“Chukotka, the land of white nights and tundra” Chukotka Peninsula, the easternmost point of Eurasia. The tundra region of the Arctic Circle, facing Alaska across the Bering Sea. This place, where half of the year is winter, has the harshest living environment in Eurasia. However, it is also a place that still preserves the mystery of primitive nature. The Chukchi and Eskimos, the owners of the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia, have preserved the lifestyles passed down from their ancestors, such as whaling and reindeer herding, and live without going against the order of nature. The KBS Special reporting team stayed on the Chukotka Peninsula for the past month and captured the mystery of nature and the Chukchi people’s living, breathing culture on camera. ■ Main content Tundra, the great nature If you dig down just 50cm, you will find a land of frozen permafrost 365 days a year. It is a place where almost no trees grow and endless plains spread out. After half of the year, winter, a short summer comes to the land of the tundra. In summer, the snow that fell during the winter almost disappears and life begins to bloom. Brown bears come to the tundra rivers to catch salmon, and in the sea where the ice has melted, a flock of white whales forms a spectacular sight. The Chukotka Peninsula in summer is a paradise for migratory birds. It is a place where migratory birds that have spent the winter in Korea and other Asian countries gather. The Cape of Halyuski, which the reporting team visited, is a representative habitat of puffins in the Arctic Circle. Puffins, called penguins of the Arctic, spend the summer in the Bering Sea, where there is an abundance of food such as shrimp and fish. Bering Sea Whaling Warriors The Chukchi have lived as the masters of this land since the Mongols arrived here 10,000 years ago to cross the Bering Sea. The Chukchi livelihood is made up of hunting marine animals. Walruses and whales are their main prey. Hunting is only for the purpose of making a living, and the meat caught cannot be sold outside. The number of whales that the Chukotka region is allocated by the International Whaling Commission is about 140 per year. Whale meat is the most precious food for them. However, whaling is a dangerous job that can sometimes cost lives, as there are no special safety devices such as life jackets. On the second whale hunt of the year, the hunters who went out to sea in the morning returned in the evening with a whale. It was a large gray whale measuring 13 meters long and weighing 15 tons. Gray whales, which also inhabit the east coast of Korea, are the whales most caught in the Bering Sea in the summer. The whale meat caught is shared among the villagers as needed. This one whale will feed the villagers for the next two to three weeks. Summer Migration of Reindeer Herds Last July, the summer migration of reindeer herds was in full swing in the inland tundra. In the Arctic Circle, not only birds but also mammals migrate according to the season. The reindeer that the Chukchi raise by grazing migrate to cool places along the water in the summer. They move more than 10 kilometers a day to avoid the heat and mosquitoes. The Chukchi have to take up their tents and move two or three times a day to follow the reindeer. I followed the magnificent scenery of the great migration of reindeer herds and the lives of nomads living with the reindeer. #Tundra #Chukotka #Chukchi #Whale hunting #Nomads #Bering Sea