According to researchers from different regions, the indigenous peoples of Siberia settled on this territory in the Late Paleolithic era. It is this time that is characterized by the greatest development of hunting as a craft.
Today, most of the tribes and nationalities of this region are few in number and their culture is on the verge of extinction. Next, we will try to get acquainted with such an area of geography of our Motherland as the peoples of Siberia. Photos of representatives, language features and housekeeping will be given in the article.
Understanding these aspects of life, we try to show the multifaceted nature of peoples and, perhaps, arouse in our readers an interest in travel and unusual impressions.
Ethnogenesis
The Mongoloid type of man is represented practically throughout Siberia. Central Asia is considered his homeland . After the retreat of the glacier began, people with these facial features populated the region. In that era, cattle breeding was not yet developed to a large extent, so hunting was 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 Altai and Uralic families. Tunguska, Mongolian and Turkic languages on the one hand - and Ugro-Samoyed on the other.
Social and economic features
The peoples of Siberia and the Far East, before the development of this region by the Russians, basically had a similar way of life. Firstly, tribal relations were widespread. Traditions were kept within the framework of separate settlements, marriages were tried not to spread outside the tribe.
Classes were divided depending on the place of residence. If there was a large water artery nearby, then settlements of sedentary fishermen, in whom agriculture was born, were often found. The main population was exclusively engaged in cattle breeding, for example, reindeer husbandry was very common.
It is convenient to breed these animals not only because of meat, unpretentiousness to food, but also because of their skins. They are very thin and warm, which allowed such nations as, for example, Evenks, to be good riders and warriors in comfortable clothes.
After the arrival of firearms in these territories, the way of life has changed significantly.
The spiritual realm of life
The ancient peoples of Siberia are still adherents of shamanism. Although over the course of many centuries he underwent various changes, he did not lose his strength. Buryats, for example, first added some rituals, and then completely switched to Buddhism.
Most of the other tribes were formally baptized in the period after the eighteenth century. But this is all official data. If we take a ride through the villages and settlements where the small peoples of Siberia live, we will see a completely different picture. Most adhere to the centuries-old traditions of their ancestors without innovations, the rest combine their beliefs with one of the main religions.
Especially these facets of life are manifested on national holidays, when there are attributes of different beliefs. They are intertwined and create a unique pattern of authentic culture of a tribe.
Let's talk more about what the indigenous peoples of Siberia are.
Aleuts
They call themselves Unangans themselves, and their neighbors (Eskimos) - Alakshak. The total number barely reaches twenty thousand people, most of whom live in the northern United States 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 an independent ethnic entity, others - that they stood out from among the Eskimos.
Before this nation became acquainted with Orthodoxy, of which they are adherents today, the Aleuts professed a mixture of shamanism and animism. The main shaman costume was in the form of a bird, and spirits of various elements and phenomena were depicted as wooden masks.
Today, they worship the one god, who is called Agugum in their language and represents full compliance with all the canons of Christianity.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, as we will see later, many small peoples of Siberia are represented, but these live only in one settlement - the village of Nikolsky.
Itelmen
The self-name comes from the word "Itenman," which means "the person who lives here," local, in other words.
You can meet them in the west of the Kamchatka Peninsula and in the Magadan Region. The total number is a little over three thousand people, judging by the 2002 census.
In appearance, they are closer to the Pacific type, but still have obvious features of the northern Mongoloids.
The original religion was animism and fetishism, the raven was considered the ancestor. Itelmens are usually buried in the rite of "air burial." The deceased is suspended before decay in a tree domino or placed on a special platform. This tradition not only boasts the peoples of Eastern Siberia, in ancient times it was spread 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.
Kamchadal
Not all peoples of Siberia and the Far East are natives, Kamchadals can be an example of this. Actually, this is not an independent nation, but a mixture of Russian immigrants with local tribes.
Their language is Russian with impurities 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, Kamchadals appeared only in the middle of the eighteenth century. At this time, Russian immigrants and merchants intensely established contacts with locals, some of them entered into marriages with Itelmen and representatives of Koryak and Chuvans.
Thus, the descendants of these very tribal unions today bear the name of Kamchadals.
Koryaki
If you start listing the peoples of Siberia, the Koryaks will not take the last place in the list. They are known to Russian researchers from the eighteenth century.
In fact, this is not a single people, but several tribes. They call themselves lather or chavchuven. Judging by the census, today their number is about nine thousand people.
Kamchatka, Chukotka and the Magadan Region are the territories where representatives of these tribes live.
If you conduct a classification based on lifestyle, they are divided into coastal and tundra.
The first are nymylans. They speak the Alutor language and are engaged in marine industries - fishing and hunting for seals. Kereks are close to them in culture and lifestyle. A settled life is characteristic of these people.
The second - nomad chavchiv (reindeer herders). Their language is Koryak. They live on Penzhinsky Bay, Taygonos and adjacent territories.
A characteristic feature that distinguishes Koryak, like some other peoples of Siberia, are yarangs. These are mobile cone-shaped dwellings made of skins.
Mansi
If we talk about the indigenous peoples of Western Siberia, one cannot but mention the Ural-Yukagir language family. The most prominent representatives of this group are Mansi.
The self-name of this people is “Menshes” 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 era. The former were sedentary hunters, the latter were nomadic pastoralists. This dualism of culture and farming continues to this day.
The very first contacts with western neighbors were in the eleventh century. At this time, Mansi met with the Komi and Novgorodians. After joining Russia, colonization policy intensifies. By the end of the seventeenth century, they were pushed to the northeast, and formally adopted Christianity in the eighteenth.
Today, these people have two phratries. The first is called Por, it considers the Bear to be its ancestor, and the Urals make its basis. The second is called Mos, its founder is the woman Kaltashch, and the majority in this phratry belongs to the Ugrians.
A characteristic feature is that only cross marriages between phratries are recognized. Only some indigenous peoples of Western Siberia have such a tradition.
Nanai
In ancient times, they were known by 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 River in the Russian Federation and China. The language is Nanai. Cyrillic is used on the territory of Russia; in China, a non-written language.
These peoples of Siberia became famous thanks to Khabarov, who in the seventeenth century explored this region. Some scholars consider them to be the ancestors of settled farmers ducher. But most are inclined to believe that the Nanai simply came to these lands.
In 1860, thanks to the redistribution of borders along the Amur River, many representatives of this people found themselves overnight as citizens of two states.
Nenets
Enumerating the peoples of Western Siberia, it is impossible not to stop on the Nenets. This word, like many names of the 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 is the largest of the indigenous peoples of Siberia.
They are divided into two groups. The first is tundra, the majority of which are representatives, the second is forest (there are few of them left). The dialects of these tribes are so different that one does not understand the other.
Like all the peoples of Western Siberia, the Nenets bear the features of both Mongoloids and Caucasians. Moreover, the closer to the east, the fewer European signs remain.
The basis of the economy of this people is reindeer husbandry and, to a small extent, fishing. The main dish is corned beef, but the cuisine is rich in raw meat of cows and deer. Thanks to the vitamins contained in the blood, the Nenets do not have scurvy, but guests and tourists rarely like this exotic.
Chukchi
If we think about what peoples lived in Siberia and approach this issue from the point of view of anthropology, we will see several ways of settlement. Some tribes came from Central Asia, others from the northern islands and Alaska. Only a small fraction are local residents.
The Chukchi, or Luoravellan, as they call themselves, are similar in appearance to Itelmen and Eskimos and have facial features like those of the native population of America. This prompts reflection on their origin.
They met Russians in the seventeenth century and fought a bloody war for more than a hundred years. As a result, they were driven back beyond Kolyma.
Anyui fortress became an important trading point, where the garrison moved after the fall of the Anadyr prison. The fair in this stronghold had turnovers of hundreds of thousands of rubles.
A richer group of Chukchi - Chauchu (reindeer herders) - brought skins here for sale. The second part of the population was called Ankalyn (dog breeders), they wandered in the north of Chukotka and conducted a simpler economy.
Eskimos
The self-name of this people is Inuit, and the word "Eskimo" means "one who eats raw fish." So they were called neighbors of their tribes - 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 census in 2002, in the Russian Federation their number is only about two thousand people. Most live in Canada and Alaska.
The Inuit religion is animism, and the tambourines are a sacred relic in every family.
For lovers of exotic, it will be interesting to learn about igunaka. This is a special dish that is deadly for anyone who has not eaten it since childhood. In fact, this is rotting meat of a killed deer or walrus (seal), which was kept under pressure from gravel for several months.
Thus, in this article we studied some of the peoples of Siberia. We got acquainted with their real names, features of beliefs, farming and culture.