Orochi - Orientation

The Orochi are one of the peoples of northern Russia, inhabitants of the Far East living in Khabarovsk Krai, mainly near the month of the Tumnin River; in the past they also lived along the tributaries of the Amur and on Lake Kizi. Their population in 1989 was 915 (in 1926 it was 647 and in 1970 it was 1,089). They speak the Orochi language of the Manchu-Tungusic Branch of Altaic. Their dispersed settlement pattern led to many mixed marriages, even in the nineteenth century. At present marriages with Russians predominate. Many young people have modern professions and live in cities and towns with mixed populations. Most of the young people no longer have a command of their national language.