Interethnic Marriages of Indigenous Peoples of the North in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the Late 1950s

Abstract

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of interethnic marriages between Russians and indigenous peoples of the North in the Krasnoyarsk territory in the 1950s. The research is based on the materials of censuses and surveys conducted by local authorities in the late 1950s. The focus of researchers was made by the Enets, the Nganasans, the Selkups, the Evenks and the Kets. Since the second half of the 20th century, contacts between the Russian population and the peoples of the far North of the Krasnoyarsk territory have become more frequent. In the context of construction projects in the region, there is an increase in marriages between Russians and representatives of local indigenous peoples. These marriages had an ambiguous impact, on the one hand they were an expression of the principle of "friendship of peoples", one of the basic principles of the Soviet state and contributed to the integration of the Northern territories into the Krasnoyarsk territory. On the other hand, mixed marriages accelerated the assimilation of these peoples and contributed to the cease and extinction of their culture. Their parents positioned most of the children in such marriages as Russian. In everyday speech these families, as well as a rule, was dominated by the Russian language, Russian culture.