Egor Chechulin talks about his work

Carving walrus tusk is a special tradition among the Chukchi, but it is also practiced by the Koryak people who live further south. Egor Chechulin, who comes from Anapka on the eastern coast of Kamchatka, continues this tradition while adding his own artistic touches. As a child, when he often traveled by dog sled with his father, he observed that there was always a need to carve small parts for the sled harnesses. Later, while working with one of the “culture brigades” that brought film screenings to reindeer herding camps, he was fascinated to watch herders craft small utilitarian items – containers for needles, thimbles, or parts of the harness – from reindeer antler. He began carving small figures himself and soon noticed that tourists liked them. He continued developing his artistic skills and eventually earned a living from it. He later moved to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii, the capital of the peninsula, where he completed a university degree in psychology and set up his own studio.

“Of course, in my work I depict what I’ve seen since childhood – how my parents and relatives played the drum and sometimes even practiced shamanism. Even during Soviet times, our elders continued to engage in divination. When someone fell ill, they would chant incantations, and the illness would go away. I once had tonsillitis, and my grandmother healed me this way. They often played the drum to drive away evil spirits that lurked around the houses. But the drum was also used during celebrations – to bring joy. In this composition, ‘Driving Out Evil Spirits’, I try to reproduce the details just as I saw them in my youth – how the Koryaks dressed, the hats they wore, and the way they sat.”

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii, 2008.