The Nenets are a tribe that live in the polar regions of northeastern Europe and northwestern Siberia. Some Nenets live in the Arctic Ocean islands and the Kola Peninsula. Their native land is the tundra and forest tundra, a country of marshy areas, numerous rivers, and permafrost.
The meaning of their name, Nenets, is “man.” The older and more wide spread name for the Nenets is Yurak Samoyeds. Through the Russian language this term Yurak Samoyed is still commonly used today outside of the Soviet Union.
Representing the Uralic race, the Nenets have strong Mongoloid characteristics. Their physical traits include short stature and a stocky build with a broad face. The hair is straight and thick, and most find it hard to grow a beard. Their skin is of dark pigmentation with brown eyes.
The Nenets are a part of the Samoyed peoples. The total population of the Samoyeds are forty thousand and the Nenets form a substantial part. A census found in 1979 that there were 29,894 existing Nenets of which 80.4% were native speakers. In 1989 there were 34,665 Nenets and 77.1% were native speakers. Therefore, it is evident that the population of Nenets are increasing but there is a definite decline in native language speakers. This census concluded that the Nenets are not in danger of extinction but their native culture is. This is because during the 1970’s there was a period of intense russification. During this time knowledge and use of Russian grew constantly and today all of the Nenets are bilingual. The Nenets primary danger is cultural assimilation. The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire also states that in 1980, 27% of the marriages were mixed (82% in the settled cities) and there were 7% one parent families.
Nenets are particularly rich in ways of describing nature, weather conditions, and especially snow. They also have a very well articulated way of expressing terms concerning reindeer-breeding, hunting, and fishing.
Since ancient times the migratory cycle of the Nenets have been tied to the reindeer. The migratory route of the reindeer ranges from the coastal regions to the forests in fall, and back in the spring. Through reindeer breeding they have learned to fully adapt to the way of the tundra. Fishing and hunting were also very important. Then in the 1950’s the Russians began to merge small farms which forced the Nenets into a settled way of life. Women, children, and the elderly were forced into a settled life with the men following shortly after. The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire, found that only 41% of the Nenets found paid employment which consisted mostly of unskilled labor. The wages of the Nenets are lower than those of recent settlers. These conditions have led to very high suicide and death rates among the Nenets. The life expectancy of a Nenets is only forty-five to fifty years.
In 1957 a government decree was established that forced the Nenets into state custody from birth until the end of his/her education. These children grew up in boarding schools which decreased the learning of one’s own ethnic background.
Current danger signs for the Nenets also include physical, national, and cultural ways. Government and military officials set strict regulations including determining which areas are settlement areas and positions, rights, and privileges of the Nenets. Physical danger signs include nuclear experiments that are carried out near the native land. This testing has polluted an immense amount of forest and grazing land, which in turn damages their reindeer breeding. The pollution has also been transferred to humans through mosses and reindeer meat.
References:
“Nenets or Yurak Samoyeds” http://www.suri.ee/eup/nenets.html 25 Feb. 2000.
“The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire” http://www.ekt.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml (31 Oct. 1991) 25 Feb. 2000.
“Pictures from an Expedition to the Nenets” http://www.erm.ee/naitus/neenets/i_index.html 25 Feb. 2000.
by: Jeremy Rodning