Chukchi

The Chukchi inhabit northeastern Siberia, especially Chukotka. Inland communities traditionally herd reindeer, while coastal communities depend more heavily on hunting marine mammals. Travel and trade connect them with neighbouring peoples across the Bering region.

Historical accounts describe a rich tattooing tradition, particularly among women. Lines and other patterns on the face and body can be associated with identity, protection and fertility. Ethnographer Waldemar Bogoras records cheek markings used as fertility charms, illustrating how tattoos could carry meanings beyond decoration.

Men’s markings are described in older accounts as sometimes commemorating courageous acts, although practices vary. Tattoos may be made by puncturing the skin or by drawing pigment-coated thread beneath its surface.

Related techniques occur among Siberian Yupik communities on the Chukotka coast and on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. These neighbouring traditions are connected, but the Yupik of St. Lawrence Island should not be identified as Chukchi.