  thumb|right|350px|representation of a chukchi family by louis choris (1816) the chukchi ( (plural),  (singular)) are an indigenous people inhabiting the chukchi peninsula and the shores of the chukchi sea and the bering sea region of the arctic ocean within the russian federation. they speak the chukchi language. the chukchi originated from the people living around the okhotsk sea. ==cultural history== the majority of chukchi reside within chukotka autonomous okrug, but some also reside in the neighboring sakha republic to the west, magadan oblast to the southwest, and koryak autonomous okrug to the south. some chukchi also reside in other parts of russia, as well as in europe and north america. the total number of chukchi in the world slightly exceeds&nbsp;16,000. the chukchi are traditionally divided into the maritime chukchi, who had settled homes on the coast and lived primarily from sea mammal hunting, and the reindeer chukchi, who nomadised in the inland tundra region with their herds of reindeer. the russian name "chukchi" is derived from the chukchi word chauchu ("rich in reindeer"), which was used by the 'reindeer chukchi' to distinguish themselves from the 'maritime chukchi,' called anqallyt ("the sea people"). the indigenous name for a member of the chukchi ethnic group as a whole is luoravetlan (literally 'true person'). in chukchi religion, every object, whether animate or inanimate, is assigned a spirit. this spirit can be either harmful or beneficial. some of chukch
Aboriginal_peoples_in_the_Arctic Chukchi_Sea Chukotka_Autonomous_Okrug Ethnic_groups_in_Russia Ethnic_groups_in_Ukraine Indigenous_peoples_of_North_Asia Indigenous_small-numbered_peoples_of_the_North,_Siberia_and_the_Far_East Modern_nomads Nomadic_groups_in_Eurasia