Russia is a multinational country. The north of the vast territory is distinguished by harsh climatic conditions. Surviving them is not an easy task. It is here that representatives of numerous nationalities live, the community of which is commonly called the "peoples of the North".
The term “Russian North” is usually used to refer to the following subjects of the federation: the Republic of Komi, Tyva, Yakutia and Karelia, the Nenets and Chukotka Autonomous Districts, Irkutsk, Murmansk, Magadan, Sakhalin and Arkhangelsk Regions, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk and Kamchatka Territories. The population of these territories is Russians, including Russians. However, according to the Unified List of Indigenous Minorities of the Russian Federation in 2000, representatives of 40 ethnic groups live here, who, despite their integration into the society of modern Russia, retain their languages and original culture.
The Aleuts are the natives of the Kamchatka Islands, the main place of residence is the village of Nikolskoye. The language is one of the Eskimo dialects, studied and used. The original beliefs - shamanism and animalism - were supplanted by Orthodoxy in the 18th century.
Other peoples of Kamchatka: Itelmans, Koryaks, Evens, Ainu, Yukaghirs, Eskimos, Chukchi.
The settlements of the Chukchi (Chukot) are located in various territories of the extreme northeast of Asia of the Russian Federation; to this day, many Chukchi lead a nomadic lifestyle. Center - Chukotka Autonomous District (Anadyr). They profess both Orthodoxy and shamanism. Fishermen (whalers), game hunters and reindeer herders. The language is Chukchi, today it is studied and used in the media. The traditional dwelling is the yaranga. The Chukchi, like some other peoples of the North, are not recommended to drink alcohol due to the instant formation of dependence due to genetic characteristics. In the USSR, it was forbidden to sell alcohol in the areas where the Chukchi live.
Khanty (Khanty, Khanda) and Mansi are kindred peoples, descendants of the Finno-Ugric tribe, inhabiting mainly the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of modern Russia. Both peoples have their own languages, which are alive and used in the media. There is an original system of myths, with the cult of the Great Bear and the tradition of deification of trees and plants. The traditional dwelling is the chum. The Khanty had an interesting custom of “air burial”: the body of the deceased was suspended in the air, giving it to the “light”.
The Sami (Sami, Lapps) - live on the territory of different states (Finland, Norvergia), in Russia - mainly in the Murmansk region (the village of Lovozero). On February 6, the International Day of the Sami is celebrated, the people have their own flag and anthem, a living language with many dialects. Religion is associated with the belief in water spirits, which obey rivers and lakes, a man-deer, there are traditions of shamanism. However, most of the Russian Sami adhere to Orthodox Christianity.
Nanais - in Russia they live mainly in the Khabarovsk Territory, where there is the Nanai District. A living language with writing based on the Cyrillic alphabet. The Nanais is a participant in the Great Patriotic War, a popular singer in the USSR, Kola Beldy, whose song about a ride on reindeer in the early morning still sounds.
The Yakuts (Sakha) are a people who made a great contribution to the development of science, culture, sports of the USSR and Russia. Its own written language, its own literature (the most famous authors are A. E. Kulakovsky, Sofronov A. I., Nikiforov V. V.). The people's ideas about the world around them are reflected in the poetic epic - Olonkho, which is considered to be the treasures of world folklore. Since ancient times, there has been a national sport - Yakut jumping: various types of long jumps on one or two legs.
Other ethnoses of the Russian North: Alyutors, Vepsians, Dolgans, Kamchadals, Kets, Kumandins, Selkups, Soyots, Tazy, Telengits, Teleuts, To-Falars, Tubulars, Tuvinians-Tojins, Udegeis, Ulchi, Chelkans, Chuyms, Shors, Chuls, Evenki, Enets.
