Samoyedic peoples

The Samoyedic peoples (sometimes Samodeic peoples) are a group of closely related peoples who speak Samoyedic languages, which are part of the Uralic family. They are a linguistic, ethnic, and cultural grouping. The name derives from the obsolete term Samoyed used in the Russian Empire for some of the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

Peoples

Contemporary PeopleLanguageNumbersDemoskop Weekly No 543-544Most important territoryOther traditional territoriesNenetsNenets45,000Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky DistrictKhanty-Mansi Autonomous OkrugEnetsEnets200–300Krasnoyarsk KraiNganasansNganasan900–1000Krasnoyarsk KraiSelkupsSelkup3,700Tomsk Oblast Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous OkrugKrasnoyarsk KraiKamasinsKamassian (extinct)20Krasnoyarsk Krai

Extinct Yurats, who spoke YuratsUnesco Red Book on Endangered Languages Mators or Motors, who spoke Mator

Classification Traditionally, Samoyedic languages and peoples have been divided into two major areal groups: Northern Samoyedic (Nenets, Yurats, Enets, Nganasans), and Southern Samoyedic (Selkups) with a further subgroup of Sayan-Samoyedic (Kamasins, Mators) named after the Sayan Mountains. This classification does not reflect linguistic relations, being purely geographical.

The most numerous of the Samoyedic peoples are the Nenets, who mainly live in two autonomous districts of Russia: Yamalo-Nenetsia and Nenetsia. Some of the Nenets and most of the Enets and Nganasans used to live in the Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District. Most of the Selkups live in Yamalo-Nenetsia, but there is also a significant population in Tomsk Oblast.

Gallery

Historical pictures

Modern

See also Samoyed dog

Notes

References

External links