Nivkh people

The Nivkh (also Nivkhs, Nivkhi, or Gilyak) are believed to be the original inhabitants of the region deriving from a proposed Neolithic people migrating from the Transbaikal region during the Late Pleistocene.

They are indigenous to the northern half of Sakhalin Island and the region of the Amur River estuary in Russia's Khabarovsk Krai.

Historically, Nivkh are mainly semi-nomadic fishermen, hunters, and dog breeders living near the coasts in the summer and wintering inland along streams and rivers to catch salmon.

The Nivkh inhabit taiga forest with its sparse tree cover, cold snow-laden winters and mild summers.The Nivkh suffer heavily from foreign influences.

The Manchu dynasty in China forces tribute upon its people.

In the 1850s and 1860s 19th century, Russian Cossacks annex and colonized Nivkh lands, where they are a small, often neglected, minority today.

Today, the Nivkh live in Russian-style housing and with the overfishing and pollution of the streams and seas, they have adopted many foods from Russian cuisine.

The Nivkh practice shamanism, which is important for the winter Bear Festival, though some have converted to Russian Orthodoxy.

As of the 2002 Russian Federation census, 5,287 Nivkh exist.

Most speak Russian today, and about 10 percent speak their indigenous Nivkh language, which is considered an isolate language, though it is grouped, for convenience, with the Paleosiberian languages.

The Nivkh language is divided into four dialects.

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