Chukotsky District ( Russian : Чуко́тский райо́н , Čukótskiy rayón ; Chukchi : Чукоткакэн район , Čukotkakèn rajon ) is an administrative and municipal district ( raion ), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , Russia . It is the easternmost district of the autonomous okrug and Russia, and the closest part of Russia to the United States . It borders with the Chukchi Sea in the north, the Bering Sea in the east, Providensky District in the south, and the Kolyuchinskaya Bay in the west. The area of the district is 30,700 square kilometers (11,900 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality (a selo ) of Lavrentiya . Population: 4,995 ( 2021 Census ) ; 4,838 ( 2010 Census ) ; 4,541 ( 2002 Census ) ; 6,878 ( 1989 Soviet census ) . The population of Lavrentiya accounts for 30.2% of the district's total population.
52-472: The district is populated mainly by indigenous peoples, the majority being either Chukchi or Yupik . The sparse nature of the population means that this is the only district in the autonomous okrug without any urban localities. The selo of Uelen is located in the district, which is a focal point for indigenous artwork of the region as a whole and the birthplace of Yuri Rytkheu , the first internationally recognized Chukchi writer. Chukotsky District covers
104-818: A Siberian ethnic group native to the Chukchi Peninsula , the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean all within modern Russia . They speak the Chukchi language . The Chukchi originated from the people living around the Okhotsk Sea . According to several studies on genomic research conducted from 2014 to 2018, the Chukchi are the closest Asian relatives of
156-547: A border guard station until 1994. Several remaining cabins are occasionally used by hunting parties. The sheltered bay presents an excellent sea mammal hunting location. The village was formed in 1902 around a trading post run by Olaf Svenson (North-East Siberia Co.) and the Karayev Brothers (Churin & Co.) until 1931, renamed 'Red Star' but closed 1951 with the population moved to Uelen. Also known as Ӄытрыткын/Qytrytkyn (Chukchi), Kytryn, and Ӄытжын/Qytžyn (Yupik). It
208-456: A family of trappers and hunters and was the first Chukchi author to achieve national prominence. His book A Dream in Polar Fog deals with the Chukchi people's efforts to adapt when a foreigner is shipwrecked on their shores. The district hosts the dog sled race "Hope" and the sea hunters' "Beringiya" festival. Within the framework of administrative divisions , Chukotsky District is one of
260-507: A high school, a daycare center, a boarding school, a cultural center, a food store, a hospital, a post-office, and a breeding farm with more than 300 Arctic foxes . The Lorino Dawns native ensemble under the guidance of N. Ginuntegin is based in the village. The population as of the official 2010 census results was 1267, of whom 628 were male and 639 female. This is a reduction on a 2003 estimate by Red Cross Chukotka as 1,419, of which 1,288 were indigenous peoples. The village of Lorino
312-476: A naive way. Lorino, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Lorino ( Russian : Лорино ; Chukchi : Ԓьурэн , Ḷ'urèn , lit. found camp ; Naukan : Lluughraq ) is a rural locality (a selo ) in Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , Russia . It is located on the boundary of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea . Population: 1,267 ( 2010 Census ) ; Municipally, Lorino
364-549: Is also home to an indigenous choir which has a history of cultural collaboration with their Inuit cousins across the Bering Strait in Alaska . The village also serves as the base for archaeological expeditions to the area, which have uncovered a burial ground containing over three hundred burials of early Whale Hunter cultures, covering a time span from 500 BCE to 1000 CE. These excavations have shown that Uelen
416-427: Is assigned a spirit. This spirit can be either harmful or benevolent. Some of Chukchi myths reveal a dualistic cosmology . A Chukchi shaman once explained to the ethnographer Vladimir Bogoraz that "The lamp walks around. The walls of the house have voices of their own. ... Even the shadows on the wall constitute definite tribes and have their own country, where they live in huts and subsist by hunting." After
468-548: Is much more focused on traditional marine hunting and reindeer herding. This is in part because, at around 85%, Chukotsky District has the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in the autonomous okrug. There is next to no industrial activity in this district, with the population mainly involved in reindeer herding, fishing, and seal hunting, with an administrative program in place to ensure that local indigenous peoples receive material incentives to continue with their traditional way of life. Although many native rural localities in
520-444: Is still used by local people as a stopping point and a shelter on fishing trips. The southern village's population was moved to Lorino, while the northern village's population was moved to Uelen. People from these settlements still use the site as a temporary camp. Also known as Чечаӈэн/Čečaṇėn (Chukchi) and Сисаӈиӄ/Sisaṇiq (Yupik). Seshan had 114 residents in 1940, all bar one of whom were indigenous. Assumed to have been closed in
572-524: Is subordinated to Chukotsky Municipal District and incorporated as Lorino Rural Settlement . Lorino is the largest indigenous village in the whole autonomous okrug and larger even than Lavrentiya , the administrative centre of the district, which is found to the north-west. The village is located on the shores of the Bering Sea, on the Mechigmen spit. it is 40.5 km to the district centre. Near
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#1732772030811624-400: Is twenty-one hours ahead of its partner Little Diomede , despite being only 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) away across the sea. Lakes Koolen and Ioni are located in the district. For the indigenous peoples, life has been rather static for the last few millennia, judging from archaeological excavations. The region contains about eighty archaeological and historical sites, many of which are in
676-554: The Anadyr River in the mid-17th century. Eighty years later, Vitus Bering sailed through the strait which now bears his name , and five years later, the first maps of the coastline were drawn by the Second Kamchatka Expedition . However, it was not for a further fifty-five years that the coast of the region was visited by James Cook , and a permanent Russian presence in the form of trading posts in any of
728-632: The Cossacks and the Chukchi. As the annual trade fairs where goods were exchanged continued, a common language between the two peoples was spoken. The natives, however, never paid yasak , or tributes, and their status as subjects was little more than a formality. The formal annexation of the Chukotka Peninsula did not happen until much later, during the time of the Soviet Union. Apart from four Orthodox schools, there were no schools in
780-552: The collapse of the Soviet Union , the state-run farms were reorganized and nominally privatized. This process was ultimately destructive to the village-based economy in Chukotka. The region has still not fully recovered. Many rural Chukchi, as well as Russians in Chukotka's villages, have survived in recent years only with the help of direct humanitarian aid. Some Chukchi have attained university degrees, becoming poets, writers, politicians, teachers and doctors. In prehistoric times,
832-877: The indigenous peoples of the Americas as well as of the Ainu people , being the descendants of settlers who neither crossed the Bering Strait nor settled the Japanese archipelago. The majority of Chukchi reside within Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , but some also reside in the neighboring Sakha Republic to the west, Magadan Oblast to the southwest, and Kamchatka Krai to the south. Some Chukchi also reside in other parts of Russia, as well as in Europe and North America . The total number of Chukchi in
884-607: The six in the autonomous okrug. The selo of Lavrentiya serves as its administrative center . The district does not have any lower-level administrative divisions and has administrative jurisdiction over six rural localities . As a municipal division , the district is incorporated as Chukotsky Municipal District and is divided into six rural settlements. Divisional source: Population source: *Administrative centers are shown in bold Chukchi people The Chukchi , or Chukchee ( Chukot : Ԓыгъоравэтԓьэт, О'равэтԓьэт , Ḷygʺoravètḷʹèt, O'ravètḷʹèt ), are
936-513: The 1920s, the Soviets organized the economic activities of both coastal and inland Chukchi and eventually established 28 collectively run, state-owned enterprises in Chukotka. All of these were based on reindeer herding, with the addition of sea mammal hunting and walrus ivory carving in the coastal areas. Chukchi were educated in Soviet schools and today are almost 100% literate and fluent in
988-695: The 1950s. Also known as Тойгуӈынӷуӄ/Toyguṇynǥuq (Yupik) and Тойвыӈынвын/Toyvyṇynvyn (Chukchi). A locality of 89 residents between 1946 and 1950 that had grown from just 13 in 1927. It was located five miles east of Cape Dzhenretlen and was established in the early 20th century by American gold prospectors based there who built wooden houses. Its name derives from the Chukchi word Toyvyngynvyn , meaning "new fortress/wooden house". Also known as Яндагай/Yandagay (Russian), Янраӈай/Yanraṇay (Chukchi) and Янраӈаӄ/Yanraṇaq (Yupik) (not to be confused with Yanranay in Chaunsky District ), and Yanranak. This
1040-471: The 1960s, it was abolished and its population moved to Lorino . The hunting camp of Akkani (two houses, 6 cabins) has been temporarily inhabited by hunters and their families from Lorino since the closure of the Akkani settlement in the 1960s; mostly used during the spring and summer hunting season. Sea mammal hunting site: Protected cove for boat landing; bluff at a cape overlooking two bays; the surroundings of
1092-470: The Akkani cape are ice free early and late in the season; close to a preferred walrus watch-out west of Cape Kriguygu; close to berry and plant gathering areas. Also known as Чегтун/Chegtun (Chukchi) and Сахтуӄ/Sahtuq (Yupik) (lit. straighten in Yupik , from сахтуӄ "straightening up", сахтаӄа "straightens"). Its population grew from 73 in 1927 to 124 (including four non-native people) in 1943. It
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#17327720308111144-526: The Chukchi and Koryak . The first attempt to conquer them was made in 1701. Other expeditions were sent out in 1708, 1709 and 1711 with considerable bloodshed but little success and unable to eliminate the local population on the large territory. War was renewed in 1729, when the Chukchi defeated an expedition from Okhotsk and killed its commander. Command passed to Major Dmitry Pavlutsky , who adopted very destructive tactics , burning, driving off reindeer, killing men and capturing women and children. In 1742,
1196-472: The Chukchi engaged in nomadic hunter gatherer modes of existence. In current times, there continue to be some elements of subsistence hunting, including that of polar bears , seals , walruses , whales , and reindeer . There are some differences between the traditional lifestyles of the coastal and inland Chukchi. The coastal Chukchi were largely settled fishers and hunters, mainly of sea mammals. The inland Chukchi were partial reindeer herders. Beginning in
1248-477: The Chukchi land until the late 1920s. In 1926, there were 72 literate Chukchis. The Soviets introduced a Latin alphabet in 1932 to transcribe their language, replacing it with Cyrillic in 1937. In 1934, 71% of the Chukchis were nomadic . In 1941, 90% of the reindeer were still privately owned. So-called kulaks roamed with their private herds up into the 1950s. After 1990 and the fall of the Soviet Union, there
1300-408: The Chukchi word пуэʼпуй or пуйъэпуй (puėʼpuy/puyʺėpuy), meaning "soot". This is a site of two villages (Pouten North and Pouten South) and was occasionally used as a border guard station. In pre-Soviet times, American geologists extracted graphite from shaft mines in the surrounding mountains and the pigments extracted were used by the indigenous population for decoration and ritual activity The site
1352-715: The Naukan Yupik word "Nyvuqaq", meaning "cespitose" (from нывуӄ "turf, sod"). This village was a cultural center of the Naukan Yupik and developed its own branch of the language ( Naukan Yupik ). Naukan, situated on the easternmost point of the Chukotsky Peninsula, was a key trading post linking those Chukchi who engaged in reindeer herding in the tundra and American sea hunters. The Chukchi herders provided meat and skins, while their Alaskan partners provided blubber and American goods. In 1947, Naukan received
1404-723: The Russian Empire, began to trade peacefully with the Russians. From 1788, they participated in an annual trade fair on the lower Kolyma. Another was established in 1775 on the Angarka, a tributary of the Bolshoy Anyuy River . This trade declined in the late 19th century when American whalers and others began landing goods on the coast. The first Orthodox missionaries entered Chukchi territory some time after 1815. The strategy worked, trade began to flourish between
1456-597: The Russian language. Only a portion of them today work directly in reindeer herding or sea mammal hunting , and continue to live a nomadic lifestyle in yaranga tents. The warlike Chukchi waged frequent wars against neighboring tribes, especially the Koryaks . Russians first began contacting the Chukchi when they reached the Kolyma River (1643) and the Anadyr River (1649). The route from Nizhnekolymsk to
1508-456: The autonomous okrug have historical museums documenting the culture of the indigenous peoples, Chukotsky District has a particularly strong cultural tradition, with Uelen being a notable hub, particularly for whale bone carving. Famous for its walrus ivory carvings, Uelen has long been a major artistic center in the region, with several of the leading exponents of the craft, such as Vukvutagin, Vukvol, Tukkay, and Khukhutan, working out of Uelen. It
1560-481: The district's territory. It also features the most easterly point on the Eurasian landmass: Cape Dezhnev, named after Russian navigator Semyon Dezhnyov . It was formerly the setting for a Dalstroy gulag site and the alleged starting point for Clemens Forell 's epic journey in the novel As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me . The district also includes Big Diomede Island , sometimes called Tomorrow Island since it
1612-425: The end of the 1950s, the Soviet government began a substantial program of relocation, closing a large number of indigenous settlements and relocating their inhabitants to a small number of villages. These settlements were destined to become local hubs and model Soviet villages Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union , local indigenous people rely more heavily on their traditional hunting skills and are considering
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1664-426: The families resettled from Ratmanov (Big Diomede). In 2004 an orthodox cross was erected next to Deshnov’s monument. Warm micro-climate: People from Uelen occasionally go to Naukan to gather wild onions. It was a major center of Eskimo culture until closed in 1958 by Soviet authorities, people moved to Nunyamo, Pinakul, Lavrentiya, Uelen. Also known as Нунама/Nunama (Yupik) and Нунъэмун/Nunʺėmun (Chukchi), this locality
1716-538: The fort at Anadyrsk along the southwest of the main Chukchi area became a major trade route. The overland journey from Yakutsk to Anadyrsk took about six months. The Chukchi were generally ignored for the next fifty years because they were warlike and did not provide furs or other valuable commodities to tax. Armed skirmishes flared up around 1700 when the Russians began operating in the Kamchatka Peninsula and needed to protect their communications from
1768-466: The government at Saint Petersburg ordered another war in which the Chukchi and Koryak were to be "totally extirpated". The war (1744–7) was conducted with similar brutality and ended when Pavlutsky was killed in March 1747. It is said that the Chukchi kept his head as a trophy for a number of years. The Russians waged war again in the 1750s, but a part of Chukchi people did survive this extermination plans on
1820-627: The north shore of the Mechigmen Bay. In 1927, it had a population of twenty-seven, though it is not certain whether this count is of the population of Mechgmen proper or of Raupelian (also known as Rawpialaane and Ravpelian) a village on the northern spit of the Mechigmen Bay, across the water from the village of Masik in Providensky District . By 1950, it was under the jurisdiction of Lorinsky Selsoviet . Also called Мытӄуӷлаӄ/Mytquǥlaq (Yupik) and Миткулино/Mitkulino (Russian) it
1872-503: The northern half of the Chukchi Peninsula , at the northeastern tip of Eurasia . Prior to 1957, the district was substantially larger, as its territory covered not only present-day Chukotsky District, but also present-day Providensky District , as well as a substantial territory now included in Iultinsky District . Uelen —the easternmost settlement on the Eurasian landmass and famous for its whale bone carving—is located on
1924-607: The population is of non-indigenous origin, mainly Russian. These people either migrated to the Far East or are the descendants of those who did, enticed by the higher pay, large pensions, and more generous allowances permitted to those prepared to endure the cold and the isolation, as well as those who were exiled here as a result of the Stalin 's purges or after having been released from the gulag. Unlike with most other districts of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Chukotsky District's economy
1976-422: The resettling a number of these villages due to the lack of centralized relocation. The table below outlines some of the more important historical localities within the district. Also known as Ыӄынин/Yqynin (Chukchi) and Ыӄыт/Yqyt (Yupik) (lit. seven yurts in Yupik & cold/chilly in Chukchi ). In 1927, it had a population of eighty-four. This had grown to 165 by 1943 and shrunk to 153 by 1950. In
2028-476: The very far North East (see on the right a map for population territories during the extermination activity by the Russian Empire). In 1762, with a new ruler , Saint Petersburg adopted a different policy. Maintaining the fort at Anadyrsk had cost some 1,380,000 rubles, but the area had returned only 29,150 rubles in taxes, so the government abandoned Anadyrsk in 1764. The Chukchi, no longer attacked by
2080-406: The vicinity of present-day villages. From the view of non-indigenous people, the area now known as Chukotsky District was a formidable place and was only gradually and tentatively explored in comparison with other areas of Chukotka. Semyon Dezhnyov and his Cossacks nearly had their entire fleet destroyed as they attempted to sail around the cape that would ultimately bear his name on their way to
2132-455: The village are the Lorinski (Kukunyskie) hot springs. The name "Lorino" comes from the Chukchi "льурэн" ( lyuren ), meaning "found camp". The first mention of Lorino comes from the 18th century, with the modern Chukchi village located on the site of the former Eskimo settlement of Nukak [6]. The main occupations of the inhabitants are sea mammal hunting, reindeer herding and fishing and
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2184-414: The village is the base for the municipal agricultural enterprise "Keper" ( Russian : Кэпэр ). A fox farm was established in the village in 1955 and a processing factory for seafood and meat canning was opened in 2009. The area around the village was used as the setting for the film The Chief of Chukotka . The Lorino hot springs are located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from the village. The village has
2236-538: The villages was not established until the early 1900s. Prior to the establishment of the current administrative arrangement (with Chukotsky District as it is now being founded in 1927), Chukotsky Uyezd was founded with its seat in Provideniya Bay in 1909, and in 1912, the seat was moved to Uelen with one of the first schools in the area opening there four years later. There were once many indigenous Yupik settlements throughout Chukotsky District; however, at
2288-553: The world slightly exceeds 16,000. The Chukchi are traditionally divided into the Maritime Chukchi , who had settled homes on the coast and lived primarily from sea mammal hunting, and the Reindeer Chukchi , who lived as nomads in the inland tundra region, migrating seasonally with their herds of reindeer . The Russian name "Chukchi" is derived from the Chukchi word Chauchu ("rich in reindeer"), which
2340-510: Was a locality on the southwest entrance to Saint Lawrence Bay between Akkani and Kotrytkino. In 1927, it had a population of 169, falling to 117 in 1950. In the 1950s, it was abolished and its population moved to Lorino. Chukotsky District has the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in the whole of Chukotka, with 85% of people being of native origin. The native peoples are primarily Chukchi, but there are also small populations of Evens , Koryaks , and Yupik . The remaining 15% of
2392-501: Was a major exodus of Russians from the area because of the underfunding of the local industry. Population estimates from Forsyth: In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022, the Chukchis have been reported as one of Russia's ethnic minority groups suffering from a disproportionally large casualty rate among Russian forces. Chukchi jokes are a form of ethnic humor . They are portrayed as primitive yet clever in
2444-620: Was a major settlement in the first centuries CE. In addition to revealing the existence of a culture dependent on whale and walrus hunting, archeologists also unearthed early examples of the indigenous peoples ivory carvings, a number of which are now held at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in St. Petersburg . The writer Yuri Rytkheu was born in Uelen in 1930 to
2496-407: Was a small locality of 27 residents in 1927. Its name derives from the Chukchi word "Mytkuvḷen", meaning "much oil/blubber" (from мыт- "grease", кув- "many"), due to the fact that the coast here has a concave bend where the current washes ashore dead whales and walrus which were used for oil and dog food. Also known as Нууӄан/Nuuqan (Chukchi) and Нывуӄаӄ/Nyvuqaq (Yupik). Its name derives from
2548-406: Was abolished by 1957 at the earliest, when the inhabitants were moved to Inchoun . Also called Каӈисӄаӄ/Kaṇisqaq (Yupik; from каӈиӄ "bay") and Кэӈисӄун/Kėṇisqun (Chukchi), old Chukchi Valkatlian, Enmytagin, and Mikhaylovsky throughout its history. During Soviet times, until its closure in 1951, Dezhnyovo was an important outpost of the Uelen state farm (linked by tractor transport). It was used as
2600-474: Was extremely close to Lorino and was eventually absorbed by it. Also known as Йиԓен/Yiḷen (Chukchi; from йиԓьэйиԓ " arctic ground squirrel "). Another village in the Mechigmen Bay area Like Mechigmen, it was established in order to hunt Gray whales. Also known as Кукъун/Kukʺun (Chukchi; from кукъу/кокъо "edible plant") and Кукун/Kukun. Kukun is a village analogous to Ilyan. Also known as Мэчивмэн/Mėchivmėn (Chukchi; lit. "bay bar", "bay"). A small locality on
2652-415: Was populated solely by Chukchi until 1958, having been previously a Yupik village in the 18th century as evidenced by old ruins and archeological finds. In 1958, following the closure of Naukan, the village became a mixed Chukchi/Yupik settlement until 1970, when the population were moved to Lorino, Lavrentiya, and Uelen. Also known as Пиӽтуӄ/Piḥtuq (Yupik) and Пуʼутэн/Puʼutėn (Chukchi). Its name derives from
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#17327720308112704-473: Was used by the 'Reindeer Chukchi' to distinguish themselves from the 'Maritime Chukchi,' called Anqallyt ("the sea people"). Their name for a member of the Chukchi ethnic group as a whole is Luoravetlan (literally 'genuine person'). The anthropologist Marshall Sahlins called the Chukchi "tribes without rulers". They often lacked formal political structures, but had a formal cosmic hierarchy. In Chukchi religion, every object, whether animate or inanimate,
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