Lee Chukchi. Eskimos, Nenets, Chukchi, Yakuts and interesting facts

1- Installers on a business trip were building power lines from Pevek. So the local Chukchi stole all the small nuts from them and used them for beads.

The installers complained to the local leader and the chairman of the collective farm. He ordered everything stolen to be returned. And they returned everything, arguing from their kitchens. Even those who were not suspected. The Chukchi have iron discipline and unity of command. Unlike the Koryaks.

The leader advised the installers to piss on the box of nuts so that the nuts would rust and the natives would lose interest in them. Which is what they did. The nuts are rusty.

2- One of the business travelers had a drink with a Russian, a local warehouse manager. A Chukchi, already quite drunk, burst into them and, shaking two bundles of arctic fox skins, tearfully asked to exchange them for vodka.

The businessman was on fire. But the warehouse manager besieged him: “The Chukchi will sober up and write a complaint that we got him drunk and took the furs. I'll be in big trouble. I gave a subscription not to get the natives drunk.”

3- The prisoners who are dumber are fleeing from the Chukchi camps. “Across the tundra, along a harsh land...” (The smart ones don’t run). The Chukchi kill them and exchange their heads for vodka with the camp commander. He brings a bag. He dumps the severed heads on the boss’s table: “However, are they yours?”

The boss takes out 2 bottles of vodka for each head: “However, here we go!”

4- One day, 18 prisoners escaped at once. They came across a Chukchi camp and massacred everyone there. And they took possession of their weapons. The Chukchi, as they learned about this, followed their trail. In the tundra, the tracks of skis in the snow are clearly visible. The snow is blown out everywhere, but not on the ski tracks - it is compressed. The killers were tracked down. We came in from the direction of the sun and shot them from about four hundred meters away. The prisoners fired back, but they couldn’t get anywhere further than a hundred meters. The Chukchi use their hard drives (from the 19th century with a bracket) and reach 500 meters without any optics.

They prefer these hard drives to all types of weapons. Although he uses mosquito shoes.

Having killed everyone, the Chukchi cut off their heads and went to exchange them for vodka.

5- Once on a hike we met a deer herder. And they stopped next to his camp for the night. The shepherd treated them to fresh boiled meat. Then I poured it into my tea dried mushrooms and drank. He also offered it to tourists, but they refused. We were afraid. And the shepherd screamed songs all night, and in the morning they could not wake him up for half a day.

6- One day while on a hike we came across a Chukchi tent that was lowered. He was expelled from their tribe for some reason. He lived alone. Dirty and torn. How happy he was that guests came to him! No one from the locals had visited him for a long time...

7- It is customary among the Chukchi to intermarriage by exchanging wives. This is called becoming a neutum. Children from a wife usually leave with the wife. Quite often, their own children live in another camp, and the Chukchi raise a dozen strangers. This custom has a social meaning. In the event of the death of the breadwinner, the nevtum is obliged to support both his and his children and wives.

8- Chukchi are reindeer and coastal. Reindeer consider themselves an aristocracy. And the coastal ones are a rabble. And the coastal people consider the reindeer wild and uneducated. Reindeer herd reindeer, and coastal ones kill whales and walruses. Trade has been established between them.

9- A coastal Chukchi sails on a whaleboat. They ask him: where did you get the motor? “Grandfather left a legacy!” What the hell is grandpa? The motor has a manufacturing date of 5 years ago. Ford engine. It’s not clear where they get it. Either the Americans bring them, or they go across the strait and exchange them for skins there.

Border guards sit in their towns and walk between houses on ropes during a snowstorm. Where can they catch Chukchi on the ice of the Bering Strait?

10- Chukotka children in pioneer camps, if they get angry with the counselor, shout: “The Americans will come, we will take your liver out of you!”

11- The Chukchi practice incest. A Chukchi comes to the boarding school where his daughter studies and wants to take her to the tundra.

They ask him: “Why do you need it? She needs to study!” “Why should she study? My wife died. I need to fuck!”

12- Reindeer Chukchi are very hardy. If the Chukchi cannot run 50 kilometers at a ragged run every day, he has nothing to do with the deer. The deer will simply leave him. The Chukchi have worked out original method running. They run with a stick. Either they put it on their shoulders like a yoke, then they throw it along the way and run after it, then they lean on it.

13- If a Chukchi man does not meet the requirements of a man in terms of his physical and volitional qualities, he is transferred to a woman. He wears women's clothes and does women's work.

14- The Chukchi and Koryaks are pathologically vindictive and vindictive. If you offend them, they won't say anything. They will bend over and walk... But after a while they will find the corpse of the offender on the street. The natives know how to kill without leaving evidence. The killer is almost never found. All geologists and other visitors are warned about this feature of the natives.

15- One day a native was convicted of murder. At the trial, he told the judge: I will soon run away and slaughter your entire family!

And indeed: less than six months had passed since he escaped from the zone. The judge’s entire family and himself were immediately taken to the mainland to another judicial district.

16- One native woman was appointed manager of the store. Tribesmen from the tundra came to her and took away the necessary goods for free. And this went on for a year. Then the auditors came and recorded a huge shortage. Baba sent a message to her people: “Bring the skins and gold, otherwise they will imprison me!”

The Chukchi carried it. We learned a lot of things. The commission calculated and concluded: the debt was repaid. And at the same pace, you can take it for six months without paying.

17- The Chukchi do not save drowning people. They believe that the surface of the water is a portal to go to another world. The boat capsized, people floundered and drowned in the icy water. Nearby, on another boat, fellow tribesmen are sitting and discussing this event.

18- The Chukchi kill their old people as worthless. One day, a fishing boat froze in the ice. In the morning, sailors discovered several tossing and turning silhouettes on the ice. They mistook them for seals and shot them with rifles. It turned out that these were old men who were tied up and thrown onto the ice to die. And then several dog sleds with Chukchi approached the ship.

The sailors thought: “That’s it! We're stuck! However, the Chukchi brought them gifts: fresh meat and fish. Which was very useful: the sailors had been eating porridge and canned food for a long time. The gifts were in gratitude for helping their elderly pass on to another world.

19- The Chukchi destroyed almost all the Yukaghirs. And about the Koryaks they say: “We beat them, we beat them and we will beat them!” The Chukchi have a very high opinion of their fighting qualities.

20- The Russians explained to the Chukchi that they were wild because they never washed. Well, maybe once a year in the hot springs. They started to wash themselves. With a frost of -20C and a wind of 20m/sec, the faces of the Chukchi were covered with bloody cracks. Then they stopped washing and the skin healed.

Chukchi sweat is not water, but droplets of fat. They save you from chapping. If you wash off the sweat, you need to immediately apply something again. Inappropriate.

21- The Chukchi do not wear underwear. Their winter clothing consists of two layers. The outer fur is outward, the inner fur is inward. Without underwear, these clothes will not infest lice. You'll quickly get lice with your underwear. And there is nowhere to wash or do laundry. And deer fur removes moisture from the body to the outside and clothes are always dry. If you put on underwear, it gets wet and the person freezes. Chukchi always stinks, but this is the lesser evil.

22- The Chukchi spend the night in the tundra like this: they put the sledges on their sides. Lies on the leeward side. He pulls his arms and legs into the kitchenette, turning it into a sleeping bag. He puts a short “leg” - a small sleeping bag - on both legs and calls the dogs. The dogs cling to him and they warm each other in their sleep.

He places a pole next to his head. If he notices, he moves the pole to give air movement.

23- One day, a huge Chukotka guy of about 20 years old got drunk on alcohol with tourists. The old grandfather noticed him. And he began to hit him with a stick with all his might. The guy didn’t resist, didn’t run away, and didn’t even cover himself with his hands.

He stood motionless and just whimpered.

24- The Chukchi eat rotten meat. They bury it in clay and when it turns into a homogeneous soft mass, they dig it out.

It smells terrible. But this mass contains 50% microflora with all vitamins. And you can eat it without teeth, kneading it with your tongue, and it does not harden in the cold due to fat. And it doesn't need to be heated. They feed small children and old people.

Those who have eaten say that if you don’t smell it, it’s delicious.

general information

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

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

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

Territory of settlement and number

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

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

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

Lifestyle and support system

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

The basis economic activity The coastal Chukchi were engaged in sea hunting, the products of which (meat, fat for food and heating, clothing) also provided all the needs of life, and also served as an object of exchange with reindeer herders. Some of the Chukchi reindeer were also engaged in marine hunting during the stay of the herds on the coast. Fish was caught in case of emergency in free time from grazing. Fishing was somewhat more important in the basins of large rivers - Anadyr, Chaun, Kolyma. The development of trade relations stimulated the development of the fur trade, which had also not been of great importance before. IN Soviet time Reindeer husbandry in Chukotka developed successfully. Improved breeding of animals, a more rational structure of the herd, successes in the fight against necrobacteriosis (hoof bacilli) and other diseases, and anti-water treatment of animals contributed to a significant increase in the number of animals and the productivity of the industry as a whole. By the beginning of the 90s. in Chukotka there was one of the largest herds of domestic reindeer in the world - about 500 thousand. Reindeer husbandry formed the basis of the economy of state farms, covering the losses of other industries, was the main area of ​​employment for a significant part of the Chukchi, and ensured their economic prosperity.

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

Ethno-social situation

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

Ethno-cultural situation

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

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

Management and self-government bodies

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

Legal documents and laws

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

Contemporary environmental issues

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

Prospects for preserving the Chukchi as an ethnic group

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

Nowadays it is very difficult to find real Chukchi who live the same way as their ancestors, which is why we next invite you to take a look at the life of modern Chukchi. The couple we will meet later still lives far from civilization, but actively uses its benefits in order to somehow make their life easier.

I remember in Pevek I tried to find real Chukchi. This turned out to be a difficult task, since almost only Russians live there. But in Anadyr there are many Chukchi, but they are all “urban”: reindeer husbandry and hunting have long been replaced by regular work, and yarangas by apartments with heating. They say that finding the most authentic Chukchi is extremely problematic. Soviet reforms in Chukotka greatly influenced the culture of the people. Small schools in villages were closed and boarding schools were built in regional centers, separating children from national traditions and language.

However, during our expedition cruise we landed near the island of Yttygran, where we met a real Chukchi Vladimir and his wife Faina. They live alone, at a decent distance from the outside world. Of course, civilization has affected their way of life, but of all the Chukchi I have seen before, these are the most authentic.

The house of a Chukotka family stands on the shore of a bay protected from waves:

Faina was very happy about the guests. She said that they had not seen people except each other for a couple of months, and were very happy to communicate. In general, it’s hard for me to imagine what it’s like to live alone for months:

While we were inside, Vladimir looked outside, made sure his wife was busy with tourists, and pulled out a magazine from under the mattress. He showed me the cover with the words: “Look, what a beautiful Chukchi girl”:

Their kitchen is outside under a canopy. In winter, they cover the passage with a blanket and the heat inside becomes warm from the stove:

Vladimir is very proud of his smokehouse, which he built himself:

Smoked fish hanging in the barn:

Sometimes fishermen come to them and exchange deer meat for whale meat:

Vladimir has a tourist house. In the summer, foreigners rent it and live here for a couple of weeks. Enjoy the silence and watch the animals:

Everything inside is now littered with rubbish:

Some kind of ritual stick to protect the home from evil spirits, but Vladimir uses it mainly to scratch his back:

Another building. His relatives live here, but now they have left for a neighboring village, several tens of kilometers away, since their child went to school there:

Faina talked about the tree they planted next to their house. They surrounded it with a rope fence and made a sign: “Specially protected area.” Take a closer look at the photo. The Eurasian Eurasian lives next to this tree and often stands next to a sign, like a sentry:

Protects the tree from crows:

A couple of kilometers from the home of Vladimir and Faina, a hot spring gushes out of the ground.

A couple of years ago they built themselves a font here:

After the font, everyone goes down into the river, like after a bath:

There were few animals, so I switched to flora:

Ubiquitous mushrooms:

The entire tundra is strewn with berries:

This plant is called cotton grass vaginalis. I'm afraid to imagine why this name arose:

In general, as we see, globalization reaches even such remote corners of our planet. However, there may be no point in resisting these processes - during the existence of mankind, a huge number of cultures have arisen and disappeared into oblivion...

Northern peoples. Eskimos, Nenets, Nanai, Chukchi, Yakuts... We imagine every northern people dressed in warm furs and chewing popsicles. Let's get to know each of them better.

Eskimos are one of the indigenous peoples of the Far North, occupying the territory of Chukotka. From these people came the name of our favorite ice cream - popsicle.

Let's start with Eskimo food. It is represented by fish, poultry, deer, bear and seal meat, as well as eggs. In a harsh climate zone, farming is simply impossible, so Eskimos collect tubers and algae, which are easiest for them to get to. As for meat, the Eskimos consider it very healthy.

Eskimos live, sleep, and take a break from hunting in special semicircular ice dwellings called “igloos.” No tent compares to igloos, which seem cold only on the outside. In fact, the inside of such a home is warm and cozy.

It is striking that, due to their poverty and poor conditions, some Eskimos are susceptible to alcoholism. In any case, that's what scientists say. One question arises: what do they make this alcohol from!

Eskimos are very superstitious and are afraid of some imaginary ghost who is just waiting to drag someone into the hole. The fears, of course, are not unfounded - there are quite a lot of cases of falling into ice holes among Eskimos.

We are moving to the Nenets.

The tundra, the Kola Peninsula, the long coast of the Arctic Ocean - these are the habitats of the Nenets. For greater clarity, we give the official name of the territory of the Nenets within the vast Russian Federation: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. In winter and summer, the Nenets live in one place, and in spring and autumn they roam. The home of the Nenets - chum - is a tent made of reindeer skins. A stove is installed in the middle of such a tent. Around it lie deer skins on which you can sleep. It is curious, but it is a fact that women are in charge of the construction of Nenets homes.

The main delicacy among the Nenets is the horns of a young deer. They have a corresponding name - antlers. Trying not to harm the young fawn, the Nenets carefully cut them off, then grind them over an open flame, and then remove the top layer of skin, which represents the delicacy itself. The Nenets profitably sell antlers from adult deer for pharmaceutical needs.

In addition to skins from reindeer antlers, the Nenets love stroganina - frozen fish cut into thin slices - and mallet - also frozen fish, only broken into small pieces on a hard object. Kolotuska is eaten as an everyday dish, while stroganina is served at dinner parties.

The deer is considered a respected animal among the Nenets, so on a birthday, which these people celebrate once in a lifetime, a child is given a young deer.

Nenets get married at the age of 18-20. Their parents are looking for their soul mate. At a wedding, instead of a loaf, the newlyweds are presented with a boiled heart and tongue of a deer - a symbol of the fact that the newlyweds now have one heart and one tongue between them.

Let's visit the Chukchi. Surely you can guess that they live in Chukotka. They also inhabit the coast of the Bering Strait and the Arctic Ocean. This is the only indigenous Siberian people who did not submit to Russian troops. Among the Chukchi there are reindeer herders and lovers of hunting sea creatures.

The Chukchi are very fond of raw reindeer meat and fish, also raw. In the harsh conditions of permafrost, they survive thanks to high hemoglobin and fast metabolism, as well as high-calorie food. So they prepare high-calorie food from deer entrails rich soup with blood, fat and pieces of lard. The Chukchi prefer herbal infusions among drinks.

The main material from which the Chukchi sew clothes and build homes is reindeer skins. Clothing is usually two layers. The outer and inner layers are warm fur.

One of the entertainments of the Chukchi is jokes and anecdotes. The Chukchi believe that laughter drives away evil spirits. The Chukchi's favorite sport is racing on dog sleds, leather boats and sleighs pulled by reindeer.

The Chukchi do not like to wash. Firstly, they believe that by washing themselves, they become defenseless against evil spirits, and secondly, they are afraid of freezing. The rare bathing procedures of the Chukchi boil down to rubbing themselves with seal fat and then removing it from the skin along with a layer of dirt.

And finally, the Yakuts. Yakutia or the Republic of Sakha is a more populated place and closer to civilization than Chukotka or the coast of the Kola Peninsula.

The Yakuts are very fond of dairy products, and not only from cows, but also from horses. The Yakuts hold kumiss, yogurt, and melted butter in special esteem. The Yakuts can drink it just like that. The Yakuts are very fond of venison, horse meat, planed meat and bear meat.

It is curious that the frost in Yakutia is not at all as bad as it seems. In fact, a 20-degree frost in St. Petersburg is much worse for heat-loving people than the -50°C usual for Yakutia. In such cold weather, Yakut children can easily run along the street and eat ice cream.

Yakuts are very hardworking and resilient. In haymaking they can work up to 24 hours a day. By the way, they really don’t like being called Yakuts and prefer to be called “Sakha”.

If you have a desire to visit the northern peoples of vast Russia, you can use it to contact travel companies represented in

The small Chukchi people are settled over 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 just over 15 thousand people live on it! (Russian population census data in 2010).

The name Chukchi is the name of the people “Louratvelans” adapted for Russian people. Chukchi means “rich in deer” (chauchu) – this is how northern 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 “superior race” chosen by the gods. Chukchi mythology explains 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-geographical environment, customs, traditions, mythology, language and racial characteristics were formed. The Chukchi have increased heat regulation, a high level of hemoglobin in the blood, and a fast metabolism, therefore 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 Chukchi mythology, the raven appears - the creator, the main benefactor. Creator of the earth, sun, rivers, seas, mountains, deer. It was the raven who taught people to live in difficult natural conditions. Since, according to the Chukchi, Arctic animals participated in the creation of space and stars, the names of constellations and individual stars are associated with deer and ravens. The Capella star is a reindeer bull with a human sleigh. Two stars near the constellation Aquila - “A female deer with a fawn.” 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 wild deer, its biological rhythms and migration patterns.

Raising 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 education of boy warriors. From this age, boys sleep standing up, with the exception of sleeping supported by a yaranga. At the same time, adult Chukchi were raised even in their sleep - they sneaked up with a hot metal tip or a smoldering stick, so that the boy would develop a lightning-fast reaction to any sounds.

Young Chukchi ran behind reindeer teams with stones on their feet. From the age of 6, they constantly held a bow and arrow in their hands. Thanks to this eye training, the Chukchi's vision is long years remained sharp. By the way, this 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. We fought in special places - sometimes on walrus skin (very slippery), sometimes on ice.

The rite of passage into adulthood is a test for those who are viable. The “exam” 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 his son while he walked to carry out his task, and waited until his son lost his vigilance - then he released an arrow. The young man’s task is to instantly concentrate, react and dodge. Therefore, passing the exam means surviving. But the arrows were not coated with poison, so there was a chance of survival after being wounded.

War as a way of life

The Chukchi have a simple attitude towards death - they are not afraid of it. If one Chukchi asks another to kill him, then the request is carried out easily, 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 fierce, they have a sensitive sense of smell, lightning-fast reactions, and a sharp eye. If in our culture a medal is awarded for military merits, then the Chukchi are on the back side right palm got a dot tattoo. The more dots, the more experienced and fearless the warrior.

Chukchi women correspond to the harsh Chukchi men. They carry a knife with them so that in case of serious danger they can stab their children, parents, and then themselves.

"Home Shamanism"

The Chukchi have what is called “domestic shamanism.” These are echoes of the ancient religion of the Louravetlans, because now almost all Chukchi go to church and belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. But they are still doing shamanism.

During the autumn slaughter of livestock, the entire Chukotka family, including children, beats a tambourine. This ritual protects deer from disease and early death. But this is more like a game, like, for example, Sabantui - the holiday of the end of plowing among the Turkic peoples.

Writer Vladimir Bogoraz, ethnographer and researcher of the peoples of the Far North, writes that in real shamanic rituals people are cured of terrible diseases and mortal wounds are healed. Real shamans can grind a stone into crumbs in their hands, and “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 in order to “travel between worlds.” In Chukotka, people become shamans if a Chukchi is saved in a moment of danger by a walrus, deer or wolf - thereby “transferring” ancient magic to the sorcerer.