l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 69 



with that of the Scandinavians. The more northeastern subdivision 

 of the Finns, known as the Karelians, are better preserved. 



The Laps and Samoycds. — These are the most Mongolic-like 

 natives of European Russia and are undoubtedly of Asiatic origin. 

 Their numbers are insignificant — collectively less than 20,000 in- 

 dividuals. They occupy the northernmost limits of the Russian 

 territory, the Laps extending into Scandinavia. 



Finno-Ugrian tribes of the interior. — These are located principally 

 on the middle Volga and the Kama, and represent the dwindling rem- 

 nants of the primitive native populations that once covered much 

 of central and eastern Russia. They have long been without any 

 political individuality and are in a more or less advanced stage of 

 absorption into the Russian population. They are known principally 

 as the Mordva, Tcheremis, Voguls and Votiaks. 



The Turko-Tartars. — Of these there are approximately seven 

 millions in European Russia and the Caucasus. They are divided 

 into the Crimean Tartars, Kazan Tartars, the Bashkirs, the Tchuvash 

 and the Kirghiz, with many minor units. They still occupy or wander 

 over a large portion of southeastern Russia and except within the 

 diverse groups have no political or racial cohesion. 



Caucasus. — This region since ancient times has been the eddy and 

 refuge of remnants of nations, and there are in its fastnesses many 

 interesting units which it is difficult to classify. By far the strongest 

 element of the Caucassian population to-day, however, is the Slav 

 (approximately 40$ of the total), which is followed by the Turco- 

 Tartar, Georgian, and Armenian. The total population of Cis- and 

 Trans-Caucasia may be estimated at present at something over 

 13,000,000. 



Siberian Natives. — To-day Siberia or more properly Asiatic Russia, 

 possesses nearly eleven million inhabitants, considerably less than 

 one-tenth of whom are non-Russians. Of these approximately 

 500,000 are Turko-Tartars, 300,000 Mongols, 70,000 Tungus, and 

 35,000 Ghiliaks, Chukchis, Koriaks, Yukaghirs, Kamchadals, Es- 

 kimo, and other smaller units ; but all these groups are more or less 

 mixed with the Russians, 1 and with the exception perhaps of those in 

 Turkestan have no individualistic aspirations. 



1 An excellent ethnographic map of Siberia has been published, together with 

 two large volumes of descriptive text, by the Dept. of Agriculture of the 

 Russian government in 1914 (" Etnograficheskaia Karta Asiatskoi Rossii"). 



