Country: Russia
Group: Sakha/Yakut
Date: November 16, 2022
Team: Ash Pessaran (lead), Gabriel Cardenas, Isabella Boker, Erin Fagan, Amaya Tanhueco, Hannah Lux
Content Warnings: Racism, genocide, murder
Approximate Time Period: 1920s-1950s
The Sakha – commonly known as Yakuts, though Sakha is their preferred title – are one of Siberia’s major native ethnic groups. In the Russian Federation, there are 478,085 Sakha, according to the 2010 census. The Sakha are descended from a Turkic-speaking population that formerly lived around Lake Baikal. The majority of Sakha are found in the Magadan, Sakhalin, and Amur Oblasts as well as the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The Sakha people primarily practice Eastern Orthodoxy and shamanism-animism (Tengrianism) (Minority Rights Group, 2020).
The Sakha people are victims of ethnocide. After the Soviet Government took power in Russia post-World War I, the Soviet government collectivized Sakha agriculture. The Sakha resisted, but the Soviet Government retaliated with oppression and killings (Dravis and Boomgaard, 1996). The Sakha population has decreased over time as a result of mass migrations into their territory (Minority Rights Group, 2020). Stalin emphasized industrialization of Russia, and this resulted in many people from other countries being brought into the Sakha territory to work in various industries (Dravis and Boomgaard, 1996). This Russian migration caused inter-ethnic tensions between the new immigrants and the Sakha people who lived in those territories (Minority Rights Group, 2020). Sakha organizations, schools, and publications were banned during this time period as well, limiting the ability for Sakha to learn and practice their language. Data Quality (2/ 3)
Sources
- minority rights group. (n.d.). Sakha (yakuts) – Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/sakha/
- Dravis and Boomgaard (1996). Yakut in Siberia. HUNMAGYAR.ORG – TURAN – YAKUT. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from http://www.hunmagyar.org/turan/yakut/sakha.html