Evens

   Ethnic group. The Evens or Eveny, an indigenous people of the north, were formerly known as Lamuts (Even: “Sea People”). They number fewer than 20,000, and are found mostly in Magadan and Kamchatka. Evens are ethnically and culturally related to the Evenks; about one-third of the population speaks Even, a Tungusic language related to the Evenk language. While most confess Russian Orthodoxy, shamanistic practices remain strong among the Even. Traditionally working as reindeer herders, most Evens were forcibly settled during the Soviet era and now live on collective farms (kolkhozy).