Arctic Peoples

conventional name for the indigenous population in the circumpolar region of the northern hemisphere. Usually refers to the peoples of northern Asia and North America, primarily those who inhabit the tundra (Chukchi, Koriak, Iukagir, Itel’men-Kamchadal, Aleut, and Eskimo); also sometimes the population of the western tundra and taiga regions (Saami [Lapp], Nenets, Enets, Nganasan, northern Yakut, Evenki, and Even). The term “arctic peoples” (and also the more outdated “Hyperboreans”) is a geographical designation embracing tribes that are completely different in culture and origin. The expressions “northern minorities” or “peoples of the north” in Soviet scientific literature do not correspond to the term “arctic peoples,” since they also include the people of the Amur River region and Sakhalin (Nivkh, Nanai, Ul’chi, Orok, and Udegei), the middle Enisei and Ob’ (Ket, Sel’kup, Khanty), and others.