The Nenets, formerly also called Samoyeds, are an indigenous people living in northwestern Siberia, numbering around 41,000. They live mainly from reindeer herding, but also engage in fishing, fur trapping and hunting waterfowl. Over time, two groups have formed – the forest Nenets and the tundra Nenets, with the latter still widely practicing nomadism. The Nenets language belongs to the northern subgroup of the Samoyedic branch of the Uralic languages. Probably also in view of the extreme living conditions on the Arctic Ocean coasts, the Nenets have retained to this day the belief that they are dependent on the forces of nature for survival. These are suspected in certain ritual objects or also in special features in nature.