In the 15-16th centuries the Chukchi were driven away from their lands by the Yukaghir tribes. They had to move to the very East of the country where the Asian Escimos lived and shared the land with them. Their relations were always quite peaceful and very soon their peoples mixed together and started speaking the mixed Chukchi-Escimo language.
As for their relations with the American Escimos, they developed in a different way. Documents of the beginning of the 18th century say the Chukchi often attacked the residents of Alaska, robbed them and took their women and children prisoners. But from the middle of the 18th century they started trading as well.
By the end of the century none of the sides, however, trusted one another and the so-called “silent trade” took place among them – one side left its goods on the ground and went away, the other one put its goods on the opposite side of the thing they wanted to exchange and also went away. Sometimes this process lasted really long and any misundartanding could lead to the bloody conflict.
Meanwhile the raids continued. The Chukchi didn’t have any special boats for this purpose, they used simple kayaks.
Quite rare conflicts on the sea usually ended in skirmishes with bows.
But the Escimos knew an effective but very dangerous way how to beat the Chukchi. One of their men dived into the water and cut the bottom of the Chukchi’s kayak. After that the kayak and its crew eventually sank as well as the brave diver though, because neither the Chukchi nor the Escimos could ever swim.
To protect their settlements from frequent attacks they both built them on the hills and surrounded them with stone walls and fortresses.
They also placed disquised sharp pegs and wooden plates with thorns on the ground to hurt the enemies’ feet. The Chukchi always tried to attack suddenly. So they did it at dawn in the morning fog or at a special time when most of the Escimo men were hunting.
These raids continued till the end of the 19th century declining year by year. And only in the beginning of the 20th century the peaceful time has finally come. The peoples have mixed and people started to think only of their own profits.
In the end of the 19th century the Chukchi began going in for a peculiar extreme sport – the theft of the deers.
Having had an acquaintance with another people, the Koryaks, they found out a great resource for their “hobby”. During 50 years they stole about 240.000 deers and thus made the Koryaks fish and hunt even more ardently.
It’s clear the Chukchi were much more agressive and stronger. Some of them were 190 cm tall with strong muscles and some deers turned out to be uncapable to bear such heavy riders.
The Chukchi children have been prepared for being a soldier since early childhood. One can’t exactly call the method they used a very humane one. The Chukchi boy was suddenly burnt by a red-hot thing. So the child obviously became aware of every rustle around him and jumped aside every time he was slightly touched. Then his father sent him to the forest and quietly followed him. Having seized the right moment, he shot an arrow at him. If the boy dodged the arrow he proved to be a real soldier. If not – his name was never remembered.
Actually the Chukchi didn’t care much about death. They could kill themselves not being able to get over an offence or disgrace. They could easily stop their torture if they were seriously ill. If the Chukchi man decided to die from suffocation, for example, he lay his head on the wife’s lap and his two relatives (usually men) pulled the belt on his neck in different directions.
As for the Chukchi women, they always carried a knife with themselves so that, in case of the enemy’s victory, to be able to kill their children and themselves.
That’s how the Chukchi people lived not so long ago. Nowadays they still follow some of their traditions, though they definately became more civilised and calmer.
And here are some wonderful pictures of the Chukchi people painted by Azat Minnekaev. They perfectly reflect the true nature of these people.
The first snow.
Chief’s funeral.
Black tambourine.
Whale hunting 1.
Whale hunting 2.
Returning the walrus’s head.
Shaman’s flying.
The raven’s holiday.
In the cave of the ancestors.
Dance teacher.
Floating among the clouds.
Mistress of the rain.
And this is the Zorikto Gorgiev’s work which perfectly suits the topic.
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