Faces

Not everyone wastes time complaining about unpaid salaries in Chukotka. Sergey Menichenko, for one, has built up a good trade supplying traditional Chukchi's boots made of reindeer skin, called «torbas», to clients throughout Europe and in some parts of Asia. He's become a great «torbasist». Or maybe «exorcist», you never know, since he's dealing in traditional Chukchi staff, and shamans are always involved and never far away there... He may not have improved «torbas»' spiritual value by adapting them to the demands of European markets, but he certainly made them more competitive and wear resistant.

Introducing himself to local realities, our reporter chatted with an old Chukchi:

— What's your name, Chukchi friend?

— Iukum.

— So, how's life?

— Not so good.

— Why?

— Things are expensive.

— True. Your sunglasses, I think, must be quite expensive, with the UV protection... When did you buy them?

— Last spring.

— What was your job then?

— I herded reindeer. I'm retired now.

— Is your pension good?

— No, no. Only a thousand.

— Did Chukchi have a better life before?

— Sure. Old men say kolkhoz was great!

— What's more comfortable, a house or an iaranga?

— Iaranga is good, easy for travelling. In a house you don't move around. Too bad.

— I see. What if you lived as you did a hundred years ago?

— No! Old men say we lived very poor before, like animals. Now they build houses, good.

— You just said not moving was bad?

— But we don't have reindeer now, none! There's new Constitution, this we got... Understand?

— Not really.

— Well...

Turns out at the world's end, there is a telephone help line. It is the place of work, or rather part-time service, for teachers and psychologists. Having seen a degrading Chukotka, having learnt about its problems, one may think that people would call in, predictably, about having no work, no money. Funny enough, the telephone rings here mostly in connection with the same subjects as on the mainland: the unrequited love, lack of understanding with parents. Although psychologists maintain that dire northern conditions make people more neurotic, and neurotic people are more emotional in conflicts.

«You know», said Helena Filatova, a psychologist of the service. «People have eternal human problems: be it Chukotka, Moscow or abroad. Daily life and so on — it all is superficial. The most important thing is relation with other people. And by the way those relations are closer here in the North. Maybe this is why not everybody has left yet. In a way, it is warmer here. Daily and social troubles are a scourge, of course, but deep down they are concerned with things important for people on Earth at all times...»

Aware of the ravaging effects of vodka drinking, the best of the Chukchis challenge successfully this evil. They are vigorously led by Ivan Vukvukay, longstanding chairman of the Chukchi Society for Sobriety, and his wife, Nadejda. The Vukvukay family has a dream that one day there will be no vodka in Chukotka, and maybe even not in the whole world. To help heavy drinkers, Mr and Mrs Vukvukay preach with them, using the Shichko methodology.

— We have an educational approach, says Mrs Vukvukay, a very dynamic lady. We explain that drinking vodka is bad.

— Do you think that there is spirit in vodka?

— A foul one! — says the proud offspring of shamans. But the spirit of Shichko will prevail!

Each year Dmitry Sadovsky, a veteran of Chukotka, turns his vacation into a daring enterprise: with a canoe, he bravely goes up the streams deep into the tundra, for three weeks, to build up a winter stock of good vegetable produce — berries — for the whole family. He picks up all sorts of berries, including shiksha.

— What's shiksha?

— Good berry, easy to stock. You don't need sugar or preservatives. Simply put it in bags, tie up the tops and let it freeze in the storehouse.

Lev Shtilman has got a troublesome job. He is Deputy Manager of AO Chukotenergo (Chukchi Power Board plc). When the friends saw him in Chukotka last summer, they were astonished: And what are you doing over here? You were supposed to spend vacation in Moscow! But this damned North makes his heart ache! «Do you know what drove me back from my vacation?» he owned up in the moment of openness. «The fuel supply this year has been the worst yet. It was never great but now it is critical. If I fail to do anything constructive, then I shall go to Moscow where I've got a flat. So I shall sit round and wait for my dying day.»

Igor Riga is a big patriot of Chukotka. He knows a lot about its history, and many anecdotes. But big knowledge brings big sorrow. Always the defender of truth, he was constantly at odds with the authorities. His first conflict — and subsequent loss of job — happened in 1971. Rostropovich, the famous violoncellist in disg-race with the Soviets, was staying in Anadyr, and Riga had a few good drinks with him. Administrations come and go, but Riga's stand for truth remains firm. That's the way he is.