Nenets

Nenets
	A Nenets child.
Total population	41,000
Regions with significant populations	Russia
Language	Nenets, Russian
Religion	Russian Orthodox, Shamanism

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Nenets is the singlar noun for the N'enyts people, Ненцы in Russian, one group of the Samoyeds that inhabit the Russian tundra, which includes the Enets, Selkup and Nganasan people. The term Samoyeds comes from indiscriminate Russian usage throughout the centuries, deriving from the literal morphs of samo and yed, which translates to "self-eater". Since the 20th century, the traditional self-determined, translated as "man", Nenets became politically correct although Samoyeds is still used to define the entire indigendous populations of the area.

History

Some believe that they 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. Those who remained in Europe came under Russian control around 1200 C.E. but those who lived further east did not come in contact until 14^th century. In the early 17^th century, all Nenets were under Russian control. The Samoyedic languages form a minor branch of the Uralic language family, the major branch being the Finno-Ugric languages. It is of major importance for the basic comparison between the Uralic and Finno-Ugric languages. Another consideration is that they moved (probably from farther south in Siberia) to the northernmost part of what later became Russia before the 12^th century

They ended up 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, travelling great distances over the Kanin peninsula.

File:Nenets Region.jpg

Extent of the traditional homeland of the Nenets.

They bred the Samoyed dog to help herd their reindeer and pull their sleds, and European explorers later used those dogs for polar expeditions, because they have adapted so well to the arctic conditions. Fish was also a major component of their diet.

Nenets family in their tent.

When reading old Russian documents it is necessary to keep in mind that the term samoyed' was often applied indiscriminately to different peoples of Northern Siberia who speak different Uralic languages: Nenets, Nganasans, Enets, Selkups (speakers of Samoyedic languages).

After the Russian Revolution, their culture suffered due to Soviet collectivisation policy. The government of the Soviet Union tried to force the nomad Samoyeds to settle down, and most of them became assimilated. They were forced to settle on permanent farms and their children were educated in state boarding schools, leading to an erosion of their cultural heritage. Environmental damage due to the industrialisation of their land and overgrazing of the tundra migration routes in some regions (Yamal Peninsula) have further endangered their way of life.

Culture

They had a shamanistic and animistic belief system which stressed respect for the land and its resources. They had a clan-based social structure. The Nenets shaman is called a Tadibya.

The name Samoyed entered the Russian language as a deformation of the self-reference Saamod, Saamid (the Fennic suffix "-d" denotes plurality: Fennic Saami -> "Saamid"). Another version derives the name from the expression same edne , i.e., the land of sami. In Russian ethnographic literature of 19^th century they were also called "Самоядь", "Самодь", (samoyad', samod', samodijtsy, samodijskie narody) which was often transliterated into English as Samodi.

The literal morphs samo and yed in Russian convey the meaning "self-eater" and sound very derogatory. Therefore the name Samoyed quickly went out of usage in the 20^th century, and the people bear the name of Nenets, which means "man".

Contemporary Life

There are two distinct groups based on their economy: the Tundra Nenets (living far to the north) and the Khandeyar or Forest Nenets. The third group Kominized Nenets (Yaran people) has emerged as a result of intermarriages between Nenets and the Izhma tribe of the Komi peoples.

References
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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
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

External links

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