During the XX-XXI centuries, aboriginal ethnic groups turned from independent ethnic formations into constituent parts of a large multinational state, with a fundamentally different spiritual dominant, a different social structure and type of economy. The changes affected both traditional material and spiritual culture. In the process of these changes, the concepts themselves were transformed, the lines between tradition and reality began to blur, since the latter is in constant dynamics. We made an attempt to assess the role of the state in the ongoing processes, as well as to compare the situation with the indigenous minorities in neighboring China, and note general trends. The study identifies the role of the main factors that influenced global transformations in the field of spiritual and material development of the Primorye Territrory, as well as outlines a somewhat new understanding of the problem of preserving ethnic identity.