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Kereks
Encyclopedia
Kereks are an ethnic group of people in Russia. According to the 2002 census
, there were only 8 people registered as ethnic Kereks in Russia
. According to the 1897 census there were 102 Kerek. During the twentieth century, Kereks were almost completely assimilated into the Chukchi
.
, but this is no longer spoken. Kerek descendants speak Chukchi
and Russian
. The Kerek language, which belongs to the Chukchi–Kamchatka family (it is included in Paleoasiatic languages). The language is close to the Koryak language
and is often considered a dialect of the later.
.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were only 8 people registered as ethnic Kereks in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. According to the 1897 census there were 102 Kerek. During the twentieth century, Kereks were almost completely assimilated into the Chukchi
Chukchi
The term Chukchi may refer to:*Chukchi people*Chukchi language*Chukchi Peninsula*Chukchi Sea...
.
Language
Their traditional language is the Kerek languageKerek language
Kerek was a language of Russia that belongs to the northern branch of the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages. On historical linguistic grounds it is most closely related to Koryak...
, but this is no longer spoken. Kerek descendants speak Chukchi
Chukchi language
The Chukchi language is a Palaeosiberian language spoken by Chukchi people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. The Kerek language, which belongs to the Chukchi–Kamchatka family (it is included in Paleoasiatic languages). The language is close to the Koryak language
Koryak language
Koryak is a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken by circa 3,000 people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Koryak Okrug. It is mostly a language spoken by Koryaks. Its close relative, the Chukchi language, is spoken by about twice that number. The language together with Chukchi,...
and is often considered a dialect of the later.
Lifestyle
Historically, Kerek people engaged in fishing and hunting of wild deer and mountain sheep. They also kept sled dogs collected fur from marine mammals. Members of the group practice shamanismShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
.