Postcards from Surgut, Russia

Surgut is a city in Russia, the largest in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and second largest in Tyumen Oblast.
Surgut is one of the oldest Siberian cities. It was founded in 1594 by order of Tsar Feodor I.
The name of the city, according to one tradition, originates from the Khanty words "sur" (fish) and "gut" (hole, pit).





Khanty / Hanti are an endangered indigenous people calling themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek (Khanty), living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, a region historically known as "Yugra" in Russia, together with Mansi peoples. In the autonomous okrug, the Khanty and Mansi languages are given co-official status with Russian. In the 2002 Census, 28,678 persons identified themselves as Khanty. Of those, 26,694 were resident in Tyumen Oblast, of which 17,128 were living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and 8,760—in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. 873 were residents of neighbouring Tomsk Oblast, and 88 lived in the Komi Republic.

The Khanty's traditional occupations were fishery, taiga hunting and reindeer herding. They lived as trappers, thus gathering was of major importance.

Khanty are today Orthodox Christians, mixed with traditional beliefs (shamans, reincarnation).
Their historical shaman wore no special clothes except a cap.

Surgut
Khanty people