Ethnic groups of Russia: Nenets
More than 190 ethnic groups live in the Russian Federation. Today, we're highlighting the Nenets!
This is the most numerous of the indigenous ethnic groups of the Russian North. About 50,000 Nenets in total live in Russia, primarily in the tundra along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. There is also a small group of "forest Nenets".
The Nenets language belongs to the Samoyedic branch of the Uralic language family. It’s distantly related to the Finno-Ugric languages. It has dozens of words for reindeer, based on their age, gender, color and so on. The Nenets often refer to various wildflowers by the common word ‘ӈамдэʼ (‘grass’).
Reindeer herding has been the lifeblood of the Nenets for centuries and remains so today. Reindeer are literally everything to them: transportation, food, clothing and a source of income. A single family can herd several hundred animals, while the total population of domesticated reindeer in the Nenets' habitat exceeds 600,000.
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The harsh conditions of the Far North have taught the Nenets to eat reindeer meat raw. It’s dipped in blood, bitten and cut off at the teeth with a knife. The liver, kidneys and tongue of the animal are considered the most delicious.
