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Three elements

Eastern Chukotka is a shy beauty, astonishing onlookers with its fantastic natural diversity. The beauty of this place is introverted, devoid of bustle and mobile ringtones. Rocks, sky, and sea – these are the 3 elements that reign Eastern Chukotka. At the same time the indigenous population of Chukotka believes that the world consists of 3 domains: the earth – for all the things in existence; the sky – for the ancestors; and the underworld, the demon world called kele where the souls of people went if they died of diseases.

Warmth of life

The Vykvyragtyrgyrgynyh family is seated around the hearth. Their family name translates as “The one returning home like a stone” – because the mother of Valera, the patriarch, gave birth to him at the river bank where she went fishing. She brought him home, heavy, wrapped in kamleyka – a traditional waterproof robe made from sea mammal skin. He has grown into an artist, a carver, an engraver working with mammoth and walrus tusks. Valera’s wife, Larisa, is a keeper of the local traditions and language. She has given life to two sons, and she also has passed on her knowledge of the language and the ancestor’s melodies that still sound at their hearth for her granddaughters. A hearth in a Сhukchi home is a vital symbol of family, happiness, and warmth. It is usually in the very centre of their dwelling. Above the hearth there is a hole. It is held that though that hole ancestors can look at their descendants from the sky. If cooking steam and smoke go up through the hole, the ancestors are happy for their younger generations. This is how generations support an invisible bond.

Chukotka fairytale: a dog king

Choosing and training a pack leader is no easy task. In Chukotka the leader is identified early – when the puppies are still blind. A pack leader senses the space well and would never lead a sled over a treacherous air pocket. Their training takes two years, and their owners are very proud of the precious pack leaders who act as intermediaries between humans and the rest of the dog team.

New day's dawn

The landscapes and colours of Chukotka are ethereal in their beauty and sternness. They are never monotonous, but they are usually characterised by two features – low sky and endless space.

Mistress of Tundra

Reindeer are abundant in the fables and fairytales of Chukotka, since reindeer act as an off-the-road vehicle and provide work, medicine, dwelling, food, clothes, and shoes to the locals. Reindeer have become an intrinsic part of the nomadic lifestyle and survival. There are many stories where reindeer saves a human, and they are celebrated with various festivals: those of the Young Reindeer, or Kilvey, dedicated to a calf, which takes place during the antler shedding. The antlers are then collected in the tundra and stored near yarangas for future medical use, or souvenirs.

Yarar, the Sun symbol

The indigenous peoples of Chukotka have several sun symbols, celebrating it as the source of life, joy, and goodness. The most popular ones are the ornate balls made of leather and fur, or resonant drums – yararas. So it is for a good reason that this sacral object has become an attribute of many dances of Ergyron, the State Academic Chukchi-Eskimo Ensemble.

Chukotka Renaissance

This picture was made in a classic portrait manner of Caravaggio. Looking closely at this Madonna of Chukotka, in her face we see features of all her ancestors who lived in the Arctic.

Cycle of life. One of 136

Eastern Chukotka is the only place in Russia where indigenous peoples are hunting sea mammals – whales, walruses, and seals. Whale hunting is neither entertainment nor business. It is the traditional lifestyle of the Eskimo and Chukchi living by the sea. Whale hunting is banned. However, the International Whaling Commission has made an exception for the indigenous population of Chukotka and the peoples of the North, so they have a quota of 136 because this is more than just a traditional trade – it’s also their traditional food which provides essential nutrients to the locals. Whale meat is not for sale – it is allocated among the local families. Once a whale is caught, it is left at the shore so that everyone who lives nearby could come and take enough meat and skin for their family.

On the shore

There is only one true constant here – the nature, and even the enormous ships in Chukotka turn into mere reminders of the past.

Uelkal girl

The name of the ethnic Eskimo village Uelkal comes from the word valkalyk – meaning “whale’s jaws”. Marine hunting is the primary occupation of the local community Nanuk – the westernmost of the existing tribes in the world. Our sudden visit let the inhabitants rediscover the idea of creating the Whale Alley which may turn out to become one of the top attractions of the Bering seashore.

Anticipation

Dog sled riding for many centuries has been one of the core elements of the Northern peoples' lifestyle. «Give me snow, give me dogs! Then you can keep the rest» – said Knud Rasmussen who made the longest dog sled journey in human history. He went from the Hudson Bay to the Chukotka peninsula – which covers 18000 km, and remembered this «Great Sled Journey» with heartfelt words: «I am overwhelmed by a warm feeling of gratitude to all our patient and uncomplaining dogs. We worked hard, straining ourselves together, united, as much as living beings can work, helping each other…”.

Ritual

Chukotka is truly a mystical land, so elements of a traditional pagan culture and lifestyle can be encountered in the indigenous peoples’ daily routines. Addressing the spirits of the tundra, the forces of nature, is part of the respectful attitude to the ancestral land. As the tradition demands, they make an offering to spirits before embarking on a long journey, as well as going into the tundra or the sea. The Wise Raven image is part of the local legends and fables – he is the one who guards and protects from calamities.

Grandfather Sergey

Grandfather Sergey descends from a family of reindeer herders of Amguema village. He has dedicated his entire life to this. Being the patriarch of a large clan, he passes on the traditions of considerate attitude to nature and love for the native soil which is preserved by him and his family.

Cradle

Chukotka keeps the reindeer herders’ tradition of living in tundra yarangas. A yaranga is a traditional mobile home, warm and cosy, made of skins, furs, and natural fixings. It’s been known in the Arctic since the earliest times. Before going to school reindeer herders’ children lead a nomadic life with their parents, taking in the love for their land and a wandering life with their mother’s milk.

Fog over the Kresta bay

Nature is the greatest artist, playing with the elements daily and captivating the onlookers with the endless variety of combinations.

Eternal story

Antonina and Grigory have been together for 50 years. They were classmates, and they've carried their love through all life challenges. Together the Red Cross volunteers managed to help them overcome the hardships. It is a simple truth: by giving to others you are helping yourself. And this is what keeps filling their lives with meaning.

Ark

There are 17 people in Lena Attyrakhtynoi’s family from Lavrentiya village. They have kept the local language and folklore traditions. From an early age their children learn the hereditary trades of their elders in the sea and the tundra. Lavrentiya village has inherited its name from the bay – the Saint Lawrence Bay. Everyone can participate in “Nadezhda” dog sled racing here and watch the “Beringiya” – the unique Chukchi-Eskimo baidara boat race.

Tradition

The eldest woman in the family is well-respected. She is the preserver of the hearth and traditions, the mistress of the yaranga. The wellbeing of the family and the reindeer herd depends on her hard work, kindness, knowledge, and observation of customs.

Tyneru

Anatoly Yakovlevich Tyneru is a true guardian of Chukotka. He comes from a family of chauchu reindeer herders. His name in the Chukchi language means “the beginning of the dawn”, as he was born in the tundra right before sunrise. This symbolism resonates with Tyneru’s personality – he is a strong and joyful person. His professional life went from being a reindeer herder to heading the Amguema Reindeer Farm and becoming a member of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Duma.

Pride of Iultinsk tundra

Northern reindeer breeding is one of the pillars of the traditional lifestyle for the indigenous peoples of Chukotka. Keeping semi-wild animals requires a lot of skill. A harsh climate doesn’t make it any easier. Wolves and wolverines also pose a serious threat. At the moment the reindeer livestock in Chukotka tallies at 198 thousand. The richest pastures are located in the Amguema river basin, so the Iultinsk tundra reindeer are the base of the regional gene pool.

Starting point

If we draw an imaginary line through the Earth from the Greenwich meridian, we'll see its other end in Chukotka, near Egvenkinot village. Only here the 180th meridian crosses the Arctic circle; this is where every day ends, and every new day begins – not just for Russia, but for the entire planet. This “starting point” has become an attraction for people fascinated by the idea of travelling outside of time and space. Boris Andrianov, a genius cellist, is one of the travellers who made a “Musical Expedition” to the starting point, not fearing the distance nor the risks.

Massik Whale Alley

Mysterious structures found in Massik in the Chukotka region, like the Yttygran island, got the name of the Whale Alley. Whale bones are widely used to construct homes and dry boats made of animal skins. Massik is the name of an ancient shoreline Chukchi village which existed until the mid-20th century. This is a sacred place for the indigenous population that is still visited by the Lorino village inhabitants who give offerings and pay tribute to their ancestors.

Youth of Chukotka

A moment of a day, bringing on its wind the joy of serene joy. Life in harmony with nature has given the children of Chukotka a unique gift of thinking creatively, believing in dreams, and being happy in the present moment.

Facing the wind

A girl running towards her dream, the wind, the life – there is a lot of symbolism in her figure, heading forward to the happy tomorrow.

Silence of Ravkergygytgyn Lake

Looking like one of the most picturesque hills in Chukotka, Tsvetok hill has earned its name: in Russian it means “flower”. Its orange streaks are so vivid due to limonite (which is an iron ore). It is located above lake Ravkergygytgyn – in the Chukchi language it means “a clear lake”. It is 128 meters deep and 2 km long.

By the hearth

Fire symbolises many things apart from mere warmth. Fire shoos away wayward souls wandering across the tundra in search of a place to rest. This is why women are holding fire for a cleansing ritual when they meet their husbands returning home from a journey. And inside their yarangas, by the hearth, delicious food and hot tea await.

Grandchildren

Amguema inhabitants don’t have to go far away from home to pick up mushrooms and berries – crowberries, blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries. And visit their grandma living in her riverbank summer yaranga, where homemade flatbread and hot tea await. In their free time, they can learn beadwork and bone carving, or pick up medicinal herbs.

Happy to live in their land

Northern reindeer herding, being one of the traditional trades of the indigenous peoples of Chukotka, is unique in its preservation of customs, traditions, and ancestral culture. The Chukchi reindeer herders live in perfect harmony with nature. Although modern conveniences are now available, they choose to follow their reindeer for hundreds of kilometres regardless of the harsh climate and the risk of encountering wolves and wolverines.

Lake Prozrachnoe valley

The valley of lake Prozrachnoe (“translucent”) is one of the most beautiful places in Chukotka when autumnal tundra wears its brightest colours. The hillsides look like paintings, capturing the eye and making travellers return again and again to see these blessed landscapes.

Four suns of 180th meridian

Chukotka is famous for its surprises. On the way to the 180th meridian, by an abandoned village, the frosty morning gave us a wonderful and rare gift: a halo. Due to the sunray refraction, we could see four Suns at the same time, and luckily we managed to capture this.

Chukotka capital

Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka, was founded in 1889 as a border post named Novomariinsk – to honour Empress Maria. The village that evolved nearby in 1920 got the name Anadyr. The village’s development was fostered by the marine post construction in the 1950s. Since 2001 Anadyr has been completely renovated according to the newest antidepressant designer technologies used in the Northern cities. In 2004 Anadyr received the title of “The Most Comfortable City in Russia”.

Aligning the horizon

Taykev is a traditional Chukchi martial art. “Wrestling is a common way of dispute settling. If someone wants to challenge another person over an issue, they call them out in a wrestle, or search for an opportunity to face the opponent in a public competition”. The most widespread type is freestyle wrestling in various forms. Regardless of the season and weather wrestlers would always fight barechested. They are allowed to use various arm holds above or below the waist, as well as foot sweeps, suplexes, hip rolls, etc.

Sun Sign

Chukotka is a unique place. This is where the 180th meridian divided the Earth into the Eastern and the Western hemispheres. The point where the Arctic circle crosses the 180th meridian is marked with the astrological sign of the Sun, symbolising the end of an old day and the beginning of a new one. The monument was erected in 2012 by the Chukotka Trade Company. Made of concrete, it weighs 8 tons and is 3 meters 48 cm high. The Sun sign is 400 million times smaller than the real star. Through the centre hole one can see the point where a new day begins – «The House of the Sun» at the Bezymyannaya hill. The project was developed and executed by Ida Ruchina, Igor Ivanov, Timur Yurchenko, and Xenia Nesterova.

Chukotka planet

Chukotka is the place where time stands still. Nothing has changed since this landscape was seen for the first time by the Russian explorers in the middle of the last millennium. Hardly anywhere in the world one can find such a deep silence and untouched nature. Midnight sun allows one to behold the landscapes in twilight – a view so enchanting that one wants to return to it again and again.

Smiling fox

The Kresta Bay is known for its wonderful landscapes, rivers, harbours, and hills. Sometimes their outlines look like various birds and animals – such as the one pictured here, where the autumnal tundra draws a fox head with a little dragon at its left eye. Nothing can stop the flight of fantasy – not even the high mountains or trees! Life flies above the horizon.

Guardian

This photograph’s message is “Keep me safe”. Which encompasses care, mutual responsibility, and help – they are essential to survival in the harsh Arctic conditions.

Chukotka transit: across the Anadyr estuary winter track

The Chukchi Sled Dog is an ancient breed – it’s more than 2.5 thousand years old. It is still as popular as before in the Chukotka peninsula. These dogs are resilient even by the sled dog standards. They are still helping people, both on distant journeys and in hunting.

Summer in Vrangel island

Vrangel island is one of the most mysterious and wonderful places on Earth. It was discovered 150 years ago by Thomas Long, an American whale hunter, and he called it after the explorer who calculated its coordinates. Vrangel island is a unique nature reserve of the Arctic, hosting the richest collection of cold-resistant plants, the largest seabird colony, walrus haul-outs, and a place where polar bears nurse their young.

Rare guest

“Sedov”, a legendary sailing ship, is visiting Chukotka on its first Arctic journey in 150 years. The picture was taken in Egvenkinot, Kresta bay.

Haven of faith

The Church of Elevation of the Holy Cross was built in Egvenkinot by the Chukotka Trade Company. It was consecrated in 2016 by the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The first stone church in Chukotka with its golden domes has become a spiritual centre and a symbol of light and goodness of the new life.

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