Difference between revisions of "Nenets" - New World Encyclopedia
m |
m (→Culture) |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | '''Nenets''' is the singular noun for the Nentsy people, ''Ненцы'' (''n'enyts'', pl. ''n'enytsja'') in [[Russia]]n, one group of the | + | '''Nenets''' is the singular noun for the Nentsy people, ''Ненцы'' (''n'enyts'', pl. ''n'enytsja'') in [[Russia]]n, one group of the various peoples that inhabit the Russian [[tundra]]. This group, which includes the Enets, Selkup and Nganasan people, has been referred to as ''Yurak'' or ''Samoyed'', a term that comes from indiscriminate Russian usage throughout the centuries, deriving from the literal morphs of ''samo'' and ''yed'', which translates to "self-eater". Since the twentieth century, "Nenets," their self-determined name translated as "man", became the politically correct term. |
==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | Due to the similarities in [[language]]s, | + | Due to the similarities in [[language]]s, historians believe that the Nentsky split apart from the [[Finno-Ugric languages|Finno-Ugric]] speaking groups around 3000 b.c.e. and migrated east where they mixed with [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] and [[Altaic languages|Altaic]] speaking peoples around 200 b.c.e. They settled between the Kanin and Taymyr [[peninsula]]s, around the Ob and Yenisey rivers, with some of them settling into small communities and taking up [[farming]], while others continued [[hunting]] and [[reindeer]] herding, traveling great distances over the Kanin peninsula. |
| + | |||
| + | Those who remained in [[Europe]] came under [[Russia]]n control around 1200 C.E., while those who lived further east intermixed with the Ugains, the Novgo, and Tartars until they too came under Russian control in the sixteen6th century. Since the seventeenth century unification, Russian rulers had difficulty maintaining control over all the Sameyodic peoples, the Nentsky in particular. Resenting their oppressors, the Nentsky attacked government officials and out-posts, having the advantage of superior knowledge of the terrain coupled with the incorporation of firearms initially supplied by the Russians. <ref name=redbook> [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml "The Nenets"] ''The Peoples of the Red Book''. </ref>. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A new approach of [[assimilation]] was attempted in the eighteenth century, with a [[Russian Orthodox]] missionary movement to convert and educate them. However, they failed to directly engage the Nentsky. By the ninetteenth century, life for the Nentsky had grown difficult. [[Alcoholism]], exploitation by tradesmen and merchants, and forced re-locations by the government threatened to destroy the traditional Nenets life-style. [[Communism]] in the twentieth century furthered the decline in Nenets [[culture]], with the creation of collective farms that halted their longstanding [[nomad]]ic traditions and the regulating of child raising by sending all children to government run [[school]]s disrupting the flow of passing down culture from one generation to the next. Industrial complexes also caused mass [[pollution]] in the Nenets region, furthering their displacement.<ref name=redbook> [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml "The Nenets"] ''The Peoples of the Red Book''. </ref>. | ||
[[Image:Nenets Region.jpg|thumb|left|310px|Extent of the traditional homeland of the Nenets.]] | [[Image:Nenets Region.jpg|thumb|left|310px|Extent of the traditional homeland of the Nenets.]] | ||
| Line 20: | Line 24: | ||
==Culture== | ==Culture== | ||
| − | Traditionally, the Nentsky lived in a [[clan-based]] | + | Traditionally, the Nentsky lived in a [[clan]]-based [[social structure]], small bands all belonging to a clan name, living in non-permanent settlements. Usually they inhabited tee-pee like tents they called ''mya''. <ref> Haakason, Sven. "Yamal Culture" http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/yamalcu.html </ref> They were [[nomad]]ic, migrating seasonally through the [[tundra]] and forests due to both economic and religious reasons; Their [[shamanism|shamanistic]] and [[animism|animistic]] belief system stressed respect for the land and its resources and incorporated shamans, called ''Tadibya'', forming the belief in a symbiotic relationship between the Nentsky and nature. |
| − | The Nentsky language is called | + | Excellent at [[hunting]], [[fishing]], and using natural resources without exploiting and damaging mother nature, such as using the furs and skins of slain animals intended for eating as clothes, and bones as decorations, the Nentsky economy traditionally is based around the [[reindeer]] and Samoyed [[dog]]. The Nentsky bred dogs to help herd the reindeer and pull sleds across the snow. Later, European explorers used the dogs for [[Arctic]] explorations since they were so well adapted to the environment. |
| + | |||
| + | The Nentsky language is called ''n'enytsia vada'', and has numerous [[dialect]]s. The language reflects the traditional nenets culture, with many descriptions and words for nature, animals, hunting, and reindeer references. The language was based loosely on [[pictographs]] for centuries, until an effort to create a written paradigm was created in the 1930s, using the [[Latin]] [[alphabet]] and Russian [[orthography]].<ref name=redbook> [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml "The Nenets"] ''The Peoples of the Red Book'' </ref> A rise in [[bil-lingualism]] of the Nentsky has made Russian the largest influence on their language. | ||
==Contemporary Life== | ==Contemporary Life== | ||
| − | [[Image:Nenets.jpg|thumb|230px|Nenets family in their | + | [[Image:Nenets.jpg|thumb|230px|Nenets family in their tent.]] |
| − | Today, there are two distinct groups based on the Nenet economy: the [[tundra | + | Today, there are two distinct groups based on the Nenet economy: the [[tundra]] Nentsky (living far to the north) and the Khandeyar or Forest Nentsky. A third group, Kominized Nentsky (Yaran people) has emerged as a result of intermarriages between Nenets and the Izhma tribe of the [[Komi]] peoples. The Nentsky still continue to bear mongoloid characteristics: commonly short and stocky, dark skin pigmentation, epicanthic eye folds, flat faces, and poor beards. However, a group of Nentsky from the Arkhangelsk region have more European features. <ref name=redbook> [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml "The Nenets"] ''The Peoples of the Red Book''. </ref>. |
| − | With the collapse of communism in the early | + | With the collapse of [[communism]] in the early 1990s, the Nentsky continue to struggle with the lingering effects of centuries of oppression. The last [[census]] in 2002 showed that there were 41,302 Nentsky in the Russian Federation, making them by far the majority in the Samoyed group. However, due to their loss of tradition, the Nenets language is nearly extinct, along with much of their culture. There are high rates of [[suicide]] and [[alcoholism]] within their society, along with low life expectancy rates. The Nenet struggle is comparable to the plight of [[Native Americans]] in the [[United States|U.S.A.]]. |
==Footnotes== | ==Footnotes== | ||
| Line 47: | Line 53: | ||
*[http://www.peoples.org.ru/eng_index.html Minority languages of Russia on the Net] | *[http://www.peoples.org.ru/eng_index.html Minority languages of Russia on the Net] | ||
*[http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/index1.shtml The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire] | *[http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/index1.shtml The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire] | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
{{Credit1|Nenets_people|61667051|}} | {{Credit1|Nenets_people|61667051|}} | ||
Revision as of 15:55, 15 November 2006
| Nenets | |
|---|---|
| A Nenets child. | |
| Total population | 41,000 |
| Regions with significant populations | Russia |
| Language | Nenets, Russian |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox, Shamanism |
Nenets is the singular noun for the Nentsy people, Ненцы (n'enyts, pl. n'enytsja) in Russian, one group of the various peoples that inhabit the Russian tundra. This group, which includes the Enets, Selkup and Nganasan people, has been referred to as Yurak or Samoyed, a term that comes from indiscriminate Russian usage throughout the centuries, deriving from the literal morphs of samo and yed, which translates to "self-eater". Since the twentieth century, "Nenets," their self-determined name translated as "man", became the politically correct term.
History
Due to the similarities in languages, historians believe that the Nentsky split apart from the Finno-Ugric speaking groups around 3000 B.C.E. and migrated east where they mixed with Turkic and Altaic speaking peoples around 200 B.C.E. They settled between the Kanin and Taymyr peninsulas, around the Ob and Yenisey rivers, with some of them settling into small communities and taking up farming, while others continued hunting and reindeer herding, traveling great distances over the Kanin peninsula.
Those who remained in Europe came under Russian control around 1200 C.E., while those who lived further east intermixed with the Ugains, the Novgo, and Tartars until they too came under Russian control in the sixteen6th century. Since the seventeenth century unification, Russian rulers had difficulty maintaining control over all the Sameyodic peoples, the Nentsky in particular. Resenting their oppressors, the Nentsky attacked government officials and out-posts, having the advantage of superior knowledge of the terrain coupled with the incorporation of firearms initially supplied by the Russians. [1].
A new approach of assimilation was attempted in the eighteenth century, with a Russian Orthodox missionary movement to convert and educate them. However, they failed to directly engage the Nentsky. By the ninetteenth century, life for the Nentsky had grown difficult. Alcoholism, exploitation by tradesmen and merchants, and forced re-locations by the government threatened to destroy the traditional Nenets life-style. Communism in the twentieth century furthered the decline in Nenets culture, with the creation of collective farms that halted their longstanding nomadic traditions and the regulating of child raising by sending all children to government run schools disrupting the flow of passing down culture from one generation to the next. Industrial complexes also caused mass pollution in the Nenets region, furthering their displacement.[1].
Culture
Traditionally, the Nentsky lived in a clan-based social structure, small bands all belonging to a clan name, living in non-permanent settlements. Usually they inhabited tee-pee like tents they called mya. [2] They were nomadic, migrating seasonally through the tundra and forests due to both economic and religious reasons; Their shamanistic and animistic belief system stressed respect for the land and its resources and incorporated shamans, called Tadibya, forming the belief in a symbiotic relationship between the Nentsky and nature.
Excellent at hunting, fishing, and using natural resources without exploiting and damaging mother nature, such as using the furs and skins of slain animals intended for eating as clothes, and bones as decorations, the Nentsky economy traditionally is based around the reindeer and Samoyed dog. The Nentsky bred dogs to help herd the reindeer and pull sleds across the snow. Later, European explorers used the dogs for Arctic explorations since they were so well adapted to the environment.
The Nentsky language is called n'enytsia vada, and has numerous dialects. The language reflects the traditional nenets culture, with many descriptions and words for nature, animals, hunting, and reindeer references. The language was based loosely on pictographs for centuries, until an effort to create a written paradigm was created in the 1930s, using the Latin alphabet and Russian orthography.[1] A rise in bil-lingualism of the Nentsky has made Russian the largest influence on their language.
Contemporary Life
Today, there are two distinct groups based on the Nenet economy: the tundra Nentsky (living far to the north) and the Khandeyar or Forest Nentsky. A third group, Kominized Nentsky (Yaran people) has emerged as a result of intermarriages between Nenets and the Izhma tribe of the Komi peoples. The Nentsky still continue to bear mongoloid characteristics: commonly short and stocky, dark skin pigmentation, epicanthic eye folds, flat faces, and poor beards. However, a group of Nentsky from the Arkhangelsk region have more European features. [1].
With the collapse of communism in the early 1990s, the Nentsky continue to struggle with the lingering effects of centuries of oppression. The last census in 2002 showed that there were 41,302 Nentsky in the Russian Federation, making them by far the majority in the Samoyed group. However, due to their loss of tradition, the Nenets language is nearly extinct, along with much of their culture. There are high rates of suicide and alcoholism within their society, along with low life expectancy rates. The Nenet struggle is comparable to the plight of Native Americans in the U.S.A..
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Nenets" The Peoples of the Red Book. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "redbook" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "redbook" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Haakason, Sven. "Yamal Culture" http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/yamalcu.html
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- The works of M. A. Castrén are still of authority on the Samoyedes. See Grammatik der samojedischen Sprachen (1854); Wörterverzeichnisse aus den samojedischen Sprachen (1855); Ethnologische Vorlesungen über die altaischen Völker (1857); Versuch der koibalischen und karagassischen Sprachlehre (1857).
- A. Middendorf, Reise in den düstersten Norden und Osten Sibiriens. (1875).
- Janhunen, Juha: Glottal stop in Nenets. - Helsinki : Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, 1986. - 202 p. - (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran toimituksia ; 196). - ISBN 951-9403-03-5
- Salminen, Tapani: Tundra Nenets inflection. - Helsinki : Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, 1997. - 154 S. - (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran toimituksia ; 227). - ISBN 952-5150-02-X
- Sammallahti, Pekka: Material from Forest Nenets. - Helsinki, 1974. - 140 p. - (Castrenianumin Toimitteita ; 2). - ISBN 951-45-0282-5
External links
- Website with photos of Nenets people
- UNESCO Red Book on endangered languages: Northeast Asia
- Endangered Uralic Peoples
- Jarkko Niemi: The types of the Nenets songs. 1997
- Minority languages of Russia on the Net
- The Red Book of the peoples of the Russian Empire
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
