The article will talk about the indigenous people of Sakhalin. They are represented by two nationalities, which we will consider in great detail and from different points of view. Not only the history of these people is interesting, but also their characteristics, way of life and traditions. All this will be described below.
Indigenous people of Sakhalin
As for the nationalities that lived here, it is immediately necessary to distinguish two main groups - Nivkhs and Ainu. Nivkhs are the indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin, who are the most ancient and numerous. Most of all they chose the territory of the lower reaches of the Amur River. Later, Oroks, Nanai and Evenks lived here. However, the bulk of the Nivkhs were still located in the northern part of the island. These people were engaged in hunting, fishing, as well as fishing for sea lions and seals.
Evenki and Oroks were mainly engaged in reindeer husbandry, which forced them to lead a nomadic lifestyle. For them, the deer was not only food and clothing, but also a transport animal. They also actively engaged in fishing for sea animals and fishing.
As for the current stage, the indigenous people of Sakhalin can now do whatever they want. They can revive the economy, engage in hunting, reindeer herding or fishing. Also in the district there are masters of fur applique and embroidery. Moreover, even modern nations preserve and honor their traditions.
Life and customs of the indigenous people of Sakhalin
Nivkhs are an ethnic group that has lived in the lower reaches of the Amur River since ancient times. These are a single people whose national culture is pronounced. People settled in small groups, choosing the most convenient places from a geographical point of view. They located their houses near the places of fishing for fish and animals. The main activity was aimed at hunting, picking berries and herbs, and fishing.
By the way, they were engaged in the last throughout the year. The fishing of migratory salmon fish was very important, from which stocks for the whole winter and animal feed were prepared. In the beginning of summer, we caught pink salmon, and afterwards, chum salmon. In some rivers and lakes one could find sturgeon, whitefish, kaluga, pike, taimen. They also caught flounder and nelma. The population consumed all its prey raw. Filled them only for the winter. Thanks to the fish, the indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin Island received fat, material for sewing clothes and shoes.
Sea fishing was also popular. The resulting products (meat of belugas, dolphins or seals) were consumed by people and used for animal feed. The resulting fat was also eaten, but sometimes it could be stored for several years. Skins of sea animals use for pasting skis, sewing clothes and shoes. When there was free time, people were engaged in picking berries and hunting.
Living conditions
We begin to consider the life and customs of the indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin with the tools that they used for crafts. These were airplanes, rides or seines. Each family was very large and patriarchal. The whole clan lived together. The economy was also common. All family members could use the resulting fishing products.
Parents lived in the dwelling with their sons and their families. If someone was dying, then families of brothers and sisters lived together. Attention was also paid to orphans and elderly members of the clan. There were individual families, small ones that did not want to live with their parents. On average, 6-12 people lived in a dwelling, depending on various factors. However, there are cases when up to 40 people could live in one winter road.
Nivkh society was primitive communal, because at the top of the social ladder was the clan. The whole family lived in one place, had common animals, a farm. Also, the family could belong to cult or farm buildings. The nature of the economy was exclusively natural.
clothing
The indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin, described by Kruzenshtern, had special signs. Women wore large earrings, which were made of copper or silver wire. In shape they resembled the union of a ring and a spiral. Sometimes the earrings could be decorated with glass beads or stone circles of different colors. Women wore robes, greaves, and arm ruffles. The dressing gown was made like a kimono. It was bordered by a large collar and hem, which differed from the color of the robe. On the hem for decoration sewed copper plates. The robe was wound to the right side and buttoned using buttons. Winter bathrobes were insulated with a layer of cotton wool. Also, women wore 2-3 bathrobes at a time in the cold.
Dressing gowns had very bright colors (red, green, yellow). They were decorated with bright fabric and ornament. Most attention was paid to the back, on which drawings were made with the help of threads and openwork ornaments. Such beautiful little things were passed on through generations and were very much appreciated. So we learned about the clothes of the indigenous people of Sakhalin. Kruzenshtern Ivan, about whom we spoke above, was the man who headed the first Russian round-the-world trip.
Religion
What about religion? The beliefs of the Nivkhs were based on animism and the cult of crafts. They believed that everything has its own spirit - by the earth, water, sky, taiga, etc. It is interesting that the bears were especially revered, as they were considered the sons of the taiga owners. That is why the hunt for them has always been accompanied by religious events. In winter, a bear holiday was celebrated. To do this, they caught the beast, fed and raised it for several years. During the holiday he was dressed up in special clothes and taken home, where he was fed from human dishes. Then the bear was shot from a bow, sacrificing it. Near the head of the slain beast, food was arranged, as if treating it. By the way, Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern described the indigenous people of Sakhalin as very intelligent people. It was the Nivkhs who cremated the dead, and then buried them under ritual cries somewhere in the taiga. Also, sometimes the method of air burial of a person was used.
Ainu
The second large group of indigenous people on the coast of Sakhalin are the Ainu, who are also called smokers. These are national minorities, which were also distributed in Kamchatka and in the Khabarovsk Territory. According to the census in 2010, a little more than 100 people were discovered, but the fact is that more than 1000 people have such an origin. Many of those who recognized their origin live in Kamchatka, although since ancient times the Ainu mostly lived on Sakhalin.
Two subgroups
It should be noted that the Ainu - the indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin, are divided into two small subgroups: the North Sakhalin and South Sakhalin. The first make up only a fifth of all purebred representatives of this people, which were discovered in 1926 during the census. Most of the people in this group were relocated here in 1875 by the Japanese. Some representatives of the nationality took Russian women as their wives, mixing blood. It is believed that as a tribe the Ainu died out, although even nowadays one can find purebred representatives of the nationality.
The South Sakhalin Ainu were evacuated by the Japanese after World War II to Sakhalin. They lived in separate small groups, which still remained. In 1949, there were about 100 people of this nation who lived on Sakhalin. At the same time, the last three people, who were purebred representatives of the nationality, died in the 1980s. Now you can find only mixed representatives with the Russians, Japanese and Nivkhs. There are not more than a few hundred, but they claim to be purebred Ainu.
Historical aspect
The indigenous peoples of Sakhalin came into contact with Russian people in the 17th century. Then trade contributed to this. Only many years later, full-fledged relations were built with the Amur and North Kuril subgroups of the nationality. The Ainu considered the Russians their friends, since they differed in appearance from their Japanese opponents. That is why they quickly agreed to accept Russian citizenship voluntarily. It is interesting that even the Japanese could not say for sure who were Ainu or Russian in front of them. When the Japanese first made contact with the Russians in this territory, they called them the Red Ainu, that is, with blond hair. An interesting fact is that only by the 19th century did the Japanese finally realize that they were dealing with two different nations. The Russians themselves did not find so many similarities. They described the Ainu as dark-haired people with dark skin and eyes. Someone noted that they look like peasants with dark skin or gypsies.
Note that the discussed ethnic group actively supported the Russians during the Russo-Japanese wars. However, after the defeat in 1905, the Russians left their comrades to their fate, which put an end to the friendly relations between them. Hundreds of people of this nation were destroyed, their families were killed, and their homes looted. So we come to why the Ainu were forcibly relocated by the Japanese to Hokkaido. At the same time, during the Second World War, the Russians still failed to defend their right to the Ainu. That is why most of the remaining representatives of the people left for Japan, and in Russia no more than 10% remained.
Relocation
The indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin Island under the terms of the treaty of 1875 were to go into Japanese power. However, after 2 years, less than a hundred representatives of the Ainu arrived in Russia in order to remain under its leadership. They decided not to move to the Commander Islands, as the Russian government suggested, but to stay in Kamchatka. Because of this, in 1881 they about four months on foot reached the village of Yavino, where they planned to settle. Then they managed to found the village of Golygino. In 1884, several more representatives of the nationality arrived from Japan. By the 1897 census, the entire population was slightly less than 100 people. When the Soviet regime came to power, all the settlements were destroyed, and people were forcibly resettled in Zaporizhia, Ust-Bolsheretsky district. Because of this, the ethnic group mingled with the Kamchadals.
During the tsarist regime, the Ainu were forbidden to call themselves that. At the same time, the Japanese claimed that the territory inhabited by the indigenous people of Sakhalin is Japanese. It is a fact that in Soviet times, people who had Ainu surnames were sent to the Gulag or other labor camps as a soulless labor force without cause or effect. The reason was that the authorities considered this nation to be Japanese. Because of this, a large number of representatives of this ethnic group changed their names to Slavic.
In the winter of 1953, an order came out that it was impossible to publish information about the Ainu or their whereabouts in the press. After 20 years, this order was canceled.
Latest data
Note that today the Ainu are still an ethnic subgroup in Russia. Famous is the Nakamura family, which is the smallest, as it consists of only 6 people who live in Kamchatka. Currently, most of this nation lives on Sakhalin, but many of its representatives do not recognize themselves as Ainu. Perhaps because of the fear of repeating the horrors of the Soviet period. In 1979, the Ainu people were crossed out from ethnic groups living in Russia. In fact, the Ainu were considered extinct in Russia. It is known that, according to the 2002 census, not a single person presented himself as a representative of this nationality, although we understand that they became extinct only on paper.
In 2004, a small but active part of this ethnic group sent a letter personally to the Russian president with a request to prevent the transfer of the Kuril Islands to Japan. There was also a request to recognize the Japanese genocide of the nationality. In their letter, these people wrote that their tragedy can only be compared with the genocide of the indigenous population of America.
In 2010, when the census of the indigenous peoples of the north of Sakhalin took place, some people showed a desire to record themselves as Ainu. They sent an official request, but their request was rejected by the government of the Kamchatka Territory and recorded as Kamchadals. Note that at the moment, ethnic Ainu are not organized from a political point of view. They do not want to recognize their nationality at any level. In 2012, there were more than 200 people of this nationality in the country, but they were recorded in all official documents as smokers or Kamchadals. In the same year, they were deprived of hunting and fishing rights.
In 2010, part of the Ainu who lived in Zaporozhye of the Ust-Bolsheretsky district was recognized. However, out of more than 800 people, officially recognized no more than 100. These people, as we said above, were former residents of the villages Yavino and Golygino destroyed by the Soviet government. It should be understood that even in Zaporozhye there are much more representatives of this nationality than was recorded. Most simply prefer to remain silent about their origin, so as not to arouse anger. It is noted that people in official documents register themselves as Russians or Kamchadals. Among the famous descendants of the Ainu, it is worth noting such families as Butins, Merlins, Lukashevsky, Konevs and Storozhevs.
Federal recognition
It should be noted that the Ainu language actually died out in Russia many years ago. The Kuril people stopped using their native language at the beginning of the last century, as they were afraid of persecution by the authorities. By 1979, only three people in Sakhalin could speak the original Ainu language, but they all died by the 1980s. Note that Keizo Nakamura spoke this language, and he even translated several important documents of the NKVD into it. But at the same time, the man did not pass on his tongue to his son. The last man, Take Asai, who knew the Sakhalin-Ainu language, died in 1994 in Japan.
Note that at the federal level, this nationality was not recognized.
