A/HRC/15/37/Add.5 II. The small-numbered indigenous peoples of Russia 7. The Russian Federation is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and includes over 160 distinct peoples. Russian federal legislation protects the “numerically small indigenous peoples” or “small-numbered indigenous peoples of Russia”, defined as those who live in territories traditionally inhabited by their ancestors; maintain a traditional way of life and economic activity; number fewer than 50,000; and identify themselves as separate ethnic communities.1 The official listing of the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation identifies 46 such groups.2 The size of these groups varies from fewer than 300 (240 Ent) to more than 40,000 (41,000 Nenet peoples).3 In total, these groups comprise 244,0004 people, residing within 28 constituent politicaladministrative units of the Russian Federation, mainly in the North, Siberia and the Far East of Russia. 8. The scope of the current report is for the most part limited to those groups defined by the Government of the Russian Federation as small-numbered indigenous peoples, and from hereon in the term “indigenous peoples” in this report refers to those groups. It should be stressed, however, that there may be groups that share the characteristics and challenges of small-numbered indigenous peoples but which, because of the numerical population limitation, do not enjoy the corresponding recognition or legal protections. For example, the Altai Kezhi in the Altai Republic number more than 50,000, but share a similar history and way of life to those of the Altai Alengita, who are included in the official list of smallnumbered peoples. The Nogay number well over 50,000, and constitute an ethnically differentiated people with many problems similar to those of much smaller indigenous groups in the Russian Federation. Also, the Komi-Izhemtsy or Izvatas, have a traditional reindeer-herding and fishing way of life, but because they are considered a subgroup of the larger Komi national minority, do not meet the numerical criteria. Hence, much of the discussion and recommendations in this report regarding the situation of the smallnumbered indigenous people in the Russian Federation may also apply to some of these other groups. 9. Diverse peoples indigenous to the northern, Siberian, and the far eastern regions of territory now within the geographic boundaries of the Russian Federation inhabited these regions long before Tsarist Russia started exploring the territories in the 12th and 13th centuries. They had well-developed communities, subsistence economies and cultures, based on a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life, fishing, hunting, and reindeer herding. Even though the main Tsarist legal act on indigenous people, the 1822 “Regulation of Indigenous Population”, recognized the role of clan community leadership and even prohibited Russians from settling in the territories of indigenous people without their leaders’ permission, indigenous communities suffered many effects of colonization, including military conflicts, loss of autonomy and lands, and heavy taxation. The 1917 Revolution brought drastic changes to the relationship between the central Government and indigenous communities, and further affected the situation of indigenous people in Russia. 10. The rise and fall of communism carries epic historical significance for all Russians, but was especially traumatic to the situation of indigenous peoples. Soviet leaders were known to take pride in the diversity of ethnicity and culture in the Soviet Union, and the 1 2 3 4 GE.10-14779 Federal Law on Guarantees of the Rights of Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation. Common List of Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of Russia, N255 of 2000, and N760 of 2008. Concept Paper on the Sustainable development of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation (N132-p, 2009). Ibid. 5