Indigenous small peoples of the North: description, culture and interesting facts. International Law on Indigenous Peoples

Small peoples

Indigenous small peoples Of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the small peoples of the North) - peoples of less than 50 thousand people living in the northern regions of Russia, Siberia and the Russian Far East in the territories of the traditional settlement of their ancestors, preserving the traditional way of life, management and crafts and self-conscious ethnic communities.

general information

Indigenous minorities Far north, Siberia and the Far East - this is the official name, more briefly they are usually called the peoples of the North. The birth of this group refers to the very beginning of its formation. Soviet power, by the 1920s, when a special resolution "On assistance to the peoples of the northern outskirts" was adopted. At that time, it was possible to count about 50, if not more, different groups that lived in the Far North. They, as a rule, were engaged in reindeer herding, and their way of life was significantly different from what the first Soviet Bolsheviks saw themselves.

As time went on, this category continued to remain as a special category of accounting, gradually this list crystallized, more accurate names of individual ethnic groups appeared, and in the post-war period, at least since the 1960s, especially in the 1970s, this category began to include 26 nations. And when they talked about the peoples of the North, they meant 26 indigenous peoples of the North - they were called in their time the small peoples of the North. These are different linguistic groups, people speaking different languages, including those whose close relatives have not yet been found. This is the language of the Kets, whose relations with other languages ​​are rather complicated, the language of the Nivkhs, and a number of other languages.

Despite the measures taken by the state (at the time it was called the Communist Party Soviet Union and the Soviet government), separate resolutions were adopted on the economic development of these peoples, on how to facilitate their economic existence - nevertheless, the situation remained quite difficult: alcoholism was spreading, there were a lot of social diseases. So gradually we lived up to the end of the 1980s, when it suddenly turned out that 26 peoples did not fall asleep, did not forget their languages, did not lose their culture, and even, if something happened, they want to restore it, reconstruct, and so on, want to use in their modern life.

At the very beginning of the 1990s, this list suddenly began to take on a second life. Some peoples of Southern Siberia were included in it, and so there were not 26, but 30 peoples. Then gradually, during the 1990s - early 2000s, this list expanded, expanded, and today there are about 40-45 ethnic groups, starting from the European part of Russia and ending with the Far East, a significant number of ethnic groups are included in this the so-called list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the north of Siberia and the Far East.

What does it take to be on this list?

First of all, you as a people are officially forbidden to multiply and multiply in the sense that, even if it sounds rude, you should not be more than 50,000 people. There is a number limit. You must live in the territory of your ancestors, engage in traditional farming, save traditional culture and language. In fact, everything is not so simple, not just to have a special self-name, but you must consider yourself an independent people. Everything is very, very difficult, even with the same self-name.

Let's try to look at, say, the Altai. The Altaians themselves are not included in the list of indigenous peoples. And for a long time in Soviet ethnography, Soviet science, it was believed that this is a single people, formed, however, from different groups, but they formed into a single socialist nationality. When the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s came, it became clear that those from whom the Altaians were formed still remember that they are not quite Altaians. This is how new ethnic groups appeared on the map of the Altai Republic and on the ethnographic map: Chelkans, Tubalars, Kumandins, Altaians proper, Telengits. Some of them were included in the list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North. Was very difficult situation- the 2002 census, when the authorities of the Altai Republic were very afraid that due to the fact that a significant part of the former Altai suddenly enrolled in the indigenous peoples, the population of the republic, that is titular people, will decrease significantly and then their portfolios will be taken away - there will be no republic, and people will lose their posts. Everything turned out to be good: in our country there is no such direct correlation between the titular ethnic group and the status of the entity in which it lives - it can be a republic, an autonomous region or something else.

But as far as ethnic identity is concerned, the situation is much more complicated. We said that several groups of these Altaians stood out. But if we take each of them, we will find that each of them consists of 5, 10, and maybe 20 divisions. They are called the genus, or, in Altaic, "syok" (‘bone’), some of them are of very ancient origin. In the same 2002, the heads of the clans - they are called zaisans - when they learned that the people's answer would not in any way affect the status of the republic, they said: “Oh, how good it is. So, maybe now we will register as Naimans, Kypchaks (by the name of the clan). " That is, it really turns out that a person is generally Altaian, but at the same time he can be a representative of some ethnic group within the Altaians. He can be a representative of a kind. If you dig around, you can find even smaller ones.

Why be on this list?

Once there is a list, you can get into it, you can sign up to it. If you are not on this list, then you will not have any benefits. As a rule, they say about benefits: "They signed up there because they want benefits." There are, of course, some benefits, if you know about them and can use them. Some people do not know what they are. These are benefits for medical care, for getting firewood (actual in villages), it can be preferential admission of your children to the university, there is also some list of these benefits. But this is actually not the most important thing. There is such a moment: you want to live on your own land, and you have no other land. If you are not included in this list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, then you will be treated like everyone else, although you are already a citizen of the Russian Federation. Then you will not have additional leverage in terms of protecting the territory in which you and your ancestors lived, hunted, fished, the traditional way life, which is very important to you.

Why is it so important? Sometimes with laughter, sometimes without laughter, they say: “Well, what to take from him? Even if he is a “white collar”, the time comes for fishing or harvesting cones in the taiga, he goes into the taiga to collect cones or in the fishing season, disappears into the sea and is engaged in fishing. A person works in an office, but he cannot live without it. Here the story is told with laughter or even disdain. If we find ourselves, say, in the United States, then we will simply find that self-respecting companies will provide a person with a vacation for this time, because they understand that he cannot live without it, and not because it is his whim, that he wants to go fishing, as any of us might want to go somewhere to relax on the weekend. No, it is something sitting in the blood that drives a person from the office back to the taiga, to the lands of their ancestors.

If you do not have the opportunity to additionally protect this land, then various difficult life situations... It is no secret that the territory inhabited by the small indigenous peoples of the North is abundant in minerals. It can be anything: gold, uranium, mercury, oil, gas, coal. And these people live on lands that are very important from the point of view of the strategic development of the state.

7 smallest peoples of Russia

Chulyms

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

Oroki

Indigenous people of Sakhalin. Themselves call themselves Uilta, which means "reindeer". The Orok language has no writing, and is spoken by almost half of the 295 remaining Oroks. The Oroks were nicknamed by the Japanese. Uilta are engaged in hunting - sea and taiga, fishing (hunt for pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and sima), reindeer husbandry and gathering. Reindeer husbandry is now in decline, and hunting and fishing are threatened by oil development and land problems. Scientists assess the prospects for the further existence of the nationality with great caution.

Enets

The Enets shamanists, who are also the Yenisei Samoyeds, call themselves Encho, Mogadi or Pebay. They live in the Taimyr Peninsula at the mouth of the Yenisei in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Traditional dwelling- conical plague. Of the 227 people, only one third speaks their native language. The rest speak Russian or Nenets. National clothes enets - parka, fur pants and stockings. For women the parka is hinged, for men it is one-piece. Traditional food is fresh or frozen meat, fresh fish, fish meal - porsa. From time immemorial, the Enets have been hunting reindeer, herding reindeer, and hunting Arctic foxes. Almost all modern Enets live in stationary settlements.

Basins

The Tazy (tadzy, dazi) 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 Tazi 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 on the territory of Russia there are 274 basins, and almost none of them speaks their native language. If in late XIX 1050 people knew it for centuries, but now it is owned by several elderly women in the village of Mikhailovka. The Taz live by hunting, fishing, gathering, agriculture and animal husbandry. Recently, they have been striving to revive the culture and customs of their ancestors.

Izhora

The Finno-Ugric people Izhora (Izhora) lived on the tributary of the same name of the Neva. 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 Izhora came under the rule of the Swedes, and fleeing the introduction of Lutheranism, they moved to the Russian lands. The main occupation of Izhor became fishing, namely, the extraction of smelt and Baltic herring. Izhora made carpentry, weaving and basket weaving. V mid XIX century in the St. Petersburg and Vyborg provinces lived 18,000 Izhora. The events of World War II disastrously affected the population. Some of the villages burned down, the Izhora were taken to the territory of Finland, and those who returned from there were transported to Siberia. Those who remained in place disappeared among the Russian population. Now Izhor has only 266 people left.

Vod

The self-name of this orthodox Finno-Ugric endangered people of Russia is vodyalain, vaddyalayzid. In the 2010 census, only 64 people identified themselves as voids. 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 annals. The very nationality was formed in the 1st millennium AD. Agriculture was the basis of life. They grew rye, oats, barley, raised livestock and poultry, and engaged in fishing. They lived in barns, like the Estonian ones, and since the 19th century - in huts. The girls wore a white canvas sundress and a short “ihad” sweater. Young people chose their own bride and groom. Married women cut their hair short, and the elderly shaved baldly and wore a Paikas headdress. Many pagan remnants have been preserved in the rituals of the people. Now the culture of Vodi is under study, a museum has been created, and the language is being taught.

Kereki

Disappearing people. There are only four of them left on 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 it - this is 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 Kereks died during the epidemics that swept the land in late XVIII century. The Kereks themselves led a sedentary lifestyle, they got food by fishing and hunting, they beat the sea and fur animals. They were engaged in reindeer husbandry. The Kereks have contributed to dog riding. Harnessing dogs in a train is their invention. The Chukchi harnessed the dogs with a "fan". The Kerek language belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka language. In 1991, three people remained in Chukotka who spoke it. To save it, a dictionary was written, which included about 5000 words.

What to do with these people?

Everyone remembers well the movie "Avatar" and that disgusting character who said that "they are sitting on my grandmothers." Sometimes one gets the impression that those firms that are trying to somehow regulate relations with people living in places where you can get something and sell something, that is how they are treated, that is, they are people who simply get in the way. The situation is rather complicated, because everywhere, in all cases, where something like this happens (it may be some kind of sacred lake Nauto, where the Khanty or Forest Nenets live, it may be Kuzbass with its coal deposits, it may be Sakhalin with its oil reserves), there is a clash of interests, more or less clearly expressed, between the indigenous peoples of the North, between the local population, in principle, everyone. Because what's the difference between you, an aboriginal, and a Russian old-timer, behaving in the same way, living on the same land, doing the same fishing, hunting, and so on and in the same way suffering from dirty water and other negative consequences of the extraction or development of some kind of minerals. The so-called stakeholders, in addition to Aboriginal people, include government agencies and companies themselves that are trying to extract some kind of profit from this land.

If you are not included in this list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, then it will be much more difficult for you to defend your land and your rights to the way of life that you want to lead. It is important to preserve your culture, because if you do not have the territory where you compactly live with your fellow tribesmen, it will be very difficult to provide your children with the study native language, the transfer of some traditional values. This does not mean that the people will disappear, disappear, but in the way you perceive the situation, there may be such a thought that if my language disappears, I will cease to be some kind of people. Of course you won't. Throughout Siberia great amount peoples of the North have lost their languages, but this does not mean that they do not speak any language. Somewhere the Yakut language became native, almost all of them - Russian. Nevertheless, people retain their ethnic identity, they want to develop further, and the list gives them this opportunity.

But there is one interesting twist here that no one has thought about yet. The fact is that it is increasingly heard among young generation among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, which, in fact, has lost its ethnic specificity (they all speak Russian, do not traditional clothes): “We are KMNsy, we are KMNsy”. A certain community appears, maybe this is an estate identity, as in tsarist Russia... And in this sense, the state, apparently, it makes sense to take a closer look at the processes that are now taking place in the North, and, perhaps, if we talk about assistance, it may not be specific ethnic groups, but that new class community, which is called the indigenous small peoples of the North. ...

Why are the northern peoples disappearing?

Small nations differ from large nations not only in numbers. It is more difficult for them to maintain their identity. A Chinese man can come to Helsinki, marry a Finnish woman, live there with her all his life, but he will remain Chinese until his days, and will not become a Finn. Moreover, even in his children, there will probably be a lot of Chinese, and this is manifested not only in external appearance, but much deeper - in the peculiarities of psychology, behavior, tastes (at least just culinary). If any of the Sami people find themselves in a similar situation - they live on the Kola Peninsula, in Northern Norway and in Northern Finland - then, despite the proximity to his native places, after some time he will essentially become a Finn.

This is the case with the peoples of the North and Far East of Russia. They preserve their national identity as long as they live in villages and are engaged in traditional farming. If they leave their native places, break away from their own people, then they dissolve in another and become Russians, Yakuts, Buryats - depending on where they go and how life will turn out. Therefore, their number is almost not growing, although the birth rate is quite high. In order not to lose national identity, you need to live among your people, in its original habitat.

Of course, small peoples have intelligentsia - teachers, artists, scientists, writers, doctors. They live in a district or regional center, but in order not to lose touch with their native people, they need to spend a lot of time in the villages.

In order to preserve small peoples, it is necessary to maintain a traditional economy. This is the main difficulty. Reindeer pastures are shrinking due to the growing production of oil and gas, seas and rivers are polluted, so fishing cannot develop. Demand for reindeer meat and furs is falling. The interests of the indigenous population and regional authorities, large companies, simply local poachers collide, and in such a conflict, the power is not on the side of small nations.

At the end of the XX century. the leadership of districts and republics (especially in Yakutia, in the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets districts) began to pay more attention to the problems of preserving national culture... Festivals of cultures of small peoples have become regular, at which storytellers perform, rituals are performed, and sports competitions are held.

All over the world, the well-being, standard of living, the preservation of the culture of small national minorities (Indians in America, Aboriginal Australia, Ainu Japan, etc.) are part of the country's business card, serve as an indicator of its progressiveness. Therefore, the significance of the fate of the small peoples of the North for Russia is incomparably greater in comparison with their small number, which is only 0.1% of the country's population.

State policy

It is customary for anthropologists to criticize public policy in relation to the small peoples of the North.

Policy towards the peoples of the North in different years changed. Before the revolution, they were a special class - foreigners who had self-government within certain limits. After the 1920s. the culture, economy and society of the northerners, like the rest of the country, have undergone major transformations. The idea of ​​developing the peoples of the North and bringing them out of the state of "backwardness" was adopted. The economy of the North has become subsidized.

In the late 1980s - early 1990s. ethnographers formulated the rationale for the direct interdependence of traditional cultural identity, traditional economy and traditional habitat. Economy and language were added to the romantic thesis of soil and blood. The paradoxical idea that a condition for the preservation and development of ethnic culture - language and customs - is the conduct of a traditional economy in a traditional environment. This de facto concept of hermetic tradition has become the ideology for the indigenous peoples' movement. It was the logical rationale for an alliance between ethnic intelligentsia and nascent business. In the 1990s. romanticism received a financial base - first grants from charitable foreign foundations, and then from extractive companies. The industry of ethnological expertise was enshrined in the same law.

Anthropological research today shows that business can exist and develop without preserving the language. At the same time, languages ​​can come out of live family communication when running a household. For example, Udege, Sami, many Evenk dialects and many other languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of the North are no longer spoken in the taiga and tundra. However, this does not prevent people from engaging in reindeer husbandry, hunting, and fishing.

In addition to cultural figures and businessmen, an independent layer of leaders and political activists has formed among the indigenous peoples of the North,

There is a point of view among the activists of the indigenous peoples of the North that benefits should not be selective, but apply to all representatives of the indigenous peoples, wherever they live and whatever they do. Arguments are offered, for example, that the body's need for fish in the diet is at the genetic level. As a solution to this problem, it is proposed to expand the areas of traditional residence and traditional economy to the entire territory of the region.

The countryside in the Far North is not an easy place to live. People of various ethnic origins work there in agriculture. They use the same technologies, overcome the same difficulties, face the same challenges. This activity should receive government support also regardless of ethnicity. The state guarantee for the protection of the rights of the peoples of Russia, first of all, in the guarantee of the absence of any discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds.

As the analysis shows, the Law "On guarantees of the rights of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the Russian Federation" stands out for its approach from the entire Russian legal system. This law considers peoples as subjects of law. The inability to lead gives rise to the formation of an estate - a group of people empowered by their ethnicity... Local law enforcement officers will have long faced attempts to legally close a fundamentally open social system.

A fundamental way out of this situation can be overcoming the romanticism of tradition and the separation of the policy of support. economic activity and support for ethnocultural activities. In the socio-economic part, it is necessary to extend the benefits and subsidies of the indigenous peoples of the North to the entire rural population of the Far North.

In the ethnocultural part, the state can provide the following types of support:

1. Scientific support, represented by research organizations and universities, in the development of programs and training of specialists.
2. Legal support in the form of development and adoption of norms for the preservation and development of ethnocultural heritage.
3. Organizational support in the form of development and implementation of ethnocultural programs of cultural institutions and educational institutions.
4. Financial support to NGOs developing ethnocultural initiatives in the form of grant support for promising projects.

The territory in which the indigenous peoples of Russia live runs along 28 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It stretches from the Far Eastern regions up to

According to the official list from 2006, representatives of 45 indigenous peoples live in the North, Siberia, the Far East and other regions of the Russian Federation, which gives a total population close to 250 thousand people.

Most large people of them are the Nenets, their number reaches 44 thousand. The small peoples include the Enets, who identify themselves under the name Encho. Their number does not exceed 200 people. Also included are the Izhorians - 450 people, and the Vod people, the number of which, according to the latest data, was less than 100 people. What are the other small peoples of Russia called? A list of them can be seen below.

List of small peoples of Russia

• Chukchi.
• Eskimos.
• Chuvans.
• Kamchadals.
• Koryaks.
• Alutors.
• Aleuts.
• Nivkhi.
• Oroki.
• Orochi.
• Udegeans.
• Negidal.
• Ulchi.
• Evenki.
• Evens.
• Yukaghirs.
• Dolgans.
• Abaza.
• Chum salmon.
• Vepsians.
• Izhorians.
• Nenets.
• Igelmeny.
• Sami.
• Chulyms.
• Shors.
• Khanty.
• Besermyans.
• Crust.
• Muncie.
• Sepkupy.
• Soyots.
• Basins.
• Teleuts.
• Tofalars.
• Tuvinians-Todzhins.
• Kumandy people.
• Nanai.
• Nagaybaki.
• Naganasans.
• Tubalars.
• Nganasans.
• Chelkandy.
• Karelians.
• Vod.

Traditional worldview of the indigenous peoples of the North

Traditionally, the Evens, like other indigenous small peoples of Russia, deify the firmament with all the main luminaries, as well as the main elements of the surrounding flora and fauna - mountain ranges, rivers, taiga forests and various animals that live in them. So, for example, the Sun in the traditional consciousness of the Even is represented by a kind person who is fully interested in the interests and protection of the local population. The Sun God can be persuaded to interact through sacrifice, faith and prayer. The deity is capable of fulfilling the will of believers, giving them healthy and strong offspring, multiplying herds of deer, bringing good luck to hunters and fostering fish catch.

Izhora

Izhora is the self-name of the Finno-Ugric people, which in the past, along with the small people of the Vod, constituted the main population of the Izhora land. The name of this people is rooted in the Ingermanland province. In addition, some Izhorians call themselves in plural"karyalaysht". This is consistent with the fact that the representatives of the Vod people designate the Izhorians as "Karelians".

In 1897, the number of this people reached 14,000 people, but today their number is close to 400. In the 1920s, even its own writing was developed, but it had to sink into oblivion by the end of the 1930s.

The Izhorians received their first mention as "Ingres" back in 1223. In the 15th century, this people is part of the Russian state. He smoothly underwent assimilation with the rest of the population due to the Orthodox faith. In the 17th century, part of the lands of the Ingermanland became a Swedish province, and the Izhora assimilated with the Finns, and in 1943 the population was exported German troops to Finland. Subsequently, until the mid-1950s, the process of settling the Izhorians in the former places underwent some restrictions on the part of the authorities.

The Izhorians' economy is similar to the Russian one and presupposes, at its core, agriculture: the cultivation of vegetables and grain crops, followed by collection, drying and threshing with flails and upholstery on the bench, as well as animal husbandry and specific fishing, which includes the stages of winter fishing, to which the Izhorians left, as as a rule, the whole population, spending the nights in the booths.

The Izhorians lived in villages, as a rule, in small families. Regardless of Orthodoxy, the people had their own authentic funeral rituals. Burials took place in holy places, groves. Together with the deceased, a supply of food and woolen reins, as well as a knife were placed in the coffin.

A huge cultural value represents the runic heritage of Izhora in the form a large number epic works. Thus, the Finnish folklorist Elias Lennorot used the Izhora runes when compiling the text of the Kalevala.

Vod

The smallest people of Russia today numbers only 82 people and lives mainly in the southwestern part of the Leningrad region. Vod belongs to the Finno-Ugric peoples. There are three languages ​​spoken by the population of the people - Vod, Izhora and Russian. The language closest to the Vod dialect is Estonian. The main and traditional occupation this small people was agriculture, as well as forestry, fishing and small handicrafts. The products obtained on the farm were usually sold to large centers such as St. Petersburg.

The smallest people in Russia could not keep their original language. This was prevented not only by the arrival of Orthodoxy (sermons were conducted in Russian), but also by the irregularity of the language, the absence of schools in which the written Vod language would be taught, a small number of people and many mixed marriages. Thus, the Vod language is practically lost, and the culture of the Vod people has strongly succumbed to Russification.

The Russian Federation includes a considerable number of the most diverse 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 we sum up their numbers, then there are not so 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 tell you in detail about the peculiarities of residence, legal powers, problems and legal status of the small peoples of Russia.

What are the Russian small peoples?

Small specialists call small ethnic communities that preserve their traditions, customs and cultural characteristics of their residence. The problem of the life of small peoples is raised not only at the national level, but also at the world 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 then did not stand aside: the 1993 Constitution proclaimed the principle of guaranteeing rights and freedoms, both for ordinary citizens and for the indigenous representatives of the country. At the constitutional level, securing the rights of indigenous people is an integral element in the system of protecting and supporting democratic state development.

Why has special attention been paid to the problem of the existence of the small peoples of Russia? 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. It happened, as it is not difficult to guess, because of the deepest state changes: revolutions, repressions, the Civil and Great Patriotic War, etc. At the beginning of the 90s, the question of preserving the remaining indigenous and small peoples of Russia arose.

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

The legal basis for the existence of indigenous peoples in the Russian Federation

The legal consolidation 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, dated 1822. In this document, the indigenous inhabitants of certain territories of Russia were guaranteed the rights to self-government, land, cultural identity, etc. Soviet time a similar policy continued, however, the places of resettlement of national minorities began to be mercilessly divided. Resettlement from place to place, as well as the principle of paternalism (dictate of behavioral norms) played a cruel joke with small peoples: age-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 that proclaim the principle of identity and the preservation of traditional culture among ethnic groups of the indigenous type.

The first and most important source is, of course, the Russian Constitution. It is worth highlighting here Article 72, which refers to the joint regulation of the rights and freedoms of national minorities by the regions and the federation. Articles 20 and 28 refer to the possibility of indicating one's nationality. In many federal laws and others regulations the principle of equality of rights of different ethnic groups is enshrined. It is worth highlighting the Federal Law "On the Basic 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 state body in the country, whose duties 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 the small peoples of Russia

What do the Russian federal laws guarantee to ethnic minorities? If we are talking about the political sphere, then it is worth highlighting certain legal prerequisites for the wide participation of indigenous peoples in the work of state bodies of the Russian Federation and instances local government... 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 in the law. Electoral districts can relate to individual national settlements, ethnic associations, tribes, etc.

The next area in which preferential rights of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of Russia are possible is the economy. In this area, methods for the qualitative development of economic activity should be applied. traditional type... Measures should be taken to create special territories in which it would be possible to use traditional methods of environmental management. Do not forget about budgetary allocations aimed at supporting folk crafts. With strict consideration of the interests of indigenous peoples, manufacturing enterprises may be subject to privatization. In this case, the taxation of such enterprises will be carried out taking into account possible benefits and subsidies.

Finally, the privileged rights of the small peoples of Russia can be exercised in the socio-cultural area. Here it is worth talking about the acceptance of conditions for the preservation of the spiritual and cultural foundations of one or another indigenous people. Ethnic media, relevant language and literature must be supported in every possible way by state authorities. It is necessary to periodically carry out Scientific research cultural spheres of small peoples.

International Law on Indigenous Peoples

The national legal framework, which contains norms on the protection of the legal status of the indigenous small-numbered 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 national Constitution of 1993.

All regulations international character concerning the problems of the indigenous peoples of the earth can be divided into three main groups. The first such group includes documents that are advisory in nature. What does this mean? In short, the Declaration on Linguistic Minorities, Vienna (1989), Paris (1990), Geneva (1991) and many other documents of a declarative nature are aimed at stimulating a favorable attitude towards ethnic minorities.

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

The latter is made up of international documents designed to protect national minorities from various kinds of discriminatory and belittling moments. For example, there is the 1965 Pact on Political and Civil Rights, the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms, and many other documents binding on the Russian state.

Rights and freedoms of small Russian peoples

At present, the Federal Law No. 256-FZ "On guarantees of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Russia" dated 1999 is in force in Russia. Article 8 of the submitted normative act informs about the rights of ethnic minorities. What exactly is worth highlighting here?

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

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

• the right to participate in exercising control over the use of their own lands;
• the ability to carry out control and supervisory activities over the implementation of federal laws and regulations of the Russian Federation;
• the right to build and reconstruct economic, domestic and industrial facilities;
• the ability to timely receive from the Russian Federation cash or material support necessary for the cultural or socio-economic development of peoples;
• eligibility for implementation state power or local government bodies - directly or through authorized representatives;
• the ability to delegate their representatives to the authorities;
• the right to compensation for losses that were caused as a result of damage natural environment a 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 establishes. It is also worth highlighting the replacement here. military service alternative civil, the ability to create special self-government instances, the right to exercise judicial protection, etc. I must say that all the rights presented constitute the legal status of the small peoples of Russia.

Problems of small Russian peoples

Before proceeding with the story about the peculiarities of the 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 and individual. Difficulties arise in finding appropriate criteria and procedures. The second issue concerns the rights of minorities. As you know, indigenous peoples require special rights. For this, it is necessary to qualitatively define the conditions under which the implementation of special rights would be possible. Difficulties can arise in targeting and correct application rights in private or public legal realms.

The third problem of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North of Russia can be called the difficulty of self-determination of such ethnic groups. The fact is that in this area there are problems of the expediency of the formation of territorial entities, the vesting of rights or the construction of guarantees of these rights. This leads to another problem closely related to the system legal regulation and security. Here, the issues of correlation between the principles of the regional and federal levels, the conclusion of treaties between ethnic groups, the application of customary law, etc., are extremely relevant. By the way, the problem government controlled on the affairs of the small peoples of the Russian Federation is also quite acute. If we are talking about the levels of the relevant state authorities, about the delegation of powers to local self-government instances, then there may be some organizational difficulties.

It is also worth highlighting the problem of status public organizations national minorities. The fact is that such organizations could be provided with rather large and voluminous rights regarding the electoral process, protection of interests, control over the exercise of powers, etc. Difficulties here can arise, again, when it comes to the expediency of such actions.

Influence on the culture of indigenous peoples

Various international treaties and national regulations set out rules that should never be violated. They also relate to the centuries-old cultural traditions of a particular people. Still, Soviet times did not have the best effect on certain small peoples. So, it is worth paying attention to the Izhorians, of whom in the period from 1930 to 1950 decreased several times. But this is only a single example. State paternalism selected as a priority vector cultural development in Soviet times, it had a very bad effect on almost all the original peoples of Russia. I must say that a certain form of paternalism is still present today, in spite of all established laws and rules. And this is another problem of the small peoples of Russia, to which it would be worth paying close attention.

The thing 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. To a certain extent, the all-Russian clericalization also contributes to the struggle. So, in the Republic of Sakha, the local Orthodox diocese was tasked with completely eradicating paganism in the surrounding territories. Of course, you can refer to history, because such a struggle was waged back in the days of tsarist Russia. But is it really that good today? Given the preservation of 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, up to the Far Eastern regions, there are many different national minorities. The list of small 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:

• The Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad Region: Vepsians, Izhorians, Vods and Kumadins;
• Kamchatka: Aleuts, Alyutors, Itelmens, Kamchadals, Koryaks, Chukchi, Evenks, Evens and Eskimos;
• Krasnoyarsk Oblast and Yakutia: Dolgans, Nganasans, Nenets, Selkups, Teleuts, Enets;
• Sakha and Magadan Region: Yukaghirs, Chuvans, Lamuts, Orochi, Koryaks.

Naturally, the list is not complete. It can be constantly supplemented, because some peoples are still being discovered, while others are "dying out" altogether. A description of the small peoples of the North of Russia 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 growing. 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, it is Vod that is the smallest people in Russia. This ethnos lives in the Leningrad region, and therefore belongs to 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 the supply of 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 reflected in the almost complete loss of the national language and centuries-old culture.

It is worth telling a little more about the rest of the small peoples of the North of Russia. So, 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 the Vyborg and Leningrad regions there are about 92 thousand of them. The Karelian ethnos was formed by the beginning of the 13th century. It seems surprising that the mass baptism in the Novgorod territory had practically no effect on the culture of the Karelians. In this group, few understood the Russian language, and therefore the propaganda of Orthodoxy did not touch such an original group and could not influence the traditions of this people. The main occupation of the Karelians is fishing and reindeer herding. Today, the Karelian Republic has a well-developed woodworking type industry.

Peoples of Chukotka

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

In total, about 90 thousand people live in Chukotka. Although even 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 specialists find it difficult to answer this question. After all, a similar situation is taking place in Kamchatka, where from 472 thousand people as of 1991 there are only 200 thousand left today. Perhaps the whole point is in urbanization, although statistics do not give any high indicators in this area. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the problems are solved with the help of a high-quality policy for the preservation of the small peoples of Russia.

in the Russian Federation, such people are recognized as peoples living in the territories of traditional settlement of their ancestors, preserving their way of life, economy and crafts, numbering less than 50 thousand people in the Russian Federation and realizing themselves as independent ethnic communities. Unified list of K. m. N. The Russian Federation is approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on the proposal of the state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in whose territories these peoples live.

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

the concept used in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to Art. 69, the Russian Federation guarantees the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with generally recognized principles and norms of international law and international treaties of the Russian Federation. The RF Constitution also uses the concept of "small ethnic communities". For example, p. "M" Art. 72 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and the constituent entities of the Russian Federation includes "the protection of the original habitat and the traditional way of life of small ethnic communities."

International documents use the concepts " indigenous population"," indigenous people ": for example, in the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 107" On the protection and integration of indigenous and other tribal and semi-tribal people in independent countries "(1957); in the ILO Convention 169" On indigenous and tribal peoples in independent countries "(1989). However, their interpretation in these documents and in Russian science and practice diverge somewhat. International documents are more focused on peoples who have lost traditional places their residence or having problems in terms of using them, as if not capable of self-organization in the form of national-territorial and other formations. It is rather, it is about improving the way of life and the standard of living in the country as a whole.

In Russia, the equality of all peoples, the possibilities of their self-organization were consolidated from the very beginning, including through the use of forms of national-territorial autonomy, the creation of national regions, village councils, etc. Thus, the problems of organizing the everyday life and life of the Catholics of science gradually accumulated, especially in the regions of the North and Northeast. Technical progress influenced the use of traditional types of crafts by some peoples, and the industrial development of oil and gas fields, in its own way, had on them even more negative impact. Excellent definition

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Ethnographer Dmitry Funk about the conflicts of small peoples with the government, special privileges according to the lists and the preservation of ethnic identity

It will be about such an interesting category of the population of the Russian Federation as the indigenous peoples of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East. This is the official name, more briefly they are usually called the peoples of the North. The birth of this group dates back to the very beginning of the formation of Soviet power, to the 1920s, when a special resolution was adopted "On assistance to the peoples of the northern outskirts." At that time, it was possible to count about 50, if not more, different groups that lived in the Far North. They, as a rule, were engaged in reindeer herding, and their way of life was significantly different from what the first Soviet Bolsheviks saw themselves.

As time went on, this category continued to remain as a special category of accounting, gradually this list crystallized, more accurate names of individual ethnic groups appeared, and in the post-war period, at least since the 1960s, especially in the 1970s, this category began to include 26 nations. And when they talked about the peoples of the North, they meant 26 indigenous peoples of the North - they were called in their time the small peoples of the North. These are different linguistic groups, people speaking different languages, including those whose close relatives have not yet been found. This is the language of the Kets, whose relations with other languages ​​are rather complicated, the language of the Nivkhs, and a number of other languages. Time passed, and, despite the measures taken by the state (at that time it was called the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet government), separate decisions were made on the economic development of these peoples, on how to facilitate their economic existence - all the same, the situation remained rather complicated: alcoholism was spreading, there were a lot of social diseases. So gradually we lived up to the end of the 1980s, when it suddenly turned out that 26 peoples did not fall asleep, did not forget their languages, did not lose their culture, and even, if something happened, they want to restore it, reconstruct, and so on, want to use in their modern life.

At the very beginning of the 1990s, this list suddenly began to take on a second life. Some peoples of Southern Siberia were included in it, and so there were not 26, but 30 peoples. Then gradually, during the 1990s - early 2000s, this list expanded, expanded, and today there are about 40-45 ethnic groups, starting from the European part of Russia and ending with the Far East, a significant number of ethnic groups are included in this the so-called list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the north of Siberia and the Far East.

What does it take to be on this list? First of all, you as a people are officially forbidden to multiply and multiply in the sense that, even if it sounds rude, you should not be more than 50,000 people. There is a number limit. You must live in the territory of your ancestors, engage in traditional farming, preserve traditional culture and language. In fact, everything is not so simple, not just to have a special self-name, but you must consider yourself an independent people. Everything is very, very difficult, even with the same self-name.

Let's try to look at, say, the Altai. The Altaians themselves are not included in the list of indigenous peoples. And for a long time in Soviet ethnography, Soviet science, it was believed that this is a single people, formed, however, from different groups, but they formed into a single socialist nationality. When the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s came, it became clear that those from whom the Altaians were formed still remember that they are not quite Altaians. This is how new ethnic groups appeared on the map of the Altai Republic and on the ethnographic map: Chelkans, Tubalars, Kumandins, Altaians proper, Telengits. Some of them were included in the list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North. There was a very difficult situation - the 2002 census, when the power structures of the Altai Republic were very afraid that due to the fact that a significant part of the former Altai suddenly enrolled in indigenous peoples, the population of the republic, that is, the titular people, would significantly decrease and then they would be taken away from them. portfolios - there will be no republic, and people will lose their posts. Everything turned out to be good: in our country there is no such direct correlation between the titular ethnic group and the status of the entity in which it lives - it can be a republic, an autonomous region or something else.

But as far as ethnic identity is concerned, the situation is much more complicated. We said that several groups of these Altaians stood out. But if we take each of them, we will find that each of them consists of 5, 10, and maybe 20 divisions. They are called the genus, or, in Altaic, "syok" (‘bone’), some of them are of very ancient origin. In the same 2002 (I was just in Altai, as part of a commission that was supposed to figure out who people want to declare themselves during the census, who they want to call themselves), I remember very well, heads of clans - they are called zaisans, - when they learned that the people's answer will not affect the status of the republic in any way, they said: “Oh, how good. So, maybe now we will register as Naimans, Kypchaks (by the name of the clan). " That is, it really turns out that a person is generally Altaian, but at the same time he can be a representative of some ethnic group within the Altaians. He can be a representative of a kind. If you dig around, you can find even smaller ones.

Why be on this list? Once there is a list, you can get into it, you can sign up to it. If you are not on this list, then you will not have any benefits. As a rule, they say about benefits: "They signed up there because they want benefits." There are, of course, some benefits, if you know about them and can use them. Some people do not know what they are. These are benefits for medical care, for getting firewood (actual in villages), it can be preferential admission of your children to the university, there is also some list of these benefits. But this is actually not the most important thing. There is such a moment: you want to live on your own land, and you have no other land. If you are not included in this list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, then you will be treated like everyone else, although you are already a citizen of the Russian Federation. Then you will not have additional leverage in terms of protecting the territory in which you and your ancestors lived, hunted, fished, engaged in that traditional way of life, which is very important for you. Why is it so important? Sometimes with laughter, sometimes without laughter, they say: “Well, what to take from him? Even if he is a “white collar”, the time comes for fishing or harvesting cones in the taiga, he goes into the taiga to collect cones or in the fishing season, disappears into the sea and is engaged in fishing. A person works in an office, but he cannot live without it. Here the story is told with laughter or even disdain. If we find ourselves, say, in the United States, then we will simply find that self-respecting companies will provide a person with a vacation for this time, because they understand that he cannot live without it, and not because it is his whim, that he wants to go fishing, as any of us might want to go somewhere to relax on the weekend. No, it is something sitting in the blood that drives a person from the office back to the taiga, to the lands of their ancestors.

If you do not have the opportunity to additionally protect this land, then various difficult life situations can occur. It is no secret that the territory inhabited by the small indigenous peoples of the North is abundant in minerals. It can be anything: gold, uranium, mercury, oil, gas, coal. And these people live on lands that are very important from the point of view of the strategic development of the state. Who is to blame for this? And then a collision arises: what to do with people? Everyone remembers well the movie "Avatar" and that disgusting character who said that "they are sitting on my grandmothers." Sometimes one gets the impression that those firms that are trying to somehow regulate relations with people living in places where you can get something and sell something, that is how they are treated, that is, they are people who simply get in the way. The situation is rather complicated, because everywhere, in all cases, where something like this happens (it may be some kind of sacred lake Nauto, where the Khanty or Forest Nenets live, it may be Kuzbass with its coal deposits, it may be Sakhalin with its oil reserves), there is a clash of interests, more or less clearly expressed, between the indigenous peoples of the North, between the local population, in principle, everyone. Because what's the difference between you, an aboriginal, and a Russian old-timer, behaving in the same way, living on the same land, doing the same fishing, hunting, and so on, and in the same way suffering from dirty water and other negative consequences of extraction or development of what something fossil. The so-called stakeholders, in addition to Aboriginal people, include government agencies and companies themselves that are trying to extract some kind of profit from this land.

If you are not included in this list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, then it will be much more difficult for you to defend your land and your rights to the way of life that you want to lead. It is important to preserve your culture, because if you do not have the territory where you live compactly with your fellow tribesmen, it will be very difficult to ensure your children learn their native language, transfer some traditional values. This does not mean that the people will disappear, disappear, but in the way you perceive the situation, there may be such a thought that if my language disappears, I will cease to be some kind of people. Of course you won't. Throughout Siberia, a huge number of peoples of the North have lost their languages, but this does not mean that they do not speak any language. Somewhere the Yakut language became native, almost all of them - Russian. Nevertheless, people retain their ethnic identity, they want to develop further, and the list gives them this opportunity.

But there is one interesting twist here that no one has thought about yet. The fact is that it is more and more often heard among the young generation among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, which, in fact, has lost their ethnic specificity (they all speak Russian, do not wear traditional clothes): “We are KMNs, we are KMNs”. A certain community appears, perhaps it is a class identity, as in tsarist Russia. And in this sense, the state, apparently, it makes sense to take a closer look at the processes that are now taking place in the North, and, perhaps, if we talk about assistance, it may not be specific ethnic groups, but that new class community, which is called the indigenous small peoples of the North. ...