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Danilova E. “It’s Fashionable to be Chuvan”: Field Research in Chukotka in 2023

E. Danilova
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-8183-4810
E-mail: danilova@northarch.ru

 

 Download  |  Go to Issue #4. 2023

 

ABSTRACT. In October 2023, an expedition from the Center for Arctic Research of the MAE RAS conducted ethnographic and archival field research in Chukotka. The focus was on the ethnic identity of modern Chuvans living in the middle and lower reaches of the Anadyr River, its support mechanisms and modern manifestations. The article presents the first results of the trip, illustrating the ideas of local residents about the peculiarities of Chuvan culture. The modern Chuvans are the youngest of the indigenous peoples of Chukotka, they are descendants of two groups: the mountain/nomadic Chuvans, who previously spoke Chukchi or Koryak, and the Russian-speaking riverine/sedentary Chuvans. The original language of both groups, probably close to Yukaghir, is now lost. Despite the mixture of languages and numerous cross-cultural borrowings, the Chuvans continue to recognize their differences from surrounding peoples and retain the memory of their special past. Intense interethnic contacts in the places where they lived influenced the formation of the eclectic nature of their culture, and their destinies were firmly intertwined with the history of other peoples of Chukotka. Chuvan traditional culture is a complex mosaic consisting of Yukaghir, Koryak, Russian, Chukchi, and Even elements. In all this it is difficult to single out something specifically Chuvan, but it is eclecticism (collectiveness) that is its marker and feature. One of the issues of research interest is the persistence of the Chuvans’ self-awareness in the context of the eventful ethnic history of the last three centuries.

 

KEYWORDS: Chuvans, ethnicity, identity, indigenous peoples, field research, Chukotka

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2023-4(22)-71-85
УДК 39 (=551)

 

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