Siberian Peoples Research Articles

Paleoasian Substrate in the Gene Pool of Koryaks According to Data on Autosomal SNP Polymorphism and Y-Chromosome Haplogroups

The gene pool of the Koryaks was studied in comparison with other Far Eastern and Siberian peoples using a genome-wide panel of autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphic markers and Y-chromosome markers. The results of analyzing the frequencies of autosomal SNPs using various methods, the similarity in the composition of Y-chromosome haplogroups and YSTR haplotypes indicate that the gene pool of the Koryaks is as close as possible to the Chukchi one and was formed as a result of the unification of several groups whose ancestors moved from the territory of modern Yakutia and the Amur region. The two dominant Y-chromosome haplogroups of the Koryaks with different sublineages and haplotype clusters demonstrate their contacts with the Chukchi, Evens, Yukaghirs and Eskimos. Analysis of the composition of genetic components and IBD blocks on autosomes indicates the maximum genetic proximity of the Koryaks to the Chukchi. Among the Siberian populations, the Chukchi, Koryaks and Nivkhs form a separate cluster from the main group of Siberian populations, while the Chukchi and Koryaks are more closely related. Far Eastern populations are divided in full accordance with geographic localization into the northern group (Chukchi and Koryaks) and the southern group, including the Nivkhs and Udege. A more detailed analysis of the component composition of gene pools in some populations reveals components specific to them. The isolation of such components is associated with founder effects and a shift in allele frequencies for these populations. The Koryaks and Chukchi are one of the most striking examples of long-standing genetic kinship. In their populations, maximum values of the level of genomic inbreeding FROH 1.5 (0.0422, 0.0409) were found, which is natural due to their relative isolation.

Animal style in Siberian and Central Asian Music

In traditional music, it is possible to talk about stylizations that have persisted for many years and are widespread. The musical styles mentioned are often linked to social traditions and various cults. This work is themed on the «animal style», which we claim is a dominant style in Siberian and Central Asian music. This article is a continuation of the study titled «Animal Style in the Music of Central Asian and Siberian Turks», published in 2020, and the research I submitted as my second doctoral thesis at the Department of History at Ankara University in 2018. This article has been prepared for the purpose of briefly introducing the scope of our animal style claim and the subheadings it includes. The study is a summary of the studies on the folk music of Sakhas-Yakuts, Tuvans, Khakas, Altai, Nenets, Khanty-Mansi in Siberian peoples and Mongols, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis in Central and Western Asia. The data of this descriptive study have been obtained as a result of field research along with literature review.

Рецензия на книгу: Жизненное пространство и духовный мир человека через призму языков Сибири

The monograph under review explores the universal concepts of LIFE, DEATH, SOUL, and MOTHERLAND in the languages of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. These languages originate from three distinct language families: Turkic, Tungusic-Manchurian, and Finno-Ugric. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of these axiologically significant concepts, revealing the similarities and differences in perception and their linguistic interpretation. The work consistently follows the methodology based on the principles of linguocognitive and linguocultural analysis along with comparative-historical verification of the data under study. It is postulated that the linguistic picture of the world of the Siberian peoples reflects pagan ideas differing from the Christian vision of the world, with a man, the only living and inanimate being possessing a soul, occupying a central position. The monograph accurately emphasizes the universal and specific features of the linguistic interpretation of the concepts of LIFE and DEATH in the languages of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. It is noted that the traditional worldview of Siberian peoples clearly reflects the coexistence of a person with representatives of other worlds: the world of spirits (masters of rivers and mountains) and the otherworldly world. The differences in the understanding of MOTHERLAND in the Russian language and the languages of the peoples of Siberia are identified.

Justice in the Policy of Legal Acculturation of Siberian Peoples (First Half of the 19th Century)

The article examines the issue of extending Russian legal standards to the indigenous population of Siberia through the jurisdictional activities of imperial authorities. At the same time, an acculturation model is used to explain the relations between the imperial center and the internal peripheral regions and outskirts of the state, which previous historiography has not dealt with. The scientific analysis was carried out using regulatory legal acts and office documentation, mainly re-extracted from domestic state archives. Government measures aimed at the legal acculturation and integration of Siberian indigenous peoples into the general imperial legal system through the use of flexible forms of judicial system and legal proceedings are considered. The living conditions of the “foreigners” had significant geographical, cultural, and economic differences. This was taken into account by the imperial legislator, who offered the aborigines extraordinary bodies of justice. However, social life made traditional forms of court extremely viable, which, together with other factors, increased the diversity of judicial institutions and procedures in the Siberian macro-region.

Naczynia funeralne - „dymokur” znad ujścia rzeki Szamanka (środkowa Angara). Interpretacja symboliki

The purpose of this article is to analyze the fumigator vessel found in one of the burials on the left mouth of the Shamanka River (Central Angara) in East Siberia in 2001. By examining the ornament in the context of the symbolic and worldview system of the Siberian peoples, an attempt is made to define its cult role. Particular importance is attached to the semantic study of the ornament, as well as its interpretation using archaeological and ethnographic analogies. The result of the work is a proposal of a construct of the function of fumigator vessels in Eastern Siberia.

ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ ОБЩЕСТВА ПЕРЕДВИЖНЫХ ВЫСТАВОК В КОНТЕКСТЕ РАСКРЫТИЯ ТВОРЧЕСТВА ХУДОЖНИКОВ И ПРИОБЩЕНИЯ К ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОМУ НАСЛЕДИЮ В 1890-1910 гг. (ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ПЕРИОДИЧЕСКОЙ ПЕЧАТИ ИРКУТСКОЙ ГУБЕРНИИ)

The study considers the activities of the society of travelling exhibitions in the context of portraying the artists’ creativity and familiarizing with the artistic heritage in 1890-1910. The principles of cooperation between the community of intellectuals and arts workers in the museums and galleries are presented in detail. On the basis of the periodical press describing the collective work of the centers of artistic life in Irkutsk, it is proven that both collectors and public figures focused on the development of creative urban space, the formation of cultural ties and the emergence of educational institutions for receiving art ed-ucation. The arts workers gradually studied the materials, cultural heritage of the Siberian peoples, which they collected and systematized in the local ar-chives and museums. As a result of studying and revealing new information, the educators actively used them in the intellectual process telling the scientific community about the results of the search. Thanks to the historical sources, we managed to consider the events that describe the process of cooperation be-tween the intelligentsia and representatives and leaders of cultural and educa-tional institutions of the Irkutsk province in organizing exhibition pavilions. The found documents of the Siberian masters in the archives of Irkutsk explain how public attention was focused on the development of new forms of work-ing with the visitors to spread knowledge about art. The work of the society of travelling exhibitions was aimed at developing cooperation between artists and collectors.

Insight into the Natural History of Pathogenic Variant c.919-2A>G in the SLC26A4 Gene Involved in Hearing Loss: The Evidence for Its Common Origin in Southern Siberia (Russia).

Pathogenic variants in the SLC26A4 gene leading to nonsyndromic recessive deafness (DFNB4), or Pendred syndrome, are some of the most common causes of hearing loss worldwide. Earlier, we found a high proportion of SLC26A4-related hearing loss with prevailing pathogenic variant c.919-2A>G (69.3% among all mutated SLC26A4 alleles that have been identified) in Tuvinian patients belonging to the indigenous Turkic-speaking Siberian people living in the Tyva Republic (Southern Siberia, Russia), which implies a founder effect in the accumulation of c.919-2A>G in Tuvinians. To evaluate a possible common origin of c.919-2A>G, we genotyped polymorphic STR and SNP markers, intragenic and flanking SLC26A4, in patients homozygous for c.919-2A>G and in healthy controls. The common STR and SNP haplotypes carrying c.919-2A>G were revealed, which convincingly indicates the origin of c.919-2A>G from a single ancestor, supporting a crucial role of the founder effect in the c.919-2A>G prevalence in Tuvinians. Comparison analysis with previously published data revealed the identity of the small SNP haplotype (~4.5 kb) in Tuvinian and Han Chinese carriers of c.919-2A>G, which suggests their common origin from founder chromosomes. We assume that c.919-2A>G could have originated in the geographically close territories of China or Tuva and subsequently spread to other regions of Asia. In addition, the time intervals of the c.919-2A>G occurrence in Tuvinians were roughly estimated.

Maria Czaplicka: Gender, Shamanism, Race [Maria Czaplicka: Płeć, szamanizm, rasa; Biografia antropologiczna

Maria Czaplicka: Gender, Shamanism, Race [Maria Czaplicka: Płeć, szamanizm, rasa; Biografia antropologiczna

Relationship of the gene pool of the Khants with the peoples of Western Siberia, Cis-Urals and the Altai-Sayan Region according to the data on the polymorphism of autosomic locus and the Y-chromosome.

Khanty are indigenous Siberian people living on the territory of Western Siberia, mainly on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs. The present study is aimed at a comprehensive analysis of the structure of the Khanty gene pool and their comparison with other populations of the indigenous population of Southern and Western Siberia. To address the issues of genetic proximity of the Khanty with other indigenous peoples, we performed genotyping of a wide genomic set of autosomal markers using high-density biochips, as well as an expanded set of SNP and STR markers of the Y-chromosome in various ethnic groups: Khakas, Tuvans, Southern Altaians, Siberian Tatars, Chulyms (Turkic language family) and Kets (Yeniseian language family). The structure of the gene pool of the Khanty and other West Siberian and South Siberian populations was studied using a genome-wide panel of autosomal single nucleotide polymorphic markers and Y-chromosome markers. The results of the analysis of autosomal SNPs frequencies by various methods, the similarities in the composition of the Y-chromosome haplogroups and YSTR haplotypes indicate that the Khanty gene pool is quite specific. When analyzing autosomal SNPs, the Ugrian genetic component completely dominates in both samples (up to 99-100 %). The samples of the Khanty showed the maximum match in IBD blocks with each other, with a sample of the Kets, Chulyms, Tuvans, Tomsk Tatars, Khakas, Kachins, and Southern Altaians. The degree of coincidence of IBD blocks between the Khanty, Kets, and Tomsk Tatars is consistent with the results of the distribution of allele frequencies and common genetic components in these populations. According to the composition of the Y-chromosome haplogroups, the two samples of the Khanty differ significantly from each other. A detailed phylogenetic analysis of various Y-chromosome haplogroups made it possible to describe and clarify the differences in the phylogeny and structure of individual ethnospecific sublines, to determine their relationship, traces of population expansion in the Khanty gene pool. Variants of different haplogroups of the Y-chromosome in the Khanty, Khakas and Tuvans go back to their common ancestral lines. The results of a comparative analysis of male samples indicate a close genetic relationship between the Khanty and Nenets, Komi, Udmurts and Kets. The specificity of haplotypes, the discovery of various terminal SNPs confirms that the Khanty did not come into contact with other ethnic groups for a long time, except for the Nenets, which included many Khanty clans.

The Mechanism of Interaction between the Customary Legal Systems of the Siberian Peoples and the Legal System of the Russian Empire

The Mechanism of Interaction between the Customary Legal Systems of the Siberian Peoples and the Legal System of the Russian Empire

Представители бурятской родовой элиты в архивных документах XVII века

The aim of the research is to determine the nature of the relationship between the representatives of the Tsarist administration and the Buryat clan leaders during the initial stage of the annexation of the Buryatia territory to the Moscow state, as reflected in the published archival documents of the 17th century. The article examines the initial stage of the annexation of the Buryatia territory to the Moscow state, reveals the role and significance of the Buryat clan leaders in this process, and touches upon the issues of social relations in Buryat society in the 17th century. The scientific novelty lies in the study of the nature of the relationship between representatives of the Tsarist administration and the Buryat clan elite in the 17th century, which allows to identify the main methods of the administrative policy of the Tsarist administration towards the indigenous peoples of Siberia as a whole, and the Buryats in particular. The research reveals that from the very beginning of its presence, the Tsarist government sought to regulate relations with the elite representatives of the indigenous Siberian peoples, with the aim of further integrating the new lands into the Russian state and establishing an efficient system of tax collection (yasak).

Обь-Иртышское междуречье в эпоху раннего неолита – бронзы, Средневековья: культурогенез, хозяйство, мировоззрение (по материалам археологических комплексов)

This paper describes the research findings from the archaeological sites of the Neolithic – Early and Developed Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, located on the territory of Barabinskaya wood and steppe area in the Middle Omsk region, within the framework of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) projects. The excavations of diverse sites (burials, settlements, ritual sites) of various periods helped to obtain insights into residential and economic buildings, burials and ritual objects. As a result, new data on the economy and ideology shared by the representatives of some archaeological cultures, i.e. Odinovskaya, Krotovskaya, Andronovskaya (Fedorovskaya), Kyshtovskaya, were obtained. Based on the materials from the early Neolithic sites, a new archaeological culture Barabinskaya has been identified. The archaeological evidence of contacts between two Early Bronze Age populations, Odinovskaya and Krotovskaya cultures, during the 3rd millennium BC has been documented. The economy of the early Neolithic Middle Omsk population has been characterized as mainly based on fishing: taking into account the evidence of fishing development in Baraba microdistrict, the use of river and lake bio resources for this purpose as early as since the 8th–7th millennia BC is quite obvious. For the early Neolithic era, a specific method of preserving fish – “fish pits”, as well as fish smoking, – was documented. The bronze casting production acquires the first features of crafts. The analysis of the osteological materials from Odinovskaya culture sites in Central Baraba helps to reconstruct that economy as transitional from appropriating to producing type.
 The materials of the Middle Ages sanctuaries of the southern Khanty Kyshtovskaya culture are presented. The connection of cult complexes of this culture with small barns from the sacred places of the Siberian peoples and grave structures has been established. Based on the project results, two monographs were published.

The Representations of Rural Population of the Region in the Reports of Siberian Governor-Generals in the 2<sup>nd</sup> Half of the 19<sup>th</sup> Century: “Foreigners”

This article aims to identify the representations of “foreign” people (inorodtsev) of Siberia in the reports of the local governors-general, to define the context of their actualization, to find the mutual relations between the official position of the regional authorities towards the socio-cultural characteristics of the indigenous population, its economic situation and legal status, its relations with Russians and the narratives of the “foreigners’ issue” in Russian periodicals. The study is based on the reports of governors-general of Western and Eastern Siberia from the early 1850s until the abolition of the offices of the West Siberian (1882) and East Siberian governors-general (1887), as well as the Irkutsk governor-general in 1887–1899. Analyzing the above-mentioned sources, the authors take into account that such materials were usually complied with some involvement of predecessors, lower-level officials, invited experts. Comparison of the representations of the “foreign” people in the reports of the governors-general with those reflected in the periodicals shows their similarities and differences. The authors of the reports and many publicists share paternalistic discourse concerning the indigenous population of Siberia and consider the “foreign” people as an object of care and protection. Both of them claim the necessity to reduce the yasak payments, highlight the detrimental influence of merchants, as well as exiles, convicted of criminal and administrative offenses. Remarkably, the reports contain no criticism of the authorities for the decline of the aboriginal population and financial difficulties of the “foreigners”; discuss the problem of the “extinction” of aborigines in quite a soft tone. According to these documents, there was a general tendency in government policy to equalize the legal, social and economic status of “foreigners” with the Russian peasantry. However, at the same time, the governors-general who better knew the Siberian realities – at least some of them – more often defended the interests of the region, and hence the Siberian people, including the indigenous population.

Linguistic Research in the Scientific Expedition to Siberia (1719–1727): D. G. Messerschmidt and Ph. J. Strahlenberg

Linguistics is, perhaps, the only field of scientific studies of two colleagues, who were companions on the Siberian journey – D. G. Messerschmidt and Ph. J. Strahlenberg – in which historians of science cannot reach the consensus on whom give the palm and title of the pioneer in the study of the languages of the Siberian peoples and whose contribution in the formation of comparative linguistics was more significant. The article presents the materials from the personal collection of the first researcher of Siberia, German scholar D. G. Messerschmidt, stored in the St. Petersburg Branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It analyzes information about linguistic research conducted in the expedition of D. G. Messerschmidt (1719–1722) at the time when his Swedish companion Ph. J. Strahlenberg was on this voyage (till 1722). The research goal is to establish the degree of participation of both scholars in collecting and analyzing language materials. Comparison of the data from archival sources information contained in the book, published by Ph. J. Strahlenberg in Stockholm in 1730, shows that both German and Swedish researchers collected and processed language materials independently; they had different linguistic interests and research goals. For Ph. J. Strahlenberg, comparative language study and etymology issues were areas of his special interest; the priority of D. G. Messerschmidt lied in the purposeful and systematic compilation of natural science nomenclatures, comparative studies became the focus of his attention much later. At the same time, the research trajectories of the two traveling scholars inevitably intersected due to joint travel and long-time joint work – even if the travelers did not share their notes, they could not help but share ideas and conclusions.

Images of Shamans and a Werewolf Girl in the Khakass’ Heroic Epic

We have considered the images of shamans and a werewolf girl in the Khakass’ heroic epic. The appearance of the images of shamans and female shamans is due to the influence of shamanism, which has been developed among all the peoples in Siberia. There is no complete description of these images in the Khakass’ heroic epic, they are pictured schematically. Shamanic elements, actions, peculiar to shamans, are manifested in the descriptions of some magic objects used by this or that character. The werewolf girl’s image attracts attention: it has a special functional role - she turns out to be the donator of a soul to a child, the defender of a churt (home, homeland), the patroness of a brother and a sister. In her image, the influence of mythological ideas associated with totemism is discernible. The werewolf girl’s image is a personification of the image of a swallow, which has the idea of patronage and helping people. A swallow is a popular character in legends of not only the Khakass people, but also other Siberian peoples. The image of a cuckoo, which is a symbol of a heroine’s soul, became widespread in the Khakass epic as well. In the studied heroic tales, the mythological basis is seen in the presence of motifs of the first creation, childlessness, miraculous conception and miraculous birth, which receive a full-fledged artistic development in the epic. The mythological origins lie in the metamorphism of the characters, which can be explained by the ancient culture-bearers’ totemic notions.

The Ural Population Project. Demography and Culture From Microdata in a European-Asian Border Region

The Ural Population Project (URAPP) is built from individual level data transcriptions of 19th- to early 20th-century parish records and mid-19th-century census-like tax revisions manuscripts. This article discusses the source material, the contents, the history of creation and the strategy of the URAPP database and the outcome of the main research topics so far, including historical demography, Jewish studies, indigenous studies and studies of religious minorities in the Urals and Siberia. Our studies of the ethno-religious cultural landscape of the Urals and northwestern Siberia as well as participation in population history projects was more vital backgrounds than the traditional focus on aggregates. The over 65,000 vital events transcribed from parish records of Russian Orthodox Churches and minority religions in and around Ekaterinburg have been the basis for studies of mortality, nuptiality, religion and other characteristics. We found that the Jewish population kept their traditions and connections with relatives in the Pale of Settlement. Prisoners of WWI usually marrying within their own religious group. Infant mortality in Ekaterinburg was lower among Jews and the Catholics, minorities with higher education and western background, while the Orthodox majority exposed their newborn to extremely tough baptism. The burial records show cases of the Spanish flu in 1918–1919, but on a lower level than in the West, supporting recent theories that estimates of flu mortality may be too high. Based on the tax revisions, polygyny was officially recognized among the indigenous Siberian people. The strategy of the URAPP project has evolved from transcribing microdata about minorities towards covering the whole population.

НАУЧНАЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИЯ АКАДЕМИЧЕСКОГО ОТРЯДА (1733–1746)

This article talks about a well-known event in the study of the peoples of the north and Siberia, which in history was given the name "Academic detachment", or "Journey of Academicians in Siberia", organized in the period from 1733 to 1746 by the father of Russian ethnology and ethnography Gerhard Friedrich Miller. This event is what formed the basis for the formation and development of ethnography and ethnology of modern Russia, which was held on the territory of our state in the eighteenth century. The scientific expedition was carried out as part of the Great Northern Expedition, headed by Vitus Bering. The work gives a brief presentation of the main events associated with the ethnographic and ethnological research of the Academic detachment. The Academic Detachment had the different objectives. It is work with the archives of Siberian cities. The goals of the detachment included the development of universal methods for studying the Siberian peoples and study of Siberian folklore of local peoples. Scientists needed to study the Siberian folklore of local peoples, life, worldview, rituals, public order, clothing, customs of the Siberian population, philological research. It was very interesting to consider artifacts that will be very interesting for global ethnographic scientific research of aboriginal traditional cultures, which made it possible to draw up general programs for comparative studies of Siberian traditional peoples with various neighboring peoples, revealing global patterns in the development of various cultures, etc. The article also presents brief results of this scientific expedition.

The Peculiarities of Ethnographic Images on the Maps of Kamchatka Expeditions

Purpose. The article considers the peculiarities of the images of the representatives of peoples of Siberia on the ethnographic maps of the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions, taking place in the first half of the 18th century.Results. Maps are an important historical source, moreover not only the cartographic information is studied, but also other materials located on the map. Three versions of the final map of the First Kamchatka Expedition, as well as the Ethnographic Map of Siberia of the Second Kamchatka Expedition are a valuable source for research. They contain images of representatives of different peoples and scenes from their lives. A comparative analysis of the drawings of Yakut, Tungus (Evenks), Koryak, Kuril, Chukchi, Kamchadal (Itelmen) was carried out, the features of images of clothing and objects were revealed, and ethnographic analogies were attracted. So, gradually, on different maps a fur coat on Yakut loses its fur trim, the bow becomes a crooked stick with a rope. On later maps, frames appear around the images, the number of representatives of the Siberian peoples increases.The maps are made by different mapmakers. The first of them was created in St. Petersburg, sketches made during the work of the First Kamchatka expedition were copied on it. Local mapmakers did not quite understand what they were depicting and, therefore, already at this stage there is a loss of part of the ethnographic meaning. The rest of the maps were already copied from the first one, so there is a further loss of ethnographic specificity, simplification of the pictures.The sequence of implementation of the maps was determined by increasing the number of images, the appearance of frames around them, and their gradual simplification. The earliest version of the final map of the First Kamchatka Expedition shows the summer camp of the Kamchadals under the cartouche. This is the most complete image, on the other sources only individual elements of this sketch were drawn. The ethnographic map of Siberia of the Second Kamchatka Expedition is the most complete in both cartographic and ethnographic contexts. But the greatest losses of the ethnographic specificity of the Siberian peoples are observed on it.Conclusion. As a result of the conducted research, the sequence of compiling versions of the final map of the First Kamchatka expedition (ethnographic version) was determined. The variant of the drawings of representatives of peoples when compiling the ethnographic map of Siberia of the Second Kamchatka expedition is revealed. A gradual partial loss of ethnographic information occurred when copying maps by different mapmakers who did not quite understand what they were depicting.

TCF7L2 gene polymorphism in populations of f ive Siberian ethnic groups.

Investigation of the frequencies of functionally signif icant gene variants in the context of medical biology and gene geography is a relevant issue for studying the genetic structure of human populations. The transition from a traditional to an urbanized lifestyle leads to a higher incidence of civilizational diseases associated with metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. The goal of the present paper is to analyze the frequencies of functionally signif icant gene alleles in the metabolic prof iles of indigenous Siberian peoples to identify the gene pool resilience, evaluate the susceptibility of various ethnic groups to metabolic disorders under changing environmental conditions, and predict the epidemiological situation that may occur in the near future. The study was performed in the monoethnic samples of eastern and western Buryats, Teleuts, Dolgans, and two territorial groups of Yakuts. A real-time PCR was used to determine the frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) G103894T, rs12255372, and C53341T, rs7903146 in the TCF7L2 gene. The results obtained were compared to the frequencies identif ied for Russians from Eastern Siberia and the values available in the literature. The frequencies of the polymorphic variants studied in the samples from the indigenous Siberian peoples place them in between Caucasian and East Asian populations, following the geographic gradient of polymorphism distribution. A signif icantly lower occurrence of type 2 diabetes risk alleles TCF7L2 (103894T) and TCF7L2 (53341T) in the samples of indigenous Siberian peoples compared to Russians was observed, which agrees with their lower susceptibility to metabolic disorders compared to the newcomer Caucasian population. Taking into account urbanization, a reduced growth in type 2 diabetes incidence may be predicted in indigenous Siberian peoples, i. e. Buryats, Yakuts, Dolgans, and Teleuts, compared to the newcomer Caucasian population. A further study of population structure with respect to different metabolic prof ile genes is required to better understand the molecular genetic foundations of the adaptive potential of indigenous Siberian peoples

Volga-Ural and West Siberian Components in the Folklore of the Sámi and the Baltic Finns

Global data processing has allowed us to reveal a set of specific folklore parallels between the Finnic and Sámi traditions on one hand and Siberian peoples on the other. We analyse the data for ten of these motifs, which consist of cosmological and aetiological concepts as well as trickster and adventure episodes. In Europe, these motifs are extremely rare, and in most cases occur only in the Finnic and Sámi traditions. In Siberia, the motifs are spread mainly among the Ob-Ugrians, Samoyeds, and Yeniseians. The pattern of distribution is consistent with the linguistic data concerning the east–west dispersal of Uralic speakers from their homeland and the evidence of gene flow from Siberia to the circum-Baltic area, which began no later than the Bronze Age. This suggests that spread of the observed motifs in Fennoscandia and the Eastern Baltic is due to migration and cultural impulses from the Volga-Ural region and North Asia.