Nanai people

The Nanai people (Russian: нанайцы, romanized: nanaitsy) are a Tungusic people of East Asia who have traditionally lived along the Amur (Heilongjiang), Songhua (Sunggari) and Ussuri (Wusuli) rivers on the Middle Amur Basin. Their ancestors were the Wild Jurchens of northernmost Manchuria, a region that is now known as Outer Manchuria in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District.

The Nanai language is part of the larger Manchu-Tungusic family. In the 2010 census, there were around 12,003 Nanai people living in Russia. They have a rich cultural history tied to the lands around these important rivers.

Name

The Nanai people are also known by several other names. Common names include Nanai, which means "natives" or "locals", and Hezhen. Other older names used for this group include Goldi, Golds, Goldes, and Samagir.

They also have other self-names, such as Qilang, which means "those who live by the river". The name Hezhen comes from a term meaning "people who live along the lower course of the river". This name is used in Chinese as well.

Traditional lifestyle and culture

Some of the earliest accounts of the Nanai people come from French Jesuit geographers who traveled along the Ussuri and Amur rivers in 1709. They described people living along these rivers, calling some the Yupi Tartars and others the Ketching. These groups spoke related languages and shared cultural ties.

The Nanai people traditionally relied on fishing, living in villages along riverbanks. They spent summers catching fresh fish, especially sturgeon, and dried fish for winter. Their clothing was made from fish skins, earning them the name "Fish-skin Tartars." Agriculture was limited, with only small crops like tobacco grown.

The Nanai practiced Shamanism, showing deep respect for animals like bears and tigers. They believed in spirits of nature and had special rituals for the dead. After someone passed away, their soul was kept in a small cloth shelter for a week, then moved to a wooden doll. A big ceremony prepared the soul for its journey to the underworld. Infants were treated differently, with their souls believed to become birds and not buried like adults.

Modern population

Russia

In Russia, the Nanai people live near the Sea of Okhotsk, along the Amur River downstream from Khabarovsk, around Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and on the banks of the Ussuri and Girin rivers. They were formerly called Goldi by the Russians. In the 2002 census, there were 12,160 Nanai in Russia.

During the Soviet Union, a written form of the Nanai language was created using Cyrillic letters. Today, this language is still taught in 13 schools in Khabarovsk.

China

The Nanai are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they are known as "Hezhe" (赫哲族; Hèzhé Zú). According to the 2004 census, there were 4,640 Nanai in China, mostly in Heilongjiang province. The Nanai in China speak the Hezhen dialect and have a rich oral literature called the Yimakan. While they usually write in Chinese, teachers finished compiling the first Hezhe language textbook in 2005.

Distribution

The 2000 Chinese census found that about 4,640 Nanai people lived in China.

Here is the provincial distribution of the Nanai:

And here is the county-level distribution of the Nanai, showing areas where they make up more than 0.45% of the population:

Notable Nanai

• Dersu Uzala was a Nanai guide and friend of Russian explorer Vladimir Arsenyev. His story was written about in books and later made into a film by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa in 1975, called Dersu Uzala.
• A Nanai female shaman named Tchotghtguerele Chalchin performed an incantation in Siberia. It was used in a song called "The Lighthouse" on a 1994 album by French producer Hector Zazou, titled Chansons des mers froides (Songs from the Cold Seas). The song was sung by Siouxsie Sioux, with background music by the Sakharine Percussion Group and the Sissimut Dance Drummers.
• Kola Beldy was a well-known singer in the Soviet Union and Russia. He was especially famous for his version of a song called "Увезу тебя я в тундру" (I will take you to the tundra).
• Han Geng is a Chinese pop singer and actor. He was once a member of the Korean boy band Super Junior and led a subgroup called Super Junior-M.
• Kiliii Yuyan is an American photographer. Her award-winning work focuses on the Arctic, indigenous communities, and conservation. She contributes to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications.
• Maksim Passar was a sniper in the Red Army during World War II. He is remembered for his brave service.

Autonomous areas