KHANTY
Khanty
from the Ob river
Languages
: Khanty, Russian
Religion : Russian Orthodoxy and Shamanism
Related ethnic groups : Mansi and Hungarians
The
Khanty (in older literature: Ostyaks) are a Ugrian indigenous people
calling themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek (Khanty), living in Khanty–Mansi
Autonomous Okrug, a region historically known as "Yugra"
in Russia, together with the Mansi.
In the autonomous okrug, the Khanty and Mansi languages are given
co-official status with Russian. In the 2010 Census, 30,943 persons
identified themselves as Khanty. Of those, 26,694 were resident
in Tyumen Oblast, of whom 17,128 were living in Khanty–Mansi
Autonomous Okrug and 8,760—in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
873 were residents of neighbouring Tomsk Oblast, and 88 lived in
the Komi Republic.
Khanty
man in Tomsk, 2006
Khanty
family standing in front of a chum, their traditional tent
Most
Khanty people live in the Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug in
western Siberia
History
:
In the second millennium BC, the territories between the Kama and
the Irtysh Rivers were the home of a Proto-Uralic-speaking population
that had contacts with Proto-Indo-European speakers from the south.
The inhabitants of the areas were of Europid stock, but the Khanty
are predominantly Uraloid. The woodland population is the ancestor
of the modern Ugrian inhabitants of Trans-Uralia. Some consider
the Khanty's ancestors to be the prehistoric metalworking Andronovo
Culture. Other researchers say that the Khanty people originated
in the south Ural steppe and moved northwards into their current
location about 500 AD.
Khanty
probably appear in Russian records under the name Yugra (ca. 11th
century), when they had contact with Russian hunters and merchants.
The name comes from Komi-Zyrian language jögra ('Khanty').
It is also possible that they were first recorded by the English
King Alfred the Great (ca. 9th century), who located Fenland (wetland)
to the east of the White Sea in Western Siberia. The older Russian
name Ostyak is from Khanty as-kho 'person from the Ob (as) River,'
with -yak after other ethnic terms like Permyak.
Some
Khanty princedoms were partially included in the Siberia Khanate
from the 1440s–1570s.
In
the 11th century, Yugra was actually a term for numerous tribes,
each having its own centre and its own chief. Every tribe had two
exogamic phratries, termed mon't' and por, and all members were
considered to be blood relatives. This structure was later replaced
with clans, where each clan leader (knyazets) negotiated with the
Russian realm. They also participated in Russian campaigns, and
received the right to collect yasaq (tribute) from two Khanty volosts
(districts) respectively. When this structure was no longer needed,
Russia deprived them of their privileges.
Between
the 17th and 19th centuries, there were attempts to introduce Christianity,
but the Khanty lifestyle did not undergo any real changes. In the
second half of 19th century, they gradually accepted state law.
During
the Soviet period the Khanty were one of the few indigenous minorities
of Siberia to be granted an autonomy in the form of an okrug (autonomous
district). The establishment of autonomy has played a considerable
role in consolidation of the ethnos (the Western Khants called their
eastern neighbours Kantõk [the Other People]). However, in
the 1930s concerted efforts were made by the Soviet state to collectivise
them. The initial stages of this meant the execution of tribal chiefs,
who were labelled "kulaks", followed by the execution
of shamans. The abduction by the state of the children who were
sent to Russian-speaking boarding schools provoked a national revolt
in 1933 called the Kazym rebellion.
After
the end of the Stalin period this process was relaxed and efforts
were intensified in the 1980s and 1990s to protect their common
territory from industrial expansion of various ministries and agencies.
The autonomy has also played a major role in preserving the traditional
culture and language.
Economy
:
The Khantys' traditional occupations were fishery, taiga hunting
and reindeer herding. They lived as trappers, thus gathering was
of major importance.
Organisation
:
The Khanty are one of the indigenous minorities in Siberia with
an autonomy in the form of an okrug (autonomous area).
Religion
:
Most Khanty are today Orthodox Christians, mixed with traditional
beliefs (shamans, reincarnation). Their historical shaman wore no
special clothes except a cap. Traditional Khanty cults are closely
related to nature. The Crow spring celebration is being celebrated
in April, nowadays it is April 7, the same day as the Annunciation
day. The Bear Celebration is being celebrated occasionally after
a successful hunting of a bear. The Bear Celebration continues 5
or 6 days (the duration depends on the sex of the animal). Over
300 songs and performances occur during a Bear Celebration. The
most important parts of the celebration are:
•
Nukh Kiltatty Ar (The Awakening Song)
• Ily Vukhalty Ar (The Coming Down From The
Sky Song) - The story about the son of Torum (the sky god). The
son was sent by Torum to rule the Earth. He has forgotten father's
advice, lost his immortality, turned into a beast and has been killed
by the hunters.
• Il Veltatty Ar (The Lullaby)
Language :
The Khanty language has long been thought to belong to a Ugric branch
of the Uralic languages, and thus most closely related to Mansi
and Hungarian, though that conclusion has come under doubt, with
all three languages left unclassified within Uralic in some treatments.
It consists of ten dialects, divided into southern, northern and
eastern subgroups.
Notable
Khanty :
• Ambal (fl. 16th and 17th c.), Khanty and
Tatar prince
Gallery :
Khanty children pose for the camera in front of a reindeer
sledge near Lake Numto
Khanty
family at River Ob in the village of Tegi
Kazym
grandmothers old women in Numsang Yoh nomad camp
Khanty
girls gathering berries
Khanty
selling blueberries and stuffed animals
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Khanty