CHUKCHI

Chukchi: translation

Ethnic group. The Chukchi are the titular minority of theChukotka Autonomous Okrug, but also reside in theSakha,Magadan, andKamchatkaregions of theRussian Far East. In total, there are only some 15,000 Chukchi, making them one of the smallestnational minoritiesin the Russian Federation. Most Chukchi speakRussianas 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 areshamanistic; 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 ofglasnost.

See alsoIndigenous peoples of the North.