Ethnic groups of Russia: Evenki

The Evenki are a small indigenous people in Eastern Siberia, related to the Chinese Manchus. About 40,000 can be found in the vast territory from the Yenisei River to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, with the majority living in Yakutia. Until 1931, the Evenki were called Tungus.

The Evenki language is the source of the names of many geographical features in Siberia, including the major rivers Lena and Yenisei. According to one theory, the word ‘Siberia’ itself is of Evenki origin and means ‘world’.

Most Evenki are reindeer herders. These animals serve as a source of food and are used to make clothing, medicine and household items. "If there's a reindeer, there's an Evenk; if there's no reindeer, there's no Evenk," they used to say.

One of the main dishes of Evenki cuisine is ‘buyurun’ sausage, made from reindeer intestines and blood. The Evenki also enjoy frozen reindeer brains and, for dessert, they prefer blueberries soaked in reindeer milk.