Skip to content

← Home

Chumatstvo

Chumatstvo — traditional Ukrainian trade-and-transport merchant trade of the 17th–19th centuries, focused on overland transportation of goods (primarily salt and fish from Crimea and the Donets, as well as grain to Crimea) using ox-cart caravans (valky).

Overview

Chumatstvo served as the most important connecting bridge between mainland Ukraine and the Crimean Khanate, providing economic and cultural exchange between Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars. The name "chumak" comes from the Turkic word chomak (strong, robust) and has been in use since the 17th century; older synonyms were the names "solenyk" (saltman) and "kolomiiets". The heyday of chumatstvo fell in the 18th–19th centuries, and its decline occurred at the end of the 19th century due to the expansion of the railway network.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Organization and daily life of chumaks: Chumaks organized into caravans (valky) numbering 100 or more large carts (mazhi), pulled by 2–4 oxen. During overnight stops in the Steppe, carts were arranged in a quadrangle, forming a fortified defensive camp.
  • Etymology and surnames: The word "chumak" has Turkic origin (chomak). Ancient names of this profession were "solenyk" and "kolomiiets" (hence common Ukrainian surnames Chumak and Kolomiiets). The surname Zasukha (stressed on the second syllable) comes from zasukh — dried-up salt lakes in Crimea.
  • Economy and profitability: Chumaks transported salt and fish from Crimea, and grain and bread to Crimea. Trade was highly profitable: proceeds exceeded expenses twofold. One wagon held 50–60 pouds of salt (the price of salt in the early 18th century was ~14 kopecks per poud). Per season, chumaks made 2–3 trips to Crimea, earning from 5 to 18 rubles per cart per year.
  • Customs privileges of Zaporozhians: In the Crimean Khanate, Zaporozhian chumaks enjoyed most-favored-nation status: they paid customs duties in the amount of 8 kopecks per four-ox cart (instead of 10 kopecks for other merchants) and 4 kopecks per two-ox cart.
  • Decline of the trade: Development of railway transport in the second half of the 19th century displaced chumak caravans from the freight market, and underground shaft mining of rock salt permanently transformed salt trade.