The Siberian people who survived an empire's attempt at total extermination
For centuries, the Chukchi resisted Russian conquest through fierce warfare and strategic autonomy. From the high-stakes battles of the 1700s to a modern era of profound transition, discover how this Arctic group maintained their identity despite being targeted for total destruction.
The history of the Chukchi is marked by intense conflict with the Russian Empire. In the early 1700s, following Russian expansion into the Kamchatka Peninsula, skirmishes escalated into full-scale war. By 1742, the government in Saint Petersburg ordered a campaign intended to 'totally extirpate' the Chukchi and Koryak peoples. This brutal era saw the rise of Major Dmitry Pavlutsky, whose scorched-earth tactics included burning settlements and capturing families. The campaign only ended in March 1747 with Pavlutsky's death, after which the Chukchi began trading peacefully with the Russians.
The Chukchi are traditionally divided into two distinct groups: the Maritime Chukchi and the Reindeer Chukchi. The Maritime group inhabited the Arctic and Bering coasts, living in semi-subterranean houses and hunting sea mammals like walrus, seals, and whales. In contrast, the Reindeer Chukchi were nomads of the inland tundra, migrating seasonally with herds that provided food, milk, and transport. This distinction is reflected in their endonyms: the Reindeer Chukchi called themselves 'rich in reindeer,' while the coastal group were known as 'the sea people.'
Genomic research conducted between 2014 and 2018 suggests the Chukchi are the closest Asian relatives to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, descending from the settlers of Beringia. Their spiritual world is equally complex, characterized by a belief that every object possesses a spirit. Shamans played a vital role in this cosmology, entering trances to communicate with the divine, heal the sick, or even undergo ritualized gender transformations to adopt feminine healing traits. Today, while the population exceeds 16,000 and many are fluent in Russian, elements of their ancestral way of life endure.
Source: Chukchi people
