Most Russians find it natural that Siberia is an integral part of our country. However, four centuries ago, Russians were strangers in this territory, and it was inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Siberia (Kets, Nenets, Evenks and others) who live in fishing and hunting. Unfortunately, many of them are currently on the verge of extinction and have long lost their cultural traditions, language and history. The Ket people are among the smallest and least studied indigenous groups in Siberia. Therefore, our article is devoted to these people, shedding light on its life and origin.
Kets: who are they?
Kets are a people who lived on the territory of modern Siberia in the first millennium AD. They appeared, according to scientists, as a result of a mixture of the Caucasoid and Mongoloid races. Anthropologists have long attributed them to the Ural type, but recently they are inclined to the version that the Kets can be considered an independent Yenisei type.
How did the name “chum” come from?
The people of the North Keta did not always bear this name. Initially, the Russians called this people the Ostyaks and only specified their places of residence so as not to confuse the tribes with each other. Since most of the Kets traditionally settled on the banks of the Yenisei, they were called the Yenisei Ostyaks. However, after some time, such terminology began to confuse scientists, since three different nationalities were actually assigned to the Ostyaks. Around the twenties of the last century, the term "chum" was coined, which was translated as "man" or "people." Over time, most of this northern people began to call themselves Kets, and only less than twenty percent (among them mostly old people) continue to use the already outdated word Oganyans.
Kets (people): origin and history
Scientists suggest that chum originally lived in southern Siberia. They settled in small groups and communicated with most of their neighbors: arins, asanas, and so on. Around the first millennium, they began to migrate and reached the banks of the Yenisei, where they settled, settling in all tributaries.
Until the thirteenth century, the chum salmon were actively inhabited by the Yenisei, their traces were found almost throughout the entire territory. It was this fact that explained to scientists the presence of various dialects of the Ket language, which arose as a result of the isolation of some tribes from others.
It is worth noting that the culture of the Kets was formed under the influence of many Siberian peoples. She managed to incorporate the traditions of the Enets, Khanty and Selkups. Over time, they all transformed into distinctive Ket customs.
By the arrival of the Russians in Siberia, the people continued to live in a tribal system. Nevertheless, all the chum salmon had an idea of metallurgy and made simple objects from metal. Unfortunately, the discoverers of the Siberian open spaces were not too interested in chum. The people, whose representatives' photos are now quite difficult to find, began to disappear fairly quickly under the onslaught of Russian immigrants and now have the status of small numbers.
Where does the people live?
From ancient times, chum is a people who settled in the lower and upper Yenisei. There has always been enough fur-bearing animals and fish, which were actively eaten. Currently, almost all chum salmon live in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The Turukhansky region is most densely populated by them, small groups are located near the tributaries of the Yenisei:
- Kureyki.
- Paculiha.
- Surgutikhs.
It is worth noting that not all chum salmon live by ethnic groups. The people are distinguished by some isolation and isolation, therefore, even before the arrival of Russian pioneers in Siberia, representatives of the tribe could live in families, thousands of kilometers from the main settlements of their people. Currently, an insignificant part of the Kets lives in the Russian villages of Turukhansky district. Usually chum salmon avoid large cities, but it is known that several groups settled in Krasnoyarsk.
Kets (people): strength
Unfortunately, scientists do not have reliable data on what was the number of chum salmon in the seventeenth century. Therefore, it is now quite difficult to track the dynamics of their development. A population census, conducted once every several years, allows us to draw conclusions about how detrimental the current living conditions affect the preservation of the size of this ethnic group.
According to 2010 data, chum salmon are a people whose number does not exceed 1200 people. Although back in 2002, the census showed 300 more people who identify themselves with this nationality. Scientists attribute this fact to the fact that most Kets depart from the traditions of their ancestors, gradually losing themselves. After all, even the language of this Siberian people is already dying.
Ket language
At the moment, the Ket language is the last of the rich Yenisei language family. Kets - its only speakers, other peoples speaking similar dialects, finally lost their native language in the 18-19 centuries.
Already fifteen years ago, scientists claimed that only 30 percent of Kets can speak their own language, and the rest of the people (mainly young people) prefer to speak Russian.
Linguists with great pleasure study the Ket language, although it is difficult and has three dialects. However, the difference between them is not too noticeable. Unfortunately, the predictions of scientists are disappointing - in just a few years there will not be a single person left on Earth who can pronounce at least one word in Ket.
Kets National Costume
Chum salmon stood out at the end of the 18th century by sewing clothes from purchased materials. But skins of wild and domestic animals were also often used. For this purpose, deer, hares and squirrels were ideally suited.
From the cloth of chum salmon sewed tight and comfortable dressing gowns with a smell and wide trousers. Wool stockings were an obligatory attribute of the costume; they reached the knee and tightly encircled the shin. Shoes were predominantly made of leather and painted in different shades of red.
In winter, the costume was supplemented with outer clothing from hides and mandatory hunting skis. They were always glued with camus and greased with animal fat.
Religion of the endangered Siberian people
The religious beliefs of the Kets were very primitive. The basis of religion was animalism, which is characteristic of all peoples involved in hunting and fishing. At the same time, the Kets had some ideas about the afterlife, they divided the whole world into three components. The upper limits were ruled by a good deity in a male form, the middle world was inhabited by people, and the lower underground kingdom was dominated by an evil and cruel goddess.
