Written oral history: Dimensions of identity of Chukotka’s indigenous people in the works of Rytkheu

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 2012. Vol. 8. No. 1. P. 27–41.

Sablin I.

Through the examination of two autobiographic works of Chukchi writer, Rytkheu, this study demonstrates the research potential of indigenous literatures, offering a new perspective on the past and present of indigenous peoples. The study seeks to provide new interpretations of identity in Chukotka, the northeastern extremity of Asia, of the 1930s and 1940s and to contribute to the identity debate in indigenous studies. In the article identity is understood as a multidimensional whole, with the discussed dimensions being based on ethnicity, nationality, occupation and place of residence. The article pre-eminently addresses the identity of the coastal sea-mammal hunters of Chukotka.

Keywords: СССР, USSR, художественная литература, indigenous peoples of North, literature, Chukchi, history of USSR, коренные народы Севера, коренные народы Арктики, коренные народы