Peoples of Sakhalin: culture, features of life and way of life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

In studying the history of the culture of the past of their country, people, first of all, learn to understand and respect each other. The peoples of Sakhalin are especially interesting in this regard. Understanding a different mentality unites peoples and nations. And this is not surprising, because a nation without a cultural heritage is like an orphan without a family and a tribe that has nothing to rely on.

General information

Before the period when explorers and travelers from Europe appeared on Sakhalin, the indigenous population consisted of four tribes: the Ainu (in the south of the island), the Nivkhs (who lived mainly in the northern part), the Oroks (Uilts) and the Evenks (nomads with deer herds).

Deep study of the life and way of life of the peoples of Sakhalin was carried out on the exhibits of the local museum of local lore. Here is a whole collection of ethnographic exhibits, which are the pride of the museum collection. There are authentic objects dating back to the 18th-20th centuries, which indicates the existence of original cultural traditions among the natives of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.

Ainu people

Representatives of this nation are among the oldest descendants of the population of the Japanese, Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin. Historically, the lands of this tribe were dividedto the possessions of Japan and the possessions of Russia in the Far East. This is due to the fact that Russian researchers studied and developed the Kuriles and Sakhalin at the same time as Japanese explorers who carried out similar work on the Pacific coast (Hokkaido Island). Toward the middle of the 19th century, the Ainu people from the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin fell under the jurisdiction of Russia, and the tribesmen from the island of Hokkaido became subjects of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Peculiarities of culture

The Ainu are the people of Sakhalin, belonging to one of the most mysterious and ancient nations of the planet. Representatives of the nationality radically differed from their Mongoloid neighbors in their physical appearance, unique spoken language, and many areas of spiritual and material culture. Fair-skinned men wore beards, while women had tattoos around their mouths and on their arms. The drawing was very painful and unpleasant. First, an incision was made above the lip with a special knife, then the wound was treated with a decoction of wormwood. After that, soot was rubbed, and the procedure could last more than one day. The result was something like a man's mustache.

In translation, Ain is a “noble person” belonging to the people. The Chinese called representatives of this nationality mozhen (hairy people). This is due to the dense vegetation on the body of the natives.

The warlike tribe used swords with plant belts, heavy batons with sharp spikes, as well as bows and arrows as their main weapons. The Sakhalin Museum houses a uniquethe exhibit is military armor, which is made by weaving from strips of bearded seal skin. This rarity reliably protected the body of a warrior. The surviving armor was found in the family of the headman on Lake Nevsky (Taraika) in the thirties of the last century. Additionally, the adaptation of the islanders to living conditions is evidenced by a variety of fishing tackle and tools for sea and land fishing.

Life of the Ainu

Representatives of this people of Sakhalin in hunting animals used arrowheads smeared with aconite poison. The utensils were mostly made of wood. In everyday life, men used the original item ikunis. He served to raise his mustache while drinking alcoholic beverages. This device belongs to the ritual artifacts. The Ainu believed that Ikunis is an intermediary between spirits and people. The sticks were decorated with all kinds of patterns and ornaments, symbolizing the daily life of the tribe, including hunting or holidays.

Shoes and clothes were sewn by women from the skins of land and sea animals. Capes made of fish skin were decorated with colored fabric appliqués at the collar and cuffs of the sleeves. This was done not only for beauty, but also for protection from evil spirits. Women's winter clothing was a dressing gown made of seal fur, decorated with mosaics and fabric patterns. Men wore robes of elm bast for everyday wear, and woven nettle suits for holidays.

Migration

About the small people - the Ainakh - now only museum exhibits remind. Here visitorsthey can see a unique loom, clothes sewn by representatives of the nation many decades ago, and other objects of culture and life of this tribe. Historically, after 1945, a group of 1,200 Ainu moved to Hokkaido as Japanese citizens.

Nivkhs: people of Sakhalin

The culture of this tribe is focused on the extraction of fish of the salmon family, marine mammals, as well as the gathering of plants and roots growing in the taiga. Fishing tools were used in everyday life (needles for weaving nets, weights, special hooks for catching taimen). The beast was hunted with wooden mallets and spears.

Representatives of the nationality moved on the water in boats of various modifications. The most popular model was dugout. To prepare a ritual dish called mos, scoops, troughs and spoons made of wood, decorated with figured carvings, were used. The basis of the dish was seal fat, which was stored in the dried stomachs of sea lions.

Nivkhs are the indigenous peoples of Sakhalin, who made beautiful and unique things from birch bark. This material was used for the production of buckets, boxes, baskets. The products were decorated with a unique embossed spiral ornament.

Clothes and shoes

The wardrobe of the Nivkhs was different from the clothes of the Ainu. Bathrobes, as a rule, had a half-length (usually on the left). In the exposition of the museum on Sakhalin, you can see original capes made of fabric at the beginning of the 20th century. Fur skirts were the standard attire for men.seals. Women's dressing gowns were decorated with patterned embroidery in the Amur style. Metal ornaments were sewn along the bottom hem.

The winter headdress made of lynx fur was trimmed with Manchurian silk, which testified to the solvency and we alth of the owner of the hat. Shoes were sewn from the skins of sea lions and seals. It was distinguished by a high rate of strength and did not get wet. In addition, women skillfully processed fish skin, after which they made various items of clothing and accessories from it.

Interesting facts

Many items typical of the indigenous peoples of Sakhalin, which are in the local museum, were collected by B. O. Pilsudsky (an ethnographer from Poland). For his political views, he was exiled to Sakhalin penal servitude in 1887. The collection contains models of traditional Nivkh dwellings. It should be noted that ground winter dwellings were built in the taiga, and summer houses were built on piles at the mouths of spawning rivers.

At least ten dogs were kept in every Nivkh family. They served as a means of transportation, and were also used to exchange and pay a fine for breaking the religious order. One of the measures of the we alth of the owner was precisely the sled dogs.

The main spirits of the tribes of Sakhalin: Master of the mountains, Lord of the sea, Lord of fire.

Oroks

The Uilta people (Oroks) represent the Tungus-Manchurian linguistic group. The main economic direction of the tribe is reindeer breeding. Domesticated animals were the main vehicle used for packs, saddles and sleds. Nomadic in winterthe routes ran through the taiga of the northern part of Sakhalin, and in summer along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and in the lowlands of the Gulf of Patience.

Most of the time the deer spent on free grazing. This did not require special fodder preparation, the place of settlement simply changed as pasture plants and crops were eaten. From one female deer they received up to 0.5 liters of milk, which they drank in its pure form or made butter and sour cream.

The pack deer was additionally equipped with various bags, a saddle, boxes and other items. All of them were decorated with colored patterns and embroidery. In the Sakhalin Museum, you can see a real sled used to transport goods during nomadism. In addition, the collection contains hunting attributes (spearheads, crossbows, butchering knives, homemade skis). For the Uilts, winter hunting was one of the main sources of income.

Economic part

Orok women skillfully dressed deer skin, getting blanks for future clothes. The pattern was carried out using special knives on the boards. Things were decorated with ornamental embroidery in the Amur and floral style. A characteristic feature for patterns is a chain stitch. Winter wardrobe items were made from deer fur. Fur coats, mittens, hats were decorated with mosaics and fur ornaments.

In the summer, the Uilts, like other small peoples of Sakhalin, were engaged in fishing, stocking fish from the salmon family. Representatives of the tribe lived in portable dwellings (chums), which were covered with deer skins. In the summer, frame buildings acted as houses,covered with larch bark.

Evenks and Nanais

Evenki (Tungus) belong to the Siberian minorities. They are the closest relatives of the Manchus, they call themselves "Evenkil". This tribe, closely related to the Uilts, was actively engaged in reindeer herding. At present, the people live mainly in Aleksandrovsk and the Okha District of Sakhalin.

Nanai (from the word "nanai" - "local person") is a small group that speaks their own language. The tribe, like the Evenks, belongs to an offshoot of mainland relatives. They are also engaged in fishing and deer breeding. After World War II, the resettlement of the Nanai people on Sakhalin from the mainland to the island was massive. Now most of the representatives of this nationality live in the Poronai urban district.

Religion

The culture of the peoples of Sakhalin is closely connected with various religious rites. The idea of higher powers among the peoples of Sakhalin Island was based on magical, totemic and animistic views of the world around them, including animals and plants. For most of the peoples of Sakhalin, the cult of the bear was at the highest esteem. In honor of this beast, they even arranged a special holiday.

The bear cub was raised in a special cage for up to three years, fed only with the help of special ritual ladles. Products were decorated with carvings with elements of pictographic signs. The bear was killed on a special sacred ground.

In the ideas of the peoples of Sakhalin Island, the beastsymbolized the mountain spirit, so most of the amulets contained the image of this particular animal. Amulets possessed great magical power, were kept for centuries in families, passed down from one generation to another. Amulets were divided into therapeutic and commercial options. They were made by shamans or people suffering from serious illnesses.

The attributes of the sorcerer included a tambourine, a belt with massive metal pendants, a special headdress, a sacred wand and a bear skin mask. According to legend, these items allowed the shaman to communicate with spirits, heal people and help fellow tribesmen overcome life's difficulties. The objects and remains of settlements found by the researchers indicate that the peoples of the Sakhalin coast buried the dead in different ways. For example, the Ainu buried the dead in the ground. The Nivkhs practiced the burning of corpses, setting up a commemorative wooden building at the cremation site. A figurine was placed in it, identifying the soul of a deceased person. At the same time, a regular ceremony of feeding the idol was held.

Economy

For the peoples living on Sakhalin, trade between Japan and China played a huge role. The natives of Sakhalin and Amur were actively involved in it. In the seventeenth century, a trade route was formed from northern China along the Lower Amur through the territories of the Ulchi, Nanais, Nivkhs and other indigenous peoples, including the Ainu in Hokkaido. Metal products, jewelry, silks and other fabrics, as well as other items of trade became the subjects of exchange. Among the museum expositions of those times, one can notice Japanese lacquerutensils, silk decorations for clothes and hats, and many other items in this direction.

Present

If we take into account the terminology of the United Nations, then indigenous peoples are nations living in a certain territory before the establishment of modern state borders there. In Russia, this issue is regulated by the federal law “On Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous and Minorities of the Russian Federation Living in the Territory of Their Ancestors”. This takes into account the traditional way of life, types of economic and fishing activities. This category includes groups of people numbering less than 50 thousand people who are aware of themselves as an independent organized community.

The main ethnic groups of Sakhalin now include a little over four thousand representatives of the tribes of the Nivkhs, Evenks, Uilts, Nanais. There are 56 tribal settlements and communities on the island, located in places of traditional residence, engaged in typical economic and commercial activities.

It is worth noting that there are no purebred Ainu left on the territory of Russian Sakhalin. A census conducted in 2010 showed that three people of this nationality live in the region, but they also grew up in the marriage of the Ainu with representatives of other nations.

Finally

Respect for the traditions and culture of one's own people is an indicator of a high level of self-consciousness and a tribute to the ancestors. Indigenous peoples have every right to do so. Among the 47 indigenousnations in Russia, representatives of Sakhalin stand out noticeably. They have similar traditions, conduct parallel economic activities, worship the same spirits and higher powers. However, there are certain differences among the Nanais, Ainu, Uilts and Nivkhs. Thanks to the support of small nationalities at the legislative level, they did not go into oblivion, but continue to develop the traditions of their ancestors, instilling values and customs in the younger generations.