Buryats are Asian. Buryat people

The original place of settlement of the Proto-Buryat tribes should obviously be considered Cisbaikalia, although previously there was a fairly popular point of view that the Buryat tribes came from Mongolia. Today's data allows us to speak about the existence of the Proto-Buryat tribes Shono and Nokhoi in the late Neolithic (about 2500 BC).

These names are totemic, and are translated as wolf and dog. Some researchers consider the Shono tribe to be the ancestors of the Bulagats and Ekhirits, and the Nokhoi to be the ancestors of the Khorin people. Probably, during long processes of tribal movements, the Nokhoi mostly moved to the eastern side of Lake Baikal, where they became part of the Hunnic Empire. The Shono were in tributary dependence.

Since the 3rd century BC. e. the population of the present-day Baikal region and Transbaikalia was successively part of the Central Asian Turkic states - the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Rourans, etc. In the 8th-9th centuries, the Baikal region was part of the Uyghur Khanate. The main tribes that lived here were the Kurykans and Barguts (Bayerku).

More detailed information about the ancestors of the Buryats dates back to the 9th-10th centuries AD. It is believed that the western tribes of the Buryat ancestors were at that time part of the Uch-Kurykan tribal union, and the eastern ones formed a strong Khori-Tumat union. There is a point of view that between the Kurykan and Khori-Tumat unions there were long-term military clashes that lasted more than 100 years with varying intensity. After the defeat from the Khori-Tumats, the Proto-Buryat tribes of the Cis-Baikal region remained, and the Kurykans (ancestors of the Yakuts and Tungus) left partly to the north, partly to the west. Other researchers consider the Tumats to be the ancestors of the Kurykans, and reject the assumption of war. However, the influence of the ancient Turks on the formation of the Buryat people is undeniable.

Later, in the “Collection of Chronicles” of the Persian scientist Rashid ad-Din, the forest tribes of the Bulagachins and Keremuchins who lived west of Lake Baikal are mentioned. Obviously, we are talking about the ancestors of the Ekhirites and Bulagats. According to Rashid ad-Din, these tribes entered the country of Mogulistan, inhabited by Mongol-speaking tribes. It also talks about the area Bargudzhin-Tukum. The Mongols used this term to designate a vast area on both sides of Lake Baikal. Apparently, it included the Barguts, Khoris, Bulagachins and Keremuchins and other small tribes or Mongols, Merkits, and Khitan settlers living separately from their fellow tribesmen. During the period of Mongol rule, the tribes of Ekhirits, Bulagats and Khongodors formed in this area. The Khori formed earlier, and by the time the Russians appeared they lived in Transbaikalia. Their original place of residence still causes heated debate among historians, ethnographers, and archaeologists. According to many scientists, the fact of cohabitation of the three main Buryat tribes in ancient times is undeniable. Apparently, in the process of further development, the Khori ended up on the territory of Transbaikalia, and then from the 10th century they again ended up in Cisbaikalia, and during the time of Genghis Khan, some of them went back to Transbaikalia. This is evidenced by the residence of several Khorin clans in the territory of the current districts of the Ust-Orda district.

In Russian documents, the Bulagats, Ekhirits and Khongodors are called “big brotherly people” and speak of the existence of the Buret tribe, after which other tribes of the Cis-Baikal region began to be called.

Starting from the 10th century, the Baikal region and Transbaikalia were part of the zone of influence of the Mongol tribes of the Three Rivers, and from the 13th century - directly into the united Mongol Empire. It was to this period that the first mention of the word “Buryat” dates back to the Mongolian work “The Secret Legend” (1240). After the collapse of the empire in the 14th century, Transbaikalia and the Baikal region remained part of the Mongol state, and somewhat later represented the northern outskirts of the Khanate of Altan Khans.

The social organization of the Buryats of the Mongolian period is traditional Central Asian. In the Baikal region, which was in tributary dependence on the Mongol rulers, the features of tribal relations were more preserved. Divided into tribes and clans, the Baikal Buryats were headed by princes of different levels. Transbaikal groups of Buryats were directly within the system of the Mongolian state. After being separated from the Mongolian ethnic group, the Buryats of Transbaikalia and Cisbaikalia lived in separate tribes and territorial clan groups. The largest of them were Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khorints, Ikinats, Khongodors, Tabanguts.

By the 17th century, the main form of social connection among the Buryats remained the tribal connection. Livestock theft and disputes over pastures and hunting grounds led to bloody conflicts. Cases of blood feud were not uncommon among the Buryats.

During the arrival of the Russians, the Pre-Baikal Buryats at first often encountered their detachments, went to forts, and in 1631 the Buryats burned down the Bratsk fort.

The instigators of the Buryat uprisings were clan noyons, dissatisfied with the loss of complete influence over their people, but the Cossack leaders often gave rise to retaliatory actions; in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, there were frequent cases of Buryats and ordinary Cossacks uniting against the greedy governors.

In the middle of the 17th century, Buryatia was annexed to Russia, and therefore the territories on both sides of Lake Baikal were separated from Mongolia. Under the conditions of Russian statehood, the process of consolidation of various groups and tribes began. As a result, by the end of the 19th century, a new community was formed - the Buryat ethnic group. In addition to the Buryat tribes themselves, it included separate groups of Khalkha Mongols and Oirats, as well as Turkic and Tungus elements. administrations.

The Buryats were part of the Irkutsk province, within which the Transbaikal region was allocated (1851). In the XVIII - early XX centuries. The lowest administrative unit was the ulus, governed by a foreman. The union of several uluses constituted a clan administration headed by a shulenga. A group of clans formed a department. Small departments were governed by special councils, and large ones by steppe dumas under the leadership of the taisha. From the end of the 19th century, a system of volost government was gradually introduced.

The Buryats were gradually involved in the system of socio-economic life of Russian society. Some of the Transbaikal Buryats carried out military service - guarding state borders. In 1851, consisting of 4 regiments, they were transferred to the estate of the Transbaikal Cossack Army. The Buryat Cossacks, by occupation and way of life, remained cattle breeders.

As the Russians colonized the region, the growth of cities and villages, the development of industrial enterprises and arable farming, the process of reducing nomadism and the transition to sedentary life intensified. The Buryats began to settle more compactly, often forming, especially in Western departments, significant settlements. In the steppe departments of Transbaikalia, migrations took place from 4 to 12 times a year; a felt yurt served as a dwelling. There were few log houses of the Russian type. In the South-Western Transbaikalia they roamed 2-4 times; the most common types of housing were wooden and felt yurts. Felt yurt - Mongolian type. Its frame was made up of lattice sliding walls made of willow branches. “Stationary” yurts are log, six- and eight-walled, as well as rectangular and square in plan, frame-post construction, domed roof with a smoke hole.

The Baikal Buryats, who occupied the forest-steppe zones, migrated 2 times a year - to winter roads and summer roads, lived in wooden and only partly in felt yurts. Gradually, they almost completely switched to sedentary life; under the influence of the Russians, they built log houses, barns, outbuildings, sheds, stables, and surrounded the estate with a fence. Wooden yurts acquired an auxiliary value, and felt ones completely fell out of use.

The predominant branch of the traditional economy of the Buryats in the 17th-19th centuries. there was pastoralism, mainly of the nomadic type. They raised cattle, horses, sheep, goats and camels. Hunting and fishing were of secondary importance. Later, under the influence of Russian peasants, the Buryats began to increasingly engage in arable farming. As commodity-money relations developed, the Buryats acquired improved agricultural implements and mastered new forms and methods of agricultural production. Among the crafts, blacksmithing, leather and hide processing, felt making, harness making, clothing and footwear making, carpentry and carpentry were developed. The Buryats were also engaged in iron smelting, mica and salt mining.

During the Soviet period, the Buryats completely transitioned to sedentary life. Until the 1960s, the majority of Buryats remained in the agricultural sector, gradually becoming involved in diversified industry. New cities and workers' settlements emerged, the ratio of urban and rural populations, and the socio-professional structure of the population changed.

After the October Revolution, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Region was formed as part of the Far Eastern Republic (1921) and the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Region as part of the RSFSR (1922). In 1923 they united into the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. In 1937, a number of districts were removed from its composition, from which the Buryat autonomous okrugs were formed - Ust-Ordynsky and Aginsky. In 1958, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and since 1992 - into the Republic of Buryatia.

Currently, the number of Buryats is about 550 thousand people, living mainly in the Republic of Buryatia, the Irkutsk region (Ust-Ordynsky Buryat District), Transbaikal Territory (Aginsky Buryat District), etc. They speak the Buryat language of the Mongolian group of the Altai family. Russian and Mongolian languages are also common.

Religion of Buryatia

By the time the Russians arrived in Transbaikalia, there were already Buddhist shrines (dugans) and clergy (lamas). In 1741, Buddhism (in the form of Lamaism of the Tibetan Gelugpa school) was recognized as one of the official religions in Russia. At the same time, the first Buryat permanent monastery was built - Tamchinsky (Gusinoozersky) datsan. Datsans and buildings attached to them are the most important public buildings among the Buryats. Their general appearance is pyramidal, reproducing the shape of the sacred Mount Sumer (Meru). Buddhist stupas (suburgans) and chapels (bumkhanas), built from logs, stones and boards, were located on the tops or slopes of mountains and hills dominating the surrounding area.

Buddhism became an important factor in shaping the way of life, national psychology and morality. Second half of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. - the period of rapid flowering of Buryat Buddhism. Theological schools operated in datsans; Here they were engaged in book printing and various types of applied arts; Theology, science, translation and publishing, and fiction developed. In 1914, in Buryatia there were 48 datsans with 16 thousand lamas.

By the end of the 1930s. The Buryat Buddhist Church ceased to exist, all datsans were closed and plundered. Only in 1946 were 2 datsans reopened: Ivolginsky and Aginsky.

The true revival of Buddhism in Buryatia began in the second half of the 80s. More than two dozen old datsans have been restored, lamas are being trained in the Buddhist academies of Mongolia and Buryatia, and the institute of young novices at monasteries has been restored. Buddhism became one of the factors of national consolidation and spiritual revival of the Buryats.

The spread of Christianity among the Buryats began with the advent of the first Russian explorers. The Irkutsk diocese, created in 1727, widely expanded missionary work. Christianization of the Buryats intensified in the second half of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, 41 missionary camps and dozens of missionary schools functioned in Buryatia. Christianity achieved the greatest success among the Western Buryats.

Folklore and culture of the Buryats

The main genres of Buryat folklore are myths, legends, traditions, heroic epics ("Geser"), fairy tales, songs, riddles, proverbs and sayings. Widespread among the Buryats were epic tales - uligers, for example “Alamzhi Mergen”, “Altan Shargai”, “Aiduurai Mergen”, “Shono Bator”, etc.

Musical and poetic creativity associated with uligers, which were performed accompanied by a two-stringed bowed instrument (khure), was widespread. The most popular dance is the Yekhor round dance. There are dance-games “Yagsha”, “Aisukhay”, “Yagaruukhay”, “Guugel”, “Ayarzon-Bayarzon”, etc. There are a variety of folk instruments - strings, winds and percussion: tambourine, khur, khuchir, chanza, limba, bichkhur, sur, etc. A special section is made up of musical and dramatic art for religious purposes - shamanic and Buddhist ritual performances, mysteries.

The most significant holidays among the Buryats were tailagans, which included prayer services and sacrifices to patron spirits, a common meal, and various competitive games (wrestling, archery, horse racing). Most Buryats had three obligatory tailagans - spring, summer and autumn. With the establishment of Buddhism, holidays became widespread - khurals, held at datsans. The most popular of them - Maidari and Tsam - occur in the summer months. In winter, the White Month (Tsagaan Sar) is celebrated, which was considered the beginning of the New Year. Currently, the most popular traditional holidays are Tsagaalgan (New Year) and Surkharban. Tailagans are fully revived.

In the folk art of the Buryats, a large place is occupied by bone, wood and stone carving, casting, metal chasing, jewelry making, embroidery, wool knitting, making appliqués on leather, felt and fabrics.

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 Buryat literature of the 18th - 19th 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, the Bede people lived on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, 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. The Western Xiongnu, Shan Shan, Karashars, etc., spoke the 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 Tunkinskaya Valley. The Ekhirit-Bulagats went to the western shore of the Inland Sea (Lake Baikal) and spread to the Yenisei. It was a very difficult time. There were constant skirmishes with local tribes. At that time, the Tungus, Khyagas, Dinlins (Northern Huns), Yenisei Kyrgyz, etc. lived on the western shore of Lake Baikal. 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". Jin - zone - people, even in Japanese, nihon jin - nihon person - 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, Songol and Hongodor, 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

Number– 461,389 people (as of 2010).

Language- Buryat language.

Settlement– Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk region, Transbaikal region.

(self-name - Buryaad, Buryaad zone, Buryaaduud) - Mongolian people speaking the Buryat language. The most northern Mongolian people.

The Buryats historically formed into a single people in the area of Lake Baikal on the territory of ethnic Buryatia, known from medieval sources as Bargudzhin-Tokum. Currently settled on the lands of their original residence: the Republic of Buryatia, the Irkutsk region, the Trans-Baikal Territory of the Russian Federation and the Hulun Buir urban district of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

The active resettlement of Russians and Chinese to these lands since the 17th century, especially in the 20th century, made the Buryats a national minority in all these regions.

The supposed ancestors of the Buryats (Bayyrku and Kurykan) began to develop the lands on both sides of the lake. Baikal since the 6th century. The Kurykans settled in the lands to the west of Lake Baikal, and the Bayyrku settled in the lands from Lake Baikal all the way to the river. Argun. At this time they were part of various nomadic states. The strengthening of the Khitans led to the fact that the core of the Bayyrku settlement shifted from the eastern to the western part of Transbaikalia. This marked the beginning of closer interaction between the bayyrku and the kurykan. Around this time, neighboring peoples began to call the Bayyrku, in the Mongolian manner, Barguts, and the same thing happened with the Kurykans, who were already called Khori in the sources. By the time the Mongol Empire was created, the territory around Lake Baikal already had a single name, Bargudzhin-Tokum, and the bulk of its population had a common supra-tribal ethnonym, Barguts.

Transbaikal Buryats (Gustav-Theodor Pauli. “Ethnographic description of the peoples of Russia,” St. Petersburg, 1862)

At the beginning of the 13th century, Bargudzhin-Tokum was included in the Mongol state. Probably, at the end of the 13th century, the Barguts were forced to leave their lands to Western Mongolia due to internecine wars in the Mongol Empire. After the collapse of the Mongol Empire, the Barguts, who in Oirat sources are already called Bargu-Buryats, participated in the creation of the Oirat Khanate. In the second half of the 15th century, they moved to Southern Mongolia, where they became part of the Yunshiebu tumen of the Mongols. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Yunshiebu tumen fell apart or was divided into several parts. Probably, in the second half of the 16th century, the Bargu-Buryats began to move in a northwestern direction, returning to their historical homeland by the beginning of the 17th century. But after some time, another Oirat-Khalkha war broke out, the Bargu-Buryats began to be attacked by both the Khalkhas and the Oirats. As a result, part of the Bargu-Buryats was taken into the possession of the Oirat Taishas, and part was forced to recognize the supremacy of the Khalkha khans.

After these events, the Russian state began the conquest of the Buryat land. By the first decade of the 17th century, the Russian state completed the annexation of Western Siberia and already in 1627 began sending detachments to tax the population of the Baikal region. However, faced with resistance from the indigenous population, Russian explorers were forced to slow down their advance in this region and begin building forts and fortified points. By the middle of the 17th century, a network of forts in the Baikal region was built. One part of the Mongol-speaking “tribes” was pacified by the Cossacks, and the other was forced to move to Khalkha. In 1658, due to the actions of Ivan Pokhabov, almost the entire population subordinate to the Balagan fortress migrated to Khalkha. At the same time, a strong Manchu state arose in the Far East, which from the very beginning pursued an aggressive foreign policy towards Mongolia, which was going through a period of fragmentation.

Dance of the Burkhanovs, 1885

In 1644, Vasily Kolesnikov’s detachment, which penetrated the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, was stopped by the detachment “ big brotherly people"(Trans-Baikal Buryats) and upon returning Kolesnikov decided to attack " Baturin family"in the Baikal region, despite the fact that he had already paid tribute to the Cossacks. This was the reason for the uprising" Korins and Batulins"and their departure from Cisbaikalia in 1645.

In 1646, the troops of Setsen Khan and Tushetu Khan, sent to help the southern Mongolian principality of Sunit, which rebelled against the Manchus, were defeated by Qing troops. Among the troops of Setsen Khan, the Barguts, who were one of his four otoks, are also mentioned. By 1650, Setsen Khan Sholoy died, after which turmoil began in the possessions of Setsen Khan and his vassals, taking advantage of which to “ fraternal people and Tungus“The detachments of Ivan Galkin and then Vasily Kolesnikov begin to attack. In 1650, a detachment of Transbaikal Buryats (“ fraternal Yasash Turukaya herd"), numbering about 100 people, attacked the royal embassy led by Erofei Zabolotsky, confusing it with another detachment of Cossacks attacking the Turukhai uluses. As a result, some of the embassy people were killed, including Zabolotsky himself. The embassy survivors decided to continue their mission. Having reached the possessions of the Setsen Khans, they met with the widow of Sholoy Akhai-Khatun and Turukhai Tabunang, inviting them to accept Russian citizenship, but were subsequently refused by each of them.

In 1654, the Transbaikal Buryats attacked a detachment of Cossacks on the Khilok River led by Maxim Urazov, who was sent by Pyotr Beketov to the Yenisei fort with collected yasak from the Evenks. After this event, mentions of them ceased for a certain time, which indicates their resettlement deep into the possessions of the Khalkhas. About ten years later, the Barguts were mentioned in the Kangxi decree of 1664, where the peoples dependent on the Manchus: the Chakhars, Daurs and Solons were prohibited from trading and having relations with the Khalkhas, Oirats, Tibetans and Barguts. In 1667, some of them returned and began paying tribute to the Nerchinsk fort, but in 1669, Setsen Khan’s troops took them back. In the 1670s, the Barguts were mentioned in the three rivers Arguni, Hailar and Genhe.

Selenga Buryats, (photo taken in 1900)

Around 1675, a group of Transbaikal Buryats appeared at the Nerchinsk fort and asked to be let into their " rock lands"to Baikal and Olkhon, but was detained near Nerchinsk. Despite this, a small part of them voluntarily went to Baikal, the rest were forced to go back due to the atrocities of the Cossacks led by Pavel Shulgin. Where did they begin to attack Russian possessions? But after the arrival of the Russian embassy led by N.G. With Spafariy, they again asked to be allowed into their lands, noting that their overlord Dain-kontaisha, having found out “ about your new, great sovereign, army, he refused them and migrated to distant places and told them that he could not defend them».

When the Transbaikal Buryats returned to their former lands, they found them already occupied by others. So " Korins and Baturins“The Ekhirits were driven out from the western shore of Lake Baikal (Olkhonye) in 1682. After the Ekhirites turned to the Russians with a complaint against them, a long dispute began over these lands. And only after most of the Trans-Baikal Buryats leave the Russian state and the subsequent sending " Korins and Baturins"and the remaining part of the Transbaikal Buryats delegation to Peter I in 1702-1703 with a request to legally assign to them the lands only east of Baikal, this conflict exhausted itself. According to the description of the Nerchinsk district compiled by G.F. Miller in 1739, their number was 1,741 males, while it is indicated that their self-name is Hori, but they are divided into two groups, each of which is governed by different taishas.

In 1766, four regiments were formed from the Buryats to maintain guards along the Selenga border: 1st Ashebagatsky, 2nd Tsongolsky, 3rd Atagansky and 4th Sartulsky. The regiments were reformed in 1851 during the formation of the Transbaikal Cossack Army.

Russian-Buryat school. Late 19th century

Within the framework of Russian statehood, a process of socio-cultural consolidation of various ethnic groups began, historically determined by the proximity of their cultures and dialects. The most important thing for the development of consolidating trends was that as a result of the involvement of the Buryats in the orbit of new economic and socio-cultural relations, they began to develop economic and cultural communities. As a result, by the end of the 19th century, a new community was formed - the Buryat ethnic group.

After the February Revolution of 1917, a national state of the Buryats was formed - the State of Buryat-Mongolia. Burnatsky became its highest body.

Shaman. Postcard from 1904

In 1921, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Region was formed as part of the Far Eastern Republic. In 1922, the Mongol-Buryat Autonomous Region was formed as part of the RSFSR. In 1923 they united into the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. In 1937, a number of districts were withdrawn from the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, from which autonomous okrugs were formed - the Ust-Orda Buryat National Okrug and the Aginsky Buryat National Okrug; at the same time, some areas with a Buryat population were separated from the autonomous regions (Ononsky and Olkhonsky). In 1958, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992, the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Republic of Buryatia.

The Buryat language is one of the Mongolian languages and has its own literary standard.

Buryat believers predominantly profess Buddhism or are shamanists. Buryat Buddhists are adherents of Northern Buddhism (Mahayana), which is widespread in the regions of East Asia: China, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. Shamanism, in turn, is widespread among the Buryats of the Irkutsk region, as well as among the old Barguts of China.

In the main countries of residence, the Buryats are considered either one of the ethnic groups of the Mongols, or an independent nationality separate from them. In the Russian Federation, the Buryats are considered a separate nationality from the Mongols. In Mongolia, they are considered one of the Mongolian ethnic groups, with the Barguts and Buryats being considered different ethnic groups.

Winter yurt. The roof is insulated with turf.
Exhibit of the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia

The traditional dwelling of the Buryats, like all nomadic pastoralists, is the yurt, called ger (literally dwelling, house) among the Mongolian peoples.

Yurts were installed both portable felt and stationary in the form of a frame made of timber or logs. Wooden yurts of 6 or 8 corners, without windows. There is a large hole in the roof for smoke and lighting to escape. The roof was installed on four pillars - tengi. Sometimes there was a ceiling. The door to the yurt is oriented to the south. The room was divided into the right, male, and left, female half. There was a fireplace in the center of the dwelling. There were benches along the walls. On the left side of the entrance to the yurt there are shelves with household utensils. On the right side are chests and a table for guests. Opposite the entrance is a shelf with burkhans or ongons.

Interior of a Transbaikal Buryat yurt. End of the 19th century.

In front of the yurt there was a hitching post (serge) in the form of a pillar with an ornament.

Thanks to the design of the yurt, it can be quickly assembled and disassembled and is lightweight - all this is important when migrating to other pastures. In winter, the fire in the hearth provides warmth; in summer, with an additional configuration, it is even used instead of a refrigerator. The right side of the yurt is the men's side. On the wall hung a bow, arrows, a saber, a gun, a saddle and harness. The left one is for women; here were household and kitchen utensils. In the northern part there was an altar. The door of the yurt was always on the south side. The lattice frame of the yurt was covered with felt, soaked in a mixture of sour milk, tobacco and salt for disinfection. They sat on quilted felt - sherdeg - around the hearth. Among the Buryats living on the western side of Lake Baikal, wooden yurts with eight walls were used. The walls were built mainly from larch logs, while the inside of the walls had a flat surface. The roof has four large slopes (in the form of a hexagon) and four small slopes (in the form of a triangle). Inside the yurt there are four pillars on which the inner part of the roof - the ceiling - rests. Large pieces of coniferous bark are laid on the ceiling (inside down). The final covering is carried out with even pieces of turf.

In the 19th century, wealthy Buryats began to build huts borrowed from Russian settlers, preserving elements of the national home in the interior decoration.

Since ancient times, products of animal and combined animal-plant origin have occupied a large place in the food of the Buryats. Sour milk of a special leaven (kurunga) and dried compressed curdled mass - huruud - were prepared for future use. Like the Mongols, the Buryats drank green tea, into which they poured milk and added salt, butter or lard.

Unlike Mongolian cuisine, a significant place in Buryat cuisine is occupied by fish, berries (bird cherry, strawberries), herbs and spices. Baikal omul, smoked according to the Buryat recipe, is popular.

Women's national costume. 1856

Each Buryat clan has its own national clothing, which is extremely diverse (mainly among women). The national clothing of the Transbaikal Buryats consists of degel - a kind of caftan made of dressed sheepskin, which has a triangular cutout on the top of the chest, trimmed, as well as the sleeves, tightly clasping the hand, with fur, sometimes very valuable. In summer, the degel could be replaced by a cloth caftan of a similar cut. In Transbaikalia, robes were often used in the summer, the poor had paper ones, the rich had silk ones. In inclement times, a saba, a type of overcoat with a large fur collar, was worn over the degel. In the cold season, especially on the road - dakha, a type of wide robe made from tanned skins, with the wool facing out.

Degel (degil) is tied at the waist with a belt on which a knife and smoking accessories were hung: a flint, a hansa (a small copper pipe with a short chibouk) and a tobacco pouch. A distinctive feature from the Mongolian cut is the chest part of the degel - enger, where three multi-colored stripes are sewn into the upper part. At the bottom - yellow-red (hua ungee), in the middle - black (hara ungee), at the top - various - white (sagaan ungee), green (nogon ungee) or blue (huhe ungee). The original version was yellow-red, black, white.

Tight and long trousers were made of roughly tanned leather (rovduga); shirt, usually made of blue fabric - in order.

Shoes - in winter, high boots made from the skin of foals' feet; in the rest of the year, shoe boots - boots with a pointed toe. In summer they wore shoes knitted from horsehair with leather soles.

Men and women wore round caps with small brims and a red tassel (zalaa) at the top. All the details and the color of the headdress have their own symbolism, their own meaning. The pointed top of the hat symbolizes prosperity and well-being. A silver top of a denze with a red coral on the top of the cap as a sign of the sun illuminating the entire Universe with its rays. Brushes (zalaa seseg) represent the rays of the sun. The semantic field in the headdress was also involved during the Xiongnu period, when the entire complex of clothing was designed and introduced. The invincible spirit and happy destiny are symbolized by the zala developing at the top of the cap. The sompi knot means strength, strength. The favorite color of the Buryats is blue, which symbolizes the blue sky, the eternal sky.

Women's clothing differed from men's in decoration and embroidery. Women's degel is wrapped in a circle with colored cloth, on the back - at the top, embroidery in the form of a square is made with cloth, and copper and silver decorations from buttons and coins are sewn onto the clothes. In Transbaikalia, women's robes consist of a short jacket sewn to a skirt.

Girls wore from 10 to 20 braids, decorated with many coins. Women wore corals, silver and gold coins, etc. around their necks; in the ears there are huge earrings supported by a cord thrown over the head, and behind the ears there are “poltas” (pendants); on the hands are silver or copper bugaks (a type of bracelets in the form of hoops) and other decorations.

According to some Buryat myths about the origin of the world, at first there was chaos, from which water was formed - the cradle of the world. A flower emerged from the water, and a girl emerged from the flower. A radiance emanated from her, which turned into the sun and moon, dispelling the darkness. This divine girl - a symbol of creative energy - created the earth and the first people: man and woman.

The highest deity is Huhe Munhe Tengri (Blue Eternal Sky), the embodiment of the masculine principle. Earth is feminine. Gods live in the sky. During the time of their ruler Asarang Tengri, the celestials were united. After his departure, power began to be contested by Khurmasta and Ata Ulan. As a result, no one won and the Tengris were divided into 55 Western good and 44 Eastern evil, continuing the eternal struggle among themselves.

Dugan of Green Tara

The Buryats were divided into semi-sedentary and nomadic, governed by steppe dumas and foreign councils. The primary economic basis consisted of the family, then interests flowed into the closest relatives (bule zone), then the economic interests of the “small homeland” in which the Buryats lived (nyutag) were considered, then there were tribal and other global interests. The basis of the economy was cattle breeding, semi-nomadic among the western tribes and nomadic among the eastern tribes. It was practiced to keep 5 types of domestic animals - cows, rams, goats, camels and horses. Traditional trades - hunting and fishing - were common.

The entire list of livestock by-products was processed: hides, wool, tendons, etc. The skin was used to make saddlery, clothing (including coats, pinigs, mittens), bedding, etc. Wool was used to make felt for the home, materials for clothing in the form of felt raincoats, various capes, hats, felt mattresses, etc. . Tendons were used to produce thread material used for making ropes and making bows, etc. Jewelry and toys were made from bones. Bones were also used to make bows and arrow parts.

From the meat of the 5 above-mentioned domestic animals, food products were produced and processed using waste-free technology. They made various sausages and delicacies. Women also used the spleen to make and sew clothes as an adhesive material. The Buryats knew how to produce meat products for long-term storage during the hot season, for use on long migrations and marches. A large range of products could be obtained by processing milk. They also had experience in the production and use of a high-calorie product suitable for long-term isolation from the family.

In economic activities, the Buryats widely used available domestic animals: the horse was used in a wide range of activities when traveling long distances, when grazing domestic animals, when transporting property with a cart and sleigh, which they also made themselves. Camels were also used to transport heavy loads over long distances. Emasculated bulls were used as draft power. The nomadic technology is interesting, when a barn on wheels was used or the “train” technology was used, when 2 or 3 carts were attached to a camel. A hanza was installed on the carts to store things and protect them from the rain. They used a quickly erected felt house ger (yurt), where the fees for migration or settling in a new place were about three hours. Also, dogs of the Bankhar breed were widely used in economic activities, the closest relatives of which are dogs of the same breed from Tibet, Nepal, as well as the Georgian Shepherd. This dog shows excellent qualities as a watchman and a good shepherd for horses, cows and small livestock. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Agriculture began to spread intensively in Transbaikalia.

Yokhor is an ancient circular Buryat dance with chants. Other Mongolian peoples do not have such a dance. Before or after the hunt, in the evenings, the Buryats went out into the clearing, lit a large fire and, holding hands, danced the ekhor all night with cheerful rhythmic chants. In the ancestral dance, they forgot all grievances and disagreements, delighting their ancestors with this dance of unity. In Ulan-Ude, the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia hosts the summer festival Night of Yokhora. Representatives from different regions of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region compete in the competition for the best ekhor. At the end of the holiday, everyone can plunge into this ancient dance. Hundreds of people of different nationalities, holding hands, happily circle around the fire. In 2013, the number of yokhor participants became a record in recent history: the national round dance was danced in 270 Russian cities.

Buryat folklore consists of myths, uligers, shamanic invocations, legends, cult hymns, fairy tales, proverbs, sayings, and riddles.

Topics of proverbs, sayings and riddles: nature, natural phenomena, birds and animals, household and agricultural items.

Buryat folk music is represented by numerous genres: epic tales (uliger), lyrical ritual songs, dance songs (the round dance yokhor is especially popular) and other genres. The modal basis is the anhemitonic pentatonic scale.

BOOKS ABOUT BURYATS

Bardakhanova S.S., Soktoev A.B. System of genres of Buryat folklore. - Ulan-Ude: Buryat Institute of Social Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1992.

Buryats / Ed. L.L. Abaeva and N.L. Zhukovskaya. - M.: Nauka, 2004.

Buryats // Siberia. Atlas of Asian Russia. - M.: Top book, Feoria, Design. Information. Cartography, 2007.

Buryats // Peoples of Russia. Atlas of cultures and religions. - M.: Design. Information. Cartography, 2010.

Buryats // Ethnoatlas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory / Council of the Administration of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Public Relations Department; Ch. ed. R.G. Rafikov; editorial board: V.P. Krivonogov, R.D. Tsokaev. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - Krasnoyarsk: Platinum (PLATINA), 2008.

Dondokova L.Yu. Status of women in traditional Buryat society (second half of the 19th – early 20th century): monograph. - Ulan-Ude: Publishing House of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy, 2008.

Dugarov D.S., Neklyudov S.Yu. Historical roots of white shamanism: Based on the material of ritual folklore of the Buryats. - M.: Nauka, 1991.

Zhambalova S.G. The profane and sacred worlds of the Olkhon Buryats (XIX-XX centuries). - Novosibirsk: Science, 2000.

Zalkind E.M. Social system of the Buryats in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. - M.: Nauka, 1970.

Historical and cultural atlas of Buryatia. / Scientific ed. N.L. Zhukovskaya. - M.: Design. Information. Cartography, 2001.

Peoples of Russia: picturesque album. - St. Petersburg: printing house of the Public Benefit Partnership, 1877.

Nimaev D.D. The beginning of the formation of the ethnic core of the Buryats // Buryats. Series: Peoples and cultures. - M.: Nauka, 2004.

Okladnikov A.P. Essays on the history of Western Buryat-Mongols (XVII-XVIII centuries). - Ulan-Ude, 2014.

Khankharayev V.S. Buryats in the XVII-XVIII centuries. - Ulan-Ude: Publishing house BSC SB RAS, 2000.

Tsydendambaev Ts.B. Buryat historical chronicles and genealogies as sources on the history of the Buryats / Ed. B.V. Bazarova, I. D. Buraeva. - Ulan-Ude: Republican Printing House, 2001.

People in the Russian Federation. The number in the Russian Federation is 417,425 people. They speak the Buryat language of the Mongolian group of the Altai language family. According to anthropological characteristics, the Buryats belong to the Central Asian type of the Mongoloid race.

The self-name of the Buryats is “Buryayad”.

Buryats live in Southern Siberia in the lands adjacent to Lake Baikal and further east. Administratively, this is the territory of the Republic of Buryatia (the capital is Ulan-Ude) and two autonomous Buryat districts: Ust-Ordynsky in the Irkutsk region and Aginsky in the Chita region. Buryats also live in Moscow, St. Petersburg and many other large cities of Russia.

According to anthropological characteristics, the Buryats belong to the Central Asian type of the Mongoloid race.

The Buryats emerged as a single people by the middle of the 17th century. from tribes that lived in the lands around Lake Baikal more than a thousand years ago. In the second half of the 17th century. these territories became part of Russia. In the 17th century The Buryats comprised several tribal groups, the largest of which were the Bulagats, Ekhirits, Khorins and Khongodors. The Buryats later included a number of Mongols and assimilated Evenki clans. The rapprochement of the Buryat tribes with each other and their subsequent consolidation into a single nation was historically determined by the proximity of their culture and dialects, as well as the socio-political unification of the tribes after their entry into Russia. During the formation of the Buryat people, tribal differences were generally erased, although dialectal features remained.

They speak Buryat. The Buryat language belongs to the Mongolian group of the Altai language family. In addition to Buryat, the Mongolian language is also widespread among the Buryats. The Buryat language is divided into 15 dialects. The Buryat language is considered native by 86.6% of Russian Buryats.

The ancient religion of the Buryats is shamanism, supplanted in Transbaikalia by Lamaism. Most Western Buryats were formally considered Orthodox, but retained shamanism. Remnants of shamanism were also preserved among the Buryat Lamaists.

During the period of the first Russian settlers in the Baikal region, nomadic cattle breeding played a predominant role in the economy of the Buryat tribes. The Buryat cattle-breeding economy was based on year-round keeping of livestock on pasture for grazing. The Buryats raised sheep, cattle, goats, horses and camels (listed by importance in descending order). Families of herders moved with their herds. Additional types of economic activity were hunting, farming and fishing, which were more developed among the Western Buryats; There was a seal fishery on the coast of Lake Baikal. During the XVII-XIX centuries. Under the influence of the Russian population, changes occurred in the Buryat economy. Pure cattle breeding was preserved only among the Buryats in the southeast of Buryatia. In other regions of Transbaikalia, a complex pastoral-agricultural economy developed, in which only rich pastoralists continued to roam throughout the year, middle-income pastoralists and owners of small herds switched to partial or complete settlement and began to engage in farming. In the Cis-Baikal region, where farming as a subsidiary industry had been practiced before, an agricultural-pastoral complex developed. Here the population almost completely switched to sedentary farming, in which haymaking on specially fertilized and irrigated meadows - “utugs”, harvesting feed for the winter, and homesteading of livestock - was widely practiced. The Buryats sowed winter and spring rye, wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats, and hemp. Agriculture technology and farming tools were borrowed from Russian peasants.

The rapid development of capitalism in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. also affected the territory of Buryatia. The construction of the Siberian Railway and the development of industry in Southern Siberia gave impetus to the expansion of agriculture and an increase in its marketability. Machine-based agricultural equipment appears in the households of wealthy Buryats. Buryatia has become one of the producers of commercial grain.

With the exception of blacksmithing and jewelry, the Buryats did not know developed craft production. Their economic and household needs were almost completely satisfied by home crafts, for which wood and livestock products served as raw materials: leather, wool, hides, horsehair, etc. The Buryats retained remnants of the cult of “iron”: iron products were considered a talisman. Often blacksmiths were also shamans. They were treated with respect and superstitious fear. The blacksmith's profession was hereditary. Buryat blacksmiths and jewelers were highly skilled, and their products were widely distributed throughout Siberia and Central Asia.

The traditions of cattle breeding and nomadic life, despite the increasing role of agriculture, left a significant mark on the Buryat culture.

Buryat men's and women's clothing differed relatively little. The lower clothing consisted of a shirt and pants, the upper one was a long, loose robe with a wrap on the right side, which was belted with a wide cloth sash or belt. The robe was lined, the winter robe was lined with fur. The edges of the robes were trimmed with bright fabric or braid. Married women wore a sleeveless vest over their robes - uje, which had a slit in the front, which was also lined. The traditional headdress for men was a conical hat with an expanding band of fur, from which two ribbons descended down the back. Women wore a pointed hat with a fur trim and a red silk tassel running down from the top of the hat. Shoes were low boots with thick felt soles without heels, with toes turned up. Women's favorite jewelry were temple pendants, earrings, necklaces, and medallions. The clothes of wealthy Buryats were distinguished by high quality material and bright colors; they were sewn mainly from imported fabrics. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Traditional costume gradually began to give way to Russian urban and peasant clothing, this happened especially quickly in the western part of Buryatia.

Dishes made from milk and dairy products occupied a large place in the food of the Buryats. Not only sour milk was stored for future use, but also dried compressed curdled mass - khurut, which replaced bread for cattle breeders. The intoxicating drink tarasun (archi) was made from milk using a special distillation apparatus, which was necessarily included in sacrificial and ritual food. Meat consumption depended on the number of livestock owned by the family. In summer they preferred mutton, in winter they slaughtered cattle. The meat was boiled in lightly salted water and the broth was drunk. The traditional cuisine of the Buryats also included a number of flour dishes, but they began to bake bread only under the influence of the Russian population. Like the Mongols, the Buryats drank brick tea, into which they poured milk and added salt and lard.

The ancient form of the Buryat traditional dwelling was a typical nomadic yurt, the basis of which was made up of easily transportable lattice walls. When installing the yurt, the walls were placed in a circle and tied with hair cords. The dome of the yurt rested on inclined poles, the lower end of which rested on the walls, and the upper end was attached to a wooden hoop that served as a smoke hole. The frame was covered on top with felt tires, which were tied with ropes. The entrance to the yurt was always from the south. It was closed by a wooden door and a quilted felt mat. The floor in the yurt was usually earthen, sometimes it was lined with boards and felt. The hearth was always located in the center of the floor. As the herd transitioned to sedentism, the felt yurt fell out of use. In the Cis-Baikal region it disappeared by the middle of the 19th century. The yurt was replaced by polygonal (usually octagonal) wooden log buildings in plan. They had a sloping roof with a smoke hole in the center and were similar to felt yurts. They often coexisted with felt yurts and served as summer homes. With the spread of Russian-type log dwellings (huts) in Buryatia, polygonal yurts were preserved in some places as utility rooms (barns, summer kitchens, etc.).

Inside the traditional Buryat dwelling, like other pastoral peoples, there was a custom-defined placement of property and utensils. Behind the hearth, opposite the entrance, there was a home sanctuary, where the Buryat Lamaists had images of Buddhas - burkhanas and bowls with sacrificial food, and the Buryat shamanists had a box with human figurines and animal skins, which were revered as the embodiment of spirits - ongons. To the left of the hearth was the place of the owner, to the right was the place of the mistress. On the left, i.e. the male half housed hunting and men's crafts, and on the right - kitchen utensils. To the right of the entrance, along the walls, a stand for dishes was located in order, then a wooden bed, chests for household utensils and clothes. Near the bed there was a leaking cradle. To the left of the entrance lay saddles and harnesses, there were chests on which the rolled-up beds of family members, wineskins for fermenting milk, etc. were placed for the day. Above the fireplace, on a tripod tagan, stood a bowl in which meat was cooked, milk and tea were boiled. Even after the Buryats switched to Russian-style buildings and the appearance of urban furniture in their everyday life, the traditional arrangement of things inside the house remained almost unchanged for a long time.

At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The main form of the Buryat family was a small monogamous family. Polygyny, permitted by custom, was found mainly among wealthy cattle breeders. The marriage was strictly exogamous, and only paternal kinship was taken into account. Despite the weakening of consanguineous and tribal ties and their replacement by territorial production ties, tribal relations played a large role in the life of the Buryats, especially among the Buryats of the Cis-Baikal region. Members of the same clan had to provide assistance to relatives, participate in common sacrifices and meals, act in defense of a relative and bear responsibility if relatives committed an offense; vestiges of communal tribal ownership of land also remained. Each Buryat had to know his genealogy, some of them numbered up to twenty tribes. In general, the social system of Buryatia on the eve of the October Revolution was a complex interweaving of remnants of primitive communal and class relations. Both Western and Eastern Buryats had a class of feudal lords (taishi and noyons), which grew out of the tribal aristocracy. Development of commodity relations at the beginning of the 20th century. led to the emergence of a rural bourgeois class.

In the 80-90s. in Buryatia there is a rise in national self-awareness, a movement for the revival of national culture and language is unfolding. In 1991, at the all-Buryat congress, the All-Buryat Association for the Development of Culture (WARC) was formed, which became the center for organizing and coordinating all activities in the field of national culture. National cultural centers were created in the cities. Irkutsk, Chita. There are several dozen gymnasiums, lyceums, and colleges operating under a special program with in-depth study of subjects in national culture and language; universities and secondary specialized educational institutions are introducing extended courses on the history and culture of Buryatia.

Russian Civilization