Chums (reindeer-fur teepees)

All Nenets nomads on the Yamal Peninsula live in conical reindeer-fur tents similar in appearance to the North American teepee. The coverings of the chum are known as nyuki and are made up of a large number of reindeer furs sewn together using reindeer sinew as thread.

The nyuki are held up by a skeleton of 33 wooden poles fashioned from fir trees and about four metres long each. The bottom ends of the poles are driven into the snow in a circle about 6 metres in diameter. The top ends interlock high above the fireplace in the centre of the chum.

Only three of the chum poles are tied together all the time. These are the first three set up when erecting the chum after a migration and the last three to come down when disassembling it. The rest of the poles are placed leaning on these first three in a very specific order that gives the structure the strength to resist gale force winds.

The inside of the chum varies greatly depending on time of year and the area you visit. In winter all chums have hand-carved wooden floorboards and a big, rusty metal stove in the centre with a long thin chimney to evacuate smoke. In summer, however, a chum should have neither a stove nor floorboards. While migrating north in May or June, these are left behind on sledges somewhere in the tundra, along with other things that are not essential in the summer.

When traveling through the tundra in summer, one often sees small collections of these sledges that have been left by northward-migrating nomad camps. They are left to make migrations easier for the reindeer in summer, when the ground is swampier and harder to pull sledges on than in winter.

As well as floorboards and the stove, Nenets leave behind their warmest winter clothing and the nyuki (fur chum covers). In the past a summer chum’s covers would be made of wood bark, but now everybody uses tarpaulin.

A summer chum should therefore look much more “spartan” than a winter chum. In summer there is no floor, just the same ground as outside the chum. In the centre there is an open fire in summer, whereas in winter there would be the stove. In practice, however, only the highly migratory Yar-Sale nomads universally maintain such bare-bones chums. At nomad camps nearer to Salekhard or in the mountains many people continue to use floorboards and a stove even in summer.

Most chums nearer to Salekhard or in the Polar Ural Mountains have also lost some of the traditional features related to the spiritual beliefs of the Nenets. The two most obvious are:

 

  • The chum protector idols and ancestor idols. Every chum should traditionally have several idols that the oldest woman keeps near the door, just to the right of the place in the chum where she sleeps and sews. These idols are carved of wood and dressed in miniature sets of Nenets reindeer

-fur clothing. The smaller ones are for protecting the chum whereas the larger ones represent particularly honoured ancestors, for example shamans or influential reindeer herders. While all chums in the Yar-Sale and Seyakha areas still have these idols, very few chums around Salekhard or in the mountains have them, where many Nenets have been converted to Christianity.

  • The sacred chum pole. This is, again, a feature of all chums in the Yar-Sale and Seyakha areas but almost no chums in areas near Salekhard or in the mountains. It is an extra pole that stands a few feet out from all the others at the back of the chum, opposite the door and on the other side of the fire. While the “invisible line” across the chum that it is taboo for women to cross (from the fire to the sacred pole and out into the tundra) has been quite well documented, it is less well known that the area in the chum between the sacred pole and the wall is taboo even for men to cross. In winter the area is used to store tables, food and so on but in summer it is usually empty and it is easier for guests to make this mistake. If Nenets see you crossing it they will immediately ask you to cross it back the way you came. A cleansing ritual will later need to be performed.

When entering a chum, the fastest way to do so is to hold up the entry flap above your head and come in backwards. This lets in less cold air, which helps economise firewood and creates less work for your Nenets hosts. Next to the door in every chum there will be a specially designed stick which you should use to beat the snow off your feet, so as not to carry it around the chum with you. There should then be a small brush made of birds feathers which you can use to sweep the snow back towards the door.

After entering the chum, you should not stand around taking up space but go immediately to the furs that line the chum to the left and right of the door. This is where everyone sits or lies when they are relaxing. Each family, and each person within that family, has their own place. If there are two families they will each occupy a separate side of the chum. The main woman will be nearest to the door, with her husband just to her left then their children. Guests will be to the left of the children.

At mealtimes, a low table about a foot high is brought out from the back of the chum and placed in front of the furs. Men sit on furs while eating while women sit on stools on the other side of the table. The main man will always be at the corner of the table nearest the door and his main guest will sit next to him. This table is brought out around four or five times a day and it is the only time people eat or drink. Nobody sips or snacks when the table is not out.

To visit really traditional chums (with the sacred pole and idols), one needs to visit the Yar-Sale or Seyakha areas. However, if such minor details are not so important for you, you can live in an otherwise very traditional chum even very close to Salekhard city.

All Nenets nomads on the Yamal Peninsula live in conical reindeer-fur tents similar in appearance to the North American teepee. The coverings of the chum are known as nyuki and are made up of a large number of reindeer furs sewn together using reindeer sinew as thread.

The nyuki are held up by a skeleton of 33 wooden poles fashioned from fir trees and about four metres long each. The bottom ends of the poles are driven into the snow in a circle about 6 metres in diameter. The top ends interlock high above the fireplace in the centre of the chum.

Only three of the chum poles are tied together all the time. These are the first three set up when erecting the chum after a migration and the last three to come down when disassembling it. The rest of the poles are placed leaning on these first three in a very specific order that gives the structure the strength to resist gale force winds.

The inside of the chum varies greatly depending on time of year and the area you visit. In winter all chums have hand-carved wooden floorboards and a big, rusty metal stove in the centre with a long thin chimney to evacuate smoke. In summer, however, a chum should have neither a stove nor floorboards. While migrating north in May or June, these are left behind on sledges somewhere in the tundra, along with other things that are not essential in summer..

When traveling through the tundra in summer, one often sees small collections of these sledges that have been left by northward-migrating nomad camps. They are left to make migrations easier for the reindeer in summer, when the ground is swampier and harder to pull sledges on than in winter.

As well as floorboards and the stove, Nenets leave behind their warmest winter clothing and the nyuki (fur chum covers). In the past a summer chum’s covers would be made of wood bark, but now everybody uses tarpaulin.

A summer chum should therefore look much more “spartan” than a winter chum. In summer there is no floor, just the same ground as outside the chum. In the centre there is an open fire in summer, whereas in winter there would be the stove. In practice, however, only the highly migratory Yar-Sale nomads universally maintain such bare-bones chums. At nomad camps nearer to Salekhard or in the mountains many people continue to use floorboards and a stove even in summer.

Most chums nearer to Salekhard or in the Polar Ural Mountains have also lost some of the traditional features related to the spiritual beliefs of the Nenets. The two most obvious are:

  • The chum protector idols and ancestor idols. Every chum should traditionally have several idols that the oldest woman keeps near the door, just to the right of the place in the chum where she sleeps and sews. These idols are carved of wood and dressed in miniature sets of Nenets reindeer-fur clothing. The smaller ones are for protecting the chum whereas the larger ones represent particularly honoured ancestors, for example shamans or influential reindeer herders. While all chums in the Yar-Sale and Seyakha areas still have these idols, very few chums around Salekhard or in the mountains have them, where many Nenets have been converted to Christianity.
  • The sacred chum pole. This is, again, a feature of all chums in the Yar-Sale and Seyakha areas but almost no chums in areas near Salekhard or in the mountains. It is an extra pole that stands a few feet out from all the others at the back of the chum, opposite the door and on the other side of the fire. While the “invisible line” across the chum that it is taboo for women to cross (from the fire to the sacred pole and out into the tundra) has been quite well documented, it is less well known that the area in the chum between the sacred pole and the wall is taboo even for men to cross. In winter the area is used to store tables, food and so on but in summer it is usually empty and it is easier for guests to make this mistake. If Nenets see you crossing it they will immediately ask you to cross it back the way you came. A cleansing ritual will later need to be performed.

When entering a chum, the fastest way to do so is to hold up the entry flap above your head and come in backwards. This lets in less cold air, which helps economise firewood and creates less work for your Nenets hosts. Next to the door in every chum there will be a specially designed stick which you should use to beat the snow off your feet, so as not to carry it around the chum with you. There should then be a small brush made of birds feathers which you can use to sweep the snow back towards the door.

After entering the chum, you should not stand around taking up space but go immediately to the furs that line the chum to the left and right of the door. This is where everyone sits or lies when they are relaxing. Each family, and each person within that family, has their own place. If there are two families they will each occupy a separate side of the chum. The main woman will be nearest to the door, with her husband just to her left then their children. Guests will be to the left of the children.

At mealtimes, a low table about a foot high is brought out from the back of the chum and placed in front of the furs. Men sit on furs while eating while women sit on stools on the other side of the table. The main man will always be at the corner of the table nearest the door and his main guest will sit next to him. This table is brought out around four or five times a day and it is the only time people eat or drink. Nobody sips or snacks when the table is not out.

To visit really traditional chums (with the sacred pole and idols), one needs to visit the Yar-Sale or Seyakha areas. However, if such minor details are not so important for you, you can live in an otherwise very traditional chum even very close to Salekhard city.

Staying in a chum with a nomadic Nenets family