The most numerous peoples of the world. List of largest nationalities

Russia is home to 776 nationalities, many of which number no more than a few hundred people, and some are on the verge of extinction. We remembered the small peoples of our country.

Chulym Turks or Yus Kizhiler (“Chulym people”) live on the banks of the Chulym River in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and have their own language. In former times, they lived in uluses, where they built dugouts (odyg), half-dugouts (kyshtag), yurts and tents. They were engaged in fishing, hunting fur-bearing animals, medicinal herbs, pine nuts, grew barley and millet, harvested birch bark and bast, wove ropes and nets, made boats, skis, and sledges. Later they began to grow rye, oats and wheat and live in huts. Both women and men wore trousers made from burbot skins and shirts trimmed with fur. Women braided many braids and wore coin pendants and jewelry. Dwellings are characterized by chuvals with open hearths, low clay stoves (kemega), bunks and chests. Some Chulymch residents converted to Orthodoxy, others remained shamanists.
The people have preserved traditional folklore and crafts, but only 17% of 355 people speak their native language.

Indigenous people of Sakhalin. They call themselves Uilta, which means “deer”.
The Orok language has no written language and is spoken by almost half of the 295 remaining Oroks. The Japanese nicknamed the Orok people.
The Uilta are engaged in hunting - sea and taiga, fishing (they catch pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and salmon), reindeer husbandry and gathering. Nowadays, reindeer husbandry has fallen into decline, and hunting and fishing are under threat due to oil development and land problems. Scientists assess the prospects for the continued existence of the nation with great caution.

The Enets shamanists, also known as the Yenisei Samoyeds, call themselves Encho, Mogadi or Pebai. They live on Taimyr at the mouth of the Yenisei in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The traditional dwelling is a conical tent. Of the 227 people, only a third speak their native language. The rest speak Russian or Nenets.
The national clothing of the Enets is a parka, fur pants and stockings. Women have a swing parka, men have a one-piece parka. Traditional food is fresh or frozen meat, fresh fish, fish meal - porsa.
From time immemorial, the Enets have been hunting reindeer, reindeer husbandry, Arctic fox is hunted. Almost all modern Enets live in permanent settlements.

The Tazy (Tadzy, Datzy) are a small and fairly young people living on the Ussuri River in the Primorsky Territory. It was first mentioned in the 18th century. The Taz originated from the mixing of the Nanai and Udege with the Manchus and Chinese.

The language is similar to the dialects of northern China, but very different. Now there are 274 Tazis on the territory of Russia, and almost none of them speak native language. If in late XIX century, 1050 people knew it, but now it is owned by several elderly women in the village of Mikhailovka.
The Taz live by hunting, fishing, gathering, farming and animal husbandry.
Recently, they have been striving to revive the culture and customs of their ancestors.

The Finno-Ugric people Izhora (Izhora) lived on the tributary of the Neva of the same name. The self-name of the people is Karyalaysht, which means “Karelians”. The language is close to Karelian. They profess Orthodoxy.
During the Time of Troubles, the Izhorians fell under the rule of the Swedes, and fleeing the introduction of Lutheranism, they moved to Russian lands.
The main occupation of the Izhors was fishing, namely the production of smelt and herring. The Izhors worked as carpenters, weaving and basket weaving. IN mid-19th century, 18,000 Izhoras lived in the St. Petersburg and Vyborg provinces. The events of World War II had a catastrophic impact on the population. Some of the villages burned down, the Izhorians were taken to Finland, and those who returned from there were transported to Siberia. Those who remained in place disappeared among the Russian population. Now there are only 266 Izhors left.

The self-name of this Orthodox Finno-Ugric vanishing people of Russia is Vodyalayn, Vaddyalaizyd. In the 2010 census, only 64 people classified themselves as Vod. The language of the nationality is close to the southeastern dialect of the Estonian language and to the Livonian language.
From time immemorial, the Vods lived south of the Gulf of Finland, on the territory of the so-called Vodskaya Pyatina, which is mentioned in the chronicles. The nationality itself was formed in the 1st millennium AD.

The basis of life was agriculture. They grew rye, oats, barley, raised livestock and poultry, and were engaged in fishing. They lived in barns, like Estonian ones, and from the 19th century - in huts. The girls wore a sundress made of white canvas and a short “ihad” jacket. Young people chose their own bride and groom. Married women had their hair cut short, while older women shaved their heads and wore a paykas headdress. Many pagan remnants have been preserved in the rituals of the people. Now Vodi culture is being studied, a museum has been created, and the language is being taught.

Vanishing people. There are only four of them left in the entire territory of Russia. And in 2002 there were eight. The tragedy of this Paleo-Asian people was that from ancient times they lived on the border of Chukotka and Kamchatka and found themselves between two fires: the Chukchi fought with the Koryaks, and the Ankalgakku got the worst of it - that’s what the Kereks call themselves. Translated, this means “people living by the sea.”

Enemies burned houses, women were taken into slavery, men were killed. Many Kerek people died during the epidemics that swept the lands at the end of the 18th century.
The Kereks themselves led a sedentary lifestyle, obtained food by fishing and hunting, and killed sea and fur-bearing animals. They were engaged in reindeer herding. The Kereks contributed to dog riding. Harnessing dogs in a train is their invention. The Chukchi harnessed dogs with a fan.
The Kerek language belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka language. In 1991, there were only three people left in Chukotka who spoke it. To preserve it, a dictionary was recorded, which included about 5,000 words.

General information about the small peoples of Russia

Note 1

Since ancient times, many different peoples and tribes have lived within Russia. Each nation has its own culture, characteristic dialect, and traditions. To date, some of the small peoples have completely disappeared, the remaining ones have become even smaller in number.

A special place among small peoples is occupied by those whom experts in the field of geography and ethnography call the small peoples of the North of Siberia and the Far East.

Some peoples live in their own autonomous territorial entities, for example: Evenki, Khanty-Mansi, in Arkhangelsk region– Nenets, Dolgano-Nenets, Chukotka and Koryak autonomous districts.

Most small peoples do not have their own autonomy. Small nations are distinguished not only by their numbers, but it is difficult for them to preserve their identity. And it is preserved only where there are national villages and traditional farming.

Having broken away from their people and dissolved in another, they become Russians, Yakuts, Buryats. The process of ethnic assimilation and, above all, interethnic marriages and “extra-family” assimilation have become widespread in Russia.

Traditional farming is a very important feature for the preservation of small peoples, but this is the main difficulty. Today, in the habitats of small nations, natural systems are being destroyed - reindeer pastures are dying due to oil and gas production, rivers and seas are being polluted, and the demand for reindeer meat and furs is falling.

Large areas of reindeer pastures and hunting grounds have been removed from traditional economic use. In the 1990s, a number of diseases and pathologies developed among representatives of small nations with a violation of the traditional way of life.

Mortality rates among them have increased and exceeded the Russian average. Child mortality increased 1.8 times. Alcoholism and infectious diseases have increased.

In addition, the interests of small nations, large companies and regional authorities are in strong conflict.

Within Russian territory official statistics identifies 65 indigenous peoples. Their total number reaches 50 thousand, including 13 nations with only 100 to 1000 people.

Their habitat:

• 6 peoples live within the European part of Russia;
• 23 peoples - in the North Caucasus;
• in Siberia and Far East– 36 nations.

The current state of small nations

Government statistics show that during the 1990s the numbers of indigenous peoples declined. It is unlikely that a reliable picture can be obtained from these data, because the information concerns rural residents of the sample areas.

It must be said that demographic processes occur differently among different peoples of the North, so the demographic situation will be different. The result is that the current count reflects a decline in the number of indigenous people, while the census shows an increase since the previous census.

Not all groups of the indigenous population are increasing in number; there are those in which their numbers are decreasing. Despite this change in the number of indigenous peoples according to census data is more favorable compared to demographic situation in the country as a whole.

These facts indicate that officials, the public, and the media use incomplete and often distorted data during the period between censuses.

The population census conducted in 2002 showed that 26 small peoples of the North with a special status have noticeably decreased in 5 cases: the number of Orochs, Aleuts, Alyutors, Udeges and Kets has decreased.

The decrease for demographic reasons did not occur everywhere; the number of Udege, for example, decreased because they began to count the Taz separately. A similar situation happened with the Orochs - according to previous census data, part of the people were classified as Orochs and called them “Oroks”. The result was a strong reduction in Oroks and an increased number of Oroks.

There are groups with stable numbers because the decrease is insignificant:

• Koryaks;
• Negidalians;
• Ulchi.

The stable category also includes those groups in which there was a slight increase in numbers:

• Evens;
• Dolgans;
• Chukchi;
• Nanais.

The number of such peoples as the Mansi, Yukaghirs, Itelmens, Khanty, Nenets, Entsy and Evenks increased by 20 and even 30%.

Ambiguous ethnicity in Russia, according to experts, is typical for 10% of the population. This applies not only to large urban agglomerations, but also to small-numbered peoples of the North. For example, among the Itelmens - residents of Kamchatka - marriages with Russians are widespread. The Itelmens who switched to the Russian language simultaneously consider themselves to be Itelmens, Russians, and Kamchadals. Some consider themselves to be Koryaks.

The question quite rightly arises: the figure obtained as a result of the census really reflects the number of those who consider themselves Itelmens.

The change in ethnic attribution is also clearly visible among such peoples as the Selkups, Evenks, Yukaghirs, Kets, etc.

Note 2

Such results indicate that the census program does not include dual or multiple ethnicities. From here to different years the final calculations differ markedly. The reason for such fluctuations and deviations is caused not only by demographic and assimilation processes, but, to a greater extent, by the inability of the census to reflect the complexity of the ethnic situation.

Life and life of small nations

Representatives of such peoples live in Russia, which not everyone has heard of, and did not even suspect about their existence. There are few of them, but they managed to preserve their culture, their traditions. We managed to preserve the most important thing – faith and way of life.

For example, vodlozers or lake people live in Karelia. To this day, only five villages have survived, with a total population of 550 people. Despite the fact that their ancestors were Moscow and Novgorod settlers in Vodlozero continue to honor Slavic customs. One of the customs prohibits going into the forest without first appeasing its owner, the goblin. Hunters brought a killed animal as a gift to the forest spirit.

Speaking about small nations, it is necessary to say about Semeis. Their life personifies the life of pre-Petrine times. These are the Old Believers who once settled Transbaikalia. The name of the nationality comes from the word “family”. According to the 2010 census, there are 2,500 Old Believers. Their culture is primordial, having changed little since the times of their ancestors.

With the development of Siberia in the 17th century, the Russian Ustyintsy people appeared - settlers from the Cossacks and Pomors. They once created their own ethnic group, but despite difficult living conditions, they managed to partially preserve their culture and language.

The first Russian settlers of the 16th century were called Chaldons by the Siberians, and their descendants also bear this name. The way of life of the Chaldons is similar to the life of the Slavs before the establishment of princely power. The uniqueness of this people lies in the fact that their language, appearance, and culture are not similar to either Slavic or Mongoloid. Like other small peoples, the Chaldons are gradually dying out.

Tundra peasants are considered to be the descendants of the Eastern Pomors. These friendly people, who actively interact, are characterized by a unique culture, faith, and traditions. In 2010, only 8 people considered themselves to be members of this nationality.

Scientists classify the related Khanty and Mansi peoples as endangered peoples. Once they were the greatest hunters, and the fame of their courage reached Moscow. Nowadays, both peoples live in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug. Their way of life, culture and faith have long been built on the basis of unity with nature. They had no distinction between animal and human. Nature and animals have always come first. Their beliefs say that the bear gave birth to the first woman, and the Great Bear gave people the first fire. The elk is a symbol of prosperity and strength, and the beaver led them to the sources of the Vasyugan River. Scientists are of great concern about oil developments, which could negatively affect both the beaver population and the way of life of an entire people.

Note 3

The proud inhabitants of the North, the Eskimos, the easternmost people of Russia, settled on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Their origin remains controversial. They believed in the existence of spirits, and Christianity hardly affected them. Diseases and misfortunes were brought by both dwarf spirits and giant spirits.

1. Khanty. This is the largest ethnic group on the list - according to the census, there are 31,000 Khanty in Russia. They live in the north of Western Siberia, breed deer, fish and hunt; they are unlikely to be able to visit the spalotus.me spa. The photo shows a shaman.

11. Koryaks. Indigenous inhabitants of the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, now there are only more than six thousand of them in Russia. One of the northernmost peoples in the world. A musher is a dog sled driver in the village of Ilpyr.

12. Tofalars. Tofalarka in national costume.

13. A total of 600 Tofalars (formerly called Karagas) now live in Eastern Siberia.

14. Archintsy. In the 2010 census, only 12 people indicated this nationality, apparently, which is why they were included in the Avars. They live in Dagestan. National headdress of Archinka women.

15. Water. Residents of the Leningrad region. Now there are just over seventy of them left. Girl in national costume

16. N.F. Nesterov is a representative of an ancient Votic family. In his hands he holds “chapiu” - they are needed for weaving large fishing nets.

17. Nivkhs (Gilyaks). They live near the mouth of the Amur River (Khabarovsk Territory) and on the northern part of Sakhalin Island. The name translates as “man”, or gilemi - “people on oars”. In total there are a little more than 4,000 people in Russia. Nivkh in a festive costume

18. Selkups. Selkups (or Ostyak-Samoyeds) are a people living in the north of Western Siberia. There are 3,600 people left in Russia. Ostyak Samoyeds

19. Reindeer herder

20. Nganasans. Nganasans inhabit the east of the Taimyr municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the territory subordinate to the administration of the city of Dudinka. Most northern people Eurasia, in Russia there are 860 people. The self-name "nya" is "comrade". Little Nikita and Alexey Chunanchary

24. Chum salmon. Kety (self-name keto, ket - “person”), a little more than a thousand people live in Russia. Kets family, early 20th century.

25. Dolgans. They are considered the northernmost Turkic-speaking people in the world. The Cossacks, who brought Orthodoxy with them, gave the Dolgans their surnames at baptism: Kudryakov, Zharkov, Chuprin, Porotov. The surnames have been preserved to this day. Now there are just under 8,000 people left in Russia; they live in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Sakha. Girls in national costumes.

The Russian Federation includes a considerable number of very different peoples - according to experts, about 780 groups. The so-called small peoples of Russia live in the northern territory, which runs along 30 regions of the country. If you add up their numbers, there won’t be that many of them: a little more than a quarter of a million. As of 2010, about 45 indigenous groups live in our state. This article will talk in detail about the peculiarities of residence, legal powers, problems and legal status of the small peoples of Russia.

What are Russian small peoples?

Small specialists call small ethnic communities that preserve their traditions, customs and cultural characteristics of residence. The problem of the livelihoods of small nations is raised not only at the all-Russian, but also at the global level. Thus, in 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution according to which special attention should be paid to small and indigenous communities. Russia did not stand aside then: the 1993 Constitution proclaimed the principle of guaranteeing rights and freedoms both for ordinary citizens and for indigenous representatives of the country. At the constitutional level, the consolidation of the rights of indigenous people is an integral element in the system of protection and support of democratic state development.

Why has the problem of the existence of small-numbered peoples of Russia received special attention recently? The answer to this question lies in history. The fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century, some peoples of our state faced a number of problems: economic, demographic, social and, of course, cultural. This happened, as it is not difficult to guess, due to profound state changes: revolutions, repressions, civil and Great Patriotic War etc. At the beginning of the 90s, the issue of preserving the remaining indigenous and small peoples of Russia became acute.

It must be said that small ethnic groups play an important role in the cultural development of the country. Moreover, they are an integral part of the multinational people of Russia, acting as an independent factor thanks to which the revival of the once great Russian statehood. So what is the policy of the current authorities towards the small peoples of Russia? This will be discussed further below.

Legal basis for the existence of indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation

Legal recognition of the status of certain ethnic groups is far from a new phenomenon. Also in early XIX century in Russian Empire There was a special Charter on the life of foreigners, dating back to 1822. In this document, the indigenous residents of certain territories of Russia were guaranteed the rights to self-government, land, cultural identity, etc. In Soviet times, a similar policy continued, but the places where national minorities settled began to be ruthlessly divided. Relocation from place to place, as well as the principle of paternalism (the dictate of behavioral norms) played a cruel joke on small nations: centuries-old traditions and customs gradually began to disappear.

The problem was discovered in the 90s. In order to prevent further acceleration of the processes of removal of linguistic and cultural characteristics among the indigenous and small peoples of Russia, a number of legal norms were enshrined, proclaiming the principle of originality and preservation of traditional culture among indigenous ethnic groups.

The first and most important source is, of course, the Russian Constitution. Here it is worth highlighting Article 72, which talks about the joint regulation of the rights and freedoms of national minorities by regions and the federation. Articles 20 and 28 provide for the possibility of indicating one's nationality. In many federal laws and others regulations the principle of equality of different ethnic groups. It is worth highlighting the Federal Law “On Fundamental Electoral Rights of Citizens”, the Federal Law “On Languages ​​in the Russian Federation” and many other laws.

The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation is the main government body in the country, whose responsibilities include the legal protection of small peoples. The same authority establishes special guarantees and rights for ethnic groups, which will be discussed below.

On benefits and guarantees for small peoples of Russia

What do Russian federal laws guarantee to ethnic minorities? If we're talking about O political sphere, then it is worth highlighting here certain legal prerequisites for the broad participation of indigenous peoples in the work government agencies Russian Federation and local government authorities. How does it work? According to the Federal Law "On the Electoral Rights of Citizens", special quotas for representation in government bodies should be established. This should happen through the formation of electoral districts, which would include a smaller number of people than established by law. Electoral districts may concern individual national settlements, ethnic associations, tribes, etc.

The next area in which preferential rights for indigenous peoples of Russia are possible is the economy. Methods for the qualitative development of economic activity should be applied in this area traditional type. Measures should be taken to create special areas in which it would be possible to use traditional methods of environmental management. We should not forget about budgetary allocations aimed at supporting folk crafts. May be subject to privatization with strict regard to the interests of indigenous peoples manufacturing enterprises. At the same time, taxation of such enterprises will be carried out taking into account possible benefits and subsidies.

Finally, the preferential rights of the small peoples of Russia can also be exercised in the socio-cultural field. Here it is worth talking about the acceptance of conditions for preserving the spiritual and cultural foundations of a particular indigenous people. Ethnic means mass media, relevant language and literature must be supported in every possible way by government authorities. It is necessary to carry out periodically Scientific research cultural spheres small peoples.

International law on indigenous peoples

National legal basis, which contains rules on the protection of the legal status of indigenous peoples of Russia, is based on the principles established by international law. In other words, Russian law should not contradict international legal norms. This rule is also enshrined in the Russian Constitution of 1993.

All normative acts of an international nature that address the problems of small peoples of the earth can be divided into three main groups. The first group includes documents of an advisory nature. What does this mean? In short, the Declaration on Linguistic Minorities, the Vienna Declaration (1989), the Paris Declaration (1990), the Geneva Declaration (1991) and many other declarative documents are aimed at stimulating favorable attitudes towards ethnic minorities.

The second group includes documentation, the purpose of which is to exert ideological and cultural influence on the legal system of a particular state. For example, Convention No. 169 talks about tribal peoples, the CIS Convention of 1994 on the implementation of high-quality protection of the rights of minorities, etc. A feature of the presented group is that Russia ignores the documentation contained in it. Does this constitute a group of problems of the indigenous peoples of Russia? Most likely no. After all, there is a third group, which includes documents legally binding for any state.

The latter consists of international documents designed to protect national minorities from various kinds of discriminatory and degrading aspects. Thus, there is a Pact on Political and civil rights 1965, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms of 1950 and many other documents binding on the Russian state.

Rights and freedoms of Russian small peoples

Today, Federal Law No. 256-FZ “On Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of Russia” of 1999 is in force in Russia. Article 8 of the presented normative act talks about the rights of ethnic minorities. What exactly is worth highlighting here?

Small peoples, as well as their associations, must be supported in every possible way by the state authorities. This is necessary to protect their original habitat, traditional way of life, various types of crafts and management. That is why such peoples have the right to use minerals, soils, animals and plant organisms in their habitats.

It is provided, of course, free of charge. However, this is far from the only right of peoples of the type under consideration. It is also worth highlighting here:

• the right to participate in exercising control over the use of one’s own lands;
• the ability to carry out control and supervisory activities over the implementation of federal laws and regulations Russian Federation;
• the right to build and reconstruct economic, domestic and production facilities;
• the opportunity to timely receive from the Russian Federation funds or material allowances necessary for the cultural or socio-economic development of peoples;
• right to participate in the implementation state power or local governments - directly or through authorized representatives;
• the opportunity to delegate their representatives to government authorities;
• the right to compensation for losses caused as a result of damage to the natural habitat;
• the right to receive assistance from the state in the form of reforming a particular social sphere.

This, of course, is not all the possibilities that the law enshrines. It is also worth highlighting the replacement here military service alternative civil, the ability to create special self-government authorities, the right to exercise judicial protection, etc. It must be said that all the rights presented constitute the legal status of the small peoples of Russia.

Problems of small Russian peoples

Before we begin the story about the peculiarities of life of the most famous indigenous ethnic groups of our state, it is worth identifying the main problems that these ethnic groups often have to face.

The first and probably the most important problem is the identification of national minorities. The identification process can be group or individual. Difficulties arise in finding appropriate criteria and procedures. The second issue concerns minority rights. As is known, indigenous peoples require special rights. To do this, it is necessary to qualitatively determine the conditions under which the implementation of special rights would be possible. Difficulties may arise in ensuring that rights are targeted and correctly applied in private or public legal spheres.

The third problem of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North can be called the difficulty of self-determination of such ethnic groups. The fact is that in this area there are problems of the feasibility of forming territorial entities, granting rights or building guarantees of these rights. This raises another problem, closely related to the system of legal regulation and security. Here, the issues of the relationship between the principles of the regional and federal levels, the conclusion of agreements between ethnic groups, the application of customary law, etc. are extremely relevant. By the way, the problem government controlled The issue of the affairs of small-numbered peoples of the Russian Federation is also quite acute. If we are talking about the levels of relevant government authorities, about the delegation of powers to local government authorities, then some difficulties of an organizational nature may arise here.

It is also worth highlighting the problem of status public organizations national minorities. The fact is that such organizations could be given quite large and voluminous rights relating to the electoral process, protection of interests, control over the implementation of powers, etc. Difficulties here may arise, again, when questioning the advisability of such actions.

Influence on the culture of small peoples

Various international treaties and national regulations establish rules that must never be violated. They also concern centuries-old cultural traditions of this or that people. Still, Soviet times did not in the best possible way affected individual small peoples. Thus, it is worth paying attention to the Izhorians, whose number decreased several times between 1930 and 1950. But this is just an isolated example. State paternalism chosen as a priority vector cultural development in Soviet times, had a very bad impact on almost all the original peoples of Russia. It must be said that a certain form of paternalism is still present today, contrary to all established laws and rules. And this is another problem of the small peoples of Russia, which would be worth paying close attention to.

The whole point is that in many peoples of the North there is an irreconcilable struggle against shamanism. Moreover, it is shamanism that has the greatest influence on the traditions and culture of national minorities. All-Russian clericalization also contributes to the struggle to some extent. So, in the Sakha Republic local Orthodox diocese The task was set to completely eradicate paganism in the surrounding territories. Of course, you can refer to history, because a similar struggle was waged back in the days Tsarist Russia. But is it really that good today? In the context of maintaining secularism and the priority of cultural customs, such actions of the church should be regarded as forceful pressure on the traditions of certain peoples.

List of small peoples of Russia

From the Kola Peninsula, located in the Murmansk region, right up to the Far Eastern regions, there are many different national minorities. The list of small-numbered peoples of Russia, although established quite a long time ago, is, nevertheless, supplemented from time to time. It is worth mentioning the most famous national minorities in Russia:

• Republic of Karelia and Leningrad region: Vepsians, Izhorians, Vodians and Kumadinians;
• Kamchatka: Aleuts, Alutors, Itelmens, Kamchadals, Koryaks, Chukchi, Evenks, Evens and Eskimos;
• Krasnoyarsk region and Yakutia: Dolgans, Nganasans, Nenets, Selkups, Teleuts, Enets;
• Sakha and Magadan region: Yukagirs, Chuvans, Lamuts, Orochs, Koryaks.

Naturally, the list is not complete. It can be constantly supplemented, because some peoples are still being discovered, while others are completely “dying out.” A description of the small peoples of the Russian North will be presented below.

About the largest and smallest peoples of the North of Russia

The list of small peoples of the Russian Federation is constantly updated. This is due to the discovery of new, hitherto unknown settlements. For example, not so long ago a group of Vods, consisting of only 82 people, acquired the status of an ethnic minority. By the way, the Vod are the smallest people in Russia. This ethnic group lives in the Leningrad region, and therefore is part of the Finno-Ugric group. Vod representatives speak Estonian. Until now, the main occupation of this people is agriculture, handicrafts and forestry. On this moment Vod is engaged in supplying products to the capital of the Leningrad region. It must be said that the spread of Orthodoxy and multiple mixed marriages significantly influenced the national group in question. This was expressed in the almost complete loss of the national language and centuries-old culture.

It is worth telling in a little more detail about the other small peoples of the North of Russia. Thus, in contrast to the smallest people of a small type, there is also the largest. At the moment this is a group of Karelians. On the territory of Vyborg and Leningrad regions there are about 92 thousand people. The Karelian ethnic group was formed by the beginning of the 13th century. It seems surprising that mass baptism on Novgorod territory had virtually no effect on the culture of the Karelians. In this group, few people understood the Russian language, and therefore the propaganda of Orthodoxy did not affect such a distinctive group and could not influence the traditions of this people. The main occupation of Karelians is fishing and reindeer herding. Today, the woodworking industry is well developed in the Karelian Republic.

Peoples of Chukotka

Many people know that it is on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug that greatest number national minorities. Chuvans, for example, number about one and a half thousand people. This is an Arctic race of the large Mongoloid group. Most Chuvans speak the Chukchi language with a small Russian dialect. Another such group is known to all Russians: the Chukchi. There are about 15 thousand people. The Chukchi live in Yakutia.

In total, about 90 thousand people live in Chukotka. Although 30 years ago this figure was much higher. What is the reason? Why has there been a noticeable decrease in the number of representatives of national minorities since the beginning of the 90s? Even the most prominent experts find it difficult to answer this question. After all, a similar situation is happening in Kamchatka, where from 472 thousand people as of 1991, only 200 thousand remain today. Perhaps it’s all about urbanization, although statistics do not give any high indicators in this area. To be fair, it should be noted that problems are solved through the implementation of a high-quality policy for the preservation of the small peoples of Russia.