For many centuries the peoples of Siberia lived in small settlements. Each separate settlement had its own clan. The inhabitants of Siberia were friends with each other, led a joint household, were often relatives to each other and led an active lifestyle. But due to the vast territory of the Siberian Territory, these villages were far from each other. So, for example, the inhabitants of one village already led their own way of life and spoke an incomprehensible language for their neighbors. Over time, some settlements disappeared, while others became larger and actively developed.

Population history in Siberia.

The Samoyed tribes are considered to be the first indigenous inhabitants of Siberia. They inhabited the northern part. Their main occupation is reindeer husbandry and fishing. To the south lived the Mansi tribes who lived off hunting. Their main business was the extraction of furs, with which they paid for their future wives and bought the goods necessary for life.

The upper reaches of the Ob were inhabited by the Turkic tribes. Their main occupation was nomadic cattle breeding and blacksmithing. To the west of Lake Baikal lived Buryats who became famous for their iron-making craft.

The largest territory from the Yenisei to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was inhabited by the Tungus tribes. Among them were many hunters, fishermen, reindeer herders, some were engaged in handicrafts.

Eskimos (about 4 thousand people) are located along the coast of the Chukchi Sea. Compared to other peoples of that time, the Eskimos had the slowest social development. The tool was made of stone or wood. The main economic activity is gathering and hunting.

The main way of survival for the first settlers of the Siberian Territory was hunting, reindeer herding and fur hunting, which was the currency of that time.

By the end of the 17th century, the Buryats and Yakuts were the most developed peoples of Siberia. The Tatars were the only people who, before the arrival of the Russians, managed to organize state power.

The largest peoples before Russian colonization include the following peoples: Itelmens (indigenous people of Kamchatka), Yukaghirs (inhabited the main territory of the tundra), Nivkhs (residents of Sakhalin), Tuvinians (indigenous population of the Republic of Tuva), Siberian Tatars (located on the territory of Southern Siberia from Urals to the Yenisei) and Selkups (residents of Western Siberia).

Indigenous peoples of Siberia in the modern world.

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, every people of Russia received the right to national self-determination and identification. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has officially turned into a multinational state and the preservation of the culture of small and disappearing peoples has become one of the state priorities. Siberian indigenous peoples were also not ignored here: some of them received the right to self-government in the autonomous okrugs, while others formed their own republics within the new Russia. The very small and disappearing nationalities enjoy the comprehensive support of the state, and the efforts of many people are aimed at preserving their culture and traditions.

As part of this review, we will give a brief description of each Siberian people, the number of which is greater or close to 7 thousand people. Smaller peoples are difficult to characterize, so we will restrict ourselves to their name and number. So, let's begin.

1. Yakuts- the most numerous of the Siberian peoples. According to the latest data, the number of Yakuts is 478,100 people. In modern Russia, the Yakuts are one of the few nationalities that have their own republic, and its area is comparable to the area of ​​an average European state. The Republic of Yakutia (Sakha) is geographically located in the Far Eastern Federal District, but the ethnic group "Yakuts" has always been considered an indigenous Siberian people. The Yakuts have an interesting culture and traditions. This is one of the few peoples of Siberia that has its own epic.
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3. Buryats is another Siberian people with their own republic. The capital of Buryatia is the city of Ulan-Ude, located to the east of Lake Baikal. The number of Buryats is 461,389 people. In Siberia, Buryat cuisine is widely known, which is rightfully considered one of the best among ethnic ones. The history of this people, its legends and traditions are quite interesting. By the way, the Republic of Buryatia is one of the main centers of Buddhism in Russia.
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5. Tuvans. According to the latest census, 263,934 identified themselves as representatives of the Tuvan people. The Tuva Republic is one of the four ethnic republics of the Siberian Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kyzyl with a population of 110 thousand people. The total population of the republic is approaching 300 thousand. Buddhism also flourishes here, and the traditions of Tuvans also speak of shamanism.
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7. Khakass- one of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, numbering 72 959 people. Today they have their own republic as part of the Siberian Federal District and with the capital in the city of Abakan. This ancient people have long lived on the lands to the west of the Great Lake (Baikal). He was never numerous, which did not prevent him from carrying his identity, culture and traditions through the centuries.
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9. Altaians. Their place of residence is quite compact - it is the Altai mountain system. Today Altaians live in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Altai and the Altai Territory. The population of the ethnos "Altaians" is about 71 thousand people, which allows us to speak of them as a fairly large people. Religion - Shamanism and Buddhism. The Altaians have their own epos and a pronounced national identity, which does not allow them to be confused with other Siberian peoples. This mountain people has a long history and interesting legends.
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11. Nenets- one of the small Siberian peoples, compactly living in the region of the Kola Peninsula. Its population of 44,640 people makes it possible to classify it as a small nation, the traditions and culture of which are protected by the state. The Nenets are nomadic reindeer herders. They belong to the so-called Samoyed folk group. Over the years of the 20th century, the number of Nenets has approximately doubled, which indicates the effectiveness of state policy in the field of preserving the small peoples of the North. The Nenets have their own language and oral epic.
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13. Evenki- people, predominantly living on the territory of the Republic of Sakha. The number of this people in Russia is 38,396 people, some of whom live in the regions adjacent to Yakutia. It should be said that this is about half of the total population of the ethnic group - about the same number of Evenks live in China and Mongolia. The Evenks are a people of the Manchu group that do not have their own language and epic. Tungus is considered the native language of the Evenks. Evenks are born hunters and trackers.
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15. Khanty- the indigenous people of Siberia, belonging to the Ugric group. Most of the Khanty live in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, which is part of the Ural Federal Okrug of Russia. The total number of Khanty is 30,943 people. About 35% of the Khanty live on the territory of the Siberian Federal District, with the lion's share of them in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. The traditional occupations of the Khanty are fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. The ancestral religion is shamanism, but lately more and more Khanty consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians.
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17. Evens- a people related to the Evenks. According to one version, they represent the Evenk group, which was cut off from the main aureole of residence by the Yakuts advancing to the south. A long time away from the main ethnos made the Evens a separate people. Today their number is 21 830 people. The language is Tungus. Place of residence - Kamchatka, Magadan region, Republic of Sakha.
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19. Chukchi- a nomadic Siberian people who are mainly engaged in reindeer husbandry and live on the territory of the Chukotka Peninsula. Their number is about 16 thousand people. The Chukchi belong to the Mongoloid race and, according to many anthropologists, are the indigenous aborigines of the Far North. The main religion is animism. The indigenous trades are hunting and reindeer husbandry.
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21. Shors- a Turkic-speaking people living in the southeastern part of Western Siberia, mainly in the south of the Kemerovo region (in Tashtagolsky, Novokuznetsk, Mezhdurechensky, Myskovsky, Osinnikovsky and other districts). Their number is about 13 thousand people. The main religion is shamanism. The Shor epic is of scientific interest primarily for its originality and antiquity. The history of the people dates back to the 6th century. Today the traditions of the Shors have survived only in Sheregesh, as most of the ethnic group moved to cities and largely assimilated.
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23. Muncie. This nation has been known to Russians since the beginning of the founding of Siberia. Even Ivan the Terrible sent a host against the Mansi, which suggests that they were quite numerous and strong. The self-name of this people is Voguls. They have their own language, a fairly developed epic. Today their place of residence is the territory of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. According to the latest census, 12,269 people identified themselves as belonging to the Mansi ethnic group.
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25. Nanai- a small people living along the banks of the Amur River in the Far East of Russia. Belonging to the Baikal ethnotype, the Nanais are rightfully considered one of the most ancient indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Far East. Today the number of Nanai in Russia is 12,160 people. The Nanai have their own language, which is rooted in Tungus. The writing system exists only among the Russian Nanais and is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.
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27. Koryaks- the indigenous people of the Kamchatka Territory. There are coastal and tundra Koryaks. Koryaks are mainly reindeer breeders and fishermen. The religion of this ethnos is shamanism. Population - 8 743 people.
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29. Dolgans- a nationality living in the Dolgan-Nenets municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Population - 7,885 people.
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31. Siberian Tatars- perhaps the most famous, but today a small number of Siberian people. According to the latest census, 6,779 people self-identified as Siberian Tatars. However, scientists say that in fact their number is much higher - according to some estimates, up to 100,000 people.
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33. Soyots- the indigenous people of Siberia, a descendant of the Sayan Samoyeds. Lives compactly on the territory of modern Buryatia. The number of Soyots is 5,579.
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35. Nivkhi- the indigenous people of Sakhalin Island. Now they also live on the continental part at the mouth of the Amur River. In 2010, the number of Nivkhs is 5,162 people.
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37. Selkups live in the northern parts of the Tyumen and Tomsk regions and on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The population of this ethnic group is about 4 thousand people.
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39. Itelmens is another indigenous people of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Today, almost all representatives of the ethnic group live in the west of Kamchatka and in the Magadan Region. The number of Itelmens is 3,180 people.
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41. Teleuts- a Turkic-speaking small Siberian people living in the south of the Kemerovo Region. Ethnicity is very closely related to the Altaians. Its number is approaching 2 and a half thousand.
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43. Among other small-numbered peoples of Siberia, such ethnic groups as "Kets", "Chuvans", "Nganasans", "Tofalgars", "Orochi", "Negidal", "Aleuts", "Chulyms", "Oroks", "Tazy" "Enets", "Alyutors" and "Kereks". It is worth saying that the number of each of them is less than 1 thousand people, so their culture and traditions have practically disappeared.

Siberia occupies a vast geographic area of ​​Russia. Once it included such neighboring states as Mongolia, Kazakhstan and part of China. Today this territory belongs exclusively to the Russian Federation. Despite the huge area, there are relatively few settlements in Siberia. Most of the region is occupied by tundra and steppe.

Description of Siberia

The entire territory is divided into Eastern and Western regions. In rare cases, theologians also define the Southern region, which is the Altai highlands. Siberia's area is about 12.6 million square meters. km. This is approximately 73.5% of the total. Interestingly, Siberia is larger in area than Canada.

Of the main natural zones, in addition to the Eastern and Western regions, the Baikal region is distinguished and the largest rivers are the Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Ob, Amur and Lena. The most significant lake areas are Taimyr, Baikal and Ubsu-Nur.

From an economic point of view, the centers of the region can be called such cities as Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Omsk, Ulan-Ude, Tomsk, etc.

The highest point in Siberia is Mount Belukha - over 4.5 thousand meters.

Population history

Historians call the Samoyed tribes the first inhabitants of the region. This people lived in the northern part. Due to the harsh climate, reindeer herding was the only occupation. They ate mainly fish from the adjacent lakes and rivers. The Mansi people lived in the southern part of Siberia. Hunting was their favorite business. The Mansi traded in furs, which were highly prized by Western merchants.

Turks are another significant population of Siberia. Lived in the upper reaches of the Ob River. They were engaged in blacksmithing and cattle breeding. Many tribes of the Turks were nomadic. Buryats lived a little to the west of the Ob mouth. They became famous for the extraction and processing of iron.

The most numerous ancient population of Siberia was represented by the Tungus tribes. They settled on the territory from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the Yenisei. They earned their living by reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing. The more prosperous were engaged in handicrafts.

There were thousands of Eskimos on the coast of the Chukchi Sea. These tribes had the slowest cultural and social development for a long time. Their only tools are a stone ax and a spear. They were mainly engaged in hunting and gathering.

In the 17th century, there was a sharp leap in the development of the Yakuts and Buryats, as well as the northern Tatars.

Native people

The population of Siberia today is made up of dozens of peoples. Each of them, according to the Russian Constitution, has its own right to national identification. Many peoples of the Northern region even received autonomy within the Russian Federation with all the ensuing branches of self-government. This contributed not only to the lightning-fast development of the region's culture and economy, but also to the preservation of local traditions and customs.

The indigenous population of Siberia is mostly Yakuts. Their number varies within 480 thousand people. Most of the population is concentrated in the city of Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia.

The next most populous people are the Buryats. There are more than 460 thousand of them. is the city of Ulan-Ude. Lake Baikal is considered the main asset of the republic. It is interesting that this particular region is recognized as one of the main Buddhist centers in Russia.

Tuvans are the population of Siberia, which according to the latest census numbers about 264 thousand people. Shamans are still revered in the Republic of Tuva.

The population of such peoples as the Altai and the Khakass is almost equally divided: 72 thousand people each. The indigenous people of the districts are adherents of Buddhism.

The Nenets population is only 45 thousand people. They have been living Throughout their history, the Nenets were famous nomads. Today their priority income is reindeer husbandry.

Also on the territory of Siberia there are such peoples as the Evenks, Chukchi, Khanty, Shors, Mansi, Koryaks, Selkups, Nanais, Tatars, Chuvans, Teleuts, Kets, Aleuts and many others. Each of them has its own centuries-old traditions and legends.

Population

The dynamics of the demographic component of the region fluctuates significantly every few years. This is due to the massive migration of young people to the southern cities of Russia and sharp surges in the birth and death rates. There are relatively few immigrants in Siberia. The reason for this is the harsh climate and the specific conditions for life in the villages.

According to the latest data, the population of Siberia is about 40 million people. This is more than 27% of the total number of people living in Russia. The population is distributed evenly across the regions. In the northern part of Siberia, large settlements are absent due to poor living conditions. On average, one person here accounts for 0.5 square meters. km of land.

The most densely populated cities are Novosibirsk and Omsk - 1.57 and 1.05 million inhabitants, respectively. Further on this criterion are Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen and Barnaul.

Peoples of Western Siberia

Cities account for about 71% of the total population of the region. Most of the population is concentrated in the Kemerovo and Khanty-Mansiysk districts. Nevertheless, the Altai Republic is considered the agricultural center of the Western Region. It is noteworthy that the Kemerovo District ranks first in terms of population density - 32 people / sq. km.

The population of Western Siberia is 50% able-bodied residents. Most of the employment is in industry and agriculture.

The region has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, with the exception of Tomsk Oblast and Khanty-Mansiysk.

Today the population of Western Siberia is Russians, Khanty, Nenets, and Turks. By religion, there are Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.

Population of Eastern Siberia

The share of urban residents varies within 72%. The most economically developed are the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region. From the point of view of agriculture, the Buryat Okrug is considered the most important point in the region.

Every year the population of Eastern Siberia is getting smaller. Recently, there has been a sharp negative dynamics of migration and fertility. It is also the lowest in the country. In some areas, it is 33 square meters. km per person. The unemployment rate is high.

The ethnic composition includes such peoples as Mongols, Turks, Russians, Buryats, Evenks, Dolgans, Kets, etc. Most of the population is Orthodox and Buddhists.

Siberia is a vast historical and geographical region in the north-east of Eurasia. Today it is almost entirely located within the Russian Federation. The population of Siberia is represented by Russians, as well as numerous indigenous peoples (Yakuts, Buryats, Tuvinians, Nenets and others). In total, the region is home to at least 36 million people.

This article will focus on the general characteristics of the population of Siberia, the largest cities and the history of the development of this territory.

Siberia: general characteristics of the region

Most often, the southern border of Siberia coincides with the state border of the Russian Federation. In the west, it is bounded by the ridges of the Ural Mountains, in the east by the Pacific Ocean, and in the north by the Arctic Oceans. However, in a historical context, Siberia also encompasses the northeastern territories of modern Kazakhstan.

The population of Siberia (for 2017) is 36 million people. Geographically, the region is divided into Western and Eastern Siberia. The line of demarcation between them is the Yenisei River. The main cities of Siberia are Barnaul, Tomsk, Norilsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Omsk, Tyumen.

As for the name of this region, its origin has not been precisely established. There are several versions. According to one of them, the toponym is closely related to the Mongolian word "shibir" - it is a swampy area overgrown with birch groves. It is assumed that this is what the Mongols called this area in the Middle Ages. But according to Professor Zoya Boyarshinova, the term originated from the self-designation of the ethnic group "Sabir", the language of which is considered the ancestor of the entire Ugric language group.

Population of Siberia: density and total number

According to the 2002 census, 39.13 million people lived within the region. However, the current population of Siberia is only 36 million inhabitants. Thus, it is a sparsely populated area, but its ethnic diversity is truly enormous. More than 30 peoples and nationalities live here.

The average population density in Siberia is 6 people per 1 square kilometer. But it is very different in different parts of the region. Thus, the highest population density indicators are in the Kemerovo region (about 33 people per sq. Km.), And the lowest are in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Tyva (1.2 and 1.8 people per sq. Km., Respectively). The most densely populated are the valleys of large rivers (Ob, Irtysh, Tobol and Ishim), as well as the foothills of Altai.

The level of urbanization is quite high here. So, at least 72% of the region's inhabitants live in the cities of Siberia today.

Demographic problems of Siberia

The population of Siberia is rapidly declining. Moreover, the mortality and fertility rates here, in general, are almost identical to the all-Russian ones. And in Tula, for example, birth rates are completely astronomical for Russia.

The main reason for the demographic crisis in Siberia is the migration outflow of the population (primarily young people). And the Far Eastern Federal District is leading in these processes. From 1989 to 2010, it “lost” almost 20% of its population. According to surveys, about 40% of Siberian residents dream of leaving for permanent residence in other regions. And these are very sad indicators. Thus, Siberia, conquered and mastered with such great difficulty, is emptying every year.

Today, the migration balance in the region is 2.1%. And in the coming years this figure will only grow. Siberia (in particular, its western part) is already experiencing a very acute shortage of labor resources.

The indigenous population of Siberia: a list of peoples

Ethnically Siberia is an extremely variegated territory. Representatives of 36 indigenous peoples and ethnic groups live here. Although prevailing in Siberia, of course, Russians (about 90%).

The top ten indigenous peoples in the region include:

1. Yakuts (478,000 people).
2. Buryats (461,000).
3. Tuvans (264,000).
4. Khakass (73,000).
5. Altaians (71,000).
6. Nenets (45,000).
7. Evenki (38,000).
8. Khanty (31,000).
9. Evens (22,000).
10. Muncie (12,000).

The peoples of the Turkic group (Khakass, Tuvans, Shors) live mainly in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River. Altaians - are concentrated within the Altai Republic. In Transbaikalia and Cisbaikalia, mainly Buryats live (pictured below), and Evenks live in the taiga of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The Taimyr Peninsula is inhabited by the Nenets (in the next photo), Dolgans and Nganasans. But in the lower reaches of the Yenisei, the Kets live compactly - a small people using a language that is not included in any of the known linguistic groups. Tatars and Kazakhs also live in the southern part of Siberia within the steppe and forest-steppe zones.

The Russian population of Siberia, as a rule, considers itself to be Orthodox. Kazakhs and Tatars are Muslims by their religion. Many indigenous peoples of the region adhere to traditional pagan beliefs.

Natural resources and economics

“Pantry of Russia” - this is how Siberia is often called, implying the region's enormous scale and variety of mineral resources. So, here are concentrated colossal reserves of oil and gas, copper, lead, platinum, nickel, gold and silver, diamonds, coal and other minerals. About 60% of all-Russian peat deposits lie in the depths of Siberia.

Of course, the economy of Siberia is completely focused on the extraction and processing of the region's natural resources. Moreover, not only mineral and fuel and energy, but also forestry. In addition, non-ferrous metallurgy and the cellulose industry are well developed in the region.

At the same time, the rapid development of the mining and energy industries could not but affect the ecology of Siberia. So, it is here that the most polluted cities in Russia are located - Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk and Novokuznetsk.

History of the development of the region

After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the lands to the east of the Urals in fact turned out to be no man's land. Only the Siberian Tatars managed to organize their state here - the Siberian Khanate. True, it did not last long.

Ivan the Terrible took up the colonization of the Siberian lands in earnest, and even then - only towards the end of his tsarist reign. Before that, the Russians had practically no interest in the lands located beyond the Urals. At the end of the 16th century, the Cossacks, under the leadership of Ermak, founded several fortified cities in Siberia. Among them are Tobolsk, Tyumen and Surgut.

At first, exiles and convicts mastered Siberia. Later, in the 19th century, landless peasants began to come here in search of free hectares. The serious development of Siberia began only at the end of the 19th century. In many respects, this was facilitated by the laying of the main railway. During the Second World War, large factories and enterprises of the Soviet Union were evacuated to Siberia, and this had a positive impact on the development of the region's economy in the future.

Main cities

There are nine cities in the region, the population of which exceeds the 500 thousandth milestone. It:

• Novosibirsk.
• Omsk.
• Krasnoyarsk.
• Tyumen.
• Barnaul.
• Irkutsk.
• Tomsk.
• Kemerovo.
• Novokuznetsk.

The first three cities on this list are “millionaires” in terms of population.

Novosibirsk is the unspoken capital of Siberia, the third most populous city in Russia. It is located on both banks of the Ob - one of the largest rivers in Eurasia. Novosibirsk is an important industrial, commercial and cultural center of the country. The city's leading industries are energy, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. The economy of Novosibirsk is based on about 200 large and medium-sized enterprises.

Krasnoyarsk is the oldest of the large cities in Siberia. It was founded back in 1628. This is the most important economic, cultural and educational center of Russia. Krasnoyarsk is located on the banks of the Yenisei, on the conditional border of Western and Eastern Siberia. The city has a developed space industry, mechanical engineering, chemical industry and pharmaceuticals.

Tyumen is one of the first Russian cities in Siberia. Today it is the most important oil refining center in the country. Oil and gas production contributed to the rapid development of various scientific organizations in the city. Today, about 10% of the working-age population of Tyumen works in research institutes and universities.

Finally

Siberia is the largest historical and geographical region of Russia with a population of 36 million people. It is unusually rich in various natural resources, but suffers from a number of social and demographic problems. There are only three million-plus cities within the region. These are Novosibirsk, Omsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Siberia occupies a special position on the ethnic map of Russia, determined by the level of socio-economic development of the indigenous population, the policy of state power in relation to it, the demographic situation and the geography of the region.

From a geographical point of view, Siberia is a sub-region of North Asia, within which it covers an area of ​​13 million square meters. km, which is about 75% of the territory of Russia. The western border of Siberia corresponds to the geographical border between Europe and Asia (the Ural Mountains), the eastern border of the seas of the Pacific Ocean basin.

In natural terms, Western Siberia (West Siberian Plain), Eastern Siberia (Central Siberian Plateau and mountain systems of the North-East of Siberia), South Siberia, Primorye and Priamurye form a separate region - the Far East. The climate is sharply continental, harsh, with a negative balance of average annual temperatures. Up to 6 million sq. km of the surface of Siberia is occupied by permafrost.

Siberia is well watered. Most of the great rivers of Siberia belong to the basin of the Arctic (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Yana, etc.) and Pacific (Amur, Kamchatka, Anadyr) oceans. Here, especially in the forest-tundra and tundra zones, there are a large number of lakes, the largest of which are Baikal, Taimyr, Teletskoye.

The territory of Siberia is distinguished by a rather diverse latitudinal zoning. With the dominance of the taiga zone - the main territory of fishing, in the high latitudes the forest-tundra strip to the north passes into the tundra zone, in the south into the forest-steppe and further into the steppe and mountain-steppe areas. Areas south of the taiga are often defined as mostly plowed.

The peculiarities of the natural environment largely determined the nature of settlement and the peculiarities of the culture of the population who developed this region.

At the end of the XX century. the population of Siberia exceeded 32 million people, of which about 2 million are indigenous inhabitants of the region. These are 30 peoples, of which 25 with a total population of about 210 thousand, form a community of "indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North and Siberia." The latter are united by such features as a small number (up to 50 thousand people), the preservation of special types of economic nature management (hunting, fishing, reindeer husbandry, etc.), a nomadic and semi-nomadic way of life, the maintenance of traditional social norms and institutions in public life. ...

The 2010 All-Russian Population Census gives an idea of ​​the size of the indigenous population of Siberia. Of the relatively large peoples, these are Yakuts (478 thousand), Buryats (461 thousand), Tuvinians (265 thousand), Khakass (73 thousand), Altai (81 thousand), Siberian Tatars (6.8 thousand). Actually small peoples, these are the Nenets, including European groups (44.6 thousand), Evenks (37.8 thousand), Khanty (30.9 thousand), Evens (22.4 thousand), Chukchi (15.9 thousand), Shors (12.9 thousand), Mansi (12.2 thousand), Nanais (12 thousand), Koryaks (7.9 thousand), Dolgans (7.8 thousand), Nivkh (4 , 6 thousand), Selkups (3.6 thousand), Itelmen and Ulchi (about 3 thousand each), Kets, Yukaghirs, Eskimos and Udege (less than 2 thousand each), Nganasans, Tofalars, Enets, Aleuts, Orochi , Negidals and Uilta / Oroks (less than 1,000 each).

The peoples of Siberia differ from each other linguistically, anthropologically, as well as culturally. These differences are based on the relative independence of ethnogenetic and ethnocultural lines of development, demography and the nature of settlement.

With a fairly definite dynamics of modern linguistic processes in Siberia, which for small peoples demonstrate almost complete knowledge of their native language in older age groups and the transition to Russian in younger age groups, linguistic communities have historically formed here, most of which are of local origin.

Within the territory of Western Siberia, peoples are settled who speak the languages ​​of the Ural-Yukagir language family. These are the Samoyeds - the Nenets (the forest-tundra and tundra zone from the Polar Urals in the west to the Yenisei Bay in the east), the Enets (the right bank of the Yenisei Bay), in Taimyr - the Nganasans. In the West Siberian taiga on the Middle Ob and in the basin of the river. Taz are Selkups.

The Ugric group is represented by the languages ​​of the Khanty, which are widely settled in the Ob basin and its tributaries from the forest-tundra to the forest-steppe. The ethnic territory of Mansi stretches from the Urals to the left bank of the Ob. Relatively recently, the Yukaghir language was included in the Uralic language family. Back in the 19th century. linguists noted the uraloid substratum in the language of this people, that, despite the territorial remoteness - the Yukaghirs live in Eastern Siberia in the basin of the river. Kolyma - allows, as a reflection of the ancient migrations of the Ural-speaking peoples, to single out the Yukagir language group among the Uralians.

The Altai language family is the largest in terms of the number of native speakers in Siberia. It consists of three groups. The Turkic group includes the languages ​​of the Sayan-Altai peoples. Altaians are settling from west to east of Southern Siberia. They include a number of ethno-territorial groups, which, according to the 2002 census, were first recorded as independent ethnic groups (Teleuts, Tubalars, Telengits, Kumandins, etc.). Further east - Shors, Khakass, Tuvans, Tofalars.

In the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia, the West Siberian Tatars settle, which include groups of Baraba, Chulym, Tara and other Tatars.

A significant part of the territory of Eastern Siberia (basins of the Lena, Anabara, Olenek, Yana, Indigirka) is inhabited by Yakuts. In the south of Taimyr lives the most northern Turkic-speaking people of the world - the Dolgans. Mongolian-speaking peoples of Siberia are Buryats and Soyots.

The Tungus-Manchu languages ​​are widespread in the taiga zone of Eastern Siberia from the Yenisei to Kamchatka and Sakhalin. These are the languages ​​of the northern Tungus - Evenks and Evens. Further south, in the river basin. Amur, there are peoples who speak languages ​​belonging to the southern, Amur or Manchu branch of the Tungus-Manchu group. These are the Nanai, Ulchi, Uilta (Oroks) of Sakhalin Island. Along the banks of the left tributary of the Amur, r. The Negidals settled in Amguni. In the Primorsky Territory, in the Sikhote-Alin mountains and on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, Udege and Orochi live.

The northeast of Siberia, Chukotka and Kamchatka, are inhabited by Paleo-Asian peoples - the Chukchi, Koryak and Itelmen. The concept of "paleoasian" is quite consistent with the concept of antiquity and the autochthonous nature of the origin of their cultures. The fact of their genetic linguistic unity is not obvious. Until recently, without using the concept of "family", linguists united their languages ​​into the "group of paleoasian languages". Then, taking into account a number of similarities, they were allocated to the Chukchi-Kamchatka language family. Within its framework, a greater kinship is observed between the Chukchi and Koryak languages. The Itelmen language, in relation to them, demonstrates not so much genetic as areal correspondence.

Speakers of languages ​​belonging to the Eskimo-Aleutian family (Escaleut) are mainly settled outside Russia (USA, Canada). In the northeast of Siberia, small groups of Asiatic Eskimos live (the coast of the Anadyr Bay, the Chukchi Sea, the Wrangel Islands) and the Aleuts (the Commander Islands).

The languages ​​of two Siberian peoples - the Nivkhs (the Amur estuary and the north of Sakhalin Island) and the Kets (the Yenisei River basin) - are classified as isolated. The Nivkh language, due to the indistinct expression of the genealogical principle in the Paleoasian languages, was previously referred to this group. The Ket language represents the heritage that linguists trace back to the Yenisei language family. The speakers of the Yenisei languages ​​(asanas, arins, yarintsy, etc.) in the past settled in the upper reaches of the Yenisei and its tributaries and during the 18th - 19th centuries. were assimilated by neighboring peoples.

The historical connection of linguistic communities with certain territories is confirmed by the facts of racial polytypes, which is established at the level of anthropological classification. The peoples of Siberia belong to the local population of the northern Mongoloids, which is part of the large Mongoloid race. The taxonomic assessment of variations in the Mongoloid complex makes it possible to distinguish several small races in the population of the region.

In Western Siberia and in the northwest of Sayano-Altai, carriers of the complexes of the Ural and South Siberian races settle. In the general classification, such taxa are defined by the term "contact". They are characterized by a combination of at least two sets of characteristics of racial types, geographically contiguous. For representatives of the Ural (Ugrians, Samoyedians, Shors) and South Siberian (Northern Altaians, Khakass) races, a weakening of the Mongaloid features in the structure of the face and the eye area is characteristic. Unlike the Urals, for whom lightening (depigmentation) of the skin, hair, eyes is typical, the South Siberian groups are more strongly pigmented.

The population of Eastern Siberia, including the regions of Primorye and Priamurye, demonstrates almost the maximum degree of expression of Mongoloid characters, even at the level of the Mongoloid race as a whole. This concerns the degree of flattening of the face and nose, a significant proportion of the epicanthus ("Mongolian fold" covering the lacrimal tubercle and being a continuation of the upper eyelid), the structure of the hairline, etc. These signs are typical for representatives of the North Asian race. It includes the Baikal (Evenks, Evens, Dolgans, Nanais, and other peoples of the Amur region) and Central Asian (Southern Altaians, Tuvinians, Buryats, Yakuts) anthropological types. The differences between them are manifested, first of all, in the increased pigmentation characteristic of the Central Asian Mongoloids.

In the northeast of Siberia, the Arctic race is widespread, whose representatives, in relation to the anthropological features of the Baikal type, on the one hand, in the structure of the face, demonstrate a weakening of the Mongoloid complex (more protruding nose, less flat face), on the other, increased pigmentation, protrusion of the lips. The latter signs are associated with the participation in the formation of the Arctic race of the southern groups of the Pacific Mongoloids. The internal taxonomy of the Arctic race suggests the possibility of distinguishing continental (Chukchi, Eskimos, partly Koryaks and Itelmens) and insular (Aleuts) groups of populations.

The originality of the two Siberian peoples is recorded in special anthropological types. These are the Amuro-Sakhalin (Nivkhi), most likely, mestizo, which arose on the basis of the interaction of the Baikal and Kuril (Ainu) populations, and the Yenisei (chum), which goes back to the peculiarities of the anthropology of the Paleosiberian population.

In many respects, the similar level of socio-economic development and geographical zoning of Siberia, as well as the historical and cultural interaction of the northerners with neighboring peoples, determined the formation of a region-specific cultural landscape, which is represented by the classification of the peoples of Siberia according to the HKT.

In the historical sequence, it is customary to distinguish the following complexes: wild deer hunters in the Arctic and Subarctic; hiking taiga hunters and fishermen (in a later period this type was modified by introducing transport reindeer herding into its composition); sedentary fishermen of the basins of Siberian rivers (partly the Ob, Amur, Kamchatka); Pacific coastal beast hunters; South Siberian commercial and cattle-breeding forestry complex; cattle breeders of Siberia; nomadic reindeer breeders of the Siberian tundra.

Classification assessments demonstrate the regional correspondence of the peculiarities of language, anthropology and economic and cultural characteristics, which makes it possible to identify territories within which the common historical destinies give rise to stereotyping of a number of cultural phenomena of peoples in the past having different ethno-genetic origins. This state of ethnic cultures is described within the boundaries of the IEO. For Siberia, these are the West Siberian, Yamal-Taimyr, Sayan-Altai, East Siberian, Amur-Sakhalin and northeastern IEOs.

Man began to explore Siberia quite early. On its territory there are archaeological sites dating back to different periods of the Stone Age in the interval from 30 to 5 thousand years ago. This was the time of the formation of the Paleo-Siberian cultures, at the end of which there is a territorial isolation of local cultural traditions, corresponding to the placement of the above-mentioned HCT. On the one hand, it demonstrates the tendencies of "cultural radiation", the development of optimal, from the point of view of the ecological characteristics of the regions, adaptive strategies. In the history of the indigenous population of Siberia, it was rather a cultural and genetic period. On the other hand, there is a correspondence between the local cultural dynamics and the location of future large ethnolinguistic communities on the territory of Siberia - the Ural, Altai, including the Tungus, Paleo-Asian.

Ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the peoples of Siberia is most often comprehended in the process of developing the so-called ethnogenetic problems.

For Western Siberia it is "samoyed problem ", which was formulated at the beginning of the 18th century. Scientists of that time tried to establish the ancestral home of the Samoyeds. Some of them settled in the north (modern Nenets, Enets, Nganasans and Selkups), and others (Kamasins, Mators, etc.) in the foothills of Altai In the 18th-19th centuries, the South Siberian groups of the Samoyeds were either Turkized or Russified.Thus, mutually exclusive hypotheses about the Arctic (F. I. Stralenberg) and Sayan (I. E. Fisher) ancestral home of the Samoyeds were formulated. in the form of the formula "The Samoyeds left Altai", which belongs to the Finnish researcher M. A. Castren, has become dominant since the middle of the 19th century.

Domestic Siberian scientists during the XX century. concretized the picture of the ethnogenesis of the North Samodian peoples. It is believed that this was not a simple migration, with the subsequent adaptation of the southern (cattle-breeding) culture of the newcomers to the natural environment of high latitudes. Archaeological monuments of the north of Western Siberia indicate the existence of a pre-Samodian (folklore "Siirta") population here, which also took part in the formation of modern Samoyed peoples. The resettlement to the north covered a considerable period of time, possibly the entire 1st millennium AD. and was determined by the ethnic processes of the formation and settlement of the Central Asian peoples - Huns, Turks, Mongols.

At present, there is a revival of interest in the concept of the northern ancestral home of the Samoyedians. The genesis of the archaeological cultures of the Pepechorye and Ob region, presumably proto-Samodian, starting from the Mesolithic era, demonstrates their gradual movement to the south, to the Middle Ob (Kulay archaeological community, mid-1st millennium BC - mid-1st millennium AD) and further to the areas of Sayano-Altai. In this case, the Kulays are considered as the ethnocultural basis for the formation of both northern and southern Samoyeds.

"Ugrian problem "is formulated in connection with the existence of two linguistic communities - the Danube (Hungarians) and Ob (Khanty and Mansi) - Ugrians, as well as the presence in the culture of the latter of the steppe cattle-breeding layer. The general scheme of the ethnogenesis of the Ob Ugrians was developed by VN Chernetsov. that the aborigines of the West Siberian taiga took part in their formation - hunter-fishermen and newcomers from more southern, steppe regions - nomad cattle-breeders - Ugrians-Savirs. BC until the first half of the 2nd millennium AD in the taiga zone of Western Siberia. cattle-breeding tradition (bread oven, horse handling skills, ornamental plots, individual characters of the pantheon, etc.).

At present, it is believed that such a culture could be formed along the line of integrating traditions that have different ethnic origins within the boundaries of the entire territory of settlement of the Khanty and Mansi and proceeding synchronously. The path of local adaptation and the formation of the Ugric culture proper is possible on a relatively limited territory of the forest Trans-Urals, Pre-Tobol, Irtysh regions in the south of the forest zone of Western Siberia. This area traces the continuity of archaeological cultures from the Late Bronze Age to the first centuries of the 2nd millennium AD. in the formation of a complex commercial and cattle-breeding economy. The Ob Ugrians moved to the north from the end of the 1st millennium AD. under the pressure of the Turkic-speaking population. In the new territories, the ancestors of the Khanty and Mansi adapted to new conditions in the direction of strengthening the taiga fishing complex and the loss of skills in the livestock component, which entailed a change in their cultural appearance. Already at high latitudes and in interaction with self-speaking neighbors, the process of the formation of ethnographic and territorial groups of the Ob Ugrians took place.

"Ket problem". It is formulated in connection with the presence in the culture of the Kets of the so-called South Siberian elements, which makes it possible to consider modern Kets as the descendants of one of the Yenisei peoples, or even a single Yenisei people who in the past lived in Southern Siberia. These are arins, asanas, yarintsy, bikogovtsy and kottas, which during the 18th – 19th centuries. were assimilated by the peoples around them. Thus, the Yenisei components took part in the formation of separate groups of Khakass (Kachin people), Tuvinians, Shors, and Buryats. Migration processes, which in Southern Siberia were associated with the ethnopolitical history of the Turks, also affected the Yenisei peoples. The beginning of the migration of the ancestors of the Kets is associated with the 9th – 13th centuries, which led to the settling of small groups of the Keto-speaking population along the banks of the Yenisei and its tributaries. It was here, in contact with the Khants, Selkups and Evenks, that the original Kst culture was formed.

The East Siberian and Amur regions are inhabited by peoples speaking the Tungus-Manchu languages. A huge territory, developed by relatively small peoples, the similarity of many elements of culture, including language and anthropological proximity, in the presence of ethnic and cultural local specifics, gave rise to Siberian studies "Tunguska problem".

It boils down to the search for the ancestral home of the Tungus-Manchu peoples, within the boundaries of which the noted unity was formed. It was localized by various researchers within "those countries that they still occupy" - the autochthonous hypothesis of GF Miller (XVIII century). Supporters of the migration hypothesis established the ancestral home locally - the left bank of the lower and middle reaches of the Amur and adjacent regions of Manchuria, the forest-steppe regions of the southern Baikal region, Transbaikalia and northern Mongolia, and even in the interfluve of the Huang He and Yangtze.

By the middle of the XX century. Russian researchers based on data from anthropology, archeology, linguistics, ethnography, etc. created a general scheme of the ethnogenesis of the Tungus-Manchu peoples of Siberia. Their ancestral home, on the basis of archaeological data, is associated with the genesis of the hunting Neolithic Baikal culture of the southern regions of Lake Baikal, and the very process of the formation of individual peoples of the Tungus-Manchu community, with the consistent differentiation of the Altai linguistic community from the 3rd millennium BC. before the turn of our era.

The content of this process consisted in the primary separation of the ancestors of the Tungus (north) and the southern steppe population in its composition, on the basis of which the Turks and Mongols were subsequently formed and the subsequent isolation, already within the boundaries of the Tungus-Manchu community, of the speakers of the Manchu languages, who had mastered the Amur basin by the turn of our era and its tributaries. Approximately at the same time, in connection with the advancement of the steppe, cattle-breeding population to Lake Baikal, the division of the northern Tungus into western and eastern ones takes place, relative to the river. Lena, communities. In the eastern part, the Evens are distinguished, having mastered the eastern regions of Yakutia and the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and in the 19th century. a small group of Evens moved to Kamchatka. An important moment in the history of the northern Tungus is their assimilation, presumably in the 6th-7th centuries. AD, transport reindeer herding. There is an opinion that it was the deer who "gave wings to the Tungus" and allowed them to master the vast expanses of Eastern Siberia. The breadth of settlement and constant contacts with neighboring peoples led to the formation of local features of the culture of the Tungus-speaking population of Siberia. This is clearly evidenced by early Russian written sources, which mention "foot, reindeer, horse, cattle, sedentary Tungus".

"Paleoasian problem" stems from the territorial isolation of the Paleo-Asian peoples, the specific position of their languages ​​(a group of Paleo-Asian languages), and many cultural features. These peoples are considered to be the aborigines of the region. In Kamchatka and Chukotka, archaeological monuments of the Upper Paleolithic era were discovered, testifying to the formation in the region of the foundations of the culture of wild deer hunters, which existed here until the end of the 17th - early 18th centuries in fairly stable climatic conditions. Several lines of ethnocultural development of the Paleoasians are distinguished.

So, the Chukchi and Koryaks are divided into ethnographic groups of coastal (sea hunters) and deer, in connection with which there are numerous parallels in the culture of these peoples. Starting from the middle of the 1st millennium AD, the basis for the formation of the culture of the coastal Chukchi was determined by their contacts with the Eskimos. It was the interaction of two hunting traditions, continental and maritime. In the initial period, due to differences in almost all spheres of culture, it took place in the form of exchange. Subsequently, part of the Chukchi, continental deer hunters, switched to a sedentary lifestyle and the occupation of marine hunting.

The history of the coastal Koryaks is associated with the autochthonous basis for the formation of their culture. In the basin of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, archaeologists have identified monuments of the so-called Okhotsk culture (1st millennium AD), which is defined as "the ancient Koryak culture of the Okhotsk coast." This is the culture of sea hunters, fishermen, and wild deer hunters, in which, in relative chronological continuity up to the ancient Koryak settlements of the 16th – 17th centuries, the features of the Koryak cultural tradition can be traced.

The history of the formation of reindeer groups of the Chukchi and Koryaks is not so obvious, since this problem is associated with the history of Siberian reindeer husbandry in general. According to one point of view, reindeer husbandry in Chukotka emerges convergently with respect to other Siberian centers of reindeer domestication based on the local culture of wild reindeer hunters. According to another position, it is assumed that reindeer husbandry will be borrowed from the Tungus by the Paleo-Asians, followed by its evolution from transport (Tungus) to large-herded (Paleo-Asians) already among the Chukchi and Koryaks.

The indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka, the Itelmens, occupy a separate position among the Paleo-Asian peoples of the North-East of Siberia, which is manifested in their language, anthropological and cultural characteristics. In Central Kamchatka, the most ancient archaeological monuments of the region were discovered, testifying to the ties of its population with the American continent (the tool complex), here (the Ushki I site) was found almost the oldest on Earth - about 14 thousand years ago - the burial of a domestic dog ... These were cultures typologically similar to Chukotka and Kolyma, which probably influenced the correspondence of the culture of the Itelmens and their northern neighbors.

It includes a number of common elements characteristic of most of the Paleo-Asian peoples of the North-East of Siberia (main types of economic activities, some types of residential and commercial buildings, partly transport and winter clothing). Along with this, the direction and intensity of cultural contacts led to the interaction of neighboring peoples, or the adaptation of one of them to the cultural elements of the other. Such connections of the Itelmen culture are established with the Ainu and Aleuts. The most persistent were the ties between the Itelmens and their northern neighbors, the Koryaks. This is recorded anthropologically - the Koryaks and Itelmens oppose the Chukchi and Eskimos within the mainland group of populations of the Arctic race, the same is noted in the sphere of language. Interaction with Russians, which began at the end of the 18th century. led to a radical transformation of their culture in the direction of syncretization. With sufficiently intense marital contacts, a perceived ethnic group of Kamchadals developed, ethnoculturally different from the Itelmens proper and gravitating towards Russians.

"Escaleut problem". The history of the Eskimos and Aleuts, who mainly live outside the territory of Russia, is associated with the problem of the formation of the coastal cultures of Chukotka and Alaska. The relationship between the Eskimos and the Aleuts is recorded in the form of the Proto-Esco-Aleutian community, which in ancient times was localized in the Bering Strait zone. Its division, according to various estimates, took place from 2.5 thousand to 6 thousand years ago at the stage of continental culture, since the vocabulary of the Eskimos and Aleuts associated with marine hunting is different. This was due to the process of the development of various territories of Beringia and the American North by the ancestors of the Eskimos and Aleuts.

The initial stage of the formation of the Eskimos is associated with a change at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. ecological situation in the regions of Beringia - increased coastal migrations of sea animals. Their further development can be traced in the evolution of local and chronological variants of ancient Eskimo cultures. The Oqwick stage (1st millennium BC) reflects the interaction of the continental culture of wild deer hunters and the culture of marine hunters. The strengthening of the role of the latter is recorded in the monuments of the ancient Bering Sea culture (first half of the 1st millennium AD). In the southeast of Chukotka, the Old Bering Sea culture passes into the Punuk culture (6th – 8th centuries). This was the heyday of the whaling industry and the culture of marine hunters in Chukotka in general.

The subsequent ethnocultural history of the Eskimos is closely related to the formation of the community of coastal Chukchi, who came into contact with them at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. This process had a pronounced integration character, which found expression in the interpenetration of many elements of the traditional everyday culture of the coastal Chukchi and Eskimos.

At present, the more preferable point of view is the formation of the Aleuts precisely on the Aleutian Islands. The most ancient archaeological evidence found here (Anangula site, about 8 thousand years ago) indicate the genetic relationship of the local population with Asian cultures. It was on this basis that the Aleuts proper were subsequently formed. The insular character of their formation is also confirmed by the anthropological specificity (an insular group of populations within the Arctic race), which develops as a result of insular isolation and adaptation to local conditions.

The history of the Russian Aleuts inhabiting the Commander Islands (Bering and Medny Islands) begins no earlier than 1825, when 17 Aleutian families were resettled to Bering Island. This resettlement was associated with the development of the fishing territories of Beringia by the Russian-American Company.

Khanty and Mansi: Number of 30 thousand people. They speak the languages ​​of the Finno-Ugric group of the Ural family (Khanty, Mansi). Traditional occupations: hunting, fishing, among some peoples - agriculture and cattle breeding. They breed horses, cows, sheep, and poultry. Recently, fur farming, animal husbandry, and vegetable growing have begun to develop. We traveled on skis, sleds in dog and reindeer sleds, in some areas - on sleds. The settlements were permanent (winter) and seasonal (spring, summer, autumn).

Traditional dwelling in winter: rectangular log houses, often with an earthen roof, in summer - conical birch bark tents or quadrangular frame buildings made of poles covered with birch bark, for reindeer breeders - covered with plague deer skins. The dwelling was heated and lit by an open hearth made of poles coated with clay. Traditional women's clothing: a dress, a swinging robe and a double deer fur coat, a scarf on the head; men's clothing: shirt, pants, blanket clothing with a cloth hood. For reindeer breeders, clothing consists of reindeer skins, shoes are fur, suede or leather. Khanty and Mansi wear a large number of jewelry (rings, beaded necklaces, etc.)

Traditional food - fish and meat in dried, dried, fried, frozen form, berries, bread, from drinks - tea. The traditional settlement was inhabited by several large or small, mostly related families. Patrilocal marriage with elements of matrilocality matrilocality... In the XIX - early XX centuries. a territorial community is being formed. Believers are Orthodox, but traditional beliefs and cults based on ideas associated with totemism, animism, shamanism, the cult of ancestors, etc., are also preserved. Tattoo was known.

Nenets: Number of 35 thousand people. They speak the Nenets language of the Uralic family, which is subdivided into 2 dialects: tundra and forest; Russian is also common. Traditional activities: hunting for fur animals, wild deer, upland and waterfowl, fishing, domestic reindeer breeding. Most of the Nenets led a nomadic lifestyle. The traditional dwelling is a collapsible pole tent covered with reindeer skins in winter and birch bark in summer. Outerwear and footwear were made of reindeer skins. We moved on light wooden sleds. Food - deer meat, fish. The main social cell of the Nenets at the end of the 19th century was a patrilineal clan, and 2 exogamous phratries also survived. Religious views were dominated by belief in spirits - the masters of heaven, earth, fire, rivers, natural phenomena; Orthodoxy spread among a part of the Nenets.

Buryats: The total number is 520 thousand people. They speak the Buryat language of the Mongolian group of the Altai family. Russian and Mongolian languages ​​are also widespread. Beliefs: Shamanism, Buddhism, Christianity. The predominant branch of the traditional economy of the Buryats was cattle breeding. Later, they began to engage in arable farming more and more. In Transbaikalia there is a typical Mongolian nomadic economy. Cattle, horses, sheep, goats and camels were raised. Hunting and fishing were of secondary importance. There was a seal fishery. Of the crafts developed were blacksmithing, processing of leather and hides, making felt, making harness, clothing and footwear, joinery and carpentry.

The Buryats were engaged in smelting iron, mining mica and salt. Clothing: fur coats and hats, cloth robes, high fur boots, women's sleeveless jackets, etc. Clothing, especially women's, was decorated with multi-colored material, silver and gold. The set of jewelry included various kinds of earrings, bracelets, rings, corals and coins, chains and pendants. For men, silver belts, knives, pipes served as decorations. Food: meat and dairy products. The Buryats widely consumed berries, plants and roots, and prepared them for the winter. In places where arable farming was developed, bread and flour products, potatoes and garden crops were used. Dwelling: wooden yurts. Social organization: tribal relations were preserved. In the family and marriage system, exogamy and kalym played an important role.

The Samoyed tribes are considered to be the first indigenous inhabitants of Siberia. They inhabited the northern part. Their main occupation is reindeer husbandry and fishing. To the south lived the Mansi tribes who lived off hunting. Their main business was the extraction of furs, with which they paid for their future wives and bought the goods necessary for life.

The upper reaches of the Ob were inhabited by the Turkic tribes. Their main occupation was nomadic cattle breeding and blacksmithing. To the west of Lake Baikal lived Buryats who became famous for their iron-making craft. The largest territory from the Yenisei to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was inhabited by the Tungus tribes. Among them were many hunters, fishermen, reindeer herders, some were engaged in handicrafts.

Eskimos (about 4 thousand people) are located along the coast of the Chukchi Sea. Compared to other peoples of that time, the Eskimos had the slowest social development. The tool was made of stone or wood. The main economic activity is gathering and hunting.

The main way of survival for the first settlers of the Siberian Territory was hunting, reindeer herding and fur hunting, which was the currency of that time.

By the end of the 17th century, the Buryats and Yakuts were the most developed peoples of Siberia. The Tatars were the only people who, before the arrival of the Russians, managed to organize state power.

The largest peoples before Russian colonization include the following peoples: Itelmens (indigenous people of Kamchatka), Yukaghirs (inhabited the main territory of the tundra), Nivkhs (residents of Sakhalin), Tuvinians (indigenous population of the Republic of Tuva), Siberian Tatars (located on the territory of Southern Siberia from Urals to the Yenisei) and Selkups (residents of Western Siberia).

The peoples of Siberia and the Far East.

More than 20 peoples live in Siberia. Since their main occupation is taiga and tundra hunting, marine animal hunting and reindeer husbandry, they are usually called the small hunting peoples of the North and Siberia. One of the largest peoples are the Yakuts (382 thousand). Many peoples of Siberia have historical names. For example, in Russian sources, Yugra was called the Khanty and Mansi, and the Samoyeds - the Nenets. And the Russians called the inhabitants of the eastern coast of the Yenisei Evenks Tungus. For most of the inhabitants of Siberia, the traditional type of dwelling is a portable plague. For the life of hunters, a winter coat-park made of reindeer fur is also characteristic. From the first half of the 17th century. Russians, having passed the taiga nomad camps of the Tungus, in the middle reaches of the river. The Lenas met with the Yakuts (self-designation "Sakha").

These are the northernmost livestock breeders in the world. The Yakuts assimilated some other peoples of the North, in particular, the Dolgans living in the north-west of Yakutia on the border with Taimyr. Their language is Yakut. Dolgans are reindeer breeders and fishermen. In the north-east of Yakutia live Yukaghirs (basin of the Kolyma river), which number about 1100 people. This is the most ancient people of Siberia. The Yukaghir language is Paleo-Asian and does not belong to any of the language families. Linguists find some connection with the languages ​​of the Uralic family. The main activity is hunting on foot. The peoples of Kamchatka and Chukotka are also few in number: Chukchi (about 15 thousand), Koryaks (about 9 thousand), Itelmen (2.4 thousand), Chuvans (1.4 thousand), Eskimo and Aleuts (1.7 and 0 , 6 thousand respectively) Their traditional occupation: tundra large-scale reindeer herding, as well as sea fishing.

Also of interest for ethnography are the small peoples of the Far East living in the basin of the Amur and its tributaries, in the Ussuri taiga. These are: Nivkhs (4.7 thousand), Nanai (12 thousand), Ulchi (3.2 thousand), Orochi (900 people), Udege (2 thousand), Oroks (200 people), Negidal (600 people). The languages ​​of these peoples, except for the Nivkh, belong to the Tungus-Manchurian group of the Altai language family. The most ancient and special language is Nivkh, which is one of the Paleo-Asian languages. In everyday life, in addition to taiga hunting, these peoples were engaged in fishing, gathering wild plants and marine hunting. Hunting in summer, skiing in winter. Quite large peoples live in the south of Siberia: Altaians (69 thousand), Khakass (78 thousand), Tuvinians (206 thousand), Buryats (417 thousand), etc. They all speak the languages ​​of the Altai language family. The main activity is domestic reindeer herding.

Indigenous peoples of Siberia in the modern world.

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, every people of Russia received the right to national self-determination and identification. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has officially turned into a multinational state and the preservation of the culture of small and disappearing peoples has become one of the state priorities. Siberian indigenous peoples were also not ignored here: some of them received the right to self-government in the autonomous okrugs, while others formed their own republics within the new Russia. The very small and disappearing nationalities enjoy the comprehensive support of the state, and the efforts of many people are aimed at preserving their culture and traditions.

As part of this review, we will give a brief description of each Siberian people, the number of which is greater or close to 7 thousand people. Smaller peoples are difficult to characterize, so we will restrict ourselves to their name and number. So, let's begin.

Yakuts- the most numerous of the Siberian peoples. According to the latest data, the number of Yakuts is 478,100 people. In modern Russia, the Yakuts are one of the few nationalities that have their own republic, and its area is comparable to the area of ​​an average European state. The Republic of Yakutia (Sakha) is geographically located in the Far Eastern Federal District, but the ethnic group "Yakuts" has always been considered an indigenous Siberian people. The Yakuts have an interesting culture and traditions. This is one of the few peoples of Siberia that has its own epic.

Buryats is another Siberian people with their own republic. The capital of Buryatia is the city of Ulan-Ude, located to the east of Lake Baikal. The number of Buryats is 461,389 people. In Siberia, Buryat cuisine is widely known, which is rightfully considered one of the best among ethnic ones. The history of this people, its legends and traditions are quite interesting. By the way, the Republic of Buryatia is one of the main centers of Buddhism in Russia.

Tuvans. According to the latest census, 263,934 identified themselves as representatives of the Tuvan people. The Tuva Republic is one of the four ethnic republics of the Siberian Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kyzyl with a population of 110 thousand people. The total population of the republic is approaching 300 thousand. Buddhism also flourishes here, and the traditions of Tuvans also speak of shamanism.

Khakass- one of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, numbering 72 959 people. Today they have their own republic as part of the Siberian Federal District and with the capital in the city of Abakan. This ancient people have long lived on the lands to the west of the Great Lake (Baikal). He was never numerous, which did not prevent him from carrying his identity, culture and traditions through the centuries.

Altaians. Their place of residence is quite compact - it is the Altai mountain system. Today Altaians live in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Altai and the Altai Territory. The population of the ethnos "Altaians" is about 71 thousand people, which allows us to speak of them as a fairly large people. Religion - Shamanism and Buddhism. The Altaians have their own epos and a pronounced national identity, which does not allow them to be confused with other Siberian peoples. This mountain people has a long history and interesting legends.

Nenets- one of the small Siberian peoples, compactly living in the region of the Kola Peninsula. Its population of 44,640 people makes it possible to classify it as a small nation, the traditions and culture of which are protected by the state. The Nenets are nomadic reindeer herders. They belong to the so-called Samoyed folk group. Over the years of the 20th century, the number of Nenets has approximately doubled, which indicates the effectiveness of state policy in the field of preserving the small peoples of the North. The Nenets have their own language and oral epic.

Evenki- people, predominantly living on the territory of the Republic of Sakha. The number of this people in Russia is 38,396 people, some of whom live in the regions adjacent to Yakutia. It should be said that this is about half of the total population of the ethnic group - about the same number of Evenks live in China and Mongolia. The Evenks are a people of the Manchu group that do not have their own language and epic. Tungus is considered the native language of the Evenks. Evenks are born hunters and trackers.

Khanty- the indigenous people of Siberia, belonging to the Ugric group. Most of the Khanty live in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, which is part of the Ural Federal Okrug of Russia. The total number of Khanty is 30,943 people. About 35% of the Khanty live on the territory of the Siberian Federal District, with the lion's share of them in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. The traditional occupations of the Khanty are fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. The ancestral religion is shamanism, but lately more and more Khanty consider themselves to be Orthodox Christians.

Evens- a people related to the Evenks. According to one version, they represent the Evenk group, which was cut off from the main aureole of residence by the Yakuts advancing to the south. A long time away from the main ethnos made the Evens a separate people. Today their number is 21 830 people. The language is Tungus. Place of residence - Kamchatka, Magadan region, Republic of Sakha.

Chukchi- a nomadic Siberian people who are mainly engaged in reindeer husbandry and live on the territory of the Chukotka Peninsula. Their number is about 16 thousand people. The Chukchi belong to the Mongoloid race and, according to many anthropologists, are the indigenous aborigines of the Far North. The main religion is animism. The indigenous trades are hunting and reindeer husbandry.

Shors- a Turkic-speaking people living in the southeastern part of Western Siberia, mainly in the south of the Kemerovo region (in Tashtagolsky, Novokuznetsk, Mezhdurechensky, Myskovsky, Osinnikovsky and other districts). Their number is about 13 thousand people. The main religion is shamanism. The Shor epic is of scientific interest primarily for its originality and antiquity. The history of the people dates back to the 6th century. Today the traditions of the Shors have survived only in Sheregesh, as most of the ethnic group moved to cities and largely assimilated.

Muncie. This nation has been known to Russians since the beginning of the founding of Siberia. Even Ivan the Terrible sent a host against the Mansi, which suggests that they were quite numerous and strong. The self-name of this people is Voguls. They have their own language, a fairly developed epic. Today their place of residence is the territory of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. According to the latest census, 12,269 people identified themselves as belonging to the Mansi ethnic group.

Nanai- a small people living along the banks of the Amur River in the Far East of Russia. Belonging to the Baikal ethnotype, the Nanais are rightfully considered one of the most ancient indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Far East. Today the number of Nanai in Russia is 12,160 people. The Nanai have their own language, which is rooted in Tungus. The writing system exists only among the Russian Nanais and is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.

Koryaks- the indigenous people of the Kamchatka Territory. There are coastal and tundra Koryaks. Koryaks are mainly reindeer breeders and fishermen. The religion of this ethnos is shamanism. Population - 8 743 people.

Dolgans- a nationality living in the Dolgan-Nenets municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Population - 7,885 people.

Siberian Tatars- perhaps the most famous, but today a small number of Siberian people. According to the latest census, 6,779 people self-identified as Siberian Tatars. However, scientists say that in fact their number is much higher - according to some estimates, up to 100,000 people.

Soyots- the indigenous people of Siberia, a descendant of the Sayan Samoyeds. Lives compactly on the territory of modern Buryatia. The number of Soyots is 5,579.

Nivkhi- the indigenous people of Sakhalin Island. Now they also live on the continental part at the mouth of the Amur River. In 2010, the number of Nivkhs is 5,162 people.

Selkups live in the northern parts of the Tyumen and Tomsk regions and on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The population of this ethnic group is about 4 thousand people.

Itelmens is another indigenous people of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Today, almost all representatives of the ethnic group live in the west of Kamchatka and in the Magadan Region. The number of Itelmens is 3,180 people.

Teleuts- a Turkic-speaking small Siberian people living in the south of the Kemerovo Region. Ethnicity is very closely related to the Altaians. Its number is approaching 2 and a half thousand.

Among other small-numbered peoples of Siberia, such ethnic groups as "Kets", "Chuvans", "Nganasans", "Tofalgars", "Orochi", "Negidal", "Aleuts", "Chulyms", "Oroks", "Tazy" "Enets", "Alyutors" and "Kereks". It is worth saying that the number of each of them is less than 1 thousand people, so their culture and traditions have practically disappeared.

Sustainable economic and cultural types of the indigenous peoples of Siberia:

1. Hunters and fishermen of the taiga zone;

2. Hunters for wild deer in the Subarctic;

3. Sedentary fishermen in the lower reaches of large rivers (Ob, Amur, as well as in Kamchatka);

4. Taiga hunter-reindeer breeders of Eastern Siberia;

5. Tundra reindeer herders from the Northern Urals to Chukotka;

6. Hunters for sea animals on the Pacific coast and islands;

7. Cattle breeders and farmers of Southern and Western Siberia, the Baikal region, etc.

Historical and ethnographic areas:

1. West Siberian (from the southern, approximately to the latitude of Tobolsk and the mouth of the Chulym on the Upper Ob, and northern, taiga and subarctic regions);

2. Altai-Sayan (mountain taiga and forest-steppe mixed zone);

3. East Siberian (with internal differentiation of commercial and agricultural types of tundra, taiga and forest-steppe);

4. Amur (or Amur-Sakhalin);

5. Northeastern (Chukchi-Kamchatka).