Yukagir Culture

The Yukagir is a nearly extinct Siberian ethnic group, the oldest known indigenous people of Siberia. The Yukagir Culture dates to the 3rd to 2nd century BCE. They consist of two distinct groups; the Tundra Yukagirs and the Kolyma Yukagirs. Historically, there were a number of sub-groups named: Omok, Anaul and Khodyn. The Yukagirs are one of the smallest ethnic groups still in Russia. The Yukagir economy was based primarily on nomadic hunting and fishing, with some Yukagirs tending reindeer herds.   

Ethnic Russian commercial traders, fur trappers and hunters established permanent contact with the Yukagirs in the mid-17th century. The Russian traders brought with them and introduced useful tools and weapons that the Yukagirs adapted to, but they also introduced alcohol and disease that lead to a decline in the Yukagir population.

The Russian Orthodox Church made thousands of converts from the Yukagirs. Moscow authorized the granting of citizenship to converts, which led many to be baptised by rulers who afterwards used the Yukagirs as serfs. Christianity typically mingled with the traditional shamanistic faith of the Yukagirs.The Russian Revolution in 1917 brought changes to Yukagir life. Forced collectivization started in 1929, trying to nationalize the Yukagirs and eliminate their traditional nomadism.

During and after World War II, the Yukagirs were affected by the relocation of much Soviet industry to areas east of the Ural mountains. This brought a significant amount of Russians influence, with pressure on the Yukagirs to assimilate. The Yukagirs and other indigenous groups found their land decreasing, and more and more of them gave up traditional Yukagir jobs, for jobs at construction sites, oil wells, and factories. They became more and more integrated into a broader cultural and economic world, where they interacted with Russians.  In 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union, the Yukagirs joined 25 other native Siberian peoples in establishing the Association of Peoples of the North. Yukagirs have also demanded the establishment of national parks, where traditional life could be protected.

Sources:

http://www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/etnisk_b.exe?Yukagiri

http://www.stanford.edu/~emaslova/evidential.pdf

Written by Blake Kotajarvi, 2002