Shors
Encyclopedia
Shors or Shorians are a Turkic
people in the Kemerovo Oblast
in Russia
. Their self designation is Шор, or Shor. They were also called Kuznetskie Tatars
(кузнецкие татары), Kondoma Tatars (кондомские татары), Mras-Su Tatars (мрасские татары) in some of the documents of the 17th-18th centuries.
Most of Shors live in the Tom
basin
along the Kondoma
and Mras-Su Rivers. This region is historically called Mountainous Shoria. The Shors also live in Khakassia
and Altai Republic
. According to 2002 census
, there were 13,975 Shors in Russia (12,601 in 1926, 16,042 in 1939, 14,938 in 1959, 15,950 in 1970, 15,182 in 1979 and 15,745 in 1989). The Shors speak their own Shor language
.
Formally, they have always been considered Orthodox Christians
, but most of them followed shamanism
and animism
as a part of their culture.
The Shors as a people formed as a result of a long process of interbreeding between the Turkic
, Ugric, Samoyedic
and Ket-speaking tribes. Their culture and origins are similar to those of the northern Altay people
and some of the ethnic groups of the Khakas
. The Shors were mainly engaged in hunting
, fishing
, some primitive farming, and pine nut
picking. Blacksmithing and iron ore mining
and melting
were also important (hence, the name "Blacksmithing Tatars").
The lifestyle of the Shors changed significantly following the October Revolution
of 1917. Most of them became skillful farmers, cattle-breeders, or industrial workers.
Environmental activist Alexander Arbachakov
won a Whitley Award for his work preserving sustainable communities in Shor territory.
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
people in the Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Their self designation is Шор, or Shor. They were also called Kuznetskie Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
(кузнецкие татары), Kondoma Tatars (кондомские татары), Mras-Su Tatars (мрасские татары) in some of the documents of the 17th-18th centuries.
Most of Shors live in the Tom
Tom River
Tom is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Ob. Its length is 540 miles . Its source is in the Abakan mountains , and it flows northward through the Kuznetsk Basin...
basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
along the Kondoma
Kondoma River
Kondoma is a river in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. It is a left tributary of the Tom River. It is 392 km long, with a drainage basin of 8,270 km². The towns of Tashtagol, Osinniki and Kaltan is situated by the Kondoma. Its main tributaries are the Mundybash, Tesh, and Telbes Rivers....
and Mras-Su Rivers. This region is historically called Mountainous Shoria. The Shors also live in Khakassia
Khakassia
The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic...
and Altai Republic
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:...
. According to 2002 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were 13,975 Shors in Russia (12,601 in 1926, 16,042 in 1939, 14,938 in 1959, 15,950 in 1970, 15,182 in 1979 and 15,745 in 1989). The Shors speak their own Shor language
Shor language
The Shor language is a Turkic language spoken by about 10,000 people in the Kemerovo Province in south-central Siberia. In the history of the Turkic states and China, Shors played an important role, mostly connected with their offshoot Shatuo. Presently, not all ethnic Shors speak Shor, and the...
.
Formally, they have always been considered Orthodox Christians
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, but most of them followed shamanism
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...
and animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
as a part of their culture.
The Shors as a people formed as a result of a long process of interbreeding between the Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
, Ugric, Samoyedic
Samoyedic peoples
The term Samoyedic peoples is used to describe peoples speaking Samoyedic languages, which are part of the Uralic family. They are a linguistic grouping, not an ethnic or cultural one. The name derives from the obsolete term Samoyed used in Russia for some indigenous peoples of Siberia...
and Ket-speaking tribes. Their culture and origins are similar to those of the northern Altay people
Altay people
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...
and some of the ethnic groups of the Khakas
Khakas
The Khakas, or Khakass , are a Turkic-speaking people, who live in Russia, in the republic of Khakassia in southern Siberia. They speak the Khakas language.The origin of the Khakas people is disputed...
. The Shors were mainly engaged in hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, some primitive farming, and pine nut
Pine nut
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines . About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food....
picking. Blacksmithing and iron ore mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and melting
Melting
Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a substance is increased, typically by the application of heat or pressure, resulting in a rise of its temperature to the melting point, at which the rigid...
were also important (hence, the name "Blacksmithing Tatars").
The lifestyle of the Shors changed significantly following the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917. Most of them became skillful farmers, cattle-breeders, or industrial workers.
Environmental activist Alexander Arbachakov
Alexander Arbachakov
Alexander Arbachakov is a member of the Shor tribe of Siberia and has worked for over 15 years to protect the cedar forest surrounding the home of his tribe in the Kemerovo Oblast of Russia. As of 2006, Arbachakov was working with local peoples and the government of the region to map Shor...
won a Whitley Award for his work preserving sustainable communities in Shor territory.