Yaranga
Yaranga
Welcome to the Yaranga! Sit down, lean back and learn along with us about the Arctic, Native culture, and traditional ways.
'Yaranga' is updated with new pages as we move along seeing and hearing about stuff on the expedition trail. So, check back every week!
The round shape of a yaranga makes it steady in strong gutsy winds. The framework is made of long, major poles driven into the ground and connected at the top. Wooden tripods are set vertically around the main poles. This is what the poles of the roof lean on. From the top, covers made of reindeer hides sewn together cover the framework of the yaranga.
Both the Reindeer Chukchi, the Coastal Chucki and the Yu'pik use yarangas. But where the Reindeer Chukchi pretty much only use reindeer hides to cover the yaranga, on the coast walrus hides are often used instead. Traditionally the walrus hides were cured with human urine! The coastal yarange, didn't need to be moved as often as the Yaranga used by the Reindeer people migrating with their reindeer, so they are traditionally larger and sturdier.
Traditionally the yaranga was heated and lit with seal oil lamps. The interior of a large yaranga might be divided into three or four 'rooms'. It is believed that the coastal Chukchi learnerd to build yarangas, but used to have dwellings all made from whale and walrus bones.
Photo courtesy of: lenta.ru
