From the history of the Trans-Baikal Territory

The development of Transbaikalia began in the middle of the 7th century. Not far from the confluence of the Ingoda and Chita rivers, a Cossack detachment founded the first fortifications. Soon a whole system of forts arose here, the Cossacks established themselves not only in the valleys of the Selenga, Ingoda, Shilka, but also on the right bank of the Amur and Argun. The extreme southeastern outpost of the new Cossack settlements became the Argun fort. Thus, Transbaikalia turned out to be the territory of Russian politics, which was extremely disliked by neighboring China, which had its own views on the lands of Dauria - as Transbaikalia and the Amur region were collectively called at that time.

In the 1680s, a 12,000-strong Chinese army went to war against Dauria, planning to completely annex it to their territory. But as a result of the signing of the Treaty of Nerchinsk in August 1689, the Chinese had to be content only with the right bank of the Argun River. It was along it that the new border passed, and all Russian buildings from the right bank were moved to the left. Further formation of the Transbaikalia border took place in the 18th century, when China began to lay claim to the lands of all of Southern Siberia.

In 1727, the Treaty of Burin was concluded, according to which the border between Russia and China extended from the Abagaytu hill to the Shamin-Dabaga pass in Altai. Under Catherine II, Transbaikalia became part of the Irkutsk governorship. The Transbaikal region on the territory of the Irkutsk province was formed in 1851 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I. By the same decree, Chita was given the status of a city. Later, the transfer of the borders of present-day Transbaikalia occurred several more times - in connection with the division of this territory into different districts and regions and their unification into new municipal units.

In the 19th century, the first gold-bearing placers were discovered in Transbaikalia, which gave rise to industrial gold mining. Among the attractions of Transbaikalia are many nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, thermal springs, picturesque lakes, mountain peaks and caves, as well as historical and architectural sites. For example, the Archangel Michael Church in Chita is a monument of wooden architecture of the 18th century. Now the “Church of the Decembrists” museum is opened in its building, where their documents, books, and personal belongings are stored. Also interesting are the Konduisky town - a monument of the Mongol period of Transbaikalia; Mount Alkhanay - one of the five sacred peaks of northern Buddhism; natural biosphere reserve "Daursky" with bitterly salty Torey lakes - the remnants of the Protorey Sea.

In the vicinity of the village of Kyra, sites of ancient Stone Age people with the first forges have been preserved. Another “attraction” of the region that tourists strive to bring home is local honey. Beekeeper's Day of the Trans-Baikal Territory, celebrated annually on August 14, is a national holiday here. City Day in Chita is celebrated on the last Sunday of May.

Geography and climatic conditions

Located in Eastern Transbaikalia. It borders with the Buryat and Yakut republics, Irkutsk and Amur regions, Mongolia and China. The Trans-Baikal Territory extends about a thousand kilometers from north to south and 800-1500 kilometers from west to east. The main rivers are the Baikal, Lena and Amur basins.

A significant part of Transbaikalia belongs to the taiga zone, bordering in the south with forest-steppes and dry steppes. The mountain-basin relief causes the interweaving of horizontal zoning and high-mountain zonality of landscapes. The lowlands and plains of southeastern Transbaikalia and part of the basins are occupied by cereal-forb steppes. The outskirts of intermountain basins and the lower part of mountain slopes up to 1200 m are covered with mountain forest-steppe (birch, larch and aspen forests interspersed with areas of steppes), from 1200 to 1900 m there is mountain taiga with a predominance of Daurian larch. Siberian cedar is found, above 1600 m thickets of dwarf cedar and lichen tundra begin; in the southern part of Transbaikalia there are larch-birch and pine forests.

The climate of Transbaikalia is harsh, sharply continental. Already in October, increased atmospheric pressure is established here. Winter in the intermountain basins is partly cloudy and dry, there is little precipitation, and the duration of sunshine here is longer than in Yalta and Kislovodsk. Even weak winds are rare at this time.

Under these conditions, the earth's surface loses a lot of heat as a result of radiation, which explains temperature inversions and the prevalence of persistent frosts. Average January temperatures vary from -23° in the south of the region to -30 -33° in the north and southeast, and absolute minimums reach -50 -58°. Summer here is warm, sometimes even hot.

The average July temperature in the flat areas in the south of the region is from 19 to 21-22°, but on some days the heat reaches 35-40°. At an altitude of 1500-2000 m, July temperatures are 10-14°, and frosts occur even in July and August.

In the steppe regions of the Transbaikal region, precipitation falls 200-300 mm/year, in the mountain-taiga belt - about 350-450 mm. 60-70% of their annual amount occurs in the warm season, mainly in July and August, when heavy rains occur.

In spring and June, rains are rare, and therefore droughts are observed in the steppe regions. In winter, no more than 5-8% of the annual precipitation falls in intermountain basins; The thickness of the snow cover is not very large even in the mountain taiga, and in some steppe basins of Eastern Transbaikalia it is only 5-10 cm.

Administrative-territorial structure and population

The population of the Trans-Baikal Territory, according to the preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, as of October 14, 2010 is 1,106.6 thousand people (1,099.4 thousand people according to 2012 data), 0.8% of the population of Russia. The population density as of October 14, 2010 was 2.6 people per 1 sq. km (in Russia the population density is 8.4 people per 1 sq. km).

The main settlement zone covers the central, southern and south-eastern parts of the Trans-Baikal Territory. The most densely populated area (9-13 people/km2) is the area along the railway and the valleys of the Ingoda, Shilka and Onon rivers. The population density is somewhat lower in the Onon-Borzinsky and Aginsky steppes. In the southwest of the region the population is located along the valleys of the Khilok and Chikoy rivers; in the northern regions the population density is low.

The Trans-Baikal Territory is inhabited by representatives of more than 120 nationalities, incl. Russians, Buryats, Tatars, Ukrainians, Belarusians, etc. Aginsky Buryat Okrug is populated mainly by Buryats (54.9%, average population density - 4.2 people/km2) and Russians (about 40%). In the north, in the Vitim and Olekma basin, live the Evenks and Yakuts.

The Trans-Baikal Territory includes 31 administrative districts, 10 cities, 41 urban-type settlements, 28 towns, 750 rural settlements. The administrative center is the city of Chita, located 6074 km east of Moscow. The Trans-Baikal Territory is part of the eighth time zone, the time difference with Moscow is +6 hours.

The largest city is the regional center of Chita (325.3 thousand people). Other cities have a significantly smaller population: Krasnokamensk (55.7 thousand people), Borzya (31.4 thousand people), Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky (18.5 thousand people), Baley (12.5 thousand people). All cities and many urban-type settlements are administrative centers of districts.

Number of municipalities by type:

Municipalities, total - 418

Municipal districts - 31

Urban districts - 4

Settlements - 383

incl. urban - 45, rural - 338

Diversified complex of the regional economy

Among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the economy of the Trans-Baikal Territory ranks 51st out of 82 regions. The volume of GRP of the Trans-Baikal Territory in 2011 was estimated to be 187.4 billion rubles, or 104.8% of the 2010 level. In the structure of GRP, the largest share is occupied by transport and communications (over 35%), industry (over 20%), agriculture, hunting and forestry (9%), construction (7%). The economically active population is 541.3 thousand people.

The industry is represented by 1,269 organizations employing 52.2 thousand people or 9.6% of the economically active population of the region.

The volume of industrial production in 2011 amounted to 106.3% of the 2010 level. The basic economic activities of industry are mining; production and distribution of electricity, gas and water; in manufacturing industries - metallurgical production, production of machinery and equipment and food production. Their total share in the overall structure of industrial production of the region is more than 90 percent.

The volume of agricultural products in farms of all categories in 2011 increased by 2.4% compared to 2010.

The unique natural conditions of the region have historically determined the characteristics of the agricultural sector. The main agricultural specialization of the region is livestock farming.

The leading and promising industries are beef cattle breeding, sheep breeding and herd horse breeding. Sheep farming is represented by the breeding of the Trans-Baikal fine-wool breed of sheep. In beef cattle breeding, the gene pool of Hereford, Kalmyk, and Kazakh white-headed cattle breeds has been preserved.

The housing stock of the region in 2011 totaled more than 21.5 million square meters, with an average of 19.5 square meters of housing per resident. In 2011, 277 thousand square meters of total residential space were commissioned.

Investment potential

The basic investment projects attracting the largest share of investments were the Southern Railway (reconstruction of the section of the Trans-Baikal railway from Karymskaya to Zabaikalsk), the investment project “Creation of transport infrastructure for the development of mineral resources of the south-east of the Trans-Baikal Territory”, implemented with state support from funds Investment Fund of the Russian Federation and with the involvement of funds from OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, mining industry.

Strategically important for improving the economy of the Trans-Baikal Territory is the creation of a mining complex in the north of the region (BAM zone).

Transport infrastructure

The length of public roads with hard surface is 14.65 thousand km. The main roads pass in the central and south-eastern regions of the region, providing access to the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The length of railways in the Trans-Baikal Territory is 2.4 thousand km. The railway network is represented by the Transbaikal section of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline.

There is an international airport in Chita, and there is also an airport in the village of Chara (Kalarsky district). Cross-polar air routes pass through the territory of the region (over the Arctic Ocean).

Currently, the Chita customs office operates on the territory of the region, subordinate to which there are 12 customs posts.

The Zabaikalsk railway checkpoint is the largest land checkpoint on the route of cargo traffic from Russia to China and back.

The Zabaikalsk automobile checkpoint serves up to 50 % passage of land cargo and passengers in road traffic between Russia and China.

Natural resources

Trans-Baikal Territory is one of the regions with a fairly high resource potential (mineral resources, water, forest and land).

The depths of the region contain 94% of the explored uranium reserves of the Russian Federation, 36% of fluorspar, 37.2% of zirconium, 23.8% of copper, 30.5% of molybdenum, 22.7% of titanium, 14.4% - silver, 8.5% - lead, 7% - gold, there are also reserves of tungsten, tin, lithium, zinc and iron ores.

On the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory, 23 industrial coal deposits and several dozen coal occurrences with total reserves of 6.9 billion tons have been identified. The Apsatskoye and Chitkandinskoye coal deposits have high gas content. Total methane reserves in coal seams reach 63-65 billion cubic meters. m.

Significant timber reserves are concentrated in the region (forest area is 30 million hectares).

Flora and fauna of the Transbaikal region

Plants

Due to the diversity of natural conditions, the vegetation of the region has a complex and variegated composition. It represents 3 latitudinal zones: forest (middle and southern taiga), forest-steppe and steppe. The mountainous relief determines the manifestation of vertical zonality with the addition of subalpine (subalpine) and alpine (alpine) vegetation.

The flora of the region includes more than 1,700 higher vascular plants. It includes: boreal Holarctic, Eurasian, South Siberian, Central Asian, East Asian, Manchurian-Daurian species. Valuable medicinal, fodder, food, technical and ornamental plants are widely represented among them. For most of them, with the exception of trees and shrubs, no resources were accounted for, although some of these species are used intensively.

There are significant areas of berry land with productivity (yield) in some areas - blueberries up to 1000 kg/ha (average economic yield - 110 kg/ha), lingonberries - up to 625 kg/ha (average economic yield 137 kg/ha).

36 types of medicinal plants are harvested, most of all - leaves and shoots of lingonberry, wild rosemary, thyme, or thyme, as well as hawthorn and bird cherry fruits, and bergenia roots.

The volume of procurement of other species is much smaller, but among them there are rare and relatively rare species - Ural licorice, pink radiola, milky-flowering peony, as well as species that are unique to the Trans-Baikal region, the reserves of raw materials of which are concentrated only here: Pallas or Fischer's euphorbia, skullcap Baikal, Astragalus membranaceus.

Animals

The fauna includes more than 500 species of vertebrate animals, including more than 80 species of mammals (3 species are acclimatized: muskrat, brown hare and American mink), more than 330 species of birds, 5 species of amphibians and 6 species of reptiles.

The degree of knowledge of the fauna of the region remains low. For most of the territory, the complete species composition of mammals and birds is still unknown, not to mention invertebrates, many of which have not yet been recorded. The situation is no better with regard to the study of the valuable mass fur-bearing and ungulate animals that form the basis of hunting.

Some vertebrates belong to the category of rare and endangered animals. The most vulnerable and poorly studied in the region include: bighorn sheep, gazelle, otter, manul, weasel, brown hare, tarbagan, black-capped marmot, Manchurian and Daurian zokor, Daurian hedgehog.

Various commercial structures are being formed aimed at the predatory use of wild resources. This is accompanied by an increase in the volume of poaching, illegal purchasing and extraction of medicinal and technical raw materials of animal origin (musk deer, deer antlers, antlers, bear bile, etc.).

The ichthyofauna of the Amur is represented by 23-28 species of fish. Nowadays, the catches rarely include guar, Amur catfish, carp, and very rarely - lenok, taimen and grayling. The endemics of the Amur basin - kaluga, Amur sturgeon and whitefish - have practically disappeared from the ichthyofauna. Compared to the Middle and Lower Amur, the ichthyofauna of the upper reaches is 3-4 times poorer.

The background fish species in Ingoda, Shilka, Onon and Arguni are taimen, lenok, and grayling. However, only in the upper reaches of the Ingoda are they numerous and their share reaches 30-40% of the catches. Downstream the river. Ingoda experiences significant anthropogenic pressure, especially in the Chita region.

The fish productivity of the rivers of the Amur basin is approximately 12-55 kg/ha, the average for the Shilka is 27.3, and for the tributaries (below the city of Sretensk) is 31.4 kg/ha.

The ichthyocenoses of the Khilok and Chikoy rivers (the basin of Lake Baikal) with their tributaries are poorly studied; knowledge about them is fragmentary. The river watercourses belong to the mountain and foothill types and are characterized by a rather poor and homogeneous composition of ichthyofauna (5-15 species), dominated by salmon, grayling and carp.

A feature of the mountain ichthyocenosis of the Chikoy River is a very large proportion of salmon and grayling (84%).

Black Baikal grayling is found in mountain streams, Baikal whitefish and perch - in foothill streams. The ichthyomass of the main commercial fish species ranges from 16.6 to 21.9 kg/ha.

The rivers of the Lena basin (Vitim, Olekma, etc.) are the least studied in terms of fisheries.

In connection with the construction of the BAM, more attention was paid to the rivers of promising development areas, in particular the Chara River. It and its tributaries are typical grayling-roller waters and act as spawning and feeding reservoirs. Common species are grayling, valek and lenok. The river's fish productivity is 5-7 kg/ha.

Peoples of Transbaikalia

The history of Transbaikalia holds many secrets. There is an opinion that initially these territories were inhabited by dinlins (literally, those who rode high carts). Mentions of them are present in Chinese chronicles.

Dinlins

From the Chinese point of view, Dinglins were tall, light skin, light eyes, light hair, straight or hooked nose.
These were warriors and nomads who did not create their own state. The Dinlings had trade relations with the Chinese - several times a year in certain places they exchanged livestock and harvested furs for agricultural products and other necessary things. The Dinlins worshiped the sun, moon, earth, mountains, forests, and waters. The Dinlin warriors had bronze weapons, only the shields were woven from twigs.
The Dinlins ruled these territories for almost 500 years, but were expelled by the Xiongnu tribe, who came from the steppes south of the Gobi Desert. From the Dinlins, so-called tiled graves remained on the land of Transbaikalia. For example, in the Aginsky district, near the village of Budulan, in the Ankhabay valley, a burial was discovered in which the number of buried people was more than 300 people. There are also single graves, for example, near Lake Kenon.

Xiongnu or Huns

These are ancient tribes of nomads, immigrants from Central Asia. The Huns created an empire that stretched from the Tien Shan in the West to the Khingan in the east, from Lake Baikal in the north to the Gobi in the south. It was from them that the Chinese defended themselves with a wall. It was they, during the period of their decline and split, that gave rise to the “great migration of peoples” and reached Europe. The Xiongnu rule lasted about 200 years.
On the territory of Transbaikalia, numerous monuments remained from the Huns - cities, burial places, and sites. Archaeological research continues to this day.

Xianbi and Toba

After the departure of the Dinlins, the Xianbi and Toba tribes migrated from Manchuria to Transbaikalia, who settled in these places, constantly rebelled against the Xiongnu and played an important role in the destruction and fall of the Xiongnu empire.

Buryats

Buryats are considered the indigenous people of Transbaikalia. After the collapse of Genghis Khan's empire, many nomadic tribes lived in these places. Until now, scientists have not come to a consensus about the Buryat ethnic group. There is a version that the separation of the Buryat ethnic group from the Mongolian one took place somewhere in the 12th-13th centuries. There is another opinion - these tribes began to be called Buryats in the 17th century when the borders of the Russian Empire were established, which separated these tribes from Mongolia.
The Buryats were divided into nomadic and sedentary, they lived in yurts and were engaged in cattle breeding. The culture and traditions of this people have a lot in common with the Mongolian ones. After inclusion in the Russian Empire, ties with Mongolia began to be interrupted, and a separate Buryat culture began to form. By religion, Buryats are Buddhists or Orthodox Christians. Buddhism became widespread among the Buryats in the 18th century thanks to Buddhist preachers from Mongolia and Tibet.

Evenks

Evenki are also one of the indigenous peoples of Transbaikalia. Other names are Orochen and Tungus. The Evenks, like the Buryats, belong to the Mongoloid race. There are several theories about the origin of this ethnic group. In particular, there is an opinion that the ancestors of the Evenks lived in the areas of the Selenga River and the Eastern Sayan Mountains back in the Neolithic era. By the 20th century, many Evenks in Transbaikalia called themselves Buryats and spoke the Buryat language.

Also, Yakuts, Tuvans and other peoples have long lived in Transbaikalia. From the beginning of the development of the region by Russian pioneers until today, the national composition of Transbaikalia has changed greatly. Today, the majority of the population of Transbaikalia are Russians (89.9%) and Buryats (6.8%). Ukrainians, Tatars, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Kyrgyz, Belarusians, Uzbeks and Evenks also live here, but the number of each of these peoples is less than a percent of the total population.

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population of the Trans-Baikal Territory on, population of the Trans-Baikal Territory of Russia
The total population of the region is 1,087,452 people. (2015). Population density - 2.52 people/km2 (2015). Urban population - 67.37% (2015).

• 1 Population
• 2 Demographics
• 3 Urban and rural population
• 4 Settlements
• 5 Age composition
• 6 National composition
• 7 See also
• 8 Literature

Population

Demography

Urban and rural population

Plus (+) denotes census years.

Settlements

Settlements with a population of more than 5 thousand people

Age composition

National composition

National composition of the region's population according to the 2002 and 2010 censuses

see also

• Transbaikal region
• Population

Literature

• Kulakov V. S. “Geography of the Trans-Baikal Territory” Textbook. - Chita: Express Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 9785956601266
• “The Chita region is 70 years old” Chita, 2007.

1. 1 2 Resident population estimates as of January 1, 2015 and 2014 average (published March 17, 2015). Retrieved March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015.
2. Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2015 and average for 2014 (published March 17, 2015)
3. All-Union Population Census of 1959. Retrieved October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013.
4. All-Union population census of 1970. The actual population of cities, urban-type settlements, districts and regional centers of the USSR according to census data as of January 15, 1970 for republics, territories and regions. Retrieved October 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013.
5. All-Union Population Census 1979
6. All-Union population census of 1989. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.
7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Resident population as of January 1 (persons) 1990-2010
8. All-Russian population census 2002. Volume. 1, table 4. Population of Russia, federal districts, constituent entities of the Russian Federation, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - regional centers and rural settlements with a population of 3 thousand or more. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012.
9. Results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census. 5. Population of Russia, federal districts, constituent entities of the Russian Federation, districts, urban settlements, rural settlements - district centers and rural settlements with a population of 3 thousand people or more. Retrieved November 14, 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013.
10. Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities. Table 35. Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014.
11. Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2013. - M.: Federal State Statistics Service Rosstat, 2013. - 528 p. (Table 33. Population of urban districts, municipal districts, urban and rural settlements, urban settlements, rural settlements). Retrieved November 16, 2013. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013.
12. Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14. 1 2 3 4
15. 1 2 3 4
16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 5.13. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by regions of the Russian Federation
17. 1 2 3 4 4.22. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by constituent entities of the Russian Federation
18. 1 2 3 4 4.6. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by constituent entities of the Russian Federation
19. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2011
20. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2012
21. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2013
22. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2014
23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 5.13. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by regions of the Russian Federation
24. 1 2 3 4 4.22. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by constituent entities of the Russian Federation
25. 1 2 3 4 4.6. Fertility, mortality and natural population growth by constituent entities of the Russian Federation
26. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2011
27. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2012
28. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2013
29. Fertility, mortality, natural increase, marriage, divorce rates for January-December 2014
30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Life expectancy at birth, years, year, indicator value per year, entire population, both sexes
31. 1 2 3 Life expectancy at birth
32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18.1 Estimation of the permanent population of the Trans-Baikal Territory as of January 1, 2011-2015 (by region, regions equated to regions of the Far North, municipalities)
33. 1 2 3 4 Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014.
34. All-Russian population census 2010. Population of the Trans-Baikal Territory by urban districts, municipal districts, urban and rural settlements, urban settlements, rural settlements. Retrieved September 11, 2014. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014.
35. Applications // Geography of the Trans-Baikal Territory / V.S. Kulakov. - Chita: Express Publishing House, 2009. - pp. 284-288. - 308 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9566-0126-6.
36. 4. Population by nationality and Russian language proficiency in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation // All-Russian Population Census 2010

population of the Trans-Baikal region of Latvia, population of the Trans-Baikal region in, population of the Trans-Baikal region of Russia, population of the Trans-Baikal region

Population of the Trans-Baikal Territory Information About

Our work is devoted to field research of the Evenki ethnic group of the Kalarsky district of the Chita region. In our opinion, this topic is relevant because the Evenks are currently on the verge of extinction, especially in the north of the Chita region. If in other regions some programs are created to support small peoples, in particular the Evenks, then in our region this happens very unnoticed.

We, anthropology students, conducted ethno-anthropological field research. Our task was to study the past and modern life of the Evenks and make some linguistic observations by studying Evenki kinship terms. We used methods such as observation and survey. The survey was recorded on a voice recorder; these recordings were subsequently transcribed and recorded in field diaries.

Evenki are an indigenous people inhabiting Transbaikalia. According to some estimates, at the beginning of the 17th century. there were approximately 30 thousand people. For a long time, we only knew about them what Russian explorers of the 17th century, as well as academic expeditions of the 18th century, reported. Thanks to the research of archaeologists, it was possible to trace the origin and development of this people over a long period of time. Now we can say with certainty that the origins of Evenki culture date back to the New Stone Age. Their economy and culture took shape and developed over several millennia.

The Evenks (self-name “Orochon” - deer people) constitute the most representative ethnic community among the indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Far East. From the point of view of physical anthropology, they belong to the Baikal variant of the continental race of the large Mongoloid race. The Evenki language belongs to the northern branch of the Tungus-Manchu language family.

In historical sources of the 17th - early 20th centuries. The Evenks were called Tungus. The ethnonym “Evenki” began to be officially used during the Soviet period from the early 1930s. According to many researchers, the Evenks occupy a special place among the indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Far East due to the fact that, with a total population of about 30 thousand people, their traditional settlement area occupies a truly gigantic territory: from the left bank of the river. Yenisei in the west, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Arctic tundra in the north and up to the river basin. Amur in the east. Now I would like to take a closer look at the current situation of the Evenks.

The Evenks are a small people (a small ethnic group) with weak demographic potential, which does not allow them to grow into numerous peoples and create their own state structures. The Evenks have always lived scatteredly over a vast area and led a nomadic lifestyle, which in the last approximately 80 years has led to the fact that there are very few “purebred” Evenks left. I would like to give such an example. Conducting field research in the Kalarsky district of the Chita region in 2003, we learned that in the Evenki village of Chapo-Ologo, out of two hundred people, only 10-15 are “pure-blooded” Evenks, that is, without any admixture of non-Evenki blood. In the village of Kyust-Kemda there were no “pure” Evenks left at all. Since the Russians began to develop Siberia, the Evenks began to lose their identity and assimilated. Many Evenks have Yakuts, Russians and other nationalities in their ancestors.

Next I would like to talk about our research in the field of linguistics and folklore. To begin with, we asked the old-timers of the village (since only they were able to help us) to give us their terms of kinship. Thus, we found out the differences in the terms of kinship used by different genera. For example, two clans - Nyamagir and Yakotar:

Thus, we can assert that the terms of kinship are different in different genera. This is due to the fact that previously each clan lived separately from the other and had few contacts with its neighbors.

Our group also collected Evenki folklore. Unfortunately, the Evenks don’t remember anything. Data can only be found in documents from the 19th century, since at that time researchers paid much attention to indigenous peoples. Folklore, stories of the origin of the people, customs, traditions, life and much more were collected.

Further, our work was carried out in the direction of the current situation of the Evenki ethnic group. The complexity of the current situation lies in the fact that, due to the current circumstances, they do not have the opportunity to engage in their traditional activities, such as hunting wild animals and reindeer herding. Currently, hunting equipment and food are very expensive, so few people go hunting for more than a day. And even if a person gets ready to go hunting, he will not be able to sell the skins, because the prices for fur in the Kalarsky region are quite low. To engage in reindeer breeding also requires considerable initial capital, which the indigenous population of Transbaikalia does not have, due to the fact that it is initially difficult for them to get a job, especially with an 8-10 grade education.

The Evenks are a nomadic people, so they are not accustomed to keeping livestock and tending vegetable gardens. Living in villages, they only learned to grow potatoes; they do not hold other vegetables in high esteem. Some people keep cows, but in small numbers.

Fishing can be considered the only useful activity at the moment. Children do not know their native language and do not respect their customs, because they do not remember them. In the village Chapo-Ologo has a primary school where the Evenki language is taught from 1st to 3rd grade. Then the children go to study in Chara, where education is conducted entirely in Russian, and there is no elective course in the Evenki language.

Thus, at present the situation of the Evenks leaves much to be desired. Forgotten by everyone, on the verge of extinction, drinking themselves to death. What does the future hold for them? Isn't this our fault?

Scientific supervisor S. V. Terukov.

Literature:

Ivanov V.N. Russian scientists about the peoples of North-East Asia. - Yakutsk, 1978. - 319 p.

Konstantinov A.V., Konstantinova N.N. History of Transbaikalia (from ancient times to 1917). - Chita, 2002. - 247 p.

Kuznetsov O.V. Evenki of Transbaikalia: history and modern ethnosocial problems // Social anthropology of Transbaikalia. - Chita, 2001. - pp. 53-68.

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Have you heard about the people called "Gurans"? "Nationality? What kind of nation?” - you will probably think. This word is borrowed from the Buryat language. This is what they call male roe deer. Mongols, Evenks, Kalmyks and other Altai peoples called these graceful animals with a similar word “guru”. So what kind of people are these that few people know about?

Story

Surely no one will be able to say exactly when the first Russian pioneers appeared in Transbaikalia, in the Altai Territory. But one thing is for sure: it was a very long time ago, and then there was no people called “Gurans”. appeared as a result of various incest. After the first Russians settled in these areas at the beginning of the seventeenth century and began to live among the indigenous population, that is, the Evenks and Buryats, they gradually assimilated with them, tried to follow their customs and traditions - in a word, they adopted elements of the culture and life of the Altaians. At the same time, they did not forget their language and did not lose their Slavic identity. This means that their culture and way of life over time began to bear both Russian and Even-Buryat features.

On the other hand, Russian settlers introduced into the life of the inhabitants of Transbaikalia new features inherent in Slavic life and culture, for example, agriculture, city construction, etc. Thus, in these parts a new type of people of mixed blood began to form - the Gurans, whose nationality was difficult to determine. They were a mix of two races - Mongoloid and European, and in the fourth generation.

Origin

According to chronicles, Gurans lived here already in the 18th century. Nationality (history shows this) has never been officially accepted. It is, rather, Sometimes the word “guran” was considered as a nickname for people whose ancestors belonged to different races and peoples, among them were Buryats, Mongols, Evenks, Manchus and, of course, Russians. But why did this ethnic group begin to be called this way and not otherwise?

They made winter hats for themselves from the fur of male roe deer, which were called gurans. At the same time, they left horns in order to mislead the pursued animals when hunting. As you know, winters in these parts can be long, so the Cossacks wore these hats for quite a long time. And they began to be identified with roe deer.

Who are the Gurans - nationality or ethnic group?

There is still controversy about this issue. According to one theory, as a result of hybridization or interpenetration of several ethnic groups, not only the disappearance of the old one, but also the emergence of a new ethnic group can occur. Of course, this is not possible everywhere, but Transbaikalia is ideal for this process. So, as a result of the merger of such nationalities as the Buryats, Evenks and Russians, a new type of local population appeared, which is not similar to the first, nor the second, nor the third. But isn’t this proof that the Gurans are a nationality (see photo in the article)? However, the Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia contains no information about such people. Guran (nationality) is designated as a type of local population based on three ethnic groups: Buryat, Evenk and Russian. By the way, this term sometimes replaces the word Transbaikalian.

The story that happened to Khabarov

There is another legend about the origin of this nationality. One day in late winter, a Russian traveler and explorer was passing through Transbaikalia. He rode on a sleigh with a guide ahead of the convoy. And suddenly a fleet-footed roe deer cut their way, and some man in strange fur clothes was chasing after it. Khabarov asked the driver: who is this? And he, thinking that the master meant the animal running ahead, said that it was a guran.

Description

In the folklore of local residents you can find a detailed description of representatives of the Gurana ethnic group. Although their nationality is not listed in their passports, their characteristic features indicate that they belong to an ethnic group. Firstly, they can be recognized by their disposition. They are not vain, affectionate, and have a powerful Cossack spirit. As for purely external characteristics, their eyes are semi-slanted, their cheekbones were inherited from the Mongols, and their eye color can be light, even blue. Their skin is dark and their hair is mostly black. By the way, these people look like American Indians. In a word, their appearance is very exotic, with a predominance of features of the Mongoloid race. In addition, Gurans have well-developed muscles, they are flexible and have an excellent command of martial arts techniques. At one time, representatives of this ethnic group defended the borders of Siberia from attacks by neighboring peoples - the Chinese and the Mongols.

Gurans: nationality, modernity

According to the representatives of this nationality themselves, today they have practically not preserved the traditions of their distant ancestors who inhabited Transbaikalia. They consider themselves more Russian, but do not forget that Guran blood flows in them. Representatives of this nation have many traditions, legends and stories about the life of their ancestors. Studying them, you understand that it is difficult to attribute them to Russian culture. There is practically no Buryat or Evenki (Tungus) here either. Based on this, you understand that this is, of course, a separate people, with its own characteristic features. But the Russian ethnographer Nikolai Yadrintsev believed that the Gurans are not an ethnic group, but a special “regional type” with its own characteristic features.

Mixture of white and yellow blood

Of course, we are talking about race mixing. Mongoloid skin is usually called yellow, while European skin, despite different skin tones, is considered white. Some scientists believe that initially the Gurans were those people who descended from the mixture of Cossacks and Russian peasants with the Tungus. Later this name was attached to everyone who has characteristics of both the Caucasoid (white) and Mongoloid (Mongoloid) races. However, these are not ordinary mestizos, but precisely those who carry the mark of generations.

Hole verifiers are the conscience of Transbaikalia!

As already mentioned, the Gurans themselves consider themselves more Russian than Buryats or Tungus, but it is interesting to find out what faith they consider themselves to be, what or who they believe in. In Transbaikalia over the past few centuries there have been many Christian denominations. Moreover, they were not created by theologians, but arose spontaneously. However, some of them may seem wild to us. For example, many Gurans are hole-makers. They worship not icons, but holes, believing that by contemplating the cosmos through these holes, they receive energy. These believers live separately from others, marry exclusively among themselves, and lead a strict, ascetic lifestyle. They were able to preserve their blood, traditions and customs.