CHUKCHI

Chukchi: translation

   Ethnic group. The Chukchi are the titular minority of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, but also reside in the Sakha, Magadan, and Kamchatka regions of the Russian Far East. In total, there are only some 15,000 Chukchi, making them one of the smallest national minorities in the Russian Federation. Most Chukchi speak Russian as well as Chukchi, which is a member of the Chukotko-Kamchatkan (Luorawetlan) language family, and is related to Koryak and Itelman. Chukchi are divided between maritime (Chukchi: “Anqallyt”) and reindeer herding (Chukchi: “Chauchu” ) groups. Chukchi are shamanistic; many still retain a belief system that all things—animate and inanimate—possess a spirit, or life force, which can be either beneficial or harmful. The Chukchi have engaged in a modest cultural revival since the initiation of glasnost.

   See also Indigenous peoples of the North.