The territory where the indigenous peoples of Russia live lies along 28 subjects of the Russian Federation. It stretches from the Far Eastern regions up to the Kola Peninsula.
According to the official list from 2006, representatives of 45 indigenous peoples live in the North, Siberia, the Far East and other regions of the Russian Federation, which adds up to a population close to 250 thousand people.
The most numerous of them are the Nenets, their number reaches 44 thousand. The Enets, who identify themselves under the name Encho, are among the small peoples. Their number does not exceed 200 people. The disappearing peoples also include the Izhors - 450 people, and the Vod people, whose number, according to the latest data, was less than 100 people. What are the other small peoples of Russia called? A list of them can be seen below.
List of Indigenous Peoples of Russia
- Chukchi.
- Eskimos.
- Chuvans.
- Kamchadals.
- Koryaki.
- Alyutors.
- Aleutians.
- Nivkhs.
- Oroks.
- Orochi.
- Udege.
- Negidals.
- Ulchi.
- Evenki.
- Evens.
- Yukaghirs.
- Debts.
- Abaza.
- Kets.
- Vepsians.
- Izhora.
- Nenets.
- Igelmens.
- Saami.
- Chulyms.
- Shors.
- Khanty.
- Besermyane.
- Korek.
- Mansi.
- Sepkupy.
- Soyots.
- Tazy.
- Teleuts.
- Tofalars.
- Tuvans-Todzhans.
- Kumandins.
- Nanais.
- Nagaibaki.
- Naganasanas.
- Tubalary.
- Nganasany.
- Chelkantsy.
- Karelians.
- Vod.
Traditional worldview of the indigenous peoples of the North
Traditionally, the Evens, like other indigenous peoples of Russia, deify the sky with all the main luminaries, as well as the main elements of the surrounding flora and fauna - mountain ranges, rivers, taiga forests and various animals living in them. So, for example, the Sun in the traditional consciousness of the Even is represented by a kind person who is fully interested in the interests and protection of the local population. The Sun God can be persuaded to cooperate through sacrifices, as well as faith and prayers. The deity is able to fulfill the will of believers, give them he althy and strong offspring, increase herds of deer, bring good luck to hunters and favor fish catch.
Many indigenous peoples of Siberia have a pagan and polytheistic religion, with a rather special feature of attachment, both soul and body, tonative nature and phenomena, but not to nature as a whole. That is, it is the land on which one or another people lives that is for him a divine and animated essence, capable of influencing events both in nature and in society. Her power is recognized as superior and people try to tame her own power through various spiritual practices, such as prayers, spells, etc.
In turn, animals, like plants, are taken for closer entities. So, for example, in the village of Sebyan-Kel, located in the Kobyaisky ulus, a sacred tree grows, whose spirit protects people. In honor of the tree, sacrifices are made, and various things are presented to it. In addition, there are cults of the sacred deer, swan, eagle and other totems of childbirth.
Modern Christian movement in Yakutia
Member of the Institute of Problems of Indigenous Peoples of the North Zakharova N. Ye. in his study notes that the current Orthodox native northerners tend to discriminate against their pagan roots, seeing in them only degradation, idolatry, as well as "the frenzy of national self-consciousness." Thus, in the eyes of modern Christian figures, the shaman often appears as an object of national disgrace due to the fact that he prefers the worship of natural objects to the worship of the one God.
In this regard, an uncompromising struggle is being waged against shamanism. So, according to Zakharova N. E., the government of the Republic of Sakha and the Yakut diocese set themselves the task of completely eradicating paganism in the territory inhabited by the small peoples of the north of Russia.
It should be noted that such a struggle with shamans has been going on for about three centuries, starting from the time of Tsarist Russia. However, the northern pagans remained themselves even after the implementation of formal baptism. As a result, shamanism began to gradually penetrate into the Russian cultural environment. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the modern cultural heritage appears as a successor to the pagan worldview. This finds some confirmation in the case of considering the Renaissance - the revival of a secular pagan society from the ashes of the darkness of the Middle Ages.
Be that as it may, the combination and close interweaving of the cultures of traditional Christianity and shamanism give bizarre and interesting pictures, the study of which the small peoples of Russia provide their own existence.
Peoples of the northwestern part of Russia
In this list, the small peoples of Russia are in descending order of population:
- Karelians (92 thousand people).
- Vepsians (8 thousand people).
- Saami (2 thousand people).
- Izhora (450 people).
- Vod (82 people).
Karelians
You can guess the place of residence of the Karelians by the name of this people. It is the titular and indigenous people of the Karelian Republic. Some Karelians firmly settled in the Leningrad and Vyborg regions. The Karelian ethnos began to form around the 13th century on the territory that covered the Karelian Isthmus and part of modern Finland, where there are still separate settlementsKarelians.
The mass baptism, carried out on the orders of the Prince of Novgorod, did not greatly affect the folk culture of the Karelians. It was almost formal, since at that time few people understood the Russian language, in which religious propaganda was conducted. However, the moral and spiritual principles of the Karelians were reflected in folklore songs, dances, runic poems and spells. The languages of the people are Finnish and Russian. In the northern regions, the main occupation of the Karelians is reindeer breeding and other animal husbandry, in others, fishing and forestry. Currently, Karelia has a well-developed timber and manufacturing industry, which employs part of this ethnic minority.
Izhora
Izhora is the self-name of the Finno-Ugric people, which in the past, along with the small Vod people, was the main population of the Izhora land. The name of this people is rooted in the Swedish name of Ingermanlad province (Ingermanland). In addition, some Izhorians refer to themselves in the plural "karyalaysht". This is consistent with the fact that the representatives of the Vod people refer to the Izhors as "Karels".
In 1897, the number of this people reached 14,000 people, but today their number is close to 400. In the 1920s, even their own script was developed, but it had to sink into oblivion by the end of the 1930s.
The Izhoras received their first mention as "ingros" back in1223. In the 15th century, this people was part of the Russian state. He smoothly underwent assimilation with the rest of the population by virtue of the Orthodox faith. In the 17th century, part of the lands of the Nevaya (Ingermanland) became a Swedish province, and the Izhors assimilated with the Finns, and in 1943 the population was taken out by German troops to Finland. Subsequently, until the mid-1950s, the process of settling the Izhors in their former places underwent some restrictions on the part of the authorities.
The economy of the Izhors is similar to the Russian one and basically involves farming: growing vegetables and grain crops, followed by harvesting, drying and threshing with flails and upholstery on a bench, as well as animal husbandry and specific fishing, which includes the stages of winter fishing, on which the Izhoras left, as a rule, with the entire population, spending the nights in wooden booths.
The Izhoras lived in villages, usually by small families. Despite Orthodoxy, the people had their own authentic funeral rituals. Burials took place in holy places-groves. Together with the deceased, a supply of food and woolen reins, as well as a knife were placed in the coffin.
The runic heritage of Izhora in the form of a large number of epic works is of great cultural value. So, the Finnish folklorist Elias Lennorot used Izhora runes when compiling the text of the Kalevala.
Vod
The smallest people in Russia today has only 82 people and lives mainly in the southwestern part of the Leningrad region. Vod refers to the Finno-Ugric peoples. There are three languages that the population of the people speaks - these are Vodsky, Izhora and Russian. The closest language to the Vodian dialect is Estonian. The main and traditional occupation of this small people was agriculture, as well as forestry, fishing and small handicrafts. The products received on the farm were usually sold to large centers such as St. Petersburg.
The smallest people in Russia could not keep their original language. This was prevented not only by the coming Orthodoxy (sermons were conducted in Russian), but also by the irregularity of the language, the lack of schools in which the written Vod language would be taught, the small number of people and many mixed marriages. Thus, the Vod language is practically lost, and the culture of the Vod people has strongly succumbed to Russification.
