Chukotka’s Sea Hunters in the Period of Initial Soviet Reforms

Abstract

Drawing on archival sources, the author examines the Soviet reforming of the Chukotka sea hunters’ life ways during the early Soviet period (1923–1932). She traces the local variations in the reforming activities of the Soviet administration in particular contexts. The article draws attention to the regional administration’s attempt at dividing the “native” power bodies along the ethnic lines. The author argues that the impact of the economy on the social structure of Chukotka’s settled natives went counter to the political expectations of the Soviet authorities. She discusses the complexity of the situation in which the Soviet administration found itself in the period under consideration.