Indigenous peoples of Siberia. Peoples of Siberia and the Far East. Small peoples of Siberia

According to researchers from different regions, the indigenous peoples of Siberia settled over this territory in the era of the late Paleolithic. It is this time that is characterized by the greatest development of hunting as a fishery.

Today, most of the tribes and nationalities of this region are few and their culture is on the verge of extinction. Next, we will try to get acquainted with such a region of our country's geography as the peoples of Siberia. Photos of representatives, features of language and management will be given in the article.

Studying these aspects of life, we are trying to show the multifaceted nature of peoples and, perhaps, to awaken in the readers interest in travel and unusual impressions.

Ethnogenesis

Practically throughout the whole territory of Siberia Mongoloid type of man is represented. His homeland is Central Asia. After the beginning of the retreat of the glacier, people with such facial features settled the region. At that time cattle breeding was not developed to a large extent, therefore hunting became the main occupation of the population.

If we study the map of the language groups of Siberia, we will see that they are most represented by the Altaic and Ural families. Tungus, Mongolian and Turkic languages on the one hand - and threat-Samoyed on the other.

Socio-economic features

The peoples of Siberia and the Far East before the development of this region by Russians basically had a similar way of life. First, tribal relations were common. Traditions were kept in separate settlements, they tried not to spread marriages outside the tribe.

Classes were divided according to the place of residence. If a large water artery was near, then settlements of settled fishermen were often encountered, in which agriculture arose. The main population was engaged exclusively in cattle breeding, for example, reindeer breeding was very common.

These animals are convenient to breed not only because of meat, unpretentiousness to food, but also because of their skins. They are very thin and warm, which allowed such peoples as, for example, Evenki, to be good riders and soldiers in comfortable clothes.

After the advent of firearms on these territories, the way of life has changed significantly.

Spiritual Sphere of Life

The ancient peoples of Siberia still remain adherents of shamanism. Although for many centuries he underwent a variety of changes, but his strength has not lost. Buryats, for example, first added some rituals, and then completely switched to Buddhism.

Most of the remaining tribes were formally baptized in the period after the eighteenth century. But this is all official data. If you drive through villages and settlements where small Siberian peoples live, we will see a completely different picture. Most adhere to centuries-old traditions of ancestors without innovations, the rest combine their beliefs with one of the major religions.

Especially these aspects of life are manifested on national holidays, when the attributes of different beliefs are encountered. They intertwine and create a unique pattern of the authentic culture of a tribe.

Let's talk further about what the indigenous peoples of Siberia are.

Aleuts

They call themselves the Unangans, and their neighbors (Eskimos) are Alaksak. The total number of barely reach twenty thousand people, most of whom live in the north of the US and Canada.

Researchers believe that the Aleuts formed about five thousand years ago. True, there are two points of view on their origin. Some consider them to be an independent ethnic entity, others say that they are separated from the Eskimo community.

Before this people became acquainted with Orthodoxy, whose adherents they are today, the Aleuts professed a mixture of shamanism and animism. The main shaman costume was in the form of a bird, and the spirits of different elements and phenomena represented wooden masks.

Today they worship a single god, who in their language is called Agugum and represents a complete conformity to all the canons of Christianity.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, as we shall see later, many small Siberian peoples are represented, but these live only in one settlement - the village of Nikolskoye.

Itelmeny

Self-name comes from the word "itenmen", which means "the person who lives here", local, in other words.

You can meet them on the territory of the west of the peninsula of Kamchatka and in the Magadan Region. The total number - a little over three thousand people, judging by the 2002 census.

In appearance, they are closer to the Pacific type, but still have the clear features of the northern Mongoloids.

The original religion was animism and fetishism, the Raven was considered to be the primary source. To bury the dead among the Itelmen was done according to the rite of "air burial". The deceased is suspended until decay in the house on the tree or is placed on a special platform. This tradition can boast not only the peoples of Eastern Siberia, it in ancient times was common even in the Caucasus and North America.

The most common fishery is fishing and hunting for coastal mammals, such as seals. In addition, gathering is widespread.

Kamchadals

Not all the peoples of Siberia and the Far East are Aborigines, an example of this can be the Kamchadals. Actually, this is not an independent nationality, but a mixture of Russian immigrants with local tribes.

Their language is Russian with the admixtures of local dialects. They are distributed mainly in Eastern Siberia. This includes Kamchatka, Chukotka, Magadan region, the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Judging by the census, their total number fluctuates within two and a half thousand people.

Actually, as such, the Kamchadals appeared only in the middle of the eighteenth century. At this time, the Russian settlers and merchants intensively established contacts with the local, some of them marriages with itelmenki and representatives of the Koryaks and Chuvans.

Thus, the descendants of these intertribal unions are today the name of the Kamchadals.

Koryaki

If we start to list the peoples of Siberia, the Koryaks will take the last place on the list. They are known to Russian researchers since the eighteenth century.

In fact, this is not a single nation, but several tribes. They call themselves namylan or chavchuv. Judging by the census, today their number is about nine thousand people.

Kamchatka, Chukotka and the Magadan Region - the territory of residence of representatives of these tribes.

If to classify, proceeding from a way of life, they are divided into coastal and tundra.

The first are nimylans. They speak Alutor language and are engaged in marine fisheries - fishing and hunting for seals. Kereks are close to them in terms of culture and lifestyle. This people are characterized by a settled life.

The second - the nomads of chavchyv (reindeer herders). Their language is Koryak. They live on the Penzhina Bay, the Taygonos and the surrounding territories.

A characteristic feature that distinguishes the Koryaks, like some other peoples of Siberia, are yarangs. These are mobile cone-shaped dwellings made of animal skins.

Muncie

If we talk about the indigenous peoples of Western Siberia, we can not fail to mention the Ural-Yukagir language family. The most striking representatives of this group are Mansi.

The self-name of this people is the "Minor" or "Voguls". "Mansi" in their language means "man."

This group was formed as a result of the assimilation of the Ural and Ugric tribes in the Neolithic period. The first were sedentary hunters, the latter - nomadic herders. This duality of culture and economy continues to this day.

The very first contacts with Western neighbors were in the eleventh century. At this time Mansi acquainted with the Komi and Novgorod. After accession to Russia, colonization policy is strengthened. By the end of the seventeenth century, they are pushed to the north-east, and in the eighteenth formally accept Christianity.

Today there are two phratries in this people. The first one is called Por, Bear considers his ancestor, and the Urals are the basis of it. The second is called Mos, its founder is the woman Kaltashch, and the majority in this phratry belongs to the ugram.
A characteristic feature is that only cross-marriages between phratries are recognized. This tradition has only some indigenous peoples of Western Siberia.

Nanais

In ancient times they were known under the name of gold, and one of the most famous representatives of this people - Dersu Uzala.

Judging by the census, there are a little more than twenty thousand. They live along the Amur in the territory of the Russian Federation and China. The language is Nanaian. Cyrillic is used on the territory of Russia, in China - the language is written.

These peoples of Siberia became known thanks to Khabarov, who in the seventeenth century explored this region. Some scientists consider them to be the ancestors of sedentary farmers of duchers. But the majority are inclined to believe that the Nanais simply came to these lands.

In 1860, thanks to the redistribution of borders along the Amur River, many representatives of this people were suddenly citizens of two states.

Nenets

Enumerating the peoples of Western Siberia, it is impossible not to stop at the Nenets. This word, like many names of tribes of these territories, means "man". Judging by the data of the All-Russian population census, more than forty thousand people live from Taimyr to the Kola Peninsula . Thus, it turns out that the Nenets are the largest of the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

They are divided into two groups. The first is tundra, the representatives of which are the majority, the second is forest (there are few of them left). The dialects of these tribes are so different that one will not understand the other.

Like all the peoples of Western Siberia, the Nenets bear the features of both Mongoloids and Caucasians. And the closer to the east, the less European characteristics remain.

The basis of the economy of this people is reindeer breeding and to an insignificant degree fishing. The main dish is corned beef, but the cuisine is replete with raw meat of cows and deer. Thanks to the vitamins contained in the blood, Nenets do not have scurvy, but such exotic rarely suits visitors and tourists.

Chukchi

If you think about what kind of people lived in Siberia, and approach this issue from the point of view of anthropology, we will see several ways of settling. Some tribes came from Central Asia, others from the northern islands and Alaska. Only a small fraction are local residents.

The Chukchi, or luoravetlans, as they call themselves, are similar in appearance to the Itelmans and Eskimos, and have facial features, as in the native population of America. This leads to speculation about their origin.

With the Russians, they met in the seventeenth century and waged a bloody war for more than a hundred years. As a result, they were pushed aside for Kolyma.

An Anyu fortress became an important trade point, where the garrison moved after the fall of the Anadyr jail. The fair in this stronghold had turnover of hundreds of thousands of rubles.

The richer group of the Chukchi - the chauchu (reindeer herders) - brought skins for sale here. The second part of the population was called Ankalyn (dog breeders), they roamed in the north of Chukotka and conducted a more simple farm.

Eskimos

The self-name of this people is Inuit, and the word "Eskimo" means "one who eats raw fish". So they were called the neighbors of their tribes - the American Indians.

Researchers distinguish this people in a special "Arctic" race. They are very adapted to life in this territory and inhabit the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean from Greenland to Chukotka.

Judging by the population census in 2002, there are only about two thousand people in the Russian Federation. The bulk resides in Canada and Alaska.

The religion of the Inuit is animism, and the diamonds are a sacred relic in every family.

For fans of exotics, it will be interesting to know about the igunaka. This is a special dish that is deadly dangerous for anyone who does not eat it since childhood. In fact, it is the rotting meat of a dead deer or walrus (seal), which for several months was kept under a press of gravel.

Thus, in this article we have studied some of the peoples of Siberia. Acquainted with their real names, features of beliefs, farming and culture.