INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF SIBERIA: CHUKCHIs

The Chukchi are an ancient Arctic people who live on the far eastern peninsula of Chukotka, across the Bering Strait from Alaska, located here:

Traditionally, inland Chukchi lived as nomads, herding reindeer. Coastal Chukchi lived in settled villages, hunting sea mammals. During the Soviet period, Chukotka was integrated into the economy and collective and state farms were established. In 1931, an alphabet was created for the Chukchi language by Soviet Jewish ethnographer Vladimir Bogoraz. In 1926, about 76 Chukchi were literate. Today, 100 percent of Chukchi are literate in both Chukchi and Russian. Because of Russian modernization and a degrading environment, there are very few Chukchi that still live traditionally. Photography by Alexander Khimushin and Jimmy Nelson.