Unusual Love and Sex Traditions Among the Indigenous Peoples of Northern Russia

Many of these customs can only be found in ethnographers’ academic research — and some may come as a shock. Much of this stems from the remnants of ancient magical cults that survived among some of Russia’s small ethnic groups well into the 20th century.

Wife Swapping Among the Chukchi

The Chukchi had a tradition called “nevtumgyt”, which ethnologists translated as “wife partnership.” Men formed a friendship pact where each had the right to sleep with the other’s wife. These unions could include more than ten couples. A man could take his friend’s wife for a few months, then return her. Sometimes, however, the guest wife stayed permanently. Children from such unions were considered shared, and the men were viewed as brothers.

This practice was strictly forbidden between actual relatives, even third cousins. According to a 1924 report in the newspaper Polar Star, women reportedly welcomed the practice. One local woman told an ethnographer, “It’s always more fun to ride fresh reindeer,” prompting laughter from others. In addition to formal “friendship marriages,” a Chukchi man might offer his wife to a guest and temporarily leave the house.

The harsh conditions of the Far North gave rise to this tradition — group marriage increased genetic diversity and helped ensure children had a support network if a provider died. All children were treated as part of the extended family.

Son-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Avoidance Among the Khanty

This tradition, known as “hiding” or “avoidance,” was observed not only by mothers-in-law toward sons-in-law, but also by brides toward the groom’s senior male relatives. Once betrothed, the bride appeared in public with her face covered by a headscarf. She had to follow strict rules: never appear barefoot in front of the groom’s elder male relatives and speak only in whispers in their presence.

The mother-in-law’s avoidance could be extreme. Soviet ethnographer Zoya Sokolova recorded a case where a woman, lacking a headscarf, hid her face under her skirt in front of her son-in-law — despite not wearing underwear.

The head covering related to the Khanty belief that a woman had four souls — one in her head (requiring concealment), and others in her shoulders, abdomen, and legs. Interestingly, breastfeeding in public was not taboo, as the breast was seen simply as a reproductive organ.

Lembi Magic Among the Karelians

The Karelians once followed a pagan cult called lembi, which later came to represent feminine beauty, charm, and honor. It was believed that lembi could be transferred between women. During a bridal sauna, the bride’s sisters and friends bathed with her, used the same water and birch branches, and braided their ribbons into her hair — symbolically sharing her charm.

This folk magic survived into the early 20th century. To strengthen the couple’s love, the groom was served a pie made with dough mixed from water or milk used to bathe the bride during the wedding sauna.

Source: ru.gw2ru.com