Kamasins


Kamasins were a tribe of Samoyedic people in the Sayan Mountains numbering approximately 500 persons, who lived along the Kan River and Mana River in the 17th century, in the southern part of today's Krasnoyarsk Krai.

History

Around the 17th century, the Kamasins moved and settled along the Kan and Mana River.

The Taiga and Steppe Kamasins

In the late 19th century, the Kamasins split into two groups: The Taiga and the Steppe Kamasins.
The Taiga Kamasins engaged in hunting, reindeer breeding and fishing. The Taiga Kamasins spoke a Samoyedic language until the early 20th century.
The Steppe Kamasins engaged in cattle breeding, horse breeding, farming, and hunting. They spoke a Samoyedic language until they adopted the Khakas language that is still used.

Decline

Many of the Kamasins had assimilated with the Russian peasantry by the early 20th century. Other Kamasins were assimilated into the Koibal subgroup of the Khakass and underwent Turkization. The Kamasins are now ethnically classified as Koibal Khakass or Russian.