Samoyeds

The Samoyedic people (also Samodeic people)[1] 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 (meaning "self-eater" in Russian) used in Russia for some Indigenous people of Siberia.[2][3]

Geographical distribution of Samoyedic-speaking peoples in the 17th and 20th centuries

Peoples

Contemporary

People Group Language Numbers[4] Most important territory Other traditional territories
Nenets Northern Samoyeds Nenets 45,000 Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Enets Northern Samoyeds Enets 200–300 Krasnoyarsk Krai
Nganasans Northern Samoyeds Nganasan 900–1000 Krasnoyarsk Krai
Selkups Southern Samoyeds Selkup 3,700 Tomsk Oblast

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Krasnoyarsk Krai
Kamasins Southern Samoyeds Kamassian 2[5] or around 20[6] Krasnoyarsk Krai

Extinct

  • Yurats, who spoke Yurats (Northern Samoyeds)[7]
  • Mators or Motors, who spoke Mator (Southern Samoyeds)[7]
  • Kamasins, who spoke Kamassian (Southern Samoyeds) (in the last two censuses, two people identified still as Kamasin under the subgroup "other nationalities".)[8][5]

The largest 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 Taymyria autonomous district (formerly known as Dolgano-Nenetsia), but today this area is a territory with special status within Krasnoyarsk Krai. Most of the Selkups live in Yamalo-Nenetsia, but there is also a significant population in Tomsk Oblast.

References and notes


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