A Russian term, the "small peoples" were historically the 26 ethnic groups of the north: the circumpolar hunters and gatherers, trappers, fishers and reindeer herders. For better or worse, the Lapps, Eskimos, Aleuts, Uralic and Turkic nomads were all outsiders in Russia. Unbaptized and illiterate, these traditional peoples became a target for Russification. This Russian view of the non-Russian inhabitants of half its territory is interesting for its perspective -- and a good introduction to Siberia's little-known ethnic groups.  (ARC22, $24.95)