How do Chukchi wash? Interesting Facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Some places on the planet amaze the imagination with their climatic conditions and the peculiarities of the life of the peoples living there. One of these places is the Far North. There is no harsher land on earth. In the conditions of permafrost, it is quite difficult to find something alive there. A rare plant and animal can withstand such a temperature. However, even in those difficult conditions, people adapt to life. One of the peoples inhabiting the northern region are the Chukchi. They will be discussed in this article.

Who are the Chukchi

Chukchi are the ancient inhabitants of the extreme north-east of Siberia. By the nature of their activities, they are divided into nomadic, settled and foot. Since ancient times, the Chukchi have developed two main types of economy. The first is reindeer breeding, and the second is sea fishing. Both settled and nomadic Chukchi lead a very modest lifestyle.

Home utensils contain only the most essential items, craftedmostly wood. One of the questions often of interest to Web users: how do Chukchi wash themselves? There are many rumors that the Chukchi allegedly do not wash at all or wash once a year.

Do the Chukchi wash

Taking a hot bath or shower in the Far North is an almost impossible task. Therefore, from ancient times it so happened that the inhabitants of the northern region practically did not wash themselves. The Chukchi even had a belief that during washing, strength and he alth are washed out of the human body. This is not surprising, since even in a heated tent, the air temperature rarely rises above zero. To protect themselves from the cold, the Chukchi are forced to rub their bodies with fat, which protects them from hypothermia. Washing off the fat, they become unprotected from severe frosts. Based on everything, it becomes clear why the Chukchi do not wash. However, they still came up with ways to cleanse the body.

How Chukchi wash

Local residents invented this method: they periodically gathered in a camp, smeared their bodies with seal fat, made a fire and warmed themselves around the fire. The mud that stuck to the body mixed with the fat melted from the fire. Taking special scrapers in their hands, the Chukchi scraped off dirt and fat from their bodies.

There is another way how the Chukchi wash themselves. To cleanse their bodies of pollution, the inhabitants of the Far North came up with the idea of wearing leather clothes with a nap inside. As a result, mechanical cleansing of the skin occurs with the help of villi.

Modern conditions

Of course, technological progress has reached suchcorners of the planet remote from civilization, like the Far North. Ever since the Soviet era, the inhabitants of the tundra have been forcibly accustomed to bathing procedures. This process has taken root over time.

Today, modern reindeer herders have the opportunity to use mobile baths. They also have miniature portable ovens at their disposal. This, of course, makes the process of cleansing the body much easier and more convenient.

However, despite all the achievements of our time, the inhabitants of the Far North, in comparison with other nations, take baths much less frequently. For them, the fat that they put on their body is an important helper in the fight against severe cold. Therefore, they are in no hurry to part with him.

Interesting facts

How and where the Chukchi wash, we figured it out. It is also worth noting the physiological characteristics of this nationality. Despite the fact that the inhabitants of the Far North rarely wash themselves, they do not emit a sharp, unpleasant smell. Northern peoples do not need deodorants. Moreover, there are even rumors that after the Chukchi began to bathe regularly under the influence of the Soviet regime, their skin began to crack and bleed. The earwax of the inhabitants of the tundra also differs from the European one. If we have it viscous and sticky, then the peoples of the North have it completely dry.

Conclusion

Many people are shocked when they find out how the Chukchi wash themselves. Anyone who is used to taking a shower every day cannot imagine how one can not washweeks. However, one should take into account the physiology of different peoples of the world, and the climatic conditions in which they live. The Chukchi do not need to bathe every day. Firstly, in conditions of severe frosts, they practically do not sweat. Secondly, their sweat, even if it is formed, does not have an unpleasant odor and does not cause such inconvenience as residents of hotter regions. And thirdly, the protective film on the skin, together with the fat applied to it, is the most important protection against the severe frosts of the Far North.