Russia is |
Peoples of Russia
Kets
Kets are a small-numbered native people of Siberia. The self-designation of the Kets is Ket (“human”), Deng (“people”); the one of the Yughs is Yughyn, Yughans. Their obsolete name is Yenisey Ostyaks. In 2000, by the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation the Kets were given the status of native small-numbered people.
Language
Today the Ket language is practically isolated. This is the only living language of the Yenisey language family, of its Ket-Yugh group. The attempts to create a writing system for the Ket language were made since the 19th century. The ABC book for the middle Ket dialect using the Latin script has been created in 1934. The actually used Cyrillic-based writing system appeared in the late 1980s.
Dispersion
They have settled in the lower reaches of the river Yenisey. The majority of the Kets lives in the Turukhan district of the Krasnoyarsk territory, settling as compact groups along the Yenisey tributaries, Yeloguy, Surgutikha, Pakulikha, Kureyka. The Podkamenno-Tunguska group is settled on the territory of the Evenki district of the Krasnoyarsk territory.
Ethnic groups
Kets are divided into several ethnic territorial groups for which endogamy is typical, which is reflected in the specific details of the language (dialect groups) and culture. There are the following territorial communities of the Kets: Sym, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Yeloguy, Surgutikha, Cherny Ostrov (Pakulikha), Turukhan Baish and Kureyka. Besides the Kets, these groups include Selkups and Evenks.
Traditional occupations
The Kets are hunters and fishers. The basis of the traditional economy was fishing, hunting moose, reindeer, waterfowl and upland fowl. The summer camps where fish was procured were located along the banks of the rivers, and the winter ones, in the taiga. With the introduction of the yasak tribute and then with the development of commodity relations in the region, hunting for fur became widespread (hunting sable, squirrels, etc.) The Kets were known as the best hunters in the region. They surprised the northerners by the fact that they wore thin chintz headscarves all year round, wearing them tied under the chin women-style; this permitted them to hear the smallest rustle. The Kets also were good smiths. Travelling from one camp to another, they carried forge bellows with them. The Ket smiths made arrowheads, fishing tackle and knives, metallic shamanic attributes.
Dwellings
In summer they lived in birch bark chums, in winter, in semi-dugouts. On a hunt the Kets used any temporary shelter, including a simple hole in the snow.
Food
They ate cooked and fried meat, fish, and also cured and dried fat and preserved it. In summer they ate berries and yellow daylily bulbs. They drank herb infusions.
