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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 900 (2020 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | 900[1] |
| Languages | |
| Russian,Chukchi; formerlyChuvan | |
| Religion | |
| Russian Orthodoxy | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Yukaghir,Koryaks,Chukchi,Evens | |
Chuvans (Russian:чуванцы) are one of the forty or so "Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East" recognized by the Russian government. Most Chuvans today live withinChukotka Autonomous Okrug in the far northeast of Russia. Based on first-hand field research by several ethnographers in the 1990s, people who self-identify as Chuvans seem to do so by living in small villages and in the tundra in areas that are primarily associated with reindeer herding.
Historical accounts describe the Chuvans as aYukaghir group. They roamed along the upper tributaries of the Anadyr River andAnyuy River in the 17th century. The Chuvans were engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer-breeding. In the 18th century, some Chuvans retreated to theKolyma River following attacks by theChukchi. There, they graduallyrussified. The other part was assimilated by theKoryaks and Chukchis. According to the 2002 Russian Census, there were 1,087 Chuvans in Russia.
TheChuvan language, which was aYukaghir language, became extinct by the early 1900s. Many Chuvans speakChukchi in addition to Russian, and some have intermarried with theChukchis. On the other hand, some, such as those living in the village ofMarkovo on theAnadyr River, neither herd reindeer nor are they able to speak Chukchi.
Ethnographic maps shows the Chuvans as the indigenous population of theChuvanskoye village some 100 km west of Markovo.[2]
