Yaranga (Chukchi Portable Dwelling)
Large hemispherical tent dwelling of the coastal Chukchi, built on a wooden frame of poles and whale ribs and covered with walrus skins, with reindeer hides laid inside against the cold. A family camp could stretch up to twenty metres; inside, fur-lined sleeping chambers formed separate rooms. The yaranga was central to Chukchi coastal life. Its frame is assembled from long poles set in a circle and tied at the top, with heavy walrus hides laid over the sides and secured against the wind with stones and lines; the interior is divided into a cold outer ring and a warm inner chamber, the polog,