Ethnic groups of Russia: Chukchi

About 16,000 Chukchi live in Russia, scattered across the vast territory of northeastern Eurasia. Most of them reside in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Chukchi are divided into nomadic tundra reindeer herders and sedentary coastal hunters, who, in turn, hunt seals, walruses and whales.

The Chukchi and other small ethnic groups of the Chukotka Peninsula hold exclusive rights to hunt whales in Russia. Armed with rifles and harpoons, they set out to sea in small motorboats. They hunt these marine giants exclusively for personal use; selling their catch is prohibited.

The Chukchi are also masters of bone carving. They carve beautiful figures of people and animals from walrus tusks and can even create entire compositions. ‘Pelikans’, talismans in the form of broadly smiling creatures that "devour human envy, stupidity, worldly troubles and bad thoughts", are very popular.

The Chukchi diet consists primarily of reindeer, seal and whale meat. The most popular dish is ‘mantak’ (‘maktak’) – sliced ​​whale skin with a layer of blubber. The‘kopalkhen’ dish, meanwhile, is made from the carcass of a fatty reindeer or seal, which is stored for months in a swamp or frozen ground. For those unaccustomed to such food, it can be fatal.