List of minor indigenous peoples of Russia

The following peoples are officially recognized minor indigenous peoples of Russia. Many of them are included into the Common List of Minor Indigenous Peoples of Russia (Единый перечень коренных малочисленных народов России) approved by the government of Russia on March 24, 2000 and updated in subsequent years.

These peoples satisfy the following criteria:

• To live in their historical territory;
• To preserve traditional way of life, occupations, and trades;
• To self-recognize themselves as a separate ethnicity;
• To have a population of at most 50,000 within Russia.

Some of them, such as Soyots, were recognized only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

These peoples subject to benefits according to a number of laws aimed at preservation and support of these ethnicities.

Ten of these peoples count less than 1,000 and 11 of them live beyond the Arctic Circle.

Far North

Far North is the part of Russia which lies mainly beyond the Arctic Circle.

• Ainus (Айны): Kamchatka Krai, Sakhalin Oblast
• Aleuts (Алеуты): Kamchatka Krai
• Alyutors (Алюторцы): Kamchatka Krai
• Chukchis (чукчи): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Krai
• Chuvans (чуванцы): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast
• Dolgans (долганы): Krasnoyarsk Krai, Sakha Republic
• Enets (*) (энцы) (Yenets, Russian plural: Entsy, obsolete: Yenisei Samoyeds, Yenisei Ostyak, Kets): Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Siberian Yupik (Yuit, Yupigyt, эскимосы): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

• Chaplino
• Naukan
• Sirenik Yupik

• Itelmens (ительмены): Kamchatka Krai, Magadan Oblast
• Kamchadals (камчадалы, a general term for mixed population of Kamchatka Peninsula): Kamchatka Krai
• Kereks (кереки): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
• Komi peoples formerly known as Komi-Izhemtsy, Izhma Komi (Коми-ижемцы, alt. name: Izvataz): north of the Komi Republic
• Koryaks (коряки): Kamchatka Krai, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast
• Nenets (*) (Russian plural: Nentsy, old Russian name Samoyeds) (ненцы): Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic
• Nganasans (Tavgi) (нганасаны): Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Sami (old Russian name Lopars, i.e., Lapp) (саамы, саамы): Murmansk Oblast
• Veps (*) (вепсы): Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast
• Yukaghirs (юкагиры): Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast

Central Siberia

• Chulyms (чулымцы): Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Evenks (obsolete: Tungus) (эвенки): Sakha Republic, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, Sakhalin Oblast, Buryat Republic, Irkutsk Oblast, Chita Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Tyumen Oblast
• Evens (эвены) (obsolete: Lamuts (ламуты)): Sakha Republic, Khabarovsk Krai, Magadan Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Kamchatka Krai
• Kets (кеты): Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Khantys (Ostyaks, obsolete) (ханты)
• Mansi (Voguls, obsolete) (манси): Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Komi Republic
• Selkups (селькупы): Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai
• Teleuts (телеуты): Kemerovo Oblast

Far East

• Nanais (Russian plural: Nanaitsy) (нанайцы): Khabarovsk Krai, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Oblast
• Negidals (негидальцы): Khabarovsk Krai
• Nivkh people (нивхи): Khabarovsk Krai, Sakhalin Oblast
• Oroch people (орочи): Khabarovsk Krai
• Orok people (Ulta, Uilta) (ороки, ульта): Sakhalin Oblast
• Taz people (тазы): Primorsky Krai
• Udege people (удэгейцы): Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai
• Ulch people (*) (ульчи): Khabarovsk Krai

Southern Siberia

• Kumandins (кумандинцы): Altai Krai, Altai Republic, Kemerovo Oblast
• Chelkans (челканцы): Altai Republic
• Shorians (шорцы): Kemerovo Oblast, Republic of Khakassia, Altai Republic
• Soyots (сойоты): Buryat Republic
• Telengits (теленгиты): Altai Republic
• Tofalars (тофалары): Irkutsk Oblast
• Tubalars (тубалары): Altai Republic
• Tuvans-Todzhins (Tuvintses-Todjintses, тувинцы-тоджинцы): Tuva Republic

Peoples of Dagestan with population less than 50,000

According to a 2000 decree of the government of Russian Federation, Dagestan was supposed to compile their own list of small-numbered Indigenous peoples, to be included in the overall List of small-numbered Indigenous peoples of Russia The peoples below fall under the criteria of the decree, but were not included into the list in 2000.

• Laks
• Tabasarans
• Rutuls
• Aguls
• Tsakhurs
• Kumyks
• Nogais

Tiny groups

There are about 40 other tiny ethnic groups in Dagestan, with total number of less than 40,000.

• Andis
• Akhvakh
• Archins
• Bagvalals
• Bezhta
• Botlikhs
• Chamalals
• Godoberi
• Hinukh
• Hunzibs
• Khwarshi
• Karata
• Tindis
• Tsez

Other

• Abazins (абазины): Karachay–Cherkessia
• Ainu: Sakhalin Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai and Kamchatka Krai
• Besermyan (бесермяне): Udmurt Republic
• Izhorians (ижорцы): Leningrad Oblast
• Karelians (карелы): titular nation of the Republic of Karelia
• Nagaybaks (нагайбаки): Chelyabinsk Oblast and Republic of Bashkortostan
• Setos (Сету): Pskov Oblast
• Shapsugs (шапсуги): Krasnodar Krai
• Votes (Водь): Leningrad Oblast
• Qaratay (каратаи): Republic of Tatarstan (no official recognition)

Demographics

Median Age

Most peoples with smaller populations have median ages that are considerably lower than the Russian average. The below table is taken from the Russian census of 2002. For example, the median age of ethnic Russians was 37.6 years, while that of Yuraq Samoyeds was 26.2 years.[1]

Birth Rate

The below table gives the average birth rate for Smaller Ethnic groups for the 1997-2002 period based on the 2002 census. (per 1000 people) Source: [2] For most of the groups the birth rate was more than the death rate. For example for the Yuraq Samoyeds the birth rate was more than double the death rate. But for ethnic groups like Veps (Death rate 7 times the birth rate) the reverse was true. For Ingrians, not a single birth was recorded in 1992-2002 period. The youngest of the Ingrians are 3 people in 10-14 age group (Total ethnic population 327, of which more than 60% are above 70 years of age. The 1989 population was 820, signifying a decline of 2.5 times)

See also

• List of extinct Indigenous peoples of Russia
• Demographics of Siberia
• Pomors
• Kola Norwegians
• Lists of Indigenous peoples of Russia

References

External links

• Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North
• UNESCO Red Book on endangered languages: Northeast Asia
• Endangered Uralic Peoples
• Minority languages of Russia on the Net
• The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire
• Survival International article about the Northern indigenous peoples
• L'auravetl'an Indigenous Information Network by Indigenous Peoples of Russia
• (in Russian) В погоне за малыми, an article about treatment of minorities in the Russian Empire, Kommersant-Money, October 25, 2005