Chuvans

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The Tschuwanen or Tschuwanzen ( Russian Чуванцы , self-designation 'etel' or 'etal') are an indigenous people in the Chukchi Autonomous Okrug and in the Magadan Oblast in the northeast of the Russian Federation . In Russia they are counted among the "small peoples of the north" .

ethnography

The Tschuwanen descend from the Jukagiren , who settled on the rivers Anjui , Tschaun and Paljawaam as well as on the upper reaches of the Amguema in the 17th century . Around this time they were subjugated by the Russians expanding into Eastern Siberia and obliged to pay the Yassak . In the following years they were allies of the Russians in their struggle to subdue the Chukchi and Koryaks . After heavy losses, a large group went to the Anadyrski Ostrog under the protection of the Russian garrison and, after its abandonment, to Gischiginsk . There was a partial assimilation with Russians, Koryaks and Chukchi. Parts of the people also went to Nizhnekolymsk and the upper reaches of the Anadyr, where they were assimilated by the Tundrajukagirs and the Koryaks. At the end of the 18th century, one group settled in Markowo on the Anadyr and was heavily Russified. The rest of the Chuwans continued to live nomadically.

language

Today's Chuvans speak Russian or Chukchi . The original Chuvan language became extinct in the second half of the 19th century. It is controversial among linguists whether Chuwanian was an independent language closely related to Jukagir or a dialect of Jukagir.

population

Historical sources speak of 520 Chuwans at the beginning and 600 in the middle of the 18th century. In 1897 452 and in 1926/27 707 people were counted. There are no figures for the period from 1930 to 1989, as the Chuwans were not regarded as a separate ethnic group during this time and were assigned to the Chukchi. In the 1989 census, 1,511 Soviet citizens counted themselves among the Chuwans, 1,384 of them in Russia and 944 of them in the Chukchi Autonomous Okrug. In 2010 there were 1002 Chuvans in Russia, 897 of them in Chukotka and 57 in Magadan Oblast. Almost 40% lived in urban settlements. In 2001 there were 226 Chuvans in Ukraine.

Culture and religion

The Tschuwans traditionally live as reindeer herders , hunters , trappers, fishermen and dog breeders. Before the colonization by the Russians, they also worked as traders and dog sled drivers for the Chukchi. They lived in Tschums , tent-like constructions made of a wooden frame that was covered with birch bark. In the 19th century, the Chuwans , who continued to live as nomads , ran reindeer herding on a large scale and, like the Chukchi, lived in Jarangas . The part of the Chuwans that had settled in Markowo maintained the traditional subsistence economy and lived in log houses with flat roofs and earth or wooden floors, which were heated with clay stoves. Today the sedentary Chuwans live mainly from fishing or work in local government. The rural Chuwans continue their semi-nomadic lifestyle as reindeer herders on the upper reaches of the Anadyr.

The traditional clothing is now only worn occasionally by seminomadic Chuwans. It consists of a fabric shirt, a kuchlianka (jacket with double fur lining) and fur trousers in winter or a kamleika (fabric jacket) in summer, as well as sealskin shoes.

Since their missionary work in the 17th / 18th In the 20th century, the Chuvans are Orthodox Christians . They observe the Christian holidays and hold weddings and funerals according to Christian custom, even if grave goods - tobacco for men, household items for women - are common. However, their religious practices are still influenced by the animism of their ancestors, especially among the seminomadic reindeer herders, who still perform sacrificial rituals . In addition to orthodox icons , shamanistic wooden, bone or clay figures of people and animals play a role.

literature

  • Winfried K. Dallmann: Chuvan . In: Mark Nuttall (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Arctic . tape 1 . Routledge, New York and London 2003, ISBN 1-57958-436-5 , pp. 354–356 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Winfried K. Dallmann: Chuvan . In: Mark Nuttall (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Arctic . tape 1 . Routledge, New York and London 2003, ISBN 1-57958-436-5 , pp. 354–356 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  2. ↑ Chuvantsy on the website Circumpolar Civilization in World's Museum, 2012, accessed on November 26, 2018 (English).
  3. ↑ Irina Nikolaeva: Chuvan and Omok languages? (PDF; 407 kB). In:  Studies in Slavic and General Linguistics . Volume 33, 2008, pp. 313-336 (English).
  4. ↑ Juha Janhunen, Tapani Salminen: Chuvan . In: UNESCO red book on endangered languages, 1993–1999 (English).
  5. ↑ Results of the 2010 census in Russia (by nationality) , accessed on November 24, 2018 (Russian).
  6. ↑ Results of the 2010 census in Russia (by federal subject) , accessed on November 24, 2018 (Russian).
  7. ↑ Results of the 2001 Census in Ukraine , accessed November 24, 2018 (Russian).

Web links

  • Chuvantsy on the website Circumpolar Civilization in World's Museum, 2012 (English)