The Amur River: The Land, Peoples & Culture

Amur River: Overview [ Top ]

Amur River: brief introduction to the world's longest undammed river
Amur River, descriptionn origin and ecology, and a the major city on the Amur River, Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East

Amur River and its ecology including fish such as sturgeon, map of the lower Amur from Khabarovsk, photos, and a large photogallery of the region

Amur and Lena listed as 6th and 7th longest in the world, including upper tributaries.

ORDER
The Other Side of
Russia: A Slice of
Life in Siberia
and the
Russian Far East
.

The Amur River, here listed as the world's 11th longest river, flows north from the west side of Lake Baikal. The Lena, here listed as the 12th longest river, flows east from east of Lake Baikal. The two rivers thus frame the west and south of the region known as northeast Siberia.

Heilongjiang River to the Chinese: description of its tributaries; the name means "the Black Dragon River" referring to the dark color of its water

Heilongjiang, an international river, crosses Russia, Mongolia and China.

Landscape and Climate of the Amur River Region

Photos of the Amur River and a photo of Amur River taken from an airplane, shows many channels

Sakhalin Island off the mouth of the Amur River & nearby Kuriles

Amur River: Maps [ Top ]

Maps of Asia and Siberia: in-depth collection of online maps

Amur River Map: see its location in relation to Russia, China, Japan, Korea

Map of Russian Far East or Primorye: with Vladivostok, Lake Khanka, Ussuri River flowing north to the Amur River, plus a large map with the east-flowing Amur River identified

Map of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East - with the Amur, Lena, Indigirka, Kolyma and other rivers and key cities

Ainu Map: see Amur River valley, Sakhalin Island, Kurile Islands, Hokkaido and rest of Japan, Korea, plus six maps showing Ainu history, including routes of earliest arrivals from Asian mainland thousands of years ago

Amur River: Environment & Unique Wildlife [ Top ]

Lower Amur River: meadow steppe northeast of Khabarovsk, with photo

Amur Leopard: rare big cat of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, and a fact sheet on this leopard

Amur Leopard: famous big cat research Maurice Hornocker and colleagues study the rare leopard in its home forest

Conservation of the Amur Leopard and an introduction

Amur-Sakhalin Bioregion Map including a look at the Sikhote-Alinsky Nature Reserve that is home to the endangered Siberian tiger, with photogallery. More on Siberian tigers.

Amur Tiger or Siberian Tiger: the last viable population of this endangered big cat is in the region called Ussuriland, along a tributary of the Amur River. It is believed to be extinct in Korea, likely extinct in China.

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The Snow Cats
(First Books--Animals)

Amur, Ussuri and Sungari River Basins: home to threatend bird species including the Oriental stork

Amur River Fish: the Amur has some 120 fish species, more than any other Russian river

Amur River: Archaeology [ Top ]

Sikhachi-Alyan petroglyphs: 300 drawings representing masks, animals, anthropomorphic images, on basalt boulders, with one photograph

The world's earliest pottery is known from the lower reaches of the Amur River, Japan, and southern China, all about 16,000 calendar years ago

Evidence of Neolithic Culture found on the river near Khabarovsk, with pottery or earthenware, stone sinkers for fishing, and stone tools

Early Neolithic pottery-making cultures of the Amur River and Russian Far East, and Neolithic ceramic vessel from Voznesenovka Village, Amur River

Amur River Region: Peoples [ Top ]

Overview of nomad life in the Amur River region, as reported in 1860, and a look at Amur River native peoples today

Indigenous Peoples of the Far East of Russia: current and former Ainu neighbors - Orochs, Negidal, Itelmen, Evenk, Nanai, Nivkh plus other peoples of the lower Amur River

Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire: info on 85 peoples including Ainu neighbors along the Amur River and on Sakhalin Island: Nanais, Negidals, Nivkhs, Orochis, Oroks, Udeghes and many others

Crossroads of Continents Exhibit: Siberia & Alaska - meet the Chukchi, Koryak, Even, Amur River people in Siberia, Eskimo, Aleut, more

Drawing Shadows to Stone: click on exhibit name to learn about the Ainu, Chukchi, Even, Evenk, Itelmen of Eastern Siberia, from Jesup Expedition

Map of Aboriginal Peoples of Siberia: including neighbors of the Ainu such as Nivkhs, Oroks, Nanai and photos of Amur River People & Natives

The Ainu, formerly residents of the lower Amur, Sakhalin and Hokkaido, now restricted to Hokkaido, an in-depth guide
Land of the Ainu: a brief overview with photos of native fishing methods, the salmon ceremony and more

Ainu of Sakhalin Island with archeology and a history timeline of the region [scroll down], and more on the Ainu & Nivkh & Orok of Sakhalin Island

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The Ainu: A Story of
Japan's Original People

Ainu Origins including links between ancient Jomon and Satsumon and the Ainu, and agriculture practiced by Ainu ancestors

Ainu: originally of Sakhalin Island, the Kurile Islands and Hokkaido, with many aspects of native culture including food, clothing, ornaments, housing, family life, rituals including the bear ceremonial, dances, more

Ainu Artifacts: image gallery from the Boone Collection, including:
· Clothing - robe with elaborate design
· Prayer Sticks - with ceremonial cup, stand; notice bears
Ainu Background and History: including early speculations on origins

Ainu & Nivkh or Gilyak: of the mouth of the Amur River and Sakhalin Island
Nivkhs of the lower Amur and Sakhalin Island, thought to be an ancient people here, and more on the Nivkh, earlier called Gilyaks, and more on the Gilyaks and their ancient relations with animals including the bear

Gilyak or Nivkh culture from the Lower Amur

Nivkh origins and culture with photographs of people, tools, bear ceremony, map

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The Social Organization of the Gilyak (Anthropological
Papers of the American Museum of Natural
History, No 82)

Evens: reindeer people formerly called Lamut, some of whom live in the Khabarovsk region

Nanai of the Lower Amur, showing the influence of Chinese culture, with mention of other peoples: the Negidal, Oroch, Udegai and Ulchi.

Nanai or Nanay: part of the Tungus Manchu peoples, they live on the Lower Amur but also in northeast China, formerly Manchuria, with details also on the related Negidal, Nivkh, Orok, Oroch. Udegey and Ulch.

Orochon or Orochi - Reindeer People of the Amur: a Tungus people, hunters and breeders of reindeer, who also hunted bear - many photos of Orochi, also Koryak, Yukagir, with native dogs pictured

Udeghe People of the Amur region: storytelling as a shamanic art and issues of cultural revival

Siberia's Land & Peoples & Cultures: an in-depth guide
.