’s sense of smell is not particularly inferior to that of dogs, and genetically they are oh so different from us.
Chukchi is a corruption of “chauchi” - reindeer herders. It was the Chauchs that the Cossacks met in the tundra, before reaching their direct and recognized relatives - the Ankalyns, the coastal Luovertlans.
Childhood
Like the Indians, the Chukchi began the harsh upbringing of boys at the age of 5-6. From this time on, except for rare exceptions, sleeping was allowed only while standing, leaning on the canopy of the yaranga. At the same time, the young Chukchi warrior slept lightly: for this, adults sneaked up on him and burned him either with hot metal or with the smoldering end of a stick. The little warriors (it’s hard to call them boys), as a result, began to react with lightning speed to any rustle...
They had to run behind reindeer sleds, rather than ride on sleighs, and jump with stones tied to their feet. The bow was an invariable attribute: the Chukchi generally have vision - unlike ours, the rangefinder is almost flawless. That is why the Chukchi were so willingly hired as snipers from World War II. The Chukchi also had their own game with a ball (made of reindeer hair), which was very reminiscent of modern football (only the Luoravetlans played this game long before the “foundation” of football by the British). They also loved to fight here. The fight was specific: on slippery walrus skin, additionally lubricated with fat, it was necessary not only to defeat the opponent, but to throw him onto sharp bones placed along the edges. This was, to put it mildly, dangerous. However, it is precisely through this confrontation that grown-up boys will sort things out with their enemies, when in almost every case the loser faces death from much longer bones.
Way to adult life lay for the future warrior through trials. Because Dexterity was especially valued by these people, so during the “exam” they relied on it, and on attentiveness. The father sent his son on some mission, but it was not the main one. The father quietly tracked his son, and as soon as he sat down, lost his vigilance, or simply turned into a “convenient target,” an arrow was immediately shot at him. The Chukchi shot, as mentioned above, phenomenally. So it was not an easy task to react and get away from the “gift”. There was only one way to pass the exam - to survive after it.
Death? Why be afraid of her?
There are eyewitness accounts that describe shocking precedents from the life of the Chukchi even at the beginning of the last century. For example, one of them began to have severe stomach pain. By morning the pain only intensified, and the warrior asked his comrades to kill him. They immediately complied with the request, without even attaching much importance to what happened.
The Chukchi believed that each of them had 5-6 souls. And for each soul there can be its place in heaven - the “Universe of the Ancestors.” But for this, certain conditions had to be met: to die with dignity in battle, to be killed at the hands of a friend or relative, or to die a natural death. The latter is too much of a luxury for harsh life, where you shouldn’t rely on the care of others. Voluntary death is a common thing for the Chukchi; you just need to ask your relatives about such “killing yourself.” The same was done for a number of serious illnesses.
The Chukchi who lost the battle could kill each other, but they didn’t think much about captivity: “If I became a deer for you, then why are you delaying?” - they said to the victorious enemy, expecting a finishing blow and not even thinking about asking for mercy.
War is an honor
The Chukchi are born saboteurs. Small in number and ferocious, they were a terror to all who lived within range. A well-known fact is that a detachment of Koryaks, neighbors of the Chukchi, who joined the Russian Empire, numbering fifty people, scattered if there were at least two dozen Chukchi. And don’t dare accuse the Koryaks of cowardice: their women always had a knife with them so that when attacked by the Chukchi, they could kill their children and themselves, just to avoid slavery.
“Real people” fought with the Koryaks in the same way: first there were auctions, where every incorrect and simply careless gesture could be understood as a signal for massacre. If the Chukchi died, then their comrades declared war on the offenders: they called them to a meeting at a designated place, laid out a walrus skin, greased it with fat... And, of course, drove in a lot of sharp bones around the edges. Everything is like in childhood.
If the Chukchi went on predatory raids, they simply slaughtered the men and captured the women. The prisoners were treated with dignity, but pride did not allow the Koryaks to surrender alive. The men also did not want to fall into the hands of the Chukchi alive: they took men captive only when it was necessary to extort information.
Torture
There were two types of torture: if information was required, then the enemy’s hands were tied behind his back and his hand was pressed over his nose and mouth until the person lost consciousness. After this, the prisoner was brought to his senses and the procedure was repeated. The demoralization was complete, even the “seasoned wolves” were splitting up.
But more often the Chukchi simply realized their hatred of the victim through torture. In such cases, the enemy was tied to a spit and methodically roasted over a fire.
Chukchi and the Russian Empire
Russian Cossacks in 1729 were sincerely asked “not to commit violence against the non-peace-loving peoples of the north.” Their neighbors, who joined the Russians, knew the hard way that it was better not to anger the Chukchi. However, the Cossacks, apparently, were filled with pride and envy at such glory of the “unbaptized savages,” so the Yakut Cossack leader Afanasy Shestakov and the captain of the Tobolsk Dragoon Regiment Dmitry Pavlutsky went to the lands of the “real people,” destroying everything they encountered on their way.
Several times Chukchi leaders and elders were invited to a meeting, where they were simply vilely killed. For the Cossacks, everything seemed simple... Until the Chukchi realized that they were not playing by the rules of honor to which they themselves were accustomed. A year later, Shestakov and Pavlutsky gave the Chukchi an open battle, where last chances there were not so many: arrows and spears are not the best weapons against gunpowder weapons. True, Shestakov himself died. The Luoravetlans began a real guerrilla war, in response to which the Senate in 1742 ordered the complete destruction of the Chukchi. The latter numbered less than 10,000 people with children, women and old people, the task seemed so simple.
Until the middle of the 18th century, the war was tough, but now Pavlutsky was killed and his troops were defeated. When Russian officials figured out what losses they were suffering, they were horrified. In addition, the Cossacks’ agility decreased: as soon as they defeated the Chukchi with an unexpected raid, the surviving children and women killed each other, avoiding captivity. The Chukchi themselves were not afraid of death, they did not give mercy and could torture extremely cruelly. There was nothing to scare them.
A decree was urgently issued prohibiting angering the Chukchi in general and interfering with them “with malicious intent”: it was decided to introduce liability for this. The Chukchi soon also began to calm down: to capture Russian Empire It would have been too burdensome a task for several thousand warriors, and the Luoravetlans themselves did not see the point in it. This was the only nation that intimidated Russia militarily, despite its insignificant numbers.
A couple of decades later, the empire returned to the lands of warlike reindeer herders, fearing that they would be treated dangerous world"The French and the British. The Chukchi were taken by bribery, persuasion and appeasement. The Chukchi paid tribute “in the amount that they themselves choose,” that is, they did not pay at all, and they brought “help to the sovereign” so actively that it was easy to understand who was actually paying tribute to whom. With the beginning of cooperation, a new term appeared in the Chukchi lexicon - “Chuvan disease”, i.e. “Russian disease”: with civilization, syphilis came to “real people”.
The French and British were feared in vain...
The trends of Europe were like a stop sign for the Chukchi. They traded with many people, but they showed the greatest mutual respect in trade... with the Japanese. It was from the Japanese that the Chukchi purchased their metal armor, which was exactly like that of the samurai. And the samurai were delighted with the courage and dexterity of the Chukchi: the latter are the only warriors who, according to numerous testimonies of contemporaries and eyewitnesses, were able not only to dodge arrows, but also to catch them with their hands on the fly, managing to throw them (with their hands!) back at their enemies.
The Chukchi respected the Americans for fair trade, but they also liked to give the latter a little push in their pirate raids. This also happened to Canadians: there is a well-known story when the Chukchi captured black slaves on the Canadian coast. Having tasted that these are still women, and not evil spirits, the Chukchi took them as concubines. Chukotka women do not know what jealousy is and therefore took such a trophy from their husbands normally. Well, black women were forbidden to give birth, because... they were “defective people”, kept as concubines until old age. According to eyewitnesses, his slave new destiny They were happy and only regretted that they had not been stolen earlier.
Jokes
The Soviet government, having decided to carry the fire of communist ideology and civilization to the distant Chukotka yarangas, did not receive a warm welcome. An attempt to put pressure on the Chukchi by force turned out to be a difficult task: at first, all the “Reds” from nearby territories flatly refused to fight the Chukchi, and then the brave souls who arrived here from afar began to disappear in detachments, groups, and camps. For the most part, the missing were not found. In rare cases, it was possible to find the remains of slaughtered failed colonists. As a result, the “Reds” decided to follow the well-worn path of bribery under the Tsar. And so that the Chukchi did not become a symbol of independence, they were simply turned into folklore. This is what they did with Chapaev, relying on jokes about “Vasily Ivanovich and Petka,” remaking the image of an educated and worthy person into a funny and amusing one. Fear and admiration for the Chukchi were replaced by the image of a kind of idiot savage.
They are the same today...
What has changed today? By and large - nothing. Christianity seriously undermined the Chukchi foundations, but not so much that this people became different. Chukchi are Warriors.
And let some laugh at yet another joke about the Chukchi, while others admire their prowess - a true Warrior is always infinitely higher than both of them. A warrior walks through time, ignoring death and not deviating from his path. Through centuries and difficulties, they move on - the Great Warriors of the North, about whom we know so little.
Chukotka reindeer herders do not live in tents, but in more complex mobile dwellings called yarangas. Next, we suggest getting acquainted with the basics of construction and the structure of this traditional home, which Chukchi reindeer herders continue to build to this day.
Without a deer there will be no yaranga - this axiom is true in the literal and figurative sense. Firstly, because the material needed for “construction” is 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 “eee, 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 times, the lower part of the tire, which was 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 "Chaunskoye"
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 on the 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? Economy and rationality are the main criteria for the 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 placed 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 European civilization In Chukotka, especially during the Soviet period, such concepts 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 traditional society. Why should the smoke go to waste? Especially if it, smoke, is an excellent preservative.
Yaranga's "bins"
