Who are the Buryats and where do they live? History of origin and traditions

The New Year holidays continue, but I can still look at vodka and I can eat it, so I suggest we remember about Soviet vodka.. Or, more precisely, remember about Soviet vodka brands and their prices.

In those distant times, vodka was made from three types of alcohol: “Highly purified”, “Lux” and “Extra”. “Highly purified” alcohol was distilled from a mixture of grain, potatoes, sugar beets, molasses, raw sugar and some other liquor in arbitrary proportions. “Lux” and “Extra” - only from grain mixed with potatoes and something else, but with to varying degrees cleaning. Cheap varieties of vodka were then made from “Highly Purified” alcohol, and more expensive ones from “Lux” and “Extra”, hence the difference in vodka prices.
Below are prices in 1981-1986. in the period between the rise in price of vodka under Brezhnev in September 1981 until the next rise in price of vodka under Gorbachev in August 1986 with the cost of a bottle (the “deposit” price of glassware in 1981 rose from 12 kopecks to 20 kopecks) for a 0.5 liter bottle . to those Soviet vodkas that I tried.
We’ll talk about Soviet vodka bitters and sweet liqueurs, wines, cognac and beer separately, but about vodka I remember (or it seems to me that I remember) that:

« Russian vodka" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 12 kopecks, after - 5 rubles. 30 kopecks The most common, mass-produced and disgusting vodka, with a sharp and unpleasant smell and the same taste (despite all attempts to flavor this product with cinnamon). I drank out of hopelessness and lack of money as drunks and students.
« Extra" And " Starorusskaya" - before and after the price increase, they cost the same, they were no different in taste or smell from "Russkaya" and gradually disappeared from sale.
« Moscow special" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 12 kopecks, after - 5 rubles. 30 kopecks The oldest of the Soviet mass vodka brands (the pre-revolutionary brand was restored in the USSR in 1925). The “special” thing about it was the addition of baking soda and acetic acid. It was better than “Russian”, but not by much, and all other things being equal, “Moskovskaya” was chosen from these two brands.

« Stolichnaya" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kopecks In the 30s, at the instigation of Mikoyan, the USSR decided to expand the Soviet vodka range, and in 1938 the recipe for a new vodka was registered in the USSR. It was this vodka that was actively imported to the West, and if the bourgeoisie wanted truly Soviet vodka, he took Stolichnaya, which is why it appeared in many Hollywood films. The quality of the export Stolichnaya, of course, could not be compared with the domestic Soviet one and was several orders of magnitude higher, but the internal one was also good. Strength is 40% vol., but there were also variations of 37.5% vol., 45.7% vol., and even 57% vol. I don’t remember how this affected the price. I drank mostly at the festive table.
« Wheat" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kopecks It appeared in the late 70s and became a very common vodka. It was believed that it was based on wheat raw materials and had a special “wheat” softness. At first, they say, she did. But when I started drinking vodka, “Pshenichnaya” was no longer much different from “Russian”, although it was more expensive. I drank better when there were no others.
« Posolskaya" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kopecks Very soft and good vodka, but for some reason it was not appreciated by men. Sometimes it was purchased specifically for ladies, with the aim of their subsequent seduction.
« Hunting" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kopecks I didn’t drink much of it, but I remember that it was good vodka. The strength of this vodka came in several variations: it was produced with 45% vol., 51% vol., 56% vol. She rarely met and drank rarely.

« Siberian" - before the price increase in 1981, it cost 4 rubles. 42 kopecks, after - 6 rubles. 20 kopecks At a higher strength (45% vol.), it had a very mild taste, but it did not belong to classic vodkas, not only for this reason - some kind of mineral water was used to dilute the alcohol. Very good vodka, and therefore also rare.
« Ukrainian vodka" (or similar " Drevnekievskaya") - were sold in original green square bottles of 0.75 liters, and I don’t remember the prices for them. Although they were Ukrainian, they were not much more common here than “Okhotnichya” or “Sibirskaya”. They were often ordered by visiting business travelers and guests from the fraternal republics, and taken there as a present. Their strength was also 45% vol., and some aromatic alcohols with honey were added to them. Good vodka was also drunk mainly at the festive table.
« Stark» - imitation of Polish starka. At first it had the inscription “Old Vodka”, which later changed to “Bitters.” Strength - 43% vol. Not for everybody. I wasn't a fan of it, so I don't know the price.
« Golden ring“- very expensive vodka (I don’t know the exact price, but 10-15 rubles) in a cardboard box. They said that it was being exported, although it was on sale. I tried it once at a party - it seemed that it was just an export version of “Stolichnaya” (which was also on sale in “Berezki” and special distributors).

Vodka labels of the same brand differed depending on many factors: time of production, place of production, export version, etc. In addition, some regional distilleries of the Union republics produced local vodka, which did not go into trade beyond the region. I wanted to post labels of Soviet vodkas that I had never tried, but there were too many of them.

Well, the very last mass-produced Soviet vodka “Andropovka”, which was distinguished by the extreme laconicism of the label: the word “Vodka” and a finely-fine line of various GOST numbers (it resembled the label of the old Soviet “Vodka” of the 70s, which in the early 80s disappeared). This vodka was introduced by Andropov when he came to power and it cost 4 rubles 70 kopecks (the price decreased from the cheapest vodka by 60 kopecks, although before that vodka prices in the Union had only risen). This decline then had nothing to do with the real economy, and was pure populism aimed at winning people's love for the new Secretary General.
This vodka was a Soviet vodka hit in the 1983-1984 season, but it lived just as short-lived as Secretary General Andropov, and quietly died during Gorbachev’s time.

A nation of Mongolian origin living in the territory of Transbaikalia, Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. In total, there are about 690 thousand people of this ethnic group according to the results of the latest population census. The Buryat language is an independent branch of one of the Mongolian dialects.

Buryats, history of the people

Ancient times

Since ancient times, the Buryats have lived in the area around Lake Baikal. First written references this branch can be found in the famous “Secret History of the Mongols” - a literary monument of the early thirteenth century that describes the life and exploits of Genghis Khan. The Buryats are mentioned in this chronicle as a forest people who submitted to the power of Jochi, the son of Genghis Khan.
At the beginning of the thirteenth century, Temujin created a conglomerate of the main tribes of Mongolia, covering a significant territory, including Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia. It was during these times that the Buryat people began to take shape. Many tribes and ethnic groups of nomads constantly moved from place to place, mixing with each other. Thanks to such a hectic life nomadic peoples It is still difficult for scientists to accurately determine the true ancestors of the Buryats.
As the Buryats themselves believe, the history of the people originates from the northern Mongols. And indeed, for some time, nomadic tribes moved north under the leadership of Genghis Khan, displacing the local population and partially mixing with them. As a result, two branches of the modern type of Buryats were formed, the Buryat-Mongols (northern part) and the Mongol-Buryats ( South part). They differed in type of appearance (the predominance of Buryat or Mongolian types) and dialect.
Like all nomads, the Buryats for a long time were shamanists - they revered the spirits of nature and all living things, had an extensive pantheon of various deities and performed shamanic rituals and sacrifices. In the 16th century, Buddhism began to rapidly spread among the Mongols, and a century later, most Buryats abandoned their indigenous religion.

Joining Russia

In the seventeenth century, the Russian State completed the development of Siberia, and here sources of domestic origin mention the Buryats, who for a long time resisted the establishment of the new government, raiding forts and fortifications. The subjugation of this numerous and warlike people happened slowly and painfully, but in the middle of the eighteenth century, the entire Transbaikalia was developed and recognized as part of the Russian state.

Life of the Buryats yesterday and today.

The basis of the economic activity of the semi-sedentary Buryats was semi-nomadic cattle breeding. They successfully bred horses, camels and goats, and sometimes cows and sheep. Among the crafts, fishing and hunting were especially developed, as among all nomadic peoples. All livestock by-products were processed - sinews, bones, hide and wool. They were used to make utensils, jewelry, toys, and sew clothes and shoes.

Buryats have mastered many methods of processing meat and milk. They could produce shelf-stable products suitable for use on long journeys.
Before the arrival of the Russians, the main dwellings of the Buryats were felt yurts, six or eight walls, with a strong folding frame that made it possible to quickly move the structure as needed.
The way of life of the Buryats in our time is, of course, different from before. With the advent of the Russian World, the traditional yurts of nomads were replaced by log buildings, tools were improved, and agriculture spread.
Modern Buryats, having lived side by side with Russians for more than three centuries, have managed to preserve the richest cultural heritage and national flavor in their everyday life and culture.

Buryat traditions

The classical traditions of the Buryat ethnic group have been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries in a row. They were formed under the influence of certain needs of the social structure, improved and changed under the influence modern trends, but kept their basis unchanged.
Those wishing to appreciate the national color of the Buryats should visit one of the many holidays, such as Surkharban. All Buryat holidays - big and small - are accompanied by dancing and fun, including constant competitions in dexterity and strength among men. Main holiday In the Buryat year - Sagaalgan, the ethnic New Year, preparations for which begin long before the celebration itself.
Buryat traditions in the area of ​​family values ​​are most significant for them. Blood ties are very important for this people, and ancestors are revered. Every Buryat can easily name all of his ancestors up to the seventh generation on his father’s side.

The role of men and women in Buryat society

The dominant role in the Buryat family has always been occupied by a male hunter. The birth of a boy was considered the greatest happiness, because a man is the basis of the material well-being of the family. From childhood, boys were taught to stay firmly in the saddle and care for horses. The Buryat man learned the basics of hunting from an early age, fishing and blacksmithing skills. He had to be able to shoot accurately, pull a bowstring and at the same time be a deft fighter.
The girls were raised in the traditions of tribal patriarchy. They had to help their elders with housework and learn sewing and weaving. A Buryat woman could not call her husband’s older relatives by name and sit in their presence. She was also not allowed to attend tribal councils; she had no right to pass by the idols hanging on the wall of the yurt.
Regardless of gender, all children were raised in harmony with the spirits of the living and inanimate nature. Knowledge of national history, reverence for elders and the unquestioned authority of Buddhist sages is the moral basis for young Buryats, unchanged to this day.

The Buryats, or Buryaad, are the northernmost Mongolian people, the indigenous people of Siberia, whose closest relatives, according to the latest genetic research, are Koreans. The Buryats are distinguished by their ancient traditions, religion and culture.

Story

The people formed and settled in the area of ​​Lake Baikal, where ethnic Buryatia is located today. Previously, the territory was called Bargudzhin-Tokum. The ancestors of this people, the Kurykans and Bayyrkus, began to develop the lands on both sides of Lake Baikal, starting in the 6th century. The first occupied the Cis-Baikal region, the second settled the lands east of Lake Baikal. Gradually, starting from the 10th century, these ethnic communities began to interact more closely with each other and by the time of creation Mongol Empire formed a single ethnic group called the Barguts. At the end of the 13th century, due to internecine wars, the Barguts had to leave their lands and go to Western Mongolia; in the 15th century, they moved to Southern Mongolia and became part of the Yongshiebu tumen of the Mongols. The Bargu-Buryats returned to their homeland only in the 14th century, after part of the Eastern Mongols moved west to the lands of the Oirats. Later, the Khalkhas and Oirats began to attack them, as a result, some of the Bargu-Buryats came under the influence of the Khalkha khans, and some became part of the Oirats. During this period, the conquest of the Buryat lands by the Russian state began.

Buryats are divided into ethnic groups:

• sartuls
• Uzons
• Transbaikal Buryats (“black mungals” or “brotherly yasashs of the Turukaya herd”)
• shosholoki
• Korins and Baturins
• sharanuty
• tabanguts
• Sagenuts
• cramps
• ikinats
• hongodors
• bulagats
• gotols
• ashibagata
• ehirites
• Kurkuta
• Khatagins
• terte
• hello
• Sharaites
• Shurtos
• Atagans

All of them inhabited the territories of ethnic Buryatia in the 17th century. At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century, the Songol ethnic group moved to them from other regions of Inner Asia.

From the second half of the 17th to the beginning of the 20th century, there were ethno-territorial groups of Buryats, which were also divided depending on their place of residence.

Barguts (Buryats) of the Qing Empire:

• old barguts or chipchin
• new barguts

Transbaikal Buryats living in the Transbaikal region:

• Khorinsky
• Barguzinsky
• Aginsky
• Selenga

Irkutsk Buryats living in the Irkutsk region:

• Zakamensky
• Alar
• Oka
• Balagansky or Unginsky
• Kudinsky
• Ida
• Olkhonskie
• Verkholensky
• Nizhneudinsk
• Kudarinsky
• Tunkinsky

Where live

Today, Buryats inhabit the lands where their ancestors originally lived: the Republic of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory of Russia, the Irkutsk region and the Khulun-Buir district, located in autonomous region Inner Mongolia Chinese People's Republic. In the countries where the Buryats live, they are considered a separate independent nationality or one of the ethnic groups of the Mongols. On the territory of Mongolia, the Buryats and Barguts are divided into different ethnic groups.

Number

The total population of Buryats is about 690,000 people. Of these, approximately 164,000 live in the PRC, 48,000 in Mongolia and about 461,389 in the Russian Federation.

Name

To this day, the origin of the ethnonym “buryaad” is controversial and not fully understood. It was first mentioned in the “Secret History of the Mongols” in 1240, the second time this term was mentioned only at the end of the 19th century. There are several versions of the etymology of the ethnonym:

1. from the expression buru halyadg (looking to the side, outsider).
2. from the word bar (tiger);
3. from the word burikha (to evade);
4. from the word storm (thickets);
5. from the ethnonym Kurykan (Kurikan);
6. from the word bu (ancient and old) and the word oirot (forest peoples). In general, these two words are translated as indigenous (ancient) forest peoples.
7. from the word of Khakass origin pyraat, which goes back to the term buri (wolf) or buri-ata (father wolf). Many ancient Buryat peoples revered the wolf and considered this animal their ancestor. The sound “b” in the Khakass language is pronounced like “p”. Under this name, the Russian Cossacks learned about the ancestors of the Buryats, who lived east of the Khakass. Later, the word “pyraat” was transformed into the word “brother”. The Mongol-speaking population living in Russia began to be called brothers, bratskie mungals and brotherly people. Gradually the name was adopted by the Khori-Buryats, Bulagats, Khondogors and Ekhirits as the common self-name “Buryad”.

Religion

The religion of the Buryats was influenced by the Mongol tribes and the period Russian statehood. Initially, like many Mongolian tribes, the Buryats professed shamanism. This set of beliefs is also called pantheism and Tengrism, and the Mongols, in turn, called it khara shashyn, which translates as black faith.

At the end of the 16th century, Buddhism began to spread in Buryatia, and from the 18th century Christianity began to actively develop. Today, all three of these religions exist in the territory where the Buryats live.

Shamanism

The Buryats have always had a special relationship with nature, which was reflected in their ancient faith - shamanism. They revered the sky, considered it the supreme deity and called it the Eternal Blue Sky (Huhe Munhe Tengri). They considered nature and its forces - water, fire, air and sun - to be animate. The rituals were performed outdoors certain objects. It was believed that in this way it was possible to achieve unity between man and the forces of air, water and fire. Ritual holidays in shamanism are called tailagans, they were held near Lake Baikal, in places that were especially revered. The Buryats influenced spirits through sacrifice and observance of special traditions and rules.

Shamans were a special caste, they combined several characteristics at once: storytellers, healers and psychologists manipulating consciousness. Only a person with shamanic roots could become a shaman. Their rituals were very impressive; sometimes a large number of people, up to several thousand, gathered to watch them. When Christianity and Buddhism began to spread in Buryatia, shamanism began to be oppressed. But this ancient faith lies deeply in the basis of the worldview Buryat people and cannot be completely destroyed. To this day, many traditions of shamanism have been preserved, and spiritual monuments and sacred places are an important part cultural heritage Buryat.

Buddhism

The Buryats living on the eastern bank began to profess Buddhism under the influence of the Mongols living nearby. In the 17th century, one of the forms of Buddhism appeared in Buryatia - Lamaism. The Buryats introduced into Lamaism the attributes of the ancient faith of shamanism: the spiritualization of nature and natural forces, veneration of guardian spirits. Gradually, the culture of Mongolia and Tibet came to Buryatia. Representatives of this faith, called lamas, were brought to the territory of Transbaikalia, Buddhist monasteries and schools were opened, and applied arts and books were published. In 1741, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree that recognized Lamaism as one of the official religions on the territory of the Russian Empire. A staff of 150 lamas was officially approved, who were exempt from paying taxes. Datsans became the center of development of Tibetan medicine, philosophy and literature in Buryatia. After the revolution of 1917, all this ceased to exist, the datsans were destroyed and closed, and the lamas were repressed. The revival of Buddhism began again only in the late 1990s, and today Buryatia is the center of Buddhism in Russia.

Christianity

In 1721, the Irkutsk diocese was created in Buryatia, from which the development of Christianity in the republic began. Among the Western Buryats, such holidays as Easter, Elijah's Day, and Christmas have become common. Christianity in Buryatia was greatly hampered by the population's adherence to shamanism and Buddhism. Russian authorities decided to influence the worldview of the Buryats through Orthodoxy, the construction of monasteries began, the authorities also used such a method as getting rid of taxes subject to the adoption of the Orthodox faith. Marriages between Russians and Buryats began to be encouraged, and already at the beginning of the 20th century, of the total Buryat population, 10% were mestizos. All the efforts of the authorities were not in vain and at the end of the 20th century there were already 85,000 Orthodox Buryats, but with the beginning of the 1917 revolution, the Christian mission was liquidated. Church leaders, especially the most active ones, were exiled to camps or shot. After World War II, some Orthodox churches were revived, but the Orthodox Church was officially recognized in Buryatia only in 1994.

Language

As a result of the era of globalization, in 2002 the Buryat language was listed in the Red Book as endangered. Unlike other Mongolian languages, Buryat has a number of phonetic features and is divided into groups:

• Western Buryat
• Eastern Buryat
• Old Bargut
• Novobargutsky

And dialect groups:

• Alaro-Tunik, widespread to the west of Lake Baikal and is divided into several dialects: Unginsky, Alarsky, Zakamensky and Tunkino-Okinsky;
• Nizhneudinskaya, this dialect is widespread in the western territories of the Buryats;
• Khorinskaya, widespread east of Lake Baikal, is spoken by the majority of Buryats living in Mongolia and a group of Buryats in China. Divided into dialects: North Selenga, Aginsky, Tugnuisky and Khorinsky;
• Seleginskaya, widespread in the south of Buryatia and is divided into dialects: Sartul, Khamnigan and Songolian;
• The Ekhirit-Bulagat group predominates in the Ust-Ordynsky district and the territories of the Baikal region. Dialects: Barguzin, Bokhan, Ekhit-Bulagat, Baikal-Kudarin and Olkhon.

The Buryats used the old Mongolian script until the mid-1930s. In 1905, Lama Agvan Dorzhiev developed a writing system called Vagindra. It is worth noting that the Buryats are the only indigenous people of Siberia who own literary monuments and founded his own historical written sources. They were called Buryat chronicles and were written mainly in the 19th century. Buddhist teachers and clergymen left behind a rich spiritual heritage, their works, translations on Buddhist philosophy, tantric practices, history and Tibetan medicine. In many datsans of Buryatia there were printing houses in which books were printed using woodblock printing.

Housing

The traditional dwelling of the Buryats is the yurt, which many Mongol peoples called ger. These people had portable yurts made of felt and yurts made of wood, which were built in one place.

Wooden dwellings were made of logs or logs, were 6- or 8-corner, without windows. There was a hole in the roof large sizes, designed for lighting and smoke release. The roof of the house was installed on 4 pillars, which are called tengi, and large pieces of coniferous bark were laid on the ceiling inside down. Smooth pieces of turf were placed on top.

The door to the yurt was always installed on the south side. Inside, the room was divided into two halves: the right was for men, the left for women. By right side of the yurt that belonged to a man, a bow, arrows, a saber, a gun, harness and a saddle hung on the wall. Kitchen utensils were located on the left side. There was a fireplace in the middle of the dwelling, and there were benches along the walls. On the left side were chests and a table for guests. Opposite the entrance there was a shelf with ongons and buhrans - Buddhist sculptures. In front of the dwelling, the Buryats installed a hitching post (serge), which was made in the form of a pillar with an ornament.

Portable yurts are lightweight and easy to assemble and disassemble due to their design. This was very important for the nomadic Buryats, who moved from place to place in search of pastures. In winter, a fire was lit in the hearth to heat the home; in summer it was used as a refrigerator. The lattice frame of the portable yurt was covered with felt, soaked for disinfection with a mixture of salt, tobacco or sour milk. The Buryats sat around the fireplace on quilted felt.

In the 19th century, wealthy Buryats began to build huts, which they borrowed from Russian settlers. But in such huts all the decoration of the elements of the Buryat national home was preserved.

Food

Products of animal and animal-plant origin have always occupied an important place in the Buryat cuisine. They prepared sour milk (kurunga) of a special leaven and dried compressed curd mass for future use. The Buryats drank green tea with milk, to which they added salt, lard or butter, and prepared an alcoholic drink from the distillation of kurunga.

In Buryat cuisine, a significant place is occupied by fish, herbs, spices, strawberries and bird cherry. A very popular dish of national cuisine is smoked Baikal omul. The symbol of Buryat cuisine is buuza, which Russians call poses.

Character

By nature, Buryats are distinguished by their secrecy; they are usually peace-loving and meek, but vindictive and angry if offended. They are compassionate towards relatives and never refuse help to the poor. Despite their outward rudeness, love, justice and honesty towards their neighbors are very developed among the Buryats.

Appearance

The skin color of the Buryat is brown-bronze, the face is flat and wide, the nose is flattened and small. The eyes are small, slanted, mostly black, the mouth is large, the beard is sparse, and the hair on the head is black. Medium or short height, strong build.

Cloth

Each Buryat clan has its own national clothing, which is very diverse, especially for women. The Transbaikal Buryats have a national dress called degel - a type of caftan made from dressed sheepskin. At the top of the chest there is a pubescent notch triangular shape. The sleeves are also pubescent, narrowing at the wrist. Various types of fur were used for trimming, sometimes very valuable. The caftan was tied at the waist with a belt. A knife and smoking accessories were hung on it: a pouch with tobacco, a flint and a hansa - a small copper pipe with a short chibouk. 3 stripes were sewn into the chest part of the degel different color: yellow-red at the bottom, black in the middle and various at the top: green, white, blue. The original version was yellow-red, black and white embroidery.

In bad weather, a sabu was worn on top of the degel; this is a type of overcoat with a large fur collar. In cold weather, especially if the Buryats went on the road, they wore a wide dakha robe, which was sewn with the wool outward from tanned skins.

In summer, degel was sometimes replaced with a caftan made of cloth of the same cut. Often in Transbaikalia in the summer they wore robes, which were made from paper by the poor Buryats and from silk by the rich.

Buryats wore long and narrow pants, made of rough leather, and a shirt made of blue fabric. In winter, high boots made from the skin of foals' legs were worn as footwear; in spring and autumn, boots with pointed toes, called shoe boots, were worn. In summer they wore shoes knitted from horsehair with leather soles.

As headdresses, women and men wore round hats with small brims and a red tassel at the top. The color and details of the dress have their own meaning and symbolism. The pointed top of the cap is a symbol of well-being and prosperity, the silver top of the denze with red coral on the top of the cap symbolizes the sun, which illuminates the entire Universe with its rays. The brushes represent the rays of the sun. The zalaa fluttering at the top of the cap means an invincible spirit and a happy destiny, the sompi knot symbolizes strength and strength. Buryats are very fond of the color blue; for them it is a symbol of the eternal and blue sky.

Women's clothing differed from men's clothing in embroidery and decorations. The female degel is surrounded by blue cloth, and at the top in the back area it is decorated with embroidery in the form of a square. Decorations made of copper and silver buttons and coins are sewn onto the degel. Women's robes consist of a short jacket sewn to a skirt.

As a hairstyle, girls wear braids, braid them in quantities from 10 to 20 and decorate them with a large number of coins. Women wear gold or silver coins and corals around their necks, and huge earrings in their ears, which are supported by a cord thrown over their heads. Polta pendants are worn behind the ears. They wear copper or silver bugaks on their hands - bracelets in the form of hoops.

Men belonging to the clergy had their hair cut at the front of their heads and wore a braid at the back, into which horsehair was often woven for thickness.

Life

The Buryats were divided into nomadic and sedentary. The economy was based on cattle breeding; they usually kept 5 types of animals: rams, cows, camels, goats and horses. They were also engaged in traditional crafts - fishing and hunting.

The Buryats were engaged in processing animal wool, skins and tendons. The skins were used to make bedding, saddlery and clothing. Felt, materials for clothing, hats and shoes, and mattresses were made from wool. Tendons were used to make thread material, which was used in the manufacture of ropes and bows. The bones were used to make toys and jewelry, and were used to make arrows and bows.

The meat was used to prepare food, processed using waste-free technology, and made into delicacies and sausages. The spleen of animals was used by women when sewing clothes as an adhesive material. Various products were made from milk.

Culture

Buryat folklore consists of several directions:

• legends
• uligers
• shamanic invocations
• sayings
• fairy tales
• puzzles
• legends
• proverbs
• cult hymns

Musical creativity is represented by various genres, some of them:

• epic tales
• dance songs (the Yehor round dance is especially popular)
• lyrical ritual

Buryats sing various songs of a lyrical, everyday, ritual, feast, round dance and dance nature. The Buryats call improvised songs duunuud. The modal basis belongs to the anhemitonic pentatonic scale.

Traditions

The only one Public Holiday in the Republic of Buryatia, when the entire population officially rests, it is the first day of the New Year according to Lunar calendar- White Month holiday called Sagaalgan.

Other holidays are also celebrated in Buryatia in accordance with religious and national traditions:

• Altargana
• Surkharban
• Yordyn games
• Day ancient city
• Ulan-Ude Day
• Baikal Day
• Hunnic New Year
• Zura Khural

According to tradition, Buryats invite close neighbors to eat fresh food when they slaughter a ram, bull or horse. If a neighbor could not come, the owner sent him pieces of meat. Days of migration are also considered solemn. On this occasion, the Buryats prepared milk wine, slaughtered sheep and held festivities.

Children occupy an important place in the life of the Buryats. Having many children has always been revered. Parents who have many children enjoy great respect and respect. If there were no children in the family, this was considered a punishment from above; to remain without offspring means the end of the family line. If a Buryat died childless, they said that his fire had gone out. Families in which children often got sick and died turned to shamans and asked them to become godfather.

From an early age, children were taught knowledge of customs, native land, the traditions of their grandfathers and fathers, tried to instill in them labor skills. Boys were taught to shoot a bow and ride a horse, girls were taught to take care of babies, carry water, light a fire, wrinkle belts and sheepskin. From an early age, children became shepherds, learned to survive the cold, slept in the open air, went hunting and stayed with the herd for days.

In pre-Chinggis times, the Mongols did not have a written language, so there were no manuscripts on history. There are only oral traditions recorded in the 18th and 19th centuries by historians

These were Vandan Yumsunov, Togoldor Toboev, Shirab-Nimbu Khobituev, Sayntsak Yumov, Tsydypzhap Sakharov, Tsezheb Tserenov and a number of other researchers of Buryat history.

In 1992, the book “History of the Buryats” by Doctor of Historical Sciences Shirap Chimitdorzhiev was published in the Buryat language. This book contains monuments of the Buryat literature XVIII- XIX centuries, written by the above-mentioned authors. The commonality of these works is that the forefather of all Buryats is Barga-Bagatur, a commander who came from Tibet. This happened around the turn of our era. At that time on south coast Lake Baikal lived the Bede people, whose territory was the northern outskirts of the Xiongnu empire. If we consider that the Bede were a Mongol-speaking people, then they called themselves Bede Khunuud. Bade - we, hun - man. Xiongnu is a word of Chinese origin, so Mongol-speaking peoples began to call people “Hun” from the word “Xiongnu”. And the Xiongnu gradually turned into Khun - man or Khunuud - people.

Huns

The Chinese chronicler, author of “Historical Notes” Sima Qian, who lived in the 2nd century BC, first wrote about the Huns. The Chinese historian Ban Gu, who died in 95 BC, continued the history of the Huns. The third book was written by the southern Chinese scholarly official Fan Hua, who lived in the 5th century. These three books formed the basis of the idea of ​​the Huns. The history of the Huns dates back almost 5 thousand years. Sima Qian writes that in 2600 BC. The “yellow emperor” fought against the Zhun and Di tribes (simply Huns). Over time, the Rong and Di tribes mixed with the Chinese. Now the Rong and Di went south, where, mixing with the local population, they formed new tribes called the Xiongnu. New languages, cultures, customs and countries emerged.

Shanyu Mode, the son of Shanyu Tuman, created the first Xiongnu empire, with a strong army of 300 thousand people. The empire lasted for more than 300 years. Mode united 24 clans of the Xiongnu, and the empire stretched from Korea (Chaoxian) in the west to Lake Balkhash, in the north from Baikal, in the south to the Yellow River. After the collapse of the Mode empire, other superethnic groups appeared, such as the Khitans, Tapgachis, Togons, Xianbis, Rourans, Karashars, Khotans, etc. Western Xiongnu, Shan-Shan, Karashar, etc., spoke Turkic language. Everyone else spoke Mongolian. Initially, the proto-Mongols were the Donghu. The Huns pushed them back to Mount Wuhuan. They began to be called Wuhuan. The related tribes of the Donghu Xianbei are considered the ancestors of the Mongols.

And three sons were born to the khan...

Let's return to the Bede Khunuud people. They lived on the territory of the Tunkinsky region in the 1st century BC. It was an ideal place for nomads to live. At that time, the climate of Siberia was very mild and warm. Alpine meadows with lush grasses allowed herds to graze all year round. The Tunka Valley is protected by a chain of mountains. From the north - the inaccessible chars of the Sayan Mountains, from the south - the Khamar-Daban mountain range. Around the 2nd century AD. Barga-bagatur daichin (commander) came here with his army. And the Bede Khunuud people chose him as their khan. He had three sons. The youngest son Khorida Mergen had three wives; the first, Bargudzhin Gua, gave birth to a daughter, Alan Gua. The second wife, Sharal-dai, gave birth to five sons: Galzuud, Khuasai, Khubduud, Gushad, Sharaid. The third wife, Na-gatai, gave birth to six sons: Khargana, Khudai, Bodonguud, Khalbin, Sagaan, Batanai. In total, eleven sons who created eleven Khorin clans of Khoridoy.

The middle son of Barga-bagatur, Bargudai, had two sons. From them descended the clans of Ekhirites - Ubusha, Olzon, Shono, etc. In total there are eight clans and nine clans of Bulagats - Alaguy, Khurumsha, Ashaghabad, etc. There is no information about the third son of Barga-bagatur; most likely, he was childless.

The descendants of Khoridoy and Bargudai began to be called Barga or Bar-Guzon - the Bargu people, in honor of Barga-bagatur's grandfather. Over time, they became cramped in the Tunka Valley. The Ekhirit-Bulagats went to the western shore of the Inland Sea (Lake Baikal) and spread to the Yenisei. That was very hard times. There were constant skirmishes with local tribes. At that time on west bank Lake Baikal was inhabited by the Tungus, Khyagas, Dinlins (Northern Huns), Yenisei Kyrgyz, etc. But Bargu survived and the Bargu people were divided into Ekhirit-Bulagats and Khori-Tumats. Tumat from the word “tumed” or “tu-man” - more than ten thousand. The people as a whole were called Bargu.

After some time, part of the Khori-Tumats went to the Barguzin lands. We settled near Mount Barkhan-Uula. This land began to be called Bargudzhin-tokum, i.e. Bargu zone tohom - the land of the Bargu people. In the old days, Tokh was the name given to the area where people lived. Mongols pronounce the letter "z", especially the Inner Mongols, as "j". The word "barguzin" in Mongolian is "bargujin". Gin - zone - people, even on Japanese Nihon Jin - Nihon man - Japanese.

Lev Nikolaevich Gumilyov writes that in 411 the Rourans conquered the Sayans and Barga. This means that the Bargu lived in Barguzin at that time. The remaining part of the indigenous Bargu lived in the Sayan Mountains. The Hori-Tumats subsequently migrated all the way to Manchuria, to Mongolia, in the foothills of the Himalayas. All this time, the great steppe was seething with eternal wars. Some tribes or nationalities conquered or destroyed others. Hunnic tribes raided Ki-tai. China, on the contrary, wanted to suppress its restless neighbors...

"Brotherly people"

Before the arrival of the Russians, as mentioned above, the Buryats were called Bargu. They told the Russians that they were Barguds, or Bargudians in the Russian manner. Out of misunderstanding, the Russians began to call us “brotherly people.”

The Siberian order in 1635 reported to Moscow “... Pyotr Beketov with service people went to the Bratsk land up the Lena River to the mouth of the Ona River to the Bratsk and Tungus people.” Ataman Ivan Pokhabov wrote in 1658: “The Bratsk princes with the ulus people... betrayed and migrated away from the Bratsk forts to Mungali.”

Subsequently, the Buryat began to call themselves Barat - from the word “brotherly”, which later transformed into Buryat. The path that was traveled from Bede to Bar-gu, from Bargu to the Buryats for more than two thousand years. During this time, several hundred clans, tribes and peoples disappeared or were wiped off the face of the earth. Mongolian scholars who study the Old Mongolian writing say that the Old Mongolian and Buryat languages ​​are close in meaning and dialect. Although we are an integral part of the Mongolian world, we have managed to carry through millennia and preserve the unique culture and language of the Buryats. The Buryats are an ancient people descended from the Bede people, who, in turn, were the Huns.

The Mongols unite many tribes and nationalities, but the Buryat language among the variety of Mongolian dialects is the only one and only because of the letter “h”. In our time, bad, strained relations between different groups of Buryats persist. Buryats are divided into eastern and western, Songolians and Hongodors, etc. This is, of course, an unhealthy phenomenon. We are not a superethnic group. There are only 500 thousand of us on this earth. Therefore, every person must understand with his own mind that the integrity of the people lies in unity, respect and knowledge of our culture and language. There are many famous people among us: scientists, doctors, builders, livestock breeders, teachers, artists, etc. Let's live on, increase our human and material wealth, preserve and protect natural wealth and our holy Lake Baikal.

Excerpt from a book

Glossary of Buryat words

LIFE BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE RUSSIAN COLONIZERS
BURYAT AND MONGOLIAN LANGUAGES
FIRST INFORMATION ABOUT BURYATS AMONG THE RUSSIANS
GETTING IN CONTACT WITH THE RUSSIANS
Two main Buryat tribes
Different attitudes towards Russian colonialists
FIGHT AGAINST THE RUSSIANS
ETHNONYM BURYATS
Buryat-Mongols in 1700-1907
RUSSIAN POLICY TOWARDS THE BURYATS
Charter of 1822 on the management of foreigners of Speransky
BURYATS GUARD THE BORDER
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN BURYATS
RELIGIOUS QUESTION (2 CHURCHES)
LAMAISM
CULTURE AND EDUCATION
Literacy among Western and Eastern Buryats
EARLY 20TH CENTURY
REVOLUTION
SOCIALISM
Buryats after the Second World War
Bibliography

Glossary of Buryat words

ORIGIN AND SETTLEMENT OF THE BURYATS

V. A. Ryazanovsky in his book “Mongolian Law” sets out his version of the origin of the Buryats as follows:
“The first historical information about the Buryats apparently dates back to the 12th century. The chronicles of Yuan-chao-mi-shi, Sanan-Setzen and Rashid Eddin mention the subjugation of the Buryat tribes living beyond Lake Baikal to Genghis Khan. Thus, the chronicle of Sanan-Setzen under 1189 speaks of the Buryat leader Shikgushi, who presented Genghis Khan with a falcon (hawk) as a sign of submission to the Buryat people who lived at that time near Lake Baikal. The chronicle of Rashid Eddin under 1188 reports the victory of Genghis-Khan. Khan over the Taijiyuts near the Ingoda River, on whose side the leader of the Khori tribe, Sumaji, fought, and under 1200-1201 (594 GE) it is said that Van Khan defeated Tukhta, who went to a place called “Bargudzhin”; “ this place beyond the Selenga River to the East of Mongolia, to one tribe of the Mongols, which is called Bargut, this name was adopted for the reason that they lived in this Bargudzhin and they are still called by this name." Thus, according to the most ancient ones that have come down to us, historical information The Buryats originally lived in Transbaikalia, from where they apparently moved south under Genghis Khan). Internal strife in Mongolia, external attacks on it, and the search for new pastures forced the Khalkha Mongols to move north and settle along the river. Selenge, o. Baikal and beyond Baikal (XV-XVII centuries). Here, new newcomers displaced some local tribes, conquered others, mixed with others and formed the modern Buryats, among whom two branches can be distinguished - one with a predominance of the Buryat type - the Buryat-Mongols, ch. arr. northern Buryats, others with a predominance of the Mongolian type are Mongol-Buryats, mainly southern Buryats. »
On Wikipedia we learn that:
“Modern Buryats were formed, apparently, from various Mongol-speaking groups on the territory of the northern outskirts of the Khanate of Altan Khans, which emerged at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries. By the 17th century, the Buryats consisted of several tribal groups, the largest of which were the Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khorins and Khongodors. »
“The pastures east of Lake Baikal have been the home of pastoral nomads since time immemorial and, in fact, Genghis Khan was born on the Onon south of the modern Russian border. (Onon (Mong. Onon gol) is a river in northeastern Mongolia and Russia. Upper reaches Onon is one of the supposed places where Genghis Khan was born and raised. According to legend, he is buried here (Wikipedia) Thus, this fact gives the Buryats living in the east of Lake Baikal a reason to consider themselves “pure Mongols.” These tribes included "the Tabanut, Atagan and Khori" - the latter also lived on the western shore of Lake Baikal and on the large island "Oikhon" (in Russian Olkhon). Other Mongol tribes - "the Bulagat, Ekherit and Khongodor" - settled around Lake Baikal and near the valley of the Angara River which flows from the southern end of the lake. Here and in the neighboring valleys reaching the headwaters of the Lena River they found meadow steppes that could be used as pasture for their horses and cattle. These Mongols, who settled in Tungussk and other forest inhabitants, became the Western Buryats. "₁

In his book, “La chasse à l’âme” dedicated mainly to Buryat shamanism, Roberte Hamayon talks about the first mentions of the Buryats:
« p.44 Sources anciennes
The names of the tribes that would later form the Buryat ethnos appear in the Secret History of the Mongols “Histoire secrète des Mongols” ( we're talking about about a text produced in the Mongol environment, but known only from Chinese transcription dated 1240 (...) This text features the tribe ekires or ikires, part of which joined for a long time the future Genghis Khan, this part of the tribe was included in 1206, along with Bulugan people (Bulugan (la tribu bulagazin?)) into the federation of tribes of felt tents (tribus aux tentures de feutre), ancestors of the Ekhirites and Bulagats of the Baikal region; the "qori-tümed" tribe, mentioned among the "forest people" who conquered in 1207, whose descendants are the Khori of Transbaikalia; as well as the Buriyad tribe, also classified as “forest people”, and conquered in 1207, historically different from the previous ones), a genealogical narrative about the family of Genghis Khan. This chronicle is believed to contain data on the relations between tribes and clans in the pre-imperial era, on relations of cooperation and revenge that fit into the frame of shamanic actions, and which are found in a similar form in the Baikal region of the 19th century. During this era, the Mongol court favorably accepted all foreign religions, while at the same time trying to curb the shamans, no longer wanting to allow a division of power with them (a division of power that would turn out to be characteristic of shamanism, and therefore incompatible with state centralization); The Mongol court was tolerant of marginalized people, but Genghis Khan, during his rise to supreme power, eliminated the shaman Kököcü, nicknamed Teb Tengeri, who intended to use his powers.
The tribes mentioned were forgotten until their entry into the Russian Empire in the mid-17th century.

LIFE BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE RUSSIAN COLONIZERS

The Buryats in eastern Lake Baikal have retained the traditional Mongolian lifestyle based on raising horses and livestock, roaming between pastures and living in portable felt-lined tents [yurts]. On the western shore of the lake, however, some of them adopted a sedentary lifestyle, learned to build wooden houses- octagonal with a smoke hole in the center of the pyramidal roof - and cultivate dry fodder and crops such as millet, barley and buckwheat. Hunting played a significant role in the life of all Mongols; it is known that the Buryats organized large joint hunts with several clans. In the relatively advanced Buryat culture, the use of iron was an important feature from ancient times, and as in other Siberian communities, the blacksmiths who forged weapons, axes, knives, pots, harnesses and silver jewelry enjoyed an almost supernatural status.
Like all Mongols before the 16th century, the Buryats were shamanists. However, this took a more complex form compared to other Siberian communities, since they not only revered spirits related to natural phenomena (in honor of which they built cairns (oboo) in sacred places) but also had a polysyllabic pantheon consisting of 99 deities as well as their many progenitors and offspring. In highly developed mythology, fire was especially revered. The shamans themselves—mainly a hereditary caste—were divided into two types: “white” shamans who served heavenly deities, and “black” shamans who served the gods of the underworld. The Buryat shamans differed from the Tungus and Ket in that their ecstatic dance was not accompanied by a tambourine; they used it in their rituals small bell and a wooden horse (hobby horse). The central ritual in the religious practice of the Buryats, like all Mongolian shamanists, was a blood sacrifice to the heavenly god Tengri, during which a horse (usually white) was killed and its skin was hung on a long pole. Shamanism, the religion of Genghis Khan, persisted until the end of the 16th century, when Buddhism from Tibet quickly spread among the Mongols. The Buryats, be that as it may, abandoned their ancestral religion only a century later, and in fact the Buryats living on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal adopted Buddhism, while the forest Buryats to the west remained faithful to shamanism.
Living on the border between the northern forests and the steppes of Inner Asia, the Buryat Mongols were intermediaries in barter trade, exchanging their cattle, hardware and grain for furs (from the Tungus and other forest dwellers), these goods were in turn exchanged for Chinese textiles, jewelry and silver.
The Buryats were a large people (at least 30,000 people in the 17th century) unlike most of the aborigines of Siberia. Their social organization was also highly developed. Clan heads (khans or taishis) formed a hereditary aristocracy that wielded considerable power over ordinary clan members; a class of wealthy pastoralists (noyons) also existed, especially in eastern Buryatia. However, rights to pastures and meadows were considered common, and a system of mutual aid operated within the clan (Russian Marxist writers argued that this was just a pretext for the exploitation of the poor by the rich). In the 17th century, differences had already developed in the social structure of the Western Buryats, which contained many traditional tribal characteristics; as for the eastern Buryats, their connection with the Mongols led them to the road of feudalism
As Mongol tribes, the Buryats were part of the borders of the empire of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, but historians disagree about the participation of the Buryats in the campaigns of the army of Genghis [yet, it seems to me, the more popular opinion is that the Buryats were among the Mongols in position of vassals, like the Russians]. What is clear is what they shared. Even in the west, however, hereditary clan heads used their power to subjugate neighboring tribes, forcing the latter to pay tribute. Buryat clan heads also formed armed men from their vassals in case of war. Thus, before the arrival of the Russians, many tribes of the Tungus, Samoyeds and Kets living between Lake Baikal and the Yenisei were in the position of subjects of the peoples, either the Buryat Mongols or the Kyrgyz Turks.
Mongolian tradition military organization, effective mounted tactics and the use of bow and arrow. As a result, they represented a much more formidable enemy for the Russians than primitive tribes Central Siberia. At a certain point during the Russian war against the Buryats, the servicemen in the Verkholensk fortress were so besieged that they wrote a letter to Tsar Mikhail: “Spare us, your slaves, lord, and command that in the… fort two hundred mounted men be garrisoned…(… )…because, lord, the Buryats have many mounted warriors who fight in armor…and helmets, while we, lord, your slaves, are ill-clad, having no armours...”[couldn’t find the original in Russian] from “Colonial Policy” in Yakutia."

BURYAT AND MONGOLIAN LANGUAGES

The Buryat language belongs to the Mongolian family. The Mongolian language is currently based on the Khalkha dialect. Many words are identical in Buryat and Khalkhas, such as gar "hand", ger "house", ulaan "red" and khoyor "two", but there are also some systematic sound differences. For example, water in the Buryat language is uha, while in Mongolian it is us. Other similar differences:
Hara month sar
Seseg flower tsetseg
Morin horse mor
Üder day ödor
In the grammar of the Buryat language, personal verb endings have been preserved, for example. Bi yabanab, shi yabanash, tere yabna "I go, you go, he goes", whereas Mongolian has only one form yabna for "I go, you go, he goes".
The Buryat language contains many Turkic words (the result of long contact with the Turkic peoples of Inner Asia and Western Siberia), as well as borrowings from Chinese, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Manchu and other languages.
FIRST INFORMATION ABOUT BURYATS AMONG THE RUSSIANS
The first rumors among Russians about the Buryats appeared in 1609. The Russian expedition to Tomsk was sent to subjugate the tribes on the eastern bank of the Yenisei and impose tribute on them. The Russians learned from the Kets and Samoyeds that they had already paid yasak to the Buryats, who lived over the mountains in the Ida valley and sometimes came for tribute. Therefore, the Russians met the Ida Buryats only 20 years later.[The Buryats must have even been rumored to be a serious enemy to the Russians]
In 1625, Russians from Yeniseisk, taking yasak from the Tungus, first heard about the Buryat Mongols in this region.
The so-called They decided to explore and conquer this land.
Buryat wars - a series of campaigns, raids and counter-attacks. The main incentive for the Russians to conquer the Buryat lands was the rumor of silver deposits
The first meeting between Russians and Buryats took place in 1628 at the mouth of the river in this area.
Okie
[Forsyth]. At that time, the Russians did not receive tribute from the Buryats, but defeated them, taking their wives and children as prisoners. next year Cossack commander Beketov (having advanced far along the Oka) successfully took the quitrent from the Buryats. By the end of the capture of the Angara valley by the Russians, forts had already been founded: Bratsk (from the word “brother”), Idinsk, Irkutsk (founded in 1652 as a yasak outpost).
Buryat resistance continued in other territories. On the Angara, the main anti-Russian campaigns took place in 1634 (when the brotherly fort was burned), they continued throughout 1638-41.
The largest Buryat uprising occurred in 1644. The Russian newcomers were robbers and marauders. A large riot occurred across the Buryat territories in 1695-1696, when Irkutsk was besieged.
Because In the 1640s, the hope of expelling the Russians evaporated, some of the Ekhirit Buryats moved down Lake Baikal to Mongolia. In 1658, Russian settlers defeated the Amekhabat Buryat tribes, forcing them to leave the territory now occupied by the Russians. Same year most of Bulagat Buryats also moved to Mongolia
The Russian occupation of the Trans-Baikal lands forced the indigenous inhabitants (those who did not want to pay yasak) to leave their territory.
Numerous Hori Buryat tribes, after several years of struggle with Russian gangs, were forced in the early 1650s. leave their lands on both sides of Lake Baikal and move to northern Mongolia. Unfortunately, at that time Mongolia was not a hospitable refuge.

GETTING IN CONTACT WITH THE RUSSIANS

In the west, the Ekhirit-Bulagati, seeing them as invaders at first during the first meetings in 1627-1628, received them poorly and made the life of the Cossacks quite difficult. They will organize uprisings against their presence, such as on the Lena in 1644-1665. They are in the very dawn, they live by hunting, they have horses that allow them to increase the profitability of their raids. They keep the small peoples of the Tofalars, Kets, and Tungus in obedience. Therefore, they perceive the Russians as rivals. In addition, the Angara valley, in which the Bulagats reigned, is valuable for its fertile land. This attracts Russian settlers. Ehirit Bulagati began paying taxes in 1662, and after 2 years they were declared as subordinates, although they themselves recognized this only in 1818.
On the contrary, the Khori, who want to protect themselves from the Mongols, receive the first Cossacks quite kindly; the Russian presence is less dense than in the Baikal region and the weight of it is felt more slowly.
Ryazanovsky's version looks a little different:
“They came at the beginning of the 17th century. In eastern Siberia, the Russians found the Buryats in modern places. The Russians received the first information about the Buryats in 1609 from the “desar people” who paid yasak to the “brotherly people”. In 1612, the Buryats attacked the Arin tribe, which had submitted to the Russians. In 1614, among other native tribes besieging Tomsk, “brothers” were also mentioned. In 1621, we also find mention of the Buryats harassing the Tomsk service people. By 1622 there is information that the Buryats, numbering 3 thousand people, not counting tributaries, went to war against the Arinians and other Kansk foreigners. Thus, the Buryats represented a warlike and numerous people, which the Russian conquerors could not help but pay attention to. In 1628, centurion Pyotr Beketov from Yeniseisk with 30 Cossacks reached the mouth of the Oka River and took the first tribute from the Buryats living here. From this time on, the gradual subjugation of the Buryat tribes to Russian power began. This submission did not happen immediately and rarely voluntarily.”

FIGHT AGAINST THE RUSSIANS

But despite the resistance local residents, the Russians are stubbornly moving further east
“For half a century (and even longer), the warlike Buryats stubbornly resisted the conquerors. They entered into open battles, refused to pay tribute, the defeated rebelled again, often provoked by the cruelty and robbery of the conquerors, attacked the Russians, besieged the forts, sometimes destroyed them, went to new places, and finally went to Mongolia. However, the Russians, although slowly, gained superiority over the Buryats and subjugated them.
In 1631, Ataman Perfilyev built the first fort on Buryat land, called “brotherly”, which, however, was destroyed by the Buryats in 1635 and restored again in 1636; in 1646, Ataman Kolesnikov reached the Angara and at the mouth of the river . Osy built a fort; in 1654 the Balagansky fort was built, and in 1661 the Irkutsk fort began to advance beyond Baikal from Yakutsk, which arose in 1632 and soon became an independent voivodeship. . the Verkholensky fort was built, in 1643 the Russians reached Baikal and occupied the island of Olkhon, in 1648. boyar son Galkin reached the mouth of the river. Barguzin and built the Barguzinsky fort here, which became a stronghold of the Russians in Transbaikalia. In 1652, Pyotr Beketov from Yeniseisk reached the river. Selsigi and founded the fort of Ust-Prorva, in 1653 he reached Khilk and Irgen and built the Irgen fort, and then Nerchinsky. However, the following year he was forced to leave his occupied positions. But the Russian advance to the east continued. In 1658, the Telembinsky fort was built and the Nerchinsky fort, burned by the Tungus, was again restored, in 1665 - Udinsky, Selenginsky and others. Gradually, the entire Transbaikalia was subordinated to the Russians - with all the Buryat, Tungus and other native tribes living there. But in Transbaikalia, the Russians met a new enemy, faced with the rights of the Khalkha princes, who had long considered Transbaikalia their possession and made repeated attempts to drive the Russians out by force. In 1687 the Mongols besieged the Selenginsky fort, and in 1688 the Verkholensky fort, but in both cases they suffered a severe failure. After this, a number of Mongolian taishas and sites became Russian subjects. In 1689, steward Golovin concluded the Treaty of Nerchinsk with China, according to which the entire Transbaikalia with all immigrants from Mongolia was recognized as Russian possession. As for the isolated Tunka region, its annexation occurred somewhat later. The Tunkinsky fort was built in 1709 and the region was subordinated to Russian influence in the half of the 18th century. »
Ryazanovsky further notes:
"When conquered by the Russians eastern Siberia The Buryats were divided into three main tribes: the Bulagats, who lived mainly in the area of ​​the river. Angaras, ekhirits - in the area of ​​the river. Lena and Khorin people - in Transbaikalia. This division continues to this day. The tribes, in turn, are divided into clans. In addition, here there are groups of clans who migrated from Mongolia (along the Selenga River, in Tunka and other places), mixed with the local Buryats, some of them still retain a certain isolation. “[sometimes it seems to me that various “divisions” are a kind of Buryat hobby. Many Buryats know what clan they come from].

ETHNONYM BURYATS

Explanations of the ethnonym "Buryat" are numerous and sometimes unconvincing.
According to Zoriktuev, the Baikal Buryats were called buraad from buraa, forest, with the suffix d, which means a group of people, hence buraad
Egunov puts forward another version, according to which the self-name is “forest people”.
Buryaad comes from the Turkic word “bürè”
Only since the 19th century have the name “Buryats” been regularly used in official Russian documents. The first Cossack registers called them "brothers" or "brotherly" and called their land fraternal land. " (wolf). The wolf was the totem of some Western Buryat clans.
[For some reason, the “kangaroo” story comes to mind: Russian Cossacks, having met representatives of one of the Baikal tribes, ask who they are. To which the Baikal residents respond that they live in the forests, “buraa”. Russians, for better memorization, look for a consonant and, most importantly, simple word in their vocabulary. And this is where the “brothers” came from.]
At least only in the face of the dangers of colonization, because the Baikal groups prioritize their clan identity, there is rivalry between the clans, and therefore often the adoption of a “common” name is only for show.
This name has survived over time, and through the vicissitudes of colonization, as well as linguistic proximity, serves to create a common identity among previously isolated groups (and sometimes enemy tribes), and later this name will help to form an ethnic group.
Even the Hori will take this name, which will allow them to distinguish themselves from the Mongols and will contribute to their integration into the Russian Empire, granting them the legal personality already received by the Baikal Buryats.
For everyone, this name concretizes the sense of identity that emerged for some from opposition to Russian penetration, for others it is opposition to the claims of Mongol suzerainty.
Buryats call Russians in everyday life "mangad" this term in the epic designates the enemy of the hero, the one who occupies his territory, appropriates his property, his wife, and who for this harm caused to him is punished to be defeated, although he is stronger, but in return he is awarded a posthumous cult of "bon mâle" because in battle he showed himself to be brave (or honest).[This is the most common version, although some Buryats do not agree with this.
In the end, all names, etc. can be interpreted in different ways, fortunately there is abundant material: legends, songs, written narratives, in which words consonant with this appear. ]

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