Russia is an amazing country! Where else on such a vast territory lives such a number of various nationalities, each of which has its own culture, traditions, religion and outlook on life? A particularly interesting demographic situation is taking shape in the Siberian Federal District of the Russian Federation. It is in these territories that the peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory live, among which there are not only Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, but also Chuvashs, Dolgans, Evenks and many others.
Statistics
During the Soviet era, authorities took various actions aimed at large-scale forced resettlement and mixing of peoples. All this led to the fact that some unique nationalities lost their identity.
The Krasnoyarsk Territory, alas, did not pass such a fate. However, according to the census, the most numerous peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory still exist to this day. The influence of the authorities, as well as government programs aimed at preserving and restoring the traditions of the local population, contribute to the positive dynamics and further development of communities with a unique heritage and traditions of generations.
Who is there?
What peoples inhabit the Krasnoyarsk Territory? In response to this question, the reader most likely wants to hear about the indigenous people who lived in this territory from time immemorial.
The most prominent representatives are Nganasans, Dolgans, Khanty, Enets and Evenks. There are up to a dozen different nationalities living in the North, and they are the indigenous peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Unfortunately, a lot of their traditions, cultural heritage is forgotten. The life of small ethnic groups was dissolved in the modern world, assimilated. This is not surprising, because life in the tundra is very complicated, and modern technologies make it much easier, but the arrival of progress becomes the reason for crowding out an original culture incomparable with any other.
Mom all over the head
All the peoples inhabiting the Krasnoyarsk Territory are incredibly interesting, and each of them has its own characteristic traditions. The most numerous include Dolgans. Perhaps their high numbers made it possible to preserve many ancient customs to this day. Of course, many of them are purely symbolic, but they are not forgotten and are used in families.
So, the head of the family is considered to be the oldest woman in the house, the keeper of the hearth, the nurse. The word of a woman is the law; no one has the right to disobey him. They chose as the head the most wise representative who had seen everything in life.
Indigenous peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory earned their livelihood by hunting, fishing, or gathering. The hard work that people had to do in order to feed themselves and their family developed a habit of sharing their wages with relatives and neighbors. And this was a rule that does not tolerate exceptions. Today you share, tomorrow someone will treat you. The only thing that always remained within the possession of one family was the fur, which could be exchanged for scarce products from visiting merchants.
Worship of the universe
The peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and their traditions were formed in different ways, a lot was dependent on the way of life and certain ways. The customs of the Khanty and Mansians are very characteristic.
Their reverent attitude to nature nowadays seems outlandish and similar to worship. For example, dividing the surrounding area into shares was the norm. Among those were sites on which it was forbidden to step foot without sacrifice.
Such actions were accompanied by a number of rituals, including offering, prayer, sometimes it was enough to “put on shoes”. There was no traditional, familiar shoe in those days, and pieces of wood bark were fastened to the feet, thus protecting not the foot from the ground, but, on the contrary, nature from human intervention.
In addition, these peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory interpret animals and birds in their own way. The crow, which is mainly considered a harbinger of troubles and troubles, is here considered the mistress of spring. It is associated with the arrival of warmth, well-being and fertility.
Traditionally, during the arrival of the raven celebrated a holiday. Only the female half of the village participated in it. During the celebration, the girls cooked porridge according to a special recipe. All actions were accompanied by singing and dancing.
There is much to learn
The peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and their traditions are in critical condition, some of them are on the verge of extinction. Entsev there are only two hundred! A little more numerous than the Evens. They treat traditions with great trepidation, which gives hope for their future.
This people is used to living in peace with nature, worships and honors it. Wisdom and a responsible approach to the environment are expressed in traditions, the violation of which is fraught with misfortunes and grief in the family. Most often, traditional beliefs are described in a large number of prohibitions. For example, the Enets cannot be shouted so as not to awaken the harsh spirits, they cannot be thrown stones into the water and even kill animals for fun. You need to hunt only in order to provide yourself with food.
The habits of generations also appear during celebrations associated with important events in human life. It can be a wedding, the birth of a baby, a funeral. So, when a marriage is concluded, the wife’s dowry is taken out of the housing so that no one doubts about her contribution to the general “budget”.
Liberty or justified freedom?
The few nations that inhabit the Krasnoyarsk Territory are special, but perhaps one of the most surprising is the Nganasans. The current free lifestyle for the elderly seems blasphemous, vulgar. All the more unusual is the traditional view of some of the questions of this people.
Nganasans greatly respect family values, after marriage, the couple is obliged to keep marital fidelity. But many “pranks” are permissible before marriage. A girl can freely live with a guy she likes. They exchange gifts and are now considered a couple. It can go to marriage, to a simple separation, or it can end with an illegitimate child. This is regarded as normal, because the attitude towards children among the northern peoples is special. The baby whom the daughter gave birth without being married is adopted by her parents and raised as a mother.
Very interesting are the traditions associated with going to another world. Permafrost does not allow burying the deceased in a grave. The body is hung on a tree or placed on a special platform. At the same time, the deceased “takes” with him all the acquired property, and not only for personal use, but also what he did for the children, the second half.
The role of the authorities in the life of the indigenous population
At all times, the authorities were interested in what peoples inhabit the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and this manifested itself in different ways.
If the past century has clearly shown how easily it is possible to destroy national identity, then in the present century they are trying, if not to increase, then restore and save.
In order for the small peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to remain and not forget their roots, since 2000 there has been state support for communities and individuals who are identified as representatives of a small ethnic group.
Considering yourself and being called a Dolgan, Evenk or Hunt has become profitable and popular. But in this process, there is a significant drawback. I really want that everything that remains traditional and typical does not become an exclusively way of earning.