Nenets, Khanty and Selkup:The Nenets, Khanty and Selkup language in education in the Yamal Region in Russia

Nenets, Khanty, and Selkup are the native languages of theindigenous population in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomousokrug (district, hereafter referred to as the YNAO). The districtis situated in Western Siberia, on the eastern side of theUral Mountains in the Russian Federation. The YNAO wasestablished by a decision of the highest executive board in theSoviet Union Government on the 10th of December 1930. In1977, the district’s legal status was changed to autonomousand after the collapse of the Soviet Union the YNAO becamea subject of the Russian Federation. The Nenets are officiallyrecognised as the main ethnic group in the YNAO. Next to theNenets, the Khanty and Selkups are also officially recognised asthe indigenous inhabitants of the district under the 1998 UstavYNAO (Osnovnoi zakon) Yamalo-Nenetskogo avtonomnogookruga (Charter of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District)