‘Chum’, ‘yaranga’, ‘yurt’: Where do Russia's nomads live? (PHOTOS)

In Russia’s Far North and Siberia, in addition to urban and rural dwellers, there are those who lead a nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle (meaning they spend part of the year in the city). According to various estimates, there are 18,000-20,000 nomads left in Russia. Today, they are mostly reindeer herders. The animals constantly migrate in search of food and people have to follow them, along with their dwellings. We’ve highlighted below what these mobile homes look like in different regions of Russia.

‘Chum’

The majority of nomads – about 10,000 people – live on the Yamal Peninsula. These are the Indigenous peoples of the North – the ‘Nenets’, ‘Khanty’ and ‘Selkups’. Their traditional home is called a ‘chum’. It has a conical shape (similar to the teepee tents used by Native Americans), which is resistant to winds and blizzards, while snow easily slides off its walls. The ‘chum’ also heats up quickly from the inside and can be assembled and disassembled rapidly.
Essentially, the whole family takes part in setting up the temporary dwelling: it takes about an hour in summer and three hours in winter. We visited some nomads in Yamal and wrote about the ‘chum’ in closer detail here. 

‘Yaranga’

There are also reindeer herders in Chukotka, who live in ‘yarangas’. A wooden frame is covered with reindeer skins and tarpaulin and, inside, two “rooms” are arranged: one for cooking and a fire pit, the other for sleeping. The wall between the rooms is made like a curtain; it can be lowered when privacy is needed.

Modern nomads have snowmobiles, laptops and smartphones. So, in a ‘yaranga’, just like in a regular apartment, there are many cables and extension cords. They charge them using generators they carry with them.

Chukotka reindeer herders, meanwhile, are united in brigades that migrate along agreed-upon routes. The reindeer can be both private and municipal, but they typically graze in one large herd.
We visited the Chukchi people and wrote about it here. 

‘Yurt’

This is the traditional dwelling of the nomads of Kalmykia, Altai and Tyva, of whom very few remain today. However, ‘yurts’ are often used for recreation. Furthermore, cafes, restaurants and even museums shaped like yurts are very popular in these regions.

Inside, these structures are subject to strict etiquette. There are separate male and female halves and a sacred place by the fire pit opposite the entrance, where one must not turn one’s back or stretch out one’s legs.