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FAMILY HEIRLOOMS OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF CHUKOTKA // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2014. Issue 1 (3). P. 115-118

This article was prepared on the basis of the literature, the museum sources and field data collected by the author in 2003 and 2010–2013 in Anadyr, the Anadyr and Chukotian regions of the Chukotian autonomous okrug. The aim of the article is to characterize the sacred and highly revered heirlooms and ritual objects used during the traditional ceremonies of the nomadic and coastal Chukchi groups. In the article we also present the records of the informants who watched traditional ceremonies or were directly involved in them. In this paper we do not consider the manufacture and application of the ritual objects in the funeral rites of the Chukchi. Knowledge of the sacred objects are well preserved in the modern indigenous peoples of Chukotka although the most complete information about the traditional cults possess people who spent their childhood and most of his life in the tundra, in nomad camps surrounded by older relatives and traditional language environment.

Keywords: Indigenous peoples of Chukotka, spiritual culture, traditional beliefs, sacred objects, heirlooms

THE CHUKCHI REINDEER BREEDING IN THE LATE XIX – THE FIRST HALF OF THE XX CENTURIES // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2017. Issue 4 (18). P. 76-88

This article describes one of the most important stages in the development of the reindeer breeding in Chukotka. The chronological scope of the study dates back to the late XIX – the first half of the XX centuries. This period is of special research interest due to the fact that at the turn of XIX–XX centuries and up to the first third of the XX century the Chukchi reindeer breeding developed on a traditional basis. Then under the influence of the political and economic changes breaking of the traditional management in the environment of the indigenous peoples of the North-East occurred. The paper presents statistical data on the number of deer herds in different years, the descriptions of reindeer herders’ roaming places, information about their adoption to the settled way of living. With the economic structure changes social relations in the herders' environment began to change. At the same time the new principles of zoning and organization of deer farms were not linked to the traditional environmental management system and family relationships. A serious interference in the centuries-old culture had led to the significant changes in the Chukchi reindeer herders’ lifestyle, changes in the system of values, significant socio-cultural changes that led to the results of regressing. The authors consider one of the dramatic episodes in the history of the country – the period of collectivization, its specific and consequences for the reindeer population of Chukotka. We use a wide range of sources and literature – archival materials, oral evidences (memory of the indigenous people of Chukotka), field notes, records and proceedings of party workers, land managers, historians, anthropologists and other scientists.

Keywords: The indigenous peoples of Chukotka, Chukchi, A traditional reindeer herding, Nomadic routes, Nomadic culture, Collectivization, The creation of the collective farm system

FUNERARY PRACTICES IN MODERN CHUKCHI CULTURE // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2020. Issue 1 (27). P. 126-136

This article examines the funeral Chukchi traditions that have survived to the present time. Many scientists believed that archaic forms of funerals would give way to a modern unified ritual. However, in some national villages of Chukotka people are still buried by burning or leaving the dead body on a hill or in an open area; modern funeral rites are also often associated with some elements of traditional culture. The authors consider the worldview associated with death, the attitude to death in the Chukchi and neighboring ethnic groups. For a comparative analysis of the rites occurring in different years, the authors give descriptions of the funeral rites by scientists and travelers of the XVIII–XX centuries. Existing ritual practices in modern Chukchi culture are represented by the following methods of burial of the dead: burning, leaving the body in the open air, laying the body with stones, burial "in Russian". Among the traditional burial practices, the most common is the ritual of burning. Moreover, in the village of Vaegi of Anadyr districts the funeral "in Chukchi" is the most preferable for residents. The exceptions are the cases when the spouses and close relatives of the representatives of other nationalities can not do the will of the dead in the ceremony of burning. Other traditional methods of burial are few but still occur in the village of Ilirney (Iultinsky district), Rytkuchi village (Chaunsky district), in some villages of Anadyr and Chukotka district. Surveys of residents showed that most often "in Chukchi" they bury the old people, who voiced their will during his lifetime, or "tundra-people" engaged in traditional farming away from the villages. It should be noted that nowadays few informants could describe the ritual as a whole, many people know the order of ritual acts, but cannot disclose their meaning. The funeral rites are frequently held in a "truncated" version (once the mandatory manipulations with the dead are no longer produced, for example, tendons cut, "open" chest, etc.). In rural areas, there are still experts who own traditional burial practices. They participate in the preparation and conduct of the rite, teach the younger generation to conduct rituals.

Keywords: Chukchi, traditional culture, traditional funeral rites, rite of burning, elements of funeral rite