Udehe
The Udehe (also Udegen or Udege , from Russian Удэгейцы , Udegeizy ) are an indigenous people in southeast Siberia .
They populate the area along the Amur and its right tributaries Ussuri , Anjui and Gur (Chungari) in the Primorye and Khabarovsk regions belonging to Russia . The Udehe speak the Udeheic language , which belongs to the Tungusic language family . In 2002 there were still 1657 Udegen living in the region, a slight increase compared to the 1970 census (1500).
Traditionally they are sedentary hunters, fishermen and gatherers . Although the Soviet era brought about significant changes in economic and social conditions, subsistence-oriented hunting (with modern weapons; many traditional techniques and knowledge have been forgotten) and market-oriented fur hunting are still the most important sources of livelihood.
The traditional religion of the Udehe is shaped by shamanism , but also shows influences from the Chinese religions . The tiger cult plays a particularly important role. Even today, killing a tiger is considered the greatest crime by humans.
In the second half of the 19th century. Some Udehe groups, especially those that had been partially Sinized during the Qing Dynasty , migrated to China via the Sichote-Alin and the Ussuri. There their descendants (supposedly around 500 people) are known as Qiakala (恰卡拉 人). They settle in the southeast of Heilongjiang Province and in the northeast of Jilin Province and are officially assigned to the Manjurian nationality.
A relatively large Udehe settlement is Gwasjugi , about 120 km southeast of Khabarovsk .
Web links
- Survival International - human rights organization to protect tribal societies
- The Udegejzen, Negidalzen, Orotschen and Tasen Report from the radio station "Voice of Russia"
