Mansi

Member of a people of northwestern Siberia, numbering about 7,000. They live in the taiga, and the oil industry has disrupted their traditional way of life, breeding reindeer and horses, and hunting. Their language is part of the Finno-Ugric family, but Russian is increasingly used and only one-third speak Mansi as their first language (1993).They have been known since the 11th century, and have been ruled by Russia from the 15th and 16th centuries. Their beliefs and religious practices include shamanism, ancestor worship, and totemism.