Ancestor’s Guidance: How the Inuit of Chukotka adapt to climate change

The Inuit are the smallest indigenous community of the Russian Arctic. They call themselves Yupik. Yupik comes from the word "yuk" meaning "person" plus the post-base -pik meaning "real" or "genuine". Thus, it literally means "real people".?

In Chukotka peninsula the Yupik live mainly in the coastal settlements Novoye Chaplino and Sireniki. Also, in the settlements Lavrentiya, Lorino and Uelen live the Naukan Yupik, natives of the large Yupik village of Naukan, which was closed by the Soviet Government back in 1958.

Only 1.5 thousand Yupik currently live in Chukotka. Today they do everything they can to preserve their unique culture and lifestyle, affected by climate change.

Ice Melting?

One of the most drastic manifestations of ongoing climate change is the rapid shrinking of the Arctic sea ice cover over the last decades. According to the Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Science, the changes in the Arctic sea ice are manifested in several important characteristics including specific temporal and spatial patterns, timings of ice onset and removal, duration of the melt season, the thinning of first-year sea ice and decreases in multi-year ice area.

Climate change has a strong impact on the life of Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic, especially its influence on food supply and everyday diet. From ancient times to the present day the sea mammals have been the main source of food for Chukotka aboriginals. But hunting becomes much more difficult.

"We hunted seals on the pack ice during winter. But for the last 10 years the ice hasn't formed on the coast. So, we have to go on boats for 2 km to the sea to get the animals. It’s very dangerous due to the grease ice and large waves and it’s better to stay home," says sea hunter Valery Kavaugye, who lives in the Sireniki village on the Bering sea coast.?

The residents of the Providenya village also notice changes. The climate is getting warmer, instead of strong ice in winter, only drifting ice has been visible in the bay for more than 5 years. Storms became more frequent and frosts stronger. In contrast, summer is warmer and longer now.?

The resident of Providenya, an ecologist with the Beringia National Park Maria Panaugye said that climate change can radically affect the lifestyle of the aboriginals of Chukotka.

"If the problem is not solved, we lose our identity. We will not be able to apply our traditional skills. For example, you cannot hear the words "pack ice" in Yupik language anymore. These words are forgotten, I would no longer remember them without a dictionary," explained Maria Panaugye.

The Dying Language

Until the 1930s Yupik in Chukotka spoke four Inuit languages and dialects - Chaplino, Naukan, Sireniki? and Inupiaq. Today they can speak only the first two with a dictionary. Majority of Chukotka Yupik speak Russian. Knowledge of Yupik language is limited to the use of individual words and expressions. For example, "Siku" - the sea ice.

The siku forms in September-October. When it's finally formed, it is become possible to move around on the ice, travel along a vast network of ice trails, and hunt animals. The most important thing for a hunter is the ability to read ice at any time of the year to determine whether it is safe to use, to predict changes in weather and ice conditions.

Ice is named because of its formation, safety, and other factors. In Yupik there are the concepts of "tuvak" - "grease ice", "kanymgu" - a wave of ice splashes on the shore, "anlyu" - a hole in the ice made by a seal.

Whales and Quotas

Sea hunters on the Chukotka coast catch whales from May to the end of October. For residents of remote northern villages, dangerous hunting is a way to survive and feed their families. In the Soviet years, whaling fleets worked in the sea. The USSR accounted for more than 40% of all whales caught in the world. In the late 70s, the number of animals decreased greatly. In 1982, in order to preserve sea mammals numbers, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) adopted a moratorium. The USSR stopped hunting whales in 1987.

During active commercial whaling, the peoples of Chukotka have almost forgotten how to hunt using traditional methods because for many years they only engaged in cutting up carcasses that were brought by Soviet flotillas. In the 90s, after the Soviet Union’s collapse the food crisis began in Chukotka. In order to survive Yupik had to recover traditional fishing and hunting knowledge.?

Nowadays the IWC gives the indigenous community a quota for catching. In 2023 hunters of Chukotka got a 132 quota for grey whales and 2 quota for bowhead whales. It’s a great success to catch a bowhead whale. This mammal is much bigger and its meat could feed a village and make stocks for the winter.

In the last hunting season Yupik in Chukotka villages couldn’t catch a single bowhead whale. According to Valery Kavaugye, these animals leave the Chukotka coasts in May for a few years.?

"The hunting season starts in May. Our community submitted the citizen's application forms to IWC to review the deadlines and allow hunting from March-April. But this yielded no result," he says.

A similar situation exists in Novoye Chaplino village. "Several years ago there were a lot of bowhead whales in the bay in November and December. But we have not seen them for?over 10 years. We have to limit ourselves by hunting grey whales only. Also, there are a lot less seals, as well as migratory birds," - said Igor Makotrik, chairman of the whaling community "New Chaplino".

The An’yapik Boat

In 2020 the native An’yapik boatyard was opened in Novoye Chaplino. Its owner Yury Selyakin got grant money from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He participated in the Climate Adaptation program.

In Yupik language "an'yapik" means a "real boat". Those boats were used for hunting whales and walruses. The an'yapik was large and could take up to 30 people on board. The frame was made of driftwood and whale’s ribs, fastened with whalebone and covered with walrus’s skin.?

"I use traditional methods only. I have learned to make rope from a whale sinew, using the ancient method. I tied my first boat when I was in High School. Unfortunately, there are no elders who could teach these skills anymore. But I won't give up," said Yuri Selyakin.

Nowadays these boats are rarely used, if at all, since the sea hunters mostly hunt on motor boats. However, coastal villagers can see them in summer during "Beringia Anniversary Sea Hunters Regatta", the team races on an'yapik.

Handbook for Young Sea Hunters?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The Elder and the Knowledge Keeper Svetlana Tagyok published the "Handbook for Young Sea Hunters". She has been collecting knowledge from the elders and hunters for many years. Her brother and uncle were the sea hunters themselves. They said: when you sit in the an'yapik you should forget Russian speech. Names of hunting equipment could be understood only in Yupik. Any mistake could result in tragedy.

In the guide the author shares recommendations on hunting in different weather conditions, surviving in a storm and in the tundra. Also, the book includes the chapters with the description of hunting equipment, the rules list for boat construction and for sewing ethnic clothes.

"Our people forgot how to sew traditional clothes to protect against cold, wind and water. For example, in the 90s there was an incident with my uncle - he and other hunters were drifting on an ice floe for a few days. All men suffered from frostbite except my uncle. He did not get sick because he wore traditional clothes," says Svetlana Tagyok.

"Pyh-pyh" making in Sireniki

Another village on the Bering sea coast is the Sireniki. According to archaeologists in that area people have lived continuously for at least two thousand years. More than 500 people live here today. There are remains of ancient Yupik huts near the village. In one version, the name "Sireniki" means "The Sun Valley".

The sun is very important for Yupik. With the increase in daylight in spring the whales’ migration starts. Whale hunting forms a unique part of ancient Inuit culture. Sea hunters use a lot of tools passed from their ancestors. There are two-flue harpoons, "ulu" knives, "pyh-pyh". "Pyh-pyh" - is a buoy from a skin of a seal. Sea hunter Valery Kavaugye explained how to make the tool.?

"To do this you need to catch the male seal. The seal’s skin needs to be degreased, inflated and tightly tied. We use pyh-pyh when delivering carcasses to shore to prevent the mammals from drowning. Two modern buoys are needed to carry a walrus to shore, but only a single traditional pyh-pyh will be enough for the job. And to carry a whale it would require 6 to 8 pyh-pyh. A buoy from a seal skin can be deflated and it is easy to store," said Valery Kavaugye.

Valery Kavaugye said the basics of the sea hunting skill in Sireniki and other native villages are usually taught from childhood. The elders teach the kids to knit knots and make tips for harpoons. Since the age of 14 boys already go to sea, they start learning to harpoon whales.?

Yupik Family Trees

Novoye Chaplino is a native village located in Tkachen Bay. In 2023 multimedia project "Memory of the Novoye Chaplino" was created by anthropologist Dmitry Oparin. The project combining genealogical trees of the Yupik families.

Most Yupik traditions are associated with the cult of honouring ancestors. Families collect memories and legends, photos and documents. Children are named after their grandparents. Yupiks believe that the spirits of ancestors actively help them. So, they honour the memory with ritual sacrifices.

"Many Yupik keep family photographs and documents. Sometimes these are used in healing practices. Often photos of dead relatives hang on the home walls. In the hunter’s houses there are photographs of hunters who drowned, died of old age and disease," explained the authors of the project.

Some residents of Novoye Chaplino are independently researching their family history. In 2009-2012 Ekaterina Dombrovskaya (née Nutanaun) conducted a large-scale study and published the book "The History of Our Family".

Conclusion

Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic have endured harsh conditions for centuries. They have preserved to this day the cultural heritage of ancestors, lifestyle and skills. This is especially true for sea mammals hunting skills. The health of Yupik depends on their unique northern diet. But climate change could threaten this. So far no one paid attention to this issue, the future of the Yupik is at risk.?