Altay people
Encyclopedia
The Altay or Altai are an ethnic group of Turkic people living in the Siberian Altai Republic
and Altai Krai
and surrounding areas of Tuva
and Mongolia
. For alternative ethnonyms see also Teleut, Tele
, Telengit
, Mountain Kalmuck, White Kalmuck, Black Tatar, Oirat
/Oirot.
The Uriankhai
people were annexed by the Oirat
Zunghars in the 16th century. After the fall of the Zunghar Empire, the Uriankhai were subjugated by the Qing Dynasty
; and their one part, Altayans, was called by the Qing Dynasty
Altan Nuur Uriyangkhai. They have had skills in metalworking
dating back to the 2nd millennium BC
. The Altay came into contact with Russians
in the 18th century. In the tsarist period
, the Altay were known as oirot or oyrot (this name means oirat
and would later be carried on for the Oyrot Autonomous Oblast
). The Altay report that many of them became addicted to the Russians' vodka
, which they called "fire water".
The Altay were originally nomad
ic, with a lifestyle based on hunting / trapping and pastoralism (mainly cattle, sheep, goats), but many of them settled as a result of Russian influence. In regard to religion, some of the Altay remain Tengriists
or Shamanists
, while others (in a trend beginning in the mid-19th century) have converted to the Orthodox
. (The Altai mission took shape under Saint Makarii Glukharev, Apostle to the Altai.) In 1904, a religious movement called Ak Jang or Burkhanism
arose, perhaps in response to Russian colonization.
Prior to 1917 the Altai were actually considered to be many different ethnic groups.
With the rise of the 1917 revolution
, the Altay attempted to make their region a separate Burkhanist republic called Oryot, but their support for the Menshevik
s during the Civil War
led to the venture's collapse after the Bolshevik
victory and the rise of Stalin. In the 1940s, the Altay were accused of being pro-Japanese
, and the word "oyrot" was declared counterrevolutionary
. By 1950, Soviet industrialization policies brought Russian immigrants reducing the proportion of Altay from 50% to 20% of the population. Ethnic Altaians currently make up about 31% of the Altai Republic's population.
The Altaians are presented as a totality of small Turkic peoples like the Altai-Kizhi, the Teleut, the Kumandin, the Tchalkan, the Shor, etc.
The Altaians are presented by two ethnographic groups
Northern Altaians include the Tubalar (the Tuba-Kizhi), the Tchelkan, the Kumandin, the Shor
Southern Altaians include The Altaian (the Altai-Kizhi), the Teleut, The Teles, the Telengit
The Northern and Southern Altayans formed in the Altay area on the basis of ancient Turkish tribes of Uygurs, Kimak-Kipchaks, Yenisey-Kyrgyz, Oguz and others
Altai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
and Altai Krai
Altai Krai
Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
and surrounding areas of Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. For alternative ethnonyms see also Teleut, Tele
Tele
Tele* Tele- is a Greek prefix meaning "distant". It can be short for television in British English, Spanish and Italian.* The Fender Telecaster guitar is nicknamed the "Tele".* Lake Tele, a lake in the crotcho known as the home of the Mokele mbembe....
, Telengit
Telengit
Telengits or Telengut are a Turkic people people primarily found in Altai Republic, Russia. Telengits mainly live in a territory of Kosh-Agach District of the Altai Republic. They are part of a larger cultural group of the Southern Altaians...
, Mountain Kalmuck, White Kalmuck, Black Tatar, Oirat
Oirats
Oirats are the westernmost group of the Mongols who unified several tribes origin whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of western Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in the Republic of Kalmykia, a federal...
/Oirot.
The Uriankhai
Uriankhai
"Uriankhai" , also known as Urianhai or Uryangkhai, is a term applied to several neighboring ethnic groups...
people were annexed by the Oirat
Oirats
Oirats are the westernmost group of the Mongols who unified several tribes origin whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of western Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in the Republic of Kalmykia, a federal...
Zunghars in the 16th century. After the fall of the Zunghar Empire, the Uriankhai were subjugated by the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
; and their one part, Altayans, was called by the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Altan Nuur Uriyangkhai. They have had skills in metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
dating back to the 2nd millennium BC
2nd millennium BC
The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot...
. The Altay came into contact with Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
in the 18th century. In the tsarist period
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, the Altay were known as oirot or oyrot (this name means oirat
Oirats
Oirats are the westernmost group of the Mongols who unified several tribes origin whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of western Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in the Republic of Kalmykia, a federal...
and would later be carried on for the Oyrot Autonomous Oblast
Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast
The Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast It was upgraded into an ASSR in 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It corresponds to the current Altai Republic....
). The Altay report that many of them became addicted to the Russians' vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
, which they called "fire water".
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic, with a lifestyle based on hunting / trapping and pastoralism (mainly cattle, sheep, goats), but many of them settled as a result of Russian influence. In regard to religion, some of the Altay remain Tengriists
Tengriism
Tengriism is a Central Asian religion that incorporates elements of shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Despite still being active in some minorities, it was, in old times, the major belief of Turkic peoples , Bulgars, Hungarians and Mongols...
or Shamanists
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
, while others (in a trend beginning in the mid-19th century) have converted to the Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
. (The Altai mission took shape under Saint Makarii Glukharev, Apostle to the Altai.) In 1904, a religious movement called Ak Jang or Burkhanism
Burkhanism
Burkhanism or Ak Jang is a new religious movement that flourished among the indigenous people of Russia's Gorno Altai region between 1904 and the 1930s. Czarist Russia was suspicious of the movement's potential to stir up native unrest and perhaps involve outside powers...
arose, perhaps in response to Russian colonization.
Prior to 1917 the Altai were actually considered to be many different ethnic groups.
With the rise of the 1917 revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, the Altay attempted to make their region a separate Burkhanist republic called Oryot, but their support for the Menshevik
Menshevik
The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1904 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. The dispute originated at the Second Congress of that party, ostensibly over minor issues...
s during the Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
led to the venture's collapse after the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
victory and the rise of Stalin. In the 1940s, the Altay were accused of being pro-Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, and the word "oyrot" was declared counterrevolutionary
Counterrevolutionary
A counter-revolutionary is anyone who opposes a revolution, particularly those who act after a revolution to try to overturn or reverse it, in full or in part...
. By 1950, Soviet industrialization policies brought Russian immigrants reducing the proportion of Altay from 50% to 20% of the population. Ethnic Altaians currently make up about 31% of the Altai Republic's population.
The Altaians are presented as a totality of small Turkic peoples like the Altai-Kizhi, the Teleut, the Kumandin, the Tchalkan, the Shor, etc.
The Altaians are presented by two ethnographic groups
Northern Altaians include the Tubalar (the Tuba-Kizhi), the Tchelkan, the Kumandin, the Shor
Southern Altaians include The Altaian (the Altai-Kizhi), the Teleut, The Teles, the Telengit
The Northern and Southern Altayans formed in the Altay area on the basis of ancient Turkish tribes of Uygurs, Kimak-Kipchaks, Yenisey-Kyrgyz, Oguz and others