Ethnographies

The Uilta live in the eastern and northern parts of the interior of Sakhalin Island, where they used to be nomadic reindeer herders. They also lived off fishing, hunting sea and land animals, gathering plants, and trading. The Uilta were formerly known as Oroki. Their population is estimated at 300. After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Sakhalin and the Uilta's homeland were divided. As a result, many Uilta who had lived under Japanese influence since then emigrated to Japan after World War II, when the whole of Sakhalin was ceded to Russia. 

The Uilta language belongs to the Tungusic language family. In 2024, there were fewer than ten speakers, meaning that this language is threatened with extinction. Due to their lively exchanges with surrounding peoples, the Uilta share many cultural similarities with the Ainu in Hokkaido and the Nanai in the Amur region. Like them, they also hold similar reconciliation ceremonies with nature in the form of bear rituals. The Uilta are known for the unique patterns in their embroidery.