Anadyr'
Capital City of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

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    Anadyr' is the seat of government for the region of Chukotka. This is where the new governor, Roman Arkad'evich Abramovich (elected December 24, 2000), has his offices, along with the okrug Duma, or legislature.  The Association of Less-Numerous Peoples of Chukotka and its president, Irina Khomitskaia, also have an office here.

With a population of 11,753, Anadyr' is the largest city in Chukotka.  The population has fluctuated over the last decade, as people migrated away from Chukotka in tough economic times and others migrated in to take advantage of new opportunities under the Abramovich administration. It is very much a Soviet city -- cement block apartment complexes line the streets like barracades, and the symbols of the Soviet era can still be found here and there.  At the same time, the city is struggling to connect itself to the global economy, and has made trade deals with other regions within Russia as well as with foreign countries.  Lots of imported goods can be found in the shops, including an odd assortment from the United States -- like Washington State apples (easily identifiable by the little stickers on each one) and honey in little plastic bears.

The intersection of Otke and Rul'tytegina Streets marks the center of downtown Anadyr'.  The photograph on the left shows its condition in 1996, but its appearance has been much changed since then - the photograph on the right shows its current condition with the corner dominated by the new supermarket "Novo-Mariinsk" (photo courtesy of Gennady Smirnov). Construction such as this has been made possible under the patronage of Roman Abramovich, which has brought a floodtide of cash and commodity flows into the region. The Arctic climate is brutal on infrastructure, and in the late Soviet era and immediately after the Soviet Union collapsed, there was less money to make needed repairs to city streets and sidewalks.  Consequently, throughout the 1990s much of the city had a war-zone feel to it. Regardless of the city's external appearances, the people are easy-going and friendly, so it has always been a pleasant place to live.

Although the majority of Anadyr's population are immigrants to the region, mainly Russians and Ukrainians, there is a significant indigenous population in the city. Thus you see a wide range of cultural representations there. On the left above is a Russian holiday, and on the right is a Native holiday. The Russian holiday is Den' Molodezhi, or "Youth Day" (Russia has a day for everything -- Fisherman Day, Border Guard Day, you name it), and it is being held in front of the Dom Kul'tury or House of Culture -- which was the main locus for Russian dance, theatre, music and other cultural events until it was torn down in 2002 (a new, ultra-modern Cultural Center of Canadian design was subsequently constructed). The indigenous holiday you see on the right is Kilvei, which is a springtime celebration of reindeer fawning time. The holiday is traditionally a very intimate family affair, but the Soviet appetite for public culture has coaxed this into becoming a mass event, attended by performances and contests.  Here you see children from a school of folk arts in Anadyr' dancing, and in the foreground is the pile of reindeer antlers and willow branches that ceremonially represent the strong connection to the reindeer. The holiday is being held in the village of Tavaivaam, located so close to Anadyr' that the city annexed the village during the 1990s (a very controversial decision to villagers and city dwellers alike). French anthropologist Virginie Vaté has studied the Kilvei festival, as well as other religious manifestations in Chukotka - you can learn more about her work here.

Scientific Research Center "Chukotka"

If you would like to see some beautiful artwork by a Chukchi artisan who lives in Anadyr', or read a poem by a Russian poet in Anadyr', click below:

Chukchi Walrus Tusk Engravings by Valery Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn

Poem by Andrei Gazha

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