The Participation of Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North in the Foreign Trade Operations of the Russian Empire in the 19th Century

The article is devoted to the defi nition of the role and importance of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North in the foreign trade relations of the Russian Empire with foreign countries during the 19th century. The author presents the characteristics of the traditional trades of the indigenous population of the Russian North: reindeer herding, hunting, fi shing, sea mammal hunting, pearl harvesting, the products of which played a special role in Russian exports in the northern direction of foreign trade. The study also reveals the peculiarities of barter trade between the indigenous peoples of the region and Russian and Komi merchants and entrepreneurs. Attention is paid to the involvement of the small Finno-Ugric peoples of the North (Veps, Votes, Kvens, etc.) in trade relations during this period, who used the features and natural resources of the territories of their compact residence. The author analyses the range of export goods, their supply channels, prices, and the social composition of merchants who participated in the foreign trade operations between the Russian Empire and European countries. The study is based on rare archival documents, as well as pre-revolutionary sources in Russian, English, German, Norwegian and Danish.