The Chukotka Sled Dog (, ''
hukótskaya yezdováya'', "
Chukotsky
Chukotsky (чуко́тский, '' hukótskiy'', masculine), Chukotskaya (чуко́тская, '' hukótskaya'', feminine), Chukotskoye (чуко́тское, '' hukótskoye'', neuter), or Chukotskiye (чуко́тские, '' hukóts ...
riding dog", literally "riding Chukotsky") is the aboriginal
spitz
Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds rese ...
breed of dog indigenous to the
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee ( ckt, Ԓыгъоравэтԓьэт, О'равэтԓьэт, ''Ḷygʺoravètḷʹèt, O'ravètḷʹèt''), are a Siberian indigenous people native to the Chukchi Peninsula, the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Berin ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Chukotka sled dog teams have been used since prehistoric times to pulls sleds in harsh conditions, such as hunting sea mammals on oceanic
pack ice
Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "fasten ...
.
While most famous as the progenitor of the
Siberian husky (and related to the
Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan Malamute () is a large breed of dog that was originally bred for its strength and endurance to haul heavy freight as a sled dog and hound. It is similar to other arctic breeds such as the husky, the spitz, the Greenland Dog, Canad ...
), Chukotka Sled Dogs almost died out during the
Soviet era
The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
due to lack of interest in preserving genetically purebred examples and have only recently made a resurgence.
In 1999, the Russian Kynologic Federation (RKF) approved the first official standard of the breed.
History
![AN1128493](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/AN1128493.jpg)
The Chukotka Sled Dog was developed by the
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee ( ckt, Ԓыгъоравэтԓьэт, О'равэтԓьэт, ''Ḷygʺoravètḷʹèt, O'ravètḷʹèt''), are a Siberian indigenous people native to the Chukchi Peninsula, the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Berin ...
as a hardy, reliable method of hunting marine mammals on sea ice and transportation in the mountainous tundra of the
Chukchi peninsula
The Chukchi Peninsula (also Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula; russian: Чуко́тский полуо́стров, ''Chukotskiy poluostrov'', short form russian: Чуко́тка, ''Chukotka''), at about 66° N 172° W, is the eastern ...
, where windswept slopes prevent the accumulation of snow.
Archeological evidence from before 500 AD indicates that local populations were relying heavily on
whale
Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...
s as a food source and that dogsled was the primary means of transporting marine mammals to human settlements.
Sportswoman and author M. G. Dmitrieva-Sulima would describe them as a unique breed in her 1911 book, "Laika and hunting with it."
Split with Siberian Huskies
From the 1890s to the 1930s, Chukotka sled dogs were actively exported to
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, to transport gold miners to the
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
as part of the
Klondike Gold Rush. then later for the "
All-Alaska Sweepstakes
The was an annual dog-sled race held in Alaska during April. Mushers traveled from Nome to Candle, traveling along the Bering Strait, and then return to Nome.
Between 1908 and 1917 the race was held ten times. Due to the United States' invol ...
," a 408-mile (657-km) distance dog sled race in Alaska.
At this time, "Esquimaux" or "Eskimo" was a common pejorative term for native North American
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
inhabitants, with many dialectal permutations including Uskee, Uskimay and Huskemaw. Thus dogs used by Arctic people were the dogs of the Huskies, the Huskie's dogs, and eventually simply the husky dogs. Canadian and American settlers, not well versed on Russian geography, would distinguish the Chukotka imports by referring to them as Siberian huskies, as Chukotka is part of Siberia.
![Leonhard Seppala with dogs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Leonhard_Seppala_with_dogs.jpg)
In 1913,
Leonhard Seppala
Leonhard "Sepp" Seppala (; September 14, 1877 – January 28, 1967) was a Norwegian-American sled dog breeder, trainer and musher who with his dogs played a pivotal role in the 1925 serum run to Nome, and participated in the 1932 Winter Olympi ...
inherited a team of Chukotka sled dogs by chance.
Jafet Lindeberg
Jafet Lindeberg (September 12, 1874 – November 5, 1962) was a gold prospector and co-founder of the city of Nome, Alaska.
Background
Jafet Isaksen Lindeberg was born in Kvænangen, Troms county, in Norway. In his youth, he tried prospecti ...
, his friend and supervisor at Pioneer Mining Company, had brought the puppies from Siberia as a gift for the explorer
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...
, whom he hoped would use them for his upcoming expedition to the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
. Seppala was assigned to train the dogs. "I literally fell in love with them from the start", he recalled; "I could hardly wait for sledding snow to start their training". When Amundsen cancelled his trip a few weeks after the puppies arrived in
Nome, Lindeberg gave them to Seppala. Smaller, faster and more enduring than the 100- to 120-pound (45- to 54-kg) freighting dogs then in general use, Siberian huskies immediately dominated the Sweepstakes race.
In 1930, the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
halted the exportation of dogs from Siberia and the
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
recognized the Siberian Husky as a breed. Dogs living in the Soviet Union at the time would continue on as Chukotka sled dogs, while dogs residing in the United States and Canada would go on to form the foundational stock of the Siberian Husky.
In the 1950s and 60s, improvements in infrastructure and mechanized travel coupled with a prohibition on subsistent
whaling
Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution.
It was practiced as an organized industry ...
resulted in the collapse of indigenous sled dog populations in Chukotka.
Sled dog populations continued to decline until 1988 when a regional survey revealed only 1594 dogs, not all of which were purebred.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, widespread
food insecurity in Russia coupled with a special dispensation in whaling for native Chukchi people, have contributed to a resurging interest in preserving Chukotka sled dogs in the Chukotka Peninsula. There are estimated to be 4000 Chukotka sled dogs today, although it is unclear how many are purebred.
Characteristics
Chukotka sled dogs are prized for their high endurance, strength, ability to work and trainability. They should have a friendly disposition as required for working in teams.
Males and females of this dog are 53–65 cm at the withers.
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...
wrote: "At dog sledding these Russians and Chukchi are ahead of everyone, whom I could see."
Unlike other Arctic dogs which are multifunctional, Chukotka sled dogs are selected strictly for fuel efficiency during long-distance runs.
Popular Culture
*
Fyodor Konyukhov
Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov (russian: Фёдор Филиппович Конюхов; born 12 December 1951 in Chkalovo, Pryazovskyi Raion, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian survivalist, voyager, aerial and marine explorer, a ...
and Viktor Simonov crossed the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
in 46 days and reached the shores of
Ward Hunt Island
Ward Hunt Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Arctic Ocean, located off the north coast of Ellesmere Island near the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. The island is located just from the geographical North Pole. The northern cape of Ward Hunt Islan ...
(Canada) Chukotka Sled Dogs.
* A monument is being erected in
Karelia
Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...
in honor of Cherk, a Chukotka Sled Dog who crossed the Arctic three times.
References
{{Russian dogs
Breeds originating from Indigenous people