View source for Nivkh people

{{Short description|Ethnic group of far eastern Russia}}
{{Infobox ethnic group|
| group            = Nivkh
| image            = [[File:Nivkh People.JPG|220px]]<br/>A group of Nivkh people [[File:Group of Nivkh men, 1902.png|220px]]<br/>Nivkh men, 1902
| population       = 5,800 (est.)
| popplace         = 
| langs            = [[Nivkh language|Nivkh]], [[Russian language|Russian]]
| region1          = {{flag|Russia}}
* {{flag|Khabarovsk Krai}}: 2,452 (2002)
* {{flag|Sakhalin Oblast}}: 2,450 (2002)
* {{flag|Saint Petersburg}}: 35 (2002)
* {{flag|Jewish Autonomous Oblast}}: 32 (2002)
* {{flag|Primorsky Krai}}: 29 (2002)
| pop1             = 4,652
| ref1             = <ref>[http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204011922/http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls |date=2013-12-04 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
| ref2             = 
| region3          = {{flag|Ukraine}}
| pop3             = 584 (2001)
| ref3             = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/nationality_population/nationality_popul1/select_5/?botton=cens_db&box=5.1W&k_t=00&p=75&rz=1_1&rz_b=2_1%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&n_page=4|title=Ukrcensus.gov.ua}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
| rels             = [[Shamanism]], [[Russian Orthodoxy|Russian Orthodox Christianity]]
| related          = [[Indigenous peoples of Siberia|Paleosiberians]], [[Ainu people|Ainu]], [[Okhotsk culture|Okhotsk]], [[Mishihase]], [[Mosan languages|Mosan]], [[Kamchadals]], and [[Ulch people|Ulchi]]
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| flag             = 
}}

The '''Nivkh''', or '''Gilyak''' (also '''Nivkhs''' or '''Nivkhi''', or '''Gilyaks'''; ethnonym: Нивхгу, ''Nʼivxgu'' (Amur) or Ниғвңгун, ''Nʼiɣvŋgun'' (E. Sakhalin) "the people"),<ref>Gruzdeva 1998, p.5</ref> are an [[Indigenous peoples of Siberia|indigenous]] ethnic group inhabiting the northern half of [[Sakhalin]] Island and the lower [[Amur River]] and coast on the adjacent Russian mainland. Historically, they may have inhabited parts of [[Manchuria]].
[[File:Nivkh_settlements_2002_map_vector.svg|thumb|Settlements with Nivkh populations according to the Russian Census of 2002 (excluding [[Khabarovsk]], [[Poronaysk]] and [[Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk]]).]]
[[File:Расселение нивхов в ДФО по городским и сельским поселениям, в %.png|thumb|Settlement of Nivkhs in the Far Eastern Federal District by urban and rural settlements in%, 2010 census]]

Nivkh were traditionally [[fishermen]], hunters, and dog breeders. They were semi-nomadic, living near the coasts in the summer and wintering inland along streams and rivers to catch [[salmon]]. The land the Nivkh inhabit is characterized as [[taiga]] forest with cold snow-laden winters and mild summers with sparse tree cover.<ref name="GallTL" /> The Nivkh are believed to be the original inhabitants of the region, and to derive from a proposed [[Neolithic]] people that migrated from the [[Transbaikal]] region during the [[Late Pleistocene]].<ref name="Fitzhugh, William pp.39, 40">Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreui pp.39, 40</ref>

The Nivkh had long maintained trade and cultural relations with neighboring China and Japan. Previously within [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]]'s [[sphere of influence]], the [[Amur Annexation|Russian Empire annexed the region]] following two treaties in 1858 and 1860. Subsequently, traditional Nivkh lifestyle was significantly altered by colonization and [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union|collectivization]].<ref name="Bassett, p.1">Bassett, p.1</ref><ref name="Culture: Nivkh Gilyak">Jesup Exhibition: [http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/Jesup/G12.html " Culture: Nivkh (Gilyak)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212061144/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/Jesup/G12.html |date=2008-02-12 }} - [[American Museum of Natural History]]</ref> Today, the Nivkh live in Russian-style housing and with the overfishing and pollution of the streams and seas, they have adopted many foods from [[Russian cuisine]]. The Nivkh practice [[shamanism]], which is important for the winter [[Bear worship|Bear Festival]], though some have converted to [[Russian Orthodoxy]].<ref name="Chaussonnet, pp. 34, 35">Chaussonnet, pp. 34, 35</ref>

The population of Nivkhs according to successive censuses is {{ru-census|p2021=3,842|p2010=4,652|p2002=5,287}} a decrease is evident. Most speak [[Russian language|Russian]] today, while less than 5 percent speak their native [[Nivkh language]]. Nivkh is considered a [[language isolate]] or small [[language family|family]], although it is grouped for convenience with the [[Paleosiberian languages]]. Nivkh is divided into four [[dialect]]s or languages.<ref name="Mattissen, p.515">Mattissen, p.515</ref>

==Etymology==
''Nivkh'' (plural ''Nivkhgu'' in the [[Nivkh language]]), an [[endonym]], means "person" in the Nivkh language. They may also be referred to as Nivkhi in 1920s Western literature, due to the romanization of the Russian term plural "{{lang|ru|нивхи}}" from "{{lang|ru|нивх}}" (''nivkh''). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Russian explorers first termed the group ''Gilyak'' (also ''Giliaks'' or ''Giliatski''). The etymology of the name "Gilyak" is disputed by linguists, with some believing the name originated from an [[exonym]] given to the Nivkhs by a nearby [[Tungusic languages|Tungusic]] group. Other scholars believe that "Gilyak" derives from ''Kile'', another nearby Tungusic group that the Russians had mistakenly named Nivkhs.<ref name=GallTL>Gall, pp.2-4</ref> "Gilyak" is the Russian rendering of terms derived from the Tungusic "Gileke" and Manchu-Chinese "Gilemi" (Gilimi, Gilyami) for culturally similar peoples of the [[Amur River]] region, and was applied principally to the Nivkh in Western literature.{{sfn|Zgusta|2015|p=71}}

==Origins==
[[File:Delisle - Carte d'Asie (Compagnieland).jpg|thumb|left|''Giliaki'' or ''Yupi'' (meaning "[people wearing clothes made of] fish-skin"; a Chinese [[exonym]] also used for the [[Nani people]]) on an early-18th-century French map depicting the [[Vries Strait]] and the [[Strait of Tartary]].]]
[[File:John-Tallis-1851-Tibet-Mongolia-and-Manchuria-NE.jpg|thumb|left|''Ghiliakes'' to the east of ''Daooria'', closer to the mouth of the [[Amur River]]]]

The origins of the Nivkh are hard to discern from current archaeological research. Their subsistence by fishing and coastal sea-mammal hunting is very similar to the [[Koryaks|Koryak]] and [[Itelmen]] on the [[Kamchatka Peninsula]]. The rigging of dog-sledges is also similar to these [[Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages|Chukotko-Kamchatkan]] groups. Spiritual beliefs are similar to those of the [[Salishan languages|Northwest Coast Indians]] of [[North America]], whose ancestors migrated from this area.<ref name="Chaussonnet, pp. 34, 35"/> The Nivkh are physically and genetically different from the surrounding peoples, and scholars believe they are the Indigenous inhabitants of the area. The current archaeological model suggests that a sub-Arctic [[microlithic culture]] originating from the [[Transbaikal]] region migrated across Siberia and populated the Amur and Sakhalin region during the [[Late Pleistocene]], or perhaps earlier.<ref name="Fitzhugh, William pp.39, 40"/> Scientists believe that people of this culture were the first to migrate eastward into the Americas.<ref>Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreui, p.35; [http://www.npolar.no/ansipra/english/Indexpages/Ethnic_groups.html#19 "Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North, Siberia and Far East" ] by Arctic Network for the Support of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Arctic</ref>

The microlithic culture was technologically adept in the harsh climate of Siberia during the last ice age. After the ice receded, [[Tungusic peoples]] from the south pressed into the warmer northern areas, soon dominating the settled peoples. The Nivkh are considered the last surviving ethnic group able to adapt to the warmer climate and not be assimilated or squeezed out by the newcomers, hence the Nivkh isolate language.<ref>Chaussonnet, p35</ref> The earliest archeological [[radiocarbon dating]] for Northern Sakhalin as of 2004 is the [[Neolithic]] Age ''[[Imchin Site 2]]'', dated to 4950–4570 BC near the [[Tym (Sakhalin)|Tym' River]] estuary on the west coast.<ref>Kuzmin, Vasilevski, Gorbunov, Burr, Jull, Orlova Shubina, pp. 355, 359-360</ref>

[[Michael Fortescue]] suggests that Nivkh might be related to the [[Mosan languages]] of North America (however, Mosan is generally considered a ''[[Sprachbund]]'' rather than a language family).<ref>Fortescue, M. (1998). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Su_xVd0gTOcC&pg=PA232 ''Language relations across Bering Strait: reappraising the archaeological and linguistic evidence'']</ref> Fortescue also presents evidence that Nivkh is related to the [[Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages|Chukotko-Kamchatkans]], forming a Chukotko-Kamchatkan–Amuric family,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Fortescue | first1 = Michael | year = 2011 | title = The relationship of Nivkh to Chukotko-Kamchatkan revisited | journal = Lingua | volume = 121 | issue = 8| pages = 1359–1376 | doi = 10.1016/j.lingua.2011.03.001 }}</ref> though the evidence was judged to be "insufficient" by ''[[Glottolog]]''.<ref name=Glottolog>{{cite book|chapter=Nivkh |chapter-url=http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/gily1242 |editor1-first=Harald|editor1-last=Hammarström|editor2-first=Robert|editor2-last=Forkel|editor3-first=Martin|editor3-last=Haspelmath|year=2017|title=[[Glottolog|Glottolog 3.0]]|location=Jena, Germany|publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History}}</ref>

More recently, [[Sergei Nikolaev (linguist)|Sergei Nikolaev]] argued in two papers for a systematic relationship between Nivkh and the [[Algic languages]] of North America and a more distant relationship between these two together and the [[Wakashan languages]] of coastal [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/15693360|title=S.L. Nikolaev. 2015. Toward the reconstruction of Proto-Algonquian-Wakashan. Part 1: Proof of the Algonquian-Wakashan relationship|first=Sergei L. Nikolaev / Сергей Львович|last=Николаев|via=www.academia.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/28569450|title=S.L.Nikolaev. 2016. Toward the reconstruction of Proto-Algonquian-Wakashan. Part 2: Algonquian-Wakashan sound correspondences|first=Sergei L. Nikolaev / Сергей Львович|last=Николаев|via=www.academia.edu}}</ref>

==History==

===Pre-modern history===
The Sakhalin Nivkhs populated the island during the [[Late Pleistocene]] period, when the island was connected to the Continent of Asia via the exposed [[Strait of Tartary]]. When the ice age receded, the oceans rose and the Nivkh were split into two groups.<ref>Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreuil p32</ref> It is suggested that the Nivkh people were present in a wide area of Northeast Asia and influenced other people and their cultures. Nivkhs may be related to the [[Susuya culture|Susuya]], [[Okhotsk culture|Okhotsk]], and [[Tobinitai culture]] that reached [[Hokkaido]] and met the [[Satsumon culture]].{{sfn|Zgusta|2015|pp=60–101}} Several historians suggest that the Nivkh were present in the kingdom of [[Goguryeo]]. There are indications that the ancestors of the Nivkh may have played a much more prominent role in pre- and protohistorical Manchuria.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LbmP_1KIQ_8C&pg=PA109|title=Tumen Jalafun Jecen Aku: Manchu Studies in Honour of Giovanni Stary|last=Stary|first=Giovanni|date=2006|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=9783447053785|language=en}}</ref> Nivkh lands extended along the northern coast of [[Manchuria]] from the Russian fortress at [[Tugur Bay]] eastward to the mouth of the [[Amur River]] at [[Nikolayevsk-on-Amur|Nikolayevsk]], then south through the [[Strait of Tartary]] as far as [[De-Kastri|De Castries Bay]]. Formerly their territories had extended westwards at least as far as the [[Uda River (Khabarovsk Krai)|Uda river]] and the [[Shantar Islands]] until pushed out by the [[Manchu people|Manchus]] and, later, the [[Russians]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The earliest mention of the Nivkh in history is believed to be a 12th-century Chinese chronicle, referring to a people called ''Jílièmí'' ({{zh|c=吉列迷}}), who were in contact with the [[Mongols|Mongol]] rulers of [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan China]].<ref name="Mattissen, p.515"/> They had been allied with the Mongols since 1263, and the [[Mongol invasion of Sakhalin|Mongols invaded Sakhalin]] to aid the Nivkh against the [[Ainu people|Ainu]], who had been encroaching on Sakhalin from [[Hokkaido]].{{sfn|Zgusta|2015|p=96}} In 1643, [[Vassili Poyarkov]] was the first Russian to write of the Nivkh, calling them ''Gilyak'', a [[Tungusic peoples|Tungus]] [[exonym and endonym|exonym]], by which they would be referred until the 1920s.<ref name=KolM/>

After [[Manchuria under Yuan rule|the Yuan period]], Ainu and Nivkh of Sakhalin became tributaries to the [[Ming dynasty]] of China after [[Manchuria under Ming rule|Manchuria came under Ming rule]] as part of the [[Nurgan Regional Military Commission]]. Boluohe, Nanghar and Wuliehe were Yuan posts set up to receive tribute from the Ainu after their war with the Yuan ended in 1308. Ming Chinese outposts in Sakhalin and the Amur river area received animal skin tribute from Ainu on Sakhalin, [[Uilta]] and Nivkh in the 15th century after the [[Tyr, Russia|Tyr]]-based [[Yongning Temple]] was set up along with the Nurkan (Nurgan) outposts by the [[Yongle emperor]] in 1409. The Ming also held the post at Wuliehe and received [[marten]] pelt fur tribute from assistant commander Alige in 1431 from Sakhalin after the Ming assigned titles like weizhenfu (official charged with subjugation), zhihui qianshi (assistance commander), zhihui tongzhi (vice commander) and Zhihuishi (commander) to Sakhalin Indigenous headmen. The Ming received tribute from the headmen of Alingge, Tuolingha, Sanchiha and Zhaluha in 1437.

The position of headman among Sakhalin Indigenous peoples was inherited paternally from father to son and the sons came with their fathers to Wuliehe. Ming officials gave silk uniforms with the appropriate rank to the Sakhalin Ainu, Uilta and Nivkh after they paid tribute. The [[Primorsky Krai|Maritime Province]] region had the Ming "system for subjugated peoples' implementers in it for the Sakhalin Indigenous peoples. {{clarify|date=January 2023}} Sakhalin received iron tools from mainland Asia through this trade, as Tungus groups joined in from 1456-1487. Local Indigenous hierarchies had Ming Chinese given political offices integrated with them. The Ming system on Sakhalin was imitated by the Qing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Walker  |first=Brett L. |author-link= |date= 2001 |title= The Conquest of Ainu Lands: Ecology and Culture in Japanese Expansion,1590-1800|series=NIPPON FOUNDATION|edition=illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x8FO9evlIyoC&pg=PA132=3 |location= |publisher=University of California Press |pages=133, 134 |isbn=0520227360}}</ref>

[[File:Nivkh men and women.png|thumb|Nivkh men and women, c. 1810]]

Nivkh women in [[Sakhalin]] married Han Chinese Ming officials when the Ming took tribute from Sakhalin and the Amur river region.<ref>([https://books.google.com/books?id=FmW8MwEACAAJ Sei Wada], ‘[https://books.google.com/books?id=mWipQwAACAAJ The Natives of the Lower reaches of the Amur as Represented in Chinese Records]’, Memoirs of the Research Department of Toyo Bunko, no. 10, 1938, pp. 40‒102) (Shina no kisai ni arawaretaru Kokuryuko karyuiki no dojin 支那の記載に現はれたる黒龍江下流域の土人( The natives on the lower reaches of the Amur river as represented in Chinese records), Tõagaku 5, vol . 1, Sept. 1939.) Wada, ‘Natives of the Lower Reaches of the Amur River’, p. 82. The references in the documents are to a people called the ‘Chi-li-mi’ (the term generally used in early Chinese texts to refer to the Nivkh) living next to the Ku-wu (Ainu).</ref><ref name="apjjf.org">{{cite journal |last1=Morris-Suzuki |first1= Tessa |date=November 15, 2020 |title=Indigenous Diplomacy: Sakhalin Ainu (Enchiw) in the Shaping of Modern East Asia (Part 1: Traders and Travellers) |url=https://apjjf.org/2020/22/Morris-Suzuki.html |journal= Japan Focus: The Asia-Pacific Journal|volume=18  |issue=22 |pages= |doi= |access-date=}}</ref> Local Sakhalin native chiefs had their daughters taken as wives by Manchu officials, as sanctioned by the Qing dynasty when the Qing exercised jurisdiction in Sakhalin and took tribute from them.<ref>(Shiro Sasaki, ‘A History of the Far East Indigenous Peoples’ Transborder Activities Between the Russian and Chinese Empires’, Senri Ethnological Studies, vol. 92, 2016, pp. 161‒193.) Sasaki, ‘A History of the Far East Indigenous Peoples’ Transborder Activities’, p. 173.</ref><ref name="apjjf.org"/>

Due to Ming rule in Manchuria, Chinese cultural and religious influence such as [[Chinese New Year]], the "Chinese god", Chinese motifs like the dragon, spirals, scrolls, and material goods like agriculture, husbandry, heating, iron cooking pots, silk, and cotton spread among the Amur natives like the [[Udeghe people|Udeghe]]s, [[Ulch people|Ulchi]]s, and [[Nanai people|Nanai]]s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nzhq85nPrdsC&pg=PA214| last=Forsyth| first=James |edition=illustrated, reprint, revised |isbn=0521477719 |date=1994|title=A History of the Peoples of Siberia: Russia's North Asian Colony 1581-1990 |page=214 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>

===Tsarist Russia and Imperial Japan===
{{History of Russian Manchuria}}

For many centuries, the Nivkh were tributaries of the Manchus. After the [[Treaty of Nerchinsk]] in 1689, they functioned as intermediaries between the [[Russia]]ns, Manchu and [[Yamato people|Japanese]], and also the Ainu, who were vassals of the Japanese. Early contact with the southern Sakhalin Ainu was generally hostile, although trade between the two was apparent.<ref>Chaussonnet, p. 35</ref>

The Nivkh suffered severely from the [[Cossacks|Cossack]] conquest and imposition of Tsarist Russians; they called the latter {{transliteration|niv|kinrsh}} (devils).<ref>Shternberg, p. 183</ref> The Russian Empire gained complete control over Nivkh lands after the 1858 [[Treaty of Aigun]] and the 1860 [[Convention of Peking]].<ref name=KolM>Kolga, pp. 269-273</ref> The Russians established a penal colony (''[[katorga]]'') on Sakhalin, which operated from 1857 to 1906. They transported numerous Russian criminal and political exiles there, including [[Lev Sternberg]], an important early ethnographer of the Nivkh. The Nivkh were soon outnumbered; they were sometimes employed as prison guards and to track escaped convicts.<ref name="Culture: Nivkh Gilyak"/> The Nivkh suffered epidemics of [[smallpox]], [[plague (disease)|plague]], and [[influenza]], brought by the immigrants and spread in the crowded, unsanitary prison environment.<ref>Smolyak, p.175</ref>

Though the [[Empire of Japan]] never controlled the northern part of Sakhalin, Japan and Russia jointly ruled the island as part of the 1855 [[Treaty of Shimoda]]. From the [[Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875)|1875 Treaty of Saint Petersburg]] until the 1905 [[Treaty of Portsmouth]], Russia governed all of Sakhalin. From 1905 to 1945, Sakhalin was partitioned between Russia and Japan along the 50th N parallel. Russia allowed Japanese entrepreneur fishermen in Nivkh lands from the 1880s until 1948.<ref name=KAMrev>Kaminaga, p.269</ref> The Russian [[Amur Oblast|Priamur]] governor-generalship had difficulty finding Russian labour and allowed Japanese and Nivkh fishermen to develop the area, though they were heavily taxed. Russian authorities prevented the Nivkh from fishing in prior coastal and river systems via bans and high taxes from cached fish. The first of many incidents of [[over-exploitation]] of fisheries by the Japanese (and later the Russians) on the Tartar Strait and lower Amur occurred in 1898. It drove many Nivkhs into [[starvation]] if they could not import expensive Russian foods.<ref name=KAMrev/>

===Under Soviet rule===
[[File:Nivkh village.jpg|thumb|right|A Nivkh village in the early 20th century]]

Russia underwent the [[October Revolution]] forming the [[Soviet Union]] in 1922. The new government altered prior Russian Imperial policies towards the Nivkh that were in line with [[Communism|communist ideology]]. Soviet officials embraced the autonym ''Nivkh'' to replace the old term ''Gilyak'', as a hallmark for new native self-determination.<ref name=SNTrev>Shternberg and Grant, pp.184-194</ref> A brief [[autonomous okrugs of Russia|autonomous okrug]] was created for the Nivkh.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} The government granted them extensive fishing rights, which were not rescinded until the 1960s.<ref name=SNTrev/> But, other Soviet policies proved devastating. The Nivkh were forced into mass agricultural and industrial labour [[Collective farming|collectives]] called ''[[kolkhoz]]''.<ref name=KolM/> Nivkh fishermen were difficult to convert to agricultural practices because of their belief that ploughing the earth was a sin.<ref name=KolM/> The Nivkh were soon working and living as a second-class minority group among the massive Russian labour force.<ref name=SNTrev/>

These collectives irrevocably altered the lifestyle of the Nivkh. The traditional [[hunter-gatherer]] lifestyle disappeared.<ref name=SNTrev/> Soviet authorities showcased the Nivkh as a 'model' nation for a culture quickly transforming from the [[Neolithic]] to a [[socialism|socialist]] industrial model. They banned the use of the Nivkh language from schools and the public square. The Russian language was mandated and [[russification]] of the Nivkh accelerated. Many Nivkh stories, beliefs, and clan ties were forgotten by new generations.<ref name=SNTrev/>

From 1945 to 1948, many Nivkh, as well as half of the [[Orok people|Oroks]] and all of the Sakhalin [[Ainu people|Ainu]], who had been living under Japanese jurisdiction in the southern half of Sakhalin, were forced to move to [[Japan]] along with the ethnic Japanese settlers. Many indigenous people would later return to the area.<ref>Chaussonner p.35</ref> According to "Modern Ainu: The Romance of Ethnic Migration" (現代のアイヌ : 民族移動のロマン, by Kosuge Sugawara, 1966 under Genbunsha), these Nivkh people in Japan resided in Abashiri, Hakodate, and Sapporo. One notable displaced Nivkh from Karafuto to [[Abashiri]] was [[Chiyo Nakamura]] (1906–1969), a shaman from [[Poronaisk]] ({{langx|ja|敷香町|Shisuka-machi}}).<ref>{{cite web|title=昭和22年（1947年）～昭和50年（1975年）|trans-title=From 1947 to 1975 |language=Japanese |publisher=City of Abashiri |url=https://www.city.abashiri.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/4/6855.html |accessdate=2024-04-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=国文学年次別論文集: 平成5(1993)年. 近代 |trans-title=Annual Collection of Essays on Japanese Literature: 1993. Modern |language=Japanese |volume=2003 |pages=132–33 |year=1993 |publisher=Hōbun Shuppan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N2YjAQAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=サハリン北緯 50度線 |trans-title=Sakhalin at the 50th Parallel North |language=Japanese |year=1993 |publisher=草の根出版会 (Grassroots Press) |author=Tanaka Ryō |page=38 |isbn=9784876480975 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PRtMAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> By 2004, the Nivkh-Orok community in Abashiri had apparently vanished.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Chuner Taksami]] |editor=Siro Sasaki |title=Культурное наследие нивхов : Этнографические коллекции нивхов в музеях Японии |trans-title=Cultural heritage of the Nivkhs: Ethnographic collections of the Nivkhs in museums in Japan |language=Russian |publisher=National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka |year=2004 |url=https://minpaku.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/1702/files/SER52_001.pdf |pages=37–38, 41, 45–46, 64 |accessdate=2024-04-20}}</ref>

[[Chuner Taksami]], an anthropologist, is considered the first modern Nivkh literary figure and supporter of Siberian rights.<ref name=SNTrev/> In the post-Soviet Russian commonwealth of nations, the Nivkh have fared better than the Ainu or the [[Itelmens]], but worse than the [[Chukchi people|Chukchi]] or the [[Tuvans]]. The Soviet government in 1962 resettled many of the Nivkh into fewer, denser settlements, such that Sakhalin settlements had been reduced from 82 to 13 by 1986.<ref>Mote, p.140.</ref> This relocation was accomplished via the Soviet collectives that the Nivkh had become so dependent on. The closure of state-funded amenities such as a school or electricity generator prompted citizenry to move into government-preferred settlements.<ref name=SNTrev/>

===After the Soviet collapse===
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the ''kolkhoz'' collectives were abandoned. The Nivkh were dependent on the state-funded collectives, and with their dissolution, rapid economic hardship ensued for the already impoverished populace.<ref>Shternberg and Grant, p.196</ref> At present, the Nivkh living in the north of Sakhalin see their future threatened by the giant offshore oil extraction projects known as [[Sakhalin-I]] and [[Sakhalin-II]], operated by foreign Western firms. Since January 2005, the Nivkh, led by their elected leader [[Alexey Limanzo]], have engaged in non-violent protest actions, demanding an independent ethnological assessment of Shell's and Exxon's plans. Solidarity actions have been staged in [[Moscow]], [[New York City]] and later in [[Berlin]].<ref>[http://www.sakhalin.environment.ru/en/detail.php?slice=8b4cb37fba47da1c76cf3e44aa940cd2&sitemid=221211 "Oil majors attempt to suppress Sakhalin indigenous peoples' protest"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314164639/http://www.sakhalin.environment.ru/en/detail.php?slice=8b4cb37fba47da1c76cf3e44aa940cd2&sitemid=221211 |date=2007-03-14 }} - ''Sakhalin Environment Watch ''(SEW) - (c/o www.sakhalin.environment.ru) - January 19, 2005</ref> The monthly Nivkh newspaper, ''[[Nivkh Dif]]'', established in 1990, is published in the West-Sakhalin dialect and is headquartered in the village of [[Nekrasovka, Sakhalin Oblast|Nekrasovka]].<ref>Shiraishi, pp. 8,14</ref>

==Society==

===Village life===
The Nivkh were semi-[[sedentism|sedentary]] hunter-gatherers with summer and winter settlements. Nivkh villages consisted of three to four households shared by several families with larger villages rare, and mostly located on the Amur estuary.<ref name=SmoA/> Households were shared for reasons of community and survival during the harsh cold winters. Villages would last for several decades but were susceptible to floods and sometimes vanished. Many were wiped out during the devastating Amur floods of 1915 and 1968.<ref name=SmoA/> Often households contained families that were not related. The village was usually composed of people from two to eight different clans, four being standard.<ref name=SmoA/>

In the late fall, able-bodied Nivkh men would leave the villages to hunt for game in the surrounding hunting grounds whereas women would gather foods from the forests.<ref name=SmoA/> Nivkh would move to winter settlements near rivers to survive the harsh snows and catch salmon spawning (see [[list of Nivkh settlements]]). The Nivkh were very hospitable, such that the [[Nanai people|Nanai]] located upstream on the Amur when faced with hard times would often visit or stay in Nivkh villages.<ref name=SmoA/>

===Clan===
Nivkh clans (''khal'') were a group of people united by marriage ties, a common derived deity, arranging marriages, and responsible for group dispute resolution. The clan is divided into three exogamous sub-clans.<ref name=CzaM>Czaplicka and Collins, pp.52-54</ref> A clan would cooperate with other members on hunts and fishing when away from the village.<ref name=CzaM/> A Nivkh clan believed they had "one (common) ''akhmalk'' or ''imgi'', one fire, one mountain man, one bear, one devil, one tkhusind (ransom, or clan penalty), and one sin."<ref name="Sternberg and Grant, p.154">Sternberg and Grant, p.154</ref>

===Marriage===
Marriage tended to be [[exogamy|exogamic]] unlike many paleo-Siberian groups. Although within the clan, marriage is [[endogamy|endogamic]], while sub-clans are exogamic.<ref name=CzaM/> They have a triangulated system of marital exchange based on a tri-clan phratry or alliance group (''pandf''), that according to [[Lev Sternberg]] was very similar to the [[Punaluan marriage]]. Any Nivkhi men have sexual access to women their own generation in the wife-giving lineage and vice-versa.<ref>{{cite book |last=Grant |first=Bruce |title=In the Soviet House of Culture: A Century of Perestroikas |year=1995 |location=Princeton |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |page=57 |isbn= 0-691-03722-1}}</ref> Nivkh marriage customs were very complicated and controlled by the clan.<ref name=CzaM/> Cross-cousin marriage seems to be the original custom with the clan, a latter necessity when the clan was unable to marry individuals without breaking taboo.<ref name=CzaM/> The [[bride price]] was probably introduced by the Neo-Siberians.<ref name=CzaM/> The [[dowry]] was shared by the clan. The number of men generally exceeded the number of women. It was hard to gain wives, as they were few and expensive. This led to the wealthier men having more than one wife and poor men being unable to obtain wives.<ref name="Sternberg and Grant, p.154"/>

==Religion==
Nivkh's traditional religion was based on [[animist]] beliefs, especially via [[shamanism]], before colonial Russians made efforts to convert the population to [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]].<ref>Reid, pp.156-157</ref> Nivkh animists believe the island of Sakhalin is a giant beast lying on its belly with the trees of the island as its hair. When the beast is upset, it awakens and trembles the earth causing earthquakes.<ref name=CHArev/> Nivkh have a pantheon of vaguely defined gods ({{lang|niv|yz, yzng}}){{clarify|date=August 2018}}<!-- what do these words mean?--> that presided over the mountains, rivers, seas and sky.<ref>Friedrich and Diamond, p.285; Shternberg and Grant, p.158</ref> Nivkhs' have extensive folklore, songs, and mythos of how humans and the universe were created, and of how fantastic heroes, spirits and beasts battled with each other in ancient times. Some Nivkhs have converted to [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]] or other religions, though many still practice traditional beliefs. Fire is especially venerated. It is the symbol of the unity of the clan. Fire is considered a deity of their ancestors, protecting them from evil spirits and guarding their clan from harm.<ref>Shternberg and Grant, p.155-158</ref> An open flame would be "fed" a leaf of [[tobacco]], [[spice]]s, or a tipple of [[vodka]] in order to please the spirits for protection. Nivkhs would also frequently offer items to the deities by 'feeding'.<ref>Czaplicka and Collins, p.56; Shternberg and Grant, p.155-158</ref> The sea would be "fed" an item of importance in order that the sea god protects the travellers.

===Shamanism===
Shamans' (''ch'am'') main role was in diagnosing and curing disease for the Nivkh. The rare shamans typically wore an elaborate coats with belts often made of metal.<ref name=FREref>Friedrich and Diamond, p.283</ref> Remedies composed of plant and sometimes animal matter were employed to cure sickness. Talismans were used or offered to patients to prevent sickness.<ref name=FREref/> Shamans additionally functioned as a [[Conduit (spiritualism)|conduit]] to combat and ward off evil spirits that cause death. A shaman's services usually were compensated with goods, quarters and food.<ref name=FREref/>

===Bear Festival===
[[File:V.M. Doroshevich-Sakhalin. Part II. Nivkh Amusement.png|thumb|270px|A [[Bear worship|bear festival]] by Nivkh around 1903]]

Nivkh Shamans also presided over the Bear Festival, a traditional holiday celebrated between January and February depending on the clan. [[Bear]]s were captured and raised in a corral for several years by local women, who treated the bear like a child.<ref>Black, p. 94</ref> The bear was considered a sacred earthly manifestation of Nivkh ancestors and the gods in bear form (see [[Bear worship]]). During the festival, the bear would be dressed in a specially-made ceremonial costume. It would be offered a banquet to take back to the realm of gods to show benevolence upon the clans.<ref name=CHArev>Chaussonnet, pp.35,81</ref> After the banquet, the bear would be sacrificed and eaten in an elaborate religious ceremony. Dogs were often sacrificed as well. The bear's spirit returned to the gods of the mountain 'happy' and would then reward the Nivkh with bountiful forests.<ref>Shternberg and Grant, p.160</ref> The festival typically would be arranged by relatives to honour the death of a kinsman. Generally, the Bear Festival was an inter-clan ceremony where a clan of wife-takers restored ties with a clan of wife-givers upon the broken link of the kinsman's death.<ref>Chaussonnet, pp.35; Shternberg and Grant, p.158</ref> The Bear Festival was suppressed during Soviet occupation though the festival has had a modest revival since the decline of Soviet Union, albeit as a cultural instead of religious ceremony.<ref>Gall, pp.4-6</ref>

A very similar ceremony, [[Iomante]], is practiced by the [[Ainu people]] of [[Japan]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Environment==
The [[Russian Far East]] has a cold and harsh climate. In the fish-rich [[Amur River]] estuary in the districts of Nixhne-Amruskii and Takhtinskii, winters have high winds and heavy snows with mid-winter usually averaging from {{convert|-28|to|-20|C|F}}. Summers are wet and moderately warm ranging between {{convert|16|and|20|C|F}}. The area's [[biome]] is characterized as [[Taiga]] and evergreen [[Pinophyta|coniferous forest]]s consisting of [[larch]], yew, [[birch]], [[maple]], lilac, [[honeysuckle]], and extensive low-lying swamp grasses. Higher elevations have [[spruce]], [[fir]], [[Fraxinus|ash]], [[Tilia|lime]], [[Juglans|walnut]] and mountain tops have cedar and [[lichen]]s. Bears, foxes, [[sable]]s, hares, [[Siberian tiger]]s, [[Moose|elk]]s, [[grouse]], and deer typical near the Amur outlet which usually floods during the rainy season.<ref>Gall, p.1</ref><ref name=Fitzhugh-LE>Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreuil p.35</ref>

Northern Sakhalin is harsher ecologically with mostly Taiga. Winters are longer, with a mean temperature of {{convert|-19|C|F}}, however, short summers are warmer averaging {{convert|15|C|F}} due to warmer Pacific Ocean currents moving around the island. Heavy snows blanket the island of Sakhalin (''Yh-mif'' in [[Nivkh language|Nivkh]]) during winter, due to monsoon winds blowing from Siberia, drawing humidity as they pass over the [[Sea of Okhotsk]], [[Sea of Japan]], and the [[Strait of Tartary]]. Barren [[tundra]] dominates the north, with sparse trees such as larch, birch and various grasses, while moving southward, spruce and fir are seen. Bears, [[fox]]es, [[otter]]s, [[lynx]], and [[reindeer]] are common wildlife.<ref name=Fitzhugh-LE /><ref>Gall, p.2</ref> The Island's major rivers are the Tym' and [[Poronai River|Poronai]], rich in fish, especially [[salmon]]. Before Russian colonization, Nivkh villages could be found on these rivers approximately every 5&nbsp;km.<ref>Shternberg and Grant, XXXV</ref>

The Strait of Tartary is currently only {{convert|20|km|mi|sp=us}} wide and is shallow enough that an [[ice road|ice bridge]] forms during the winter that can be traversed by foot or dog-sledge. At the glacial maximum of the Ice Age, sea levels were {{convert|100|m|ft|sp=us}} lower than they are today. The [[Eurasia]] continent was connected to Sakhalin via the Strait of Tatar and [[Hokkaidō]] via the [[Soya Strait]] of which humans migrated. This connection explains the similarities of trees, plants, and animals including now-extinct [[mammoth]]s. The receding ice age warmed the area, allowing greater tree cover and wildlife, thus new resources for the Nivkhs to exploit. The opening of the Soya and then the shallower Strait of Tartary allowed warm pacific currents to bathe the island and the lower Amur River.<ref>Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreuil pp.32-40</ref>

==Technology==

===Dwellings===
Nivkhs lived in two types of self-built winter dwellings. The most ancient of these was the {{transliteration|niv|ryv}} (or ''to''). The dwelling was a round dugout about 7.5 meters (23&nbsp;feet) in diameter, shored up by wooden poles and covered with packed dirt and grass.<ref name=GalT>Gall, pp.4-11</ref> The {{transliteration|niv|ryv}} had a fireplace in the centre and a smoke hole for light and smoke escape. The other type of dwelling used for winter is the {{transliteration|niv|chad ryv}} similar to the [[Nanai language|Nanai]] ''dio'' which was modelled after Manchurian and Chinese dwellings of the Amur.<ref name=GalT/> The {{transliteration|niv|chad ryv}} were one-room structures with a [[gable]] roof and a ''[[Kang bed-stove|kang]]'' (Chinese furnace) for heating.<ref name=SmoA/> A nearby shed held sledges, skis, boats, and dogs.<ref name=SmoA/>

===Clothing===
[[File:Nivkh men.jpg|thumb|upright|Nivkh men who wear ''skiy'' and ''kosk'']]

Nivkhs traditionally wore robes (''skiy'' for men, {{transliteration|niv|hukht}} for women) having three buttons, fastened on the left side of the body.<ref name=GalT/> Winter garments were made of skins from fish, seal, sable, and furs from otter, lynx, fox, and dog. Women's {{transliteration|niv|hukht}} extended below the knee and were light multicoloured with intricate embroideries and various ornaments sewed on the sleeves, [[Collar (clothing)|collar]] and [[hem]].<ref name=GalT/> Ornaments were coins, bells, or beads made of wood, glass, or metal mostly originating from Manchurian and Chinese traders.<ref name=GalT/> Men's ''skiy'' were darker coloured, shorter, and had pockets built into the sleeves. Men's clothing were less elaborate with ornaments on the sleeve and left [[lapel]]. Men would also wear a loose kilt called a ''kosk'' when hunting or travelling on dog-sledge.<ref name=GalT/> Boots were made of fish-, seal-, or deerskin, and very watertight. Fur hats (''hak'') were worn in winter, with the furry tails and ears of the animal often adorning the back and crown of the hat. Summer hats (''hiv hak'') were conical and made from birch-bark. Since Soviet collectivization, Nivkh mostly wear mass-produced Western clothing, but traditional clothing is worn for holidays and cultural events.<ref name=GalT/>

==Diet==
[[File:Nivkh dish-mos.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mos (food)|Mos]], a traditional Nivkh dish]]

The Nivkh had a diverse diet, as they were semi-sedentary before colonization. Fish was the main source of food for the Nivkh, including [[Pink salmon|pink]], [[Pacific salmon|Pacific]], and [[Chum Salmon|chum]] salmon as well as [[trout]], red eye, [[burbot]] and [[Pike (fish)|pike]] found in rivers and streams. Saltwater fishing provided [[saffron cod]], [[flatfish]], and [[Goby|marine goby]] caught on the [[littoral]] coasts of the [[Strait of Tartary]], [[Sea of Okhotsk]], and the [[Pacific Ocean]], though [[Fishing capacity|over fishing]] by Russian and Japanese [[fishing trawler|trawler]]s has depleted many of these fish stocks. Additionally, industrial pollution such as [[phenols]] and heavy metals in the Amur River have devastated fish stocks and damaged the soil of the [[Estuary|estuaries]].<ref>[http://www.npolar.no/ansipra/english/Indexpages/Ethnic_groups.html#19 "Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North, Siberia and Far East: Nivkh" ] by Arctic Network for the Support of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Arctic</ref> There is a traditional preservation process called ''[[yukola]]'', involving slicing the fish in a particular way and drying the strips by hanging them in the frigid air, without salt.<ref name=SEIC>Smolyak, pp.174; [http://sakhalin-2.ru/en/documents/doc_38_sia_chp6.pdf "Indigenous Peoples' Consultation Programme :Social Impact Assessment"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528111603/http://sakhalin-2.ru/en/documents/doc_38_sia_chp6.pdf |date=2008-05-28 }}. Sakhalin Energy Investment Company. p.13 - ([[Adobe Acrobat]] *.PDF document)</ref> The preservation process created a lot of dried fish waste, unpalatable for human consumption but utilized for dog food.<ref name=SmoA>Smolyak, pp.174-180</ref> Pulverizing dried fish and mixing it with fish skins, water, seal fat, and berries until the mixture had a sour cream consistency is a favorite Nivkh dish called ''mos''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://museum.sakh.com/eng/10.shtml|title=The Indigenous Peoples|website=Museum.sakh.com|publisher=The Sakhalin Regional Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101041332/http://museum.sakh.com/eng/10.shtml|archive-date=2006-01-01|access-date=2006-01-01}}</ref> Nivkhs would hunt seal ([[Spotted seal|larga]], [[Ringed seal|ringed]], [[Ribbon seal|ribbon]], [[sea lion]]s), [[duck]], [[sable]], and otters. They would gather various berries, wild [[leek]]s, [[lily]] bulbs, and [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]].<ref name=SEIC /> Contacts with the [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], [[Manchu people|Manchu]], and Japanese from the 12th century on introduced new foods incorporated in the Nivkhs’ diet, such as salt, sugar, rice, [[millet]], [[legumes]] and tea. Russian 19th-century colonisation introduced [[flour]], [[bread]], [[potato]]es, vodka, tobacco, [[butter]], canned vegetables and fruits, and other meats.<ref>Gall, p.5</ref>

==Population genetics==
[[File:Nivkhs and Ainu men.jpg|thumb|upright|1862 illustration of an [[Ainu people|Ainu]] man (left) and a Nivkh couple (right)]]

===Y-chromosomal DNA haplogroups===
{{Main|Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup}}

Lell ''et al.'' (2002) tested a sample of seventeen Nivkh males and found that six of them (35%) belonged to [[Haplogroup C-M48]], six of them (35%) belonged to [[haplogroup P-M45]] (x[[haplogroup Q-M3|Q-M3]], [[haplogroup R1a|R-M17]]), two of them (12%) belonged to [[haplogroup C-M130]] (xM48), two of them (12%) belonged to [[haplogroup K-M9]] (xO-M119, O-M122, N-Tat, P-M45), and one of them (6%) belonged to [[haplogroup O-M119]].<ref name = "Lell2002">Jeffrey T. Lell, Rem I. Sukernik, Yelena B. Starikovskaya, Bing Su, Li Jin, Theodore G. Schurr, Peter A. Underhill, and Douglas C. Wallace, "The Dual Origin and Siberian Affinities of Native American Y Chromosomes." ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' 70:192–206, 2002.</ref>

Tajima ''et al.'' (2004) tested a sample of twenty-one Nivkh males and found that eight of them (38%) belonged to [[haplogroup C-M217]], a haplogroup which is also common among [[Koryaks]], [[Itelmens]], [[Yukaghirs]], [[Tungusic peoples]], and [[Mongols]]; six (29%) belonged to [[haplogroup K-M9]] ([[xO-M122]], [[O-M119]], [[P-P27]]), four of them (19%) belonged to [[haplogroup P (Y-DNA)|haplogroup P-P27]] ([[xR-SRY10831.2]]), two of them (9.5%) belonged to [[haplogroup R1a|R-SRY10831.2]], and one of them (4.8%) belonged to [[Haplogroup BT-SRY10831.1]] ([[xC-RPS4Y711]], [[DE-YAP]], [[K-M9]]).<ref name = "Tajima2004">Atsushi Tajima, Masanori Hayami, Katsushi Tokunaga, Takeo Juji, Masafumi Matsuo, Sangkot Marzuki, Keiichi Omoto, and Satoshi Horai, "Genetic origins of the Ainu inferred from combined DNA analyses of maternal and paternal lineages." ''Journal of Human Genetics'' (2004) 49:187–193. DOI 10.1007/s10038-004-0131-x</ref>

According to the abstract for a doctoral dissertation by [[Vladimir Nikolaevich Kharkov]], a sample of 52 Nivkhs from [[Sakhalin Oblast]] contained the following Y-DNA haplogroups: 71% (37/52) [[haplogroup C-M217|C-M217]] (xC-M77/M86, C-M407), 7.7% (4/52) [[haplogroup O-M122|O-M324]] (xO-M134), 7.7% (4/52) [[haplogroup Q-M242|Q-M242]] (xQ-M346), 5.8% (3/52) [[haplogroup D-M174|D-M174]], 3.8% (2/52) [[haplogroup O-M119|O-M175]] (xO-P31, O-M122), 1.9% (1/52) [[haplogroup O-P31|O-P31]], and 1.9% (1/52) [[haplogroup N-M231|N-M46/M178]].<ref name = "KharkovDissertation">{{Cite web |url=https://www.medgenetics.ru/UserFile/File/Doc/Diss_sovet/Vladimir%20Kharkov.pdf |title=KHARKOV, Vladimir Nikolaevich, "СТРУКТУРА И ФИЛОГЕОГРАФИЯ ГЕНОФОНДА КОРЕННОГО НАСЕЛЕНИЯ СИБИРИ ПО МАРКЕРАМ Y-ХРОМОСОМЫ," ''Genetika'' 03.02.07 and "АВТОРЕФЕРАТ диссертации на соискание учёной степени доктора биологических наук," Tomsk 2012 |access-date=2022-07-16 |archive-date=2023-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321050541/http://www.medgenetics.ru/UserFile/File/Doc/Diss_sovet/Vladimir%20Kharkov.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kharkov et al. (2024) examined the [[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-chromosome haplogroups]] of 37 Nivkh males in the [[Okhinsky District]] of Sakhalin Oblast, who were estimated to have no paternal admixture with other ethnic groups. The results showed that 43.2% (16/37) belonged to haplogroup [[Haplogroup C-M48#C-B90|C2a1a2b-B90]], 32.4% (12/37) to C2a1a1b1a-F13958, 10.8% (4/37) to C2a1-ACT1942, 8.1% (3/37) to [[Haplogroup Q-M120|Q1a1a1-M120]], and 5.4% (2/37) to [[Haplogroup O-M122|O2a1b1a2a-F238]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kharkov |first=V. N. |last2=Kolesnikov |first2=N. A. |last3=Valikhova |first3=L. V. |last4=Zarubin |first4=A. A. |last5=Sukhomyasova |first5=A. L. |last6=Khitrinskaya |first6=I. Yu. |last7=Stepanov |first7=V. A. |date=2024-10-09 |title=Traces of Paleolithic expansion in the Nivkh gene pool based on data on autosomal SNP and Y chromosome polymorphism |url=https://vavilov.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/4295 |journal=Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=659–666 |doi=10.18699/vjgb-24-73 |issn=2500-3259 |pmc=11496309 |pmid=39445096}}</ref>

===Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups===
{{Main|Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup}}
[[File:Map of Siberia - basic mtDNA haplogroup composition.png|thumb|Mitochondrial DNA study of Siberian peoples. The Nivkh (labelled <code>NIV</code>) can be seen to not be related to the other people.]]

Torroni ''et al.'' (1993) reported collecting blood samples from 57 "unrelated and unhybridized Nivkh individuals living in Rybnovsk and Nekrasovka villages in northern Sakhalin Island."<ref name = "Torroni1993">Antonio Torroni, Rem I. Sukernik, Theodore G. Schurr, Yelena B. Starikovskaya, Margaret F. Cabell, Michael H. Crawford, Anthony G. Comuzzie, and Douglas C. Wallace, "MtDNA Variation of Aboriginal Siberians Reveals Distinct Genetic Affinities with Native Americans." ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' 53:591-608, 1993.</ref> According to Starikovskaya ''et al.'' (2005) and Bermisheva ''et al.'' (2005), the members of this sample of Nivkhs belong to [[haplogroup Y (mtDNA)|haplogroup Y]] (37/57 = 64.9%), [[haplogroup D (mtDNA)|haplogroup D]] (16/57 = 28.1%), [[haplogroup G (mtDNA)|haplogroup G1]] (3/57 = 5.3%), and [[haplogroup M (mtDNA)|haplogroup M (xC, Z, D, G)]] (1/57 = 1.8%).<ref name = "Starikovskaya2005">Elena B. Starikovskaya, Rem I. Sukernik, Olga A. Derbeneva, ''et al.'' (2005), "Mitochondrial DNA Diversity in Indigenous Populations of the Southern Extent of Siberia, and the Origins of Native American Haplogroups." ''Annals of Human Genetics'' 69, 67-89. doi: 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2003.00127.x</ref><ref name = "Bermisheva2005">M. A. Bermisheva, I. A. Kutuev, V. A. Spitsyn, R. Villems, A. Z. Batyrova, T. Yu. Korshunova, and E. K. Khusnutdinova, "Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the Population of Oroks." ''Russian Journal of Genetics'', Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 66–71. Translated from ''Genetika'', Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 78–84.</ref>

In another sample of Nivkhs, possibly "those living on the continent" (although there appears to be an error in the original text), Bermisheva ''et al.'' (2005) have found the following mtDNA haplogroups: 67.3% (37/55) [[haplogroup Y (mtDNA)|haplogroup Y]], 25.5% (14/55) [[haplogroup G (mtDNA)|haplogroup G]], 3.6% (2/55) [[haplogroup D (mtDNA)|haplogroup D]], 1.8% (1/55) [[haplogroup M (mtDNA)|haplogroup M]] (xC, Z, D, G), and 1.8% (1/55) [[haplogroup N (mtDNA)|haplogroup N or R]] (xA, B, F, Y).<ref name = "Bermisheva2005" />

According to Duggan ''et al.'' (2013), the members of a sample of 38 Nivkhs collected in northern Sakhalin belonged to [[haplogroup Y (mtDNA)|haplogroup Y1a]] (25/38 = 65.8%), [[haplogroup D (mtDNA)|haplogroup D4m2]] (10/38 = 26.3%), and [[haplogroup G (mtDNA)|haplogroup G1b]] (3/38 = 7.9%).<ref name = "Duggan2013">Duggan AT, Whitten M, Wiebe V, Crawford M, Butthof A, ''et al.'' (2013), "Investigating the Prehistory of Tungusic Peoples of Siberia and the Amur-Ussuri Region with Complete mtDNA Genome Sequences and Y-chromosomal Markers." ''PLoS ONE'' 8(12): e83570. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083570</ref> One identical Y1a haplotype was shared by eight Nivkh individuals, another Y1a haplotype was shared by six Nivkh individuals, and two other Y1a haplotypes were shared by three Nivkh individuals each, indicating a low genetic diversity of this population.<ref name = "Duggan2013" /> Likewise, one identical D4m2 haplotype was shared by four Nivkh individuals, another D4m2 haplotype was shared by two Nivkh individuals, and a third D4m2 haplotype was shared by two or three Nivkh individuals and a Northeast [[Yakut people|Yakut]] individual.<ref name = "Duggan2013" /> The authors also have found Haplogroup Y1a in 13.3% (2/15) of Berezovka Evens, 12.5% (3/24) of Taimyr Evenks, 6.5% (2/31) of Udegeys, 2.6% (1/39) of Kamchatka Evens, and 2.3% (2/88) of Central Yakuts, and they have noted that other studies have reported finding this haplogroup in high frequency in the Ulchi and Negidal, in 9%-10% of Koryaks and eastern Evenks, as well as in low frequency in Central and Vilyuy Yakuts. Besides the Nivkhs, the authors also have found mtDNA that belongs to haplogroup D4m2 in 8.7% (2/23) Sakkyryyr Evens, 3.7% (1/27) Tompo Evens, and 3.1% (1/32) Northeast Yakuts, with the Northeast Yakut individual sharing an identical haplotype with several of the Nivkhs. The authors have noted that mtDNA sequences that belong to the same branch of haplogroup D have been found in Evenks, Evens, Yukaghirs, and South Siberian Buryats and Turkic speakers, and another study has reported one instance of D4m2 in a sample of 154 [[Dolgans]].<ref name = "Fedorova2013">Sardana A Fedorova, Maere Reidla, Ene Metspalu, ''et al.'', "Autosomal and uniparental portraits of the native populations of Sakha (Yakutia): implications for the peopling of Northeast Eurasia." ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' 2013, 13:127. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/13/127</ref> As for G1b, the other mtDNA haplogroup found among Nivkhs, Duggan ''et al.'' (2013) also have found it in their samples of Kamchatka Evens (6/39 = 15.4%), Koryaks (2/15 = 13.3%), Yukaghirs (2/20 = 10.0%), Iengra Evenks (2/21 = 9.5%), and Tompo Evens (1/27 = 3.7%), and they have cited Starikovskaya ''et al.'' (2005) as evidence for their statement that haplogroup G1 is also common in the [[Negidals|Negidal]]. According to YFull and Dryomov ''et al.'' (2020), two members of haplogroup G1b from the Nivkh sample of Duggan ''et al.'' (2013) belong to G1b-G16129A!*, whereas the remaining member of haplogroup G1b from that sample belongs to G1b1a-G16244A.<ref name = "YFullMTree">{{Cite web|url=https://www.yfull.com/mtree/|title=MTree|website=www.yfull.com}}</ref><ref name = "Dryomov2020">Stanislav V. Dryomov, Elena B. Starikovskaya, Azhar M. Nazhmidenova, ''et al.'' (2020), "Genetic legacy of cultures indigenous to the Northeast Asian coast in mitochondrial genomes of nearly extinct maritime tribes." ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' (2020) 20:83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-020-01652-1</ref>

М. А. Gubina ''et al.'' (2013) examined the mitochondrial DNA of a sample of seventeen Nivkhs from the village of Nogliki, Nogliksky District, Sakhalin Oblast and found that they belonged to [[haplogroup Y]] (8/17 = 47.1%, all Y1a+T16189C!), [[Haplogroup D (mtDNA)|haplogroup D]] (3/17 = 17.6%, including 2/17 D4e5b and 1/17 D4j4a), [[Haplogroup G (mtDNA)|haplogroup G]] (3/17 = 17.6%, including 2/17 G1b1-16207 and 1/17 G1b1a-16244), [[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|haplogroup H]] (2/17 = 11.8%), and [[haplogroup U5]] (1/17 = 5.9%).<ref name = "Gubina2013">М. А. Gubina, L. А. Gyrgolkay, V. N. Babenko, ''et al.'' (2013), "Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphism in Populations of Aboriginal Residents of the Far East." ''Genetika'', 2013, Vol. 49, No. 7, p. 862–876.</ref> Besides the Western Eurasian influence apparent in the presence of haplogroups H and U5 among Nivkhs of Nogliki, it is also notable that there is no overlap between the Nivkh samples of Duggan ''et al.'' (2013) and Gubina ''et al.'' (2013) in regard to the subclades of haplogroups D4 and G1b to which they belong except for a single member of [[G1b1a-G16244A]] in each sample.

==Notable Nivkhs==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}
* [[Chiyo Nakamura]] (1906–1969), Japanese Nivkh writer
* [[Chuner Taksami]] (1931–2014), Russian Nivkh ethnographer
* [[Vladimir Sangi]] (b. 1935), Russian Nivkh writer, publicist
* [[Alexey Limanzo]], President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of North Sakhalin Region

==See also==
{{Portal|Russia}}
* [[List of Nivkh settlements]]
* [[Nivkh Mythology]]
* [[Sakhalin]]
* [[Ainu people|Ainu]]
* [[Chukchi people|Chukchi]]
* [[Itelmen]]
* [[Koryaks]]

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Bassett, Elizabeth (retrieved Nov. 2007) [https://web.archive.org/web/20071028150430/http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/asia/gilyak.html Gilyak (Nivkh) Culture] - [[Minnesota State University, Mankato]] - EMuseum
* Black, Lydia (1973) ''Nivkh (Gilyak) of Sakhalin and the Lower Amur''. Arctic Anthropology. Volume 10 No.1, 110p. {{ISSN|0066-6939}}
* Chaussonnet, Valerie (1995) ''Native Cultures of Alaska and Siberia''. Arctic Studies Center. Washington, D.C. 112p. {{ISBN|1-56098-661-1}}
* Czaplicka, Marya Antonina and Collins, David (1999) ''The Collected Works of M. A. Czaplicka, 1st Edition''. RoutledgeCurzon. 1600p. {{ISBN|0-7007-1001-9}}
* Fitzhugh, William, and Durbreui (1999) ''Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People''. Washington, D.C.: Arctic Studies Center, [[National Museum of Natural History]], [[Smithsonian Institution]] and [[University of Washington Press]]. 415p. {{ISBN|0-9673429-0-2}}
* Friedrich and Diamond (1994) ''Encyclopedia of World Cultures: Russia and Eurasia- China. Volume 6''. G.K.Hall and Company. Boston, Massachusetts. {{ISBN|0-8161-1810-8}}
* Gall, Timothy L. (1998) ''Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life'':Nivkhs. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Inc. 2100p. {{ISBN|0-7876-0552-2}}
* Kaminaga, Eisuke (2007) ''Maritime History and Imperiology Japan's "Northern Fisheries" and the Priamur Governor-Generalship''. Slavic Research Center
* Kolga, Margus (2001)[http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nivkhs.shtml ''The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire'']. NGO Red Book. Tallinn, Estonia 399p {{ISBN|9985-9369-2-2}}
* Kuzmin, Vasilevski, Gorbunov, Burr, Jull, Orlova Shubina (2004) [https://archive.today/20121210102129/http://radiocarbon.library.arizona.edu/radiocarbon/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/Radiocarbon/Volume46/Number1/azu_radiocarbon_v46_n1_353_362_v.pdf&type=application/pdf ''Chronology of Prehistoric Cultural Complexes of Sakhalin Island'']. Radiocarbon, Vol 46. Nr. 1. University of Arizona {{ISSN|0033-8222}}
* Mattissen, Johanna (2001) ''Facts about the World's Languages''. New England Publishing. 896p. {{ISBN|0-8242-0970-2}}
* Mote, Victor L. (1998) ''Siberia: Worlds Apart''. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. 258p. {{ISBN|0-8133-1298-1}}
* Reid, Anna (2003) ''The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia''. New York, New York: Walker & Company. 224p. {{ISBN|0-8027-1399-8}}
* Shiraishi, Hidetoshi. (2006) Chapter 1: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080528111555/http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/arts/2006/h.shiraishi/01_c1.pdf ''Topics in Nivkh Phonology'']. - [[University of Groningen]]. - ([[Adobe Acrobat]] *.PDF document)
* [[Lev Sternberg|Shternberg, Lev Iakovlevich]] and Bruce Grant. (1999) [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/281 ''The Social Organization of the Gilyak'']. New York: [[American Museum of Natural History]]. Seattle: [[University of Washington Press]]. 280 pages. {{ISBN|0-295-97799-X}}
* Smolyak, A. V. (2001) ''Traditional Principles of Natural Resources Use among Indigenous Peoples of the Lower Amur River''. Journal of Legal Pluralism, Num. 46. {{ISSN|0732-9113}}.
* {{cite book|title=The peoples of Northeast Asia through time : precolonial ethnic and cultural processes along the coast between Hokkaido and the Bering Strait|last=Zgusta|first=Richard|year=2015|isbn=9789004300439|location=Leiden, The Netherlands|oclc=912504787}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* [[Anton Chekhov|Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich]], and Brian Reeve. (1993) ''A Journey to Sakhalin''. Cambridge: Ian Faulkner. {{ISBN|1-85763-005-X}}
* Grant, Bruce (1995) ''In the Soviet House of Culture''. Princeton, New Jersey: [[Princeton University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-691-03722-1}}
* [[Chuner Taksami|Taksami, Ch. M]] (1967) ''Nivkhi: Sovremennoe Khoziaistvo, Kul'tura i Byt.'' [The Nivkhs: Contemporary Economy, Culture, and Way of Life]. {{in lang|ru}} Leningrad: Nauka

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nivkh people}}
* [http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nivkhs.shtml The Nivkhs] from [[The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire|The Red Book]]
* [http://www.npolar.no/ansipra/english/Indexpages/Ethnic_groups.html#19 Norwegian Polar Institute article]
* [http://ext-web.edu.sgu.ac.jp/hidetos/ Sound Materials of the Nivkh Language] The World's Largest Sound Archive of the Nivkh Language on the Web
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051018224204/http://www.pacificenvironment.org/russia/sakhalin/index.html Shell Oil on Sakhalin - Putting Profits before People and the Environment]

{{Indigenous peoples of Russia}}
{{Ethnic groups in Japan}}
{{Ethnic groups in China}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nivkh| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Siberia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Japan]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of Siberia]]
[[Category:History of Northeast Asia]]
[[Category:Sakhalin]]
[[Category:Khabarovsk Krai]]
[[Category:Sakhalin Oblast]]
[[Category:Fishing communities in Russia]]
[[Category:Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Russia]]