Tunguska princes Gantimurov. Evenks (Tungus) - aristocrats of Siberia under the North Star Beliefs associated with death

in 1659, "World History" by Dionysius Petavius, which described the rich and developed Tartar state of Cathai, which had long been called Scythia, which did not include the Himalayas. Like N. Sanson, he mentions the states included in Cathay: Tangut, Tenduc, Camul, Tainfur and Thebet. Unfortunately, these names, except for the last one, do not tell us anything today.

Such hasty statements, when they did not even use the search, spoil the impression of the articles.
Well, yes, they didn’t say anything about Tangut at school; but one could remember, for example, the film "The Secret of Genghis Khan", in which quite a large place is devoted to Tangut. The kingdom in which Temujin was kept in slavery, and which he promised to destroy. A memorable episode.
There are maps of Tangut, and the history of the Tangut state, destroyed by Genghis Khan, or rather, by his heirs, who brought his work to the end.

Another thing is that there is very little of this information, and it is quite stingy. There is much more of it in Chinese sources, which call the Tangut state “Western (Great) Xia”, or Xi-Xia.


Considering that Tangut occupied a key position and played an important role in the development of culture and civilization, serving as the starting point for much in the future, the lack of information about it is rather strange. It's more like cleaning up the tracks. And there is something to hide there) One only has to remember that Tangut was the legendary kingdom of Prester John! From which he sent letters to European monarchs, approving or disapproving of candidates for the position of king.
After the destruction of the Tangut statehood, the people dispersed and were included in the Mughal Empire of Genghis Khan, including leading troops in conquests in China. Also, as part of the Uighurs, the Tanguts took part in the formation of the mountain peoples of the Caucasus and Turkey! The legend itself about the emergence of the Turks speaks of a boy born (raised) by a she-wolf after the destruction of his people by Genghis Khan. Although already in those days the Uyghurs walked under wolf banners)

Original taken from i_mar_a in Excerpts from Nicolaas Witsen’s book “Northern and Eastern Tartaria” about Tangut

If, to the south of the Great Wall, which separates Sina from Tartaria* Kircherus, one is heading from the Sina city of Sininga to the kingdom of Tangut, or Barantola, then one must cross the Kalmak desert, or Samo and Lop, with a caravan.

Tangut Tombs
The Tartar state of Tangut, according to Martini, extends from the Lop desert, behind the Sin wall, to Ancient Tartaria, which the Sins call Samakhania * otherwise Samarkand. The Sins say about these Tartars that they are more polite than the more eastern Tartars. This people have been communicating with the Sins since ancient times. Sin settlements were also transferred to their country, from which they adopted good morals. They changed their name often. For 70 years they ruled Sina, and from them come the nine Sina-Tartar emperors.
Egrigaya during the time of Marco Polo was part of the Tangut state. Its main city was Qalasia, whose inhabitants were pagans and Nestorian Christians.
The king who recently ruled the social life of the Tangut country is called Deva; the spiritual superior is kept secret, in some place or palace. He directs all clergy and church services*. See Kircherus. All the surrounding Tartars visit him during pilgrimage and honor him as God on earth. He is called the Priest of Priests and the Eternal Father because he is considered immortal. The northernmost peoples are the most ardent adherents of this faith. The castle where he lives is called Bitela, or Butala; it is built on a high mountain, modeled after houses in Europe. It has four floors.
It is a pity that in these eastern Tartar regions Christianity has completely fallen into decline, for the documents of Chaiton, an Armenian prince, report how in 1252 he was sent by his brother, the king of Armenia, to the Tartar khan, for help against the Turks or Saracens and the Baghdad caliphs, where he saw that in Tartaria they professed the true Christian faith, so that the khan himself accepted it and was baptized. There is a letter that the brother of the great Tartar khan Erkaltai, or Haolon, allegedly wrote to King Louis of France, called a saint. Christians there were called Tersai. In one Malabar ancient church book of the Apostle Thomas, written in the Chaldean language, we read that Saint Thomas spread Christianity in Sina.
They say that the above-mentioned khan himself participated in the crusade to help the Armenian king. Catholic priests report that there were even Tartar envoys at the council in Lyon, and that in 1300 many Franciscans were sent to Nanjing, Beijing and further, to Sina and Tartaria, Tangut and Tebet.
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Lamas are highly revered not only by the people of the kingdom of Tangut and Tebet, but also by most other Tartars. Only the Eastern Tartars (who are now the masters of Sina) did not have them a few years ago, although now they are more revered and respected than all the others. First from a political point of view, and then out of habit.
Lamas in Tangut dress in linen or wool cloth, dyed red or yellow, and yellow or red hats. In some places they can be distinguished by their headdresses, as regards their rank. In other places they are dressed differently. And although their main priest, who is called the priest of the priests and is revered as an idol (as was said above), lives near Tangut, yet the pagan faith has its main priests in other places, even in the middle of Mugalia and among the Kalmaks. They are given supernatural honor, although the Tangut [Lama] is considered the first and most holy, and others are dependent on him.
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There are 2 kings in the Tangut state. One oversees state affairs and his name is Virgo, the other is freed from all external affairs, and not only the inhabitants, but all the subjects of the king of Tartary worship him as a living and true God, and voluntarily go on pilgrimage to him, and bring great gifts. He sits idly in a dark room of his palace, on an elevated place, on a pillow under which valuable carpets lie.
The room is decorated with gold and silver, and there are many lamps shining there. Foreigners prostrate themselves before him (head on the ground) and kiss his feet with incredible respect.
They call him the Great and High Lama, or priest, and lama lama, which means priest of priests, because from him, as from the source, comes the whole essence of faith, or idolatry, which is why they call him heavenly and eternal father.
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In the Tartar state of Tangut, there still exists, as in ancient times among the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, the custom of deifying their kings, as evidenced by the Jesuit John Gruber, who passed through Tangut, and the king named Virgo, who kindly received him, ordered him draw an image of the khan, formerly the king of Tangut. This one was the father of 14 sons, and because of his outstanding kindness and justice, the population worshiped him*. See Kircherus Both the figure of the Khan and the Virgin himself, depicted to the shoulders, stand there on quadrangular altars. The Khan has a yellow-chestnut beard with gray hair, bulging eyes and a motley flat cap on his head, but the Virgin has a youthful face, no beard, and the hair on her head is shaved bald. Three burning lamps hang above these images.
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In marriage matters, the Tangut Tartars observe the same customs as are observed in most places in Europe, depending on the wealth of relatives and the nobility of the clan. But the Chinese, on the contrary, choose a wife because of her beauty, regardless of her gender.
Mirkhond, a famous Persian writer, reports that the kings of Lahore are located in the neighborhood of Tangut and descended from Mirumsha, the second son of Tamerlane, according to the message of the ambassador Garcias de Silva Figueroa, and that Mirumsha was killed in the war with the Turcomans and left a son Ali Khan, who, brought to poverty, because his lands in Medena and Khirkaniy were taken from him, went to war against India, and having many followers, managed to cause unrest there [troubles], attacked the state of Delhi (the main city located between Agra and Lahore) and only conquered it, but then subjugated the surrounding states and regions.

Wikipedia about Tangut:
Xi Xia (Chinese 西夏, pinyin: Xī Xià), Western Xia, Da Xia (Chinese 大夏, pinyin: Dà Xià), Great Xia, Tangut Kingdom (officially the Great State of the White and High) - a Tangut state that existed in 1038-1227 northwest of the Chinese kingdom of Song and, later, the Jurchen Jin in the territory of modern Chinese provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. Controlled the eastern section of the Great Silk Road.

The Great Wall of China, which supposedly separated the territory of Tartary and China (Sina), is shown in green on the map. At the same time, as it turns out, the Tartar state of Tangut, which was supposedly located on the territory of the modern Chinese provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu (highlighted in red on the map), was already partially behind the Chinese Wall.
There are also Chinese pyramids there, about which the Chinese themselves prefer to remain silent:

The pyramids are carefully hidden - their edges are densely planted with fast-growing tree species that hide the buildings from prying eyes. This disguise allowed the Chinese to keep them secret for a long time, claiming that they were just hills and mountains. On some of the ancient structures, local residents grew rice crops, while the rest were densely overgrown with forest.
Just recently, China declared the area where the White Pyramid is located a closed zone, inaccessible to foreign tourists and researchers. The government of this country has built a base on the territory near the hills for launching rockets and satellites into space. Archaeologists and scientists from other countries are also not allowed to visit the pyramids, believing that these structures will only be explored by Chinese archaeologists of the next generation.
The secret of the Chinese pyramids is reliably protected by the state, not giving the slightest chance to researchers. What are the Chinese trying to hide, what are they afraid of? Some scientists believe that the Chinese authorities do not want to study the pyramids because they are very afraid of finding ancient manuscripts there that will completely change our understanding of the creation of the Earth.

For some reason, Wikipedia dates the existence of this state to the 11th-13th centuries. While Witsen writes about him as quite existing for his time - the middle of the 17th century.

And by the way, Wikipedia bashfully reports that for some reason Tangut, despite its destruction in 1227, was still depicted on European maps even 450 years later! It would be nice to show off, travelers also visited it))
However, taking into account the rewritten (or rewritten) history of China (Sina) by the Jesuits, with the destruction of ancient manuscripts, it is not surprising that the facts contradict the official version. It is all the more interesting to compare them.

Inhabitants of Tartary. Nicholas Witsen. Tungus (Daurian) far right

Tunguska tribe - a special variety of the Mongoloid race, widely spread over a vast territory, from the borders of Central China in the north to the very coast of the Arctic Ocean and from the shores of the Yenisei in the west right up to the coast of the North Japan and Okhotsk Sea, and containing a number of separate tribes of different names: Manchus, Solons, Daurs, Tungus proper, Manegrs, Birars, Golds, Orochons, Olchis, Orochs, Oroks, Negdas, Samagirs, Kiles, Lamuts, Dalgans, Asis, etc. Their homeland is considered to be the North. Manchuria, where from time immemorial (the legendary data of the "Bamboo Chronicle" bring them into the historical arena under the name of sushens, who appeared with gifts to the court of Shun in 2225 BC) were in continuous relations and clashes with China and Korea and the nomads of Mongolia. Reliable historical data of Chinese writers depict them under the name Ilau, first as a hunting tribe, and then as having mastered the beginnings of agricultural and pastoral culture. The eternal struggle with their neighbors creates from them in northern Manchuria a warlike tribe, united in inter-tribal alliances, which played a huge historical role in the fate of the middle kingdom for a number of centuries (see Manchuria, history). Three times the Tungus tribe seized power over China, giving it its own dynasties: Liao (907-), Jin (-) and, finally, in the 17th century, the dynasty that still reigns in China. Since the 17th century The Manchu branch of the Tungus tribe adopted its current name, Manchus. The movement of the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan that followed the accession of the Jin dynasty caused a migration of peoples, which had a huge impact on the fate of the northern branch of the Tungus tribe. The Mongolian Buryat tribe, which penetrated to the sources of the Amur and to Lake Baikal, ousted the Turkic tribe of the Yakuts from the shores of this latter, who, having retreated to the Lena Valley, met in the north with numerous Tungus tribes; the latter, after a long bloody struggle, were forced to retreat - one part moved west all the way to the Yenisei, the other to the far north to the very coast of the Arctic Ocean, the third to the east, along the right tributaries of the Lena to the Stanovoy Range, the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Amur Territory, meeting here with related branches of the southern branch of the Tungus tribe. The scattered nature of the tribe over a vast territory and the inevitably associated assimilation processes of both a somatic nature (marriages with other nationalities, absorption of alien elements) and a cultural nature could not but influence the change in the indigenous type of the tribe and the major differentiation in language. The Manchus who suffered the most in this regard were significantly Chineseized physically and even more culturally, having lost almost their native language, which in their time had risen to the level of literary language. Other peoples of the Tungus tribe also more or less changed their type, assimilating first with the Mongols, then with the Turks, then with the Palaisians. Nevertheless, the heterogeneous branches of the Tungus tribe completely preserved their related unity, mainly due to the commonality of the language, which suffered very little from differentiation according to territorial dialects, differentiation, which alone should have formed the basis for the classification of individual branches of the Tungus tribe. Unfortunately, due to the lack of linguistic material, such a classification is still premature. The only attempt belongs to Schrenk, in relation, however, only to the Amur region. He divides the modern Tungus peoples of this region into four groups: 1) Daurs and Solons, Tungus tribes with a more or less strong Mongol admixture, 2) Manchus, Golds and Orochs, 2) Orochons, Manegras, Birars, Kile (along the Kur River) and 4) Olcha (on the Amur), Orok (Sakhalin), Negda, Samagirs. The first two groups form the southern, or Manchurian, branch, the last two are branches of the northern Siberian branch, which spread all the way to the Yenisei, to the Arctic Ocean and Kamchatka. This classification cannot have any serious significance because some peoples from one and the other branch, namely the Orochs, Oroks and part of the Golds, call themselves by the common name Nani (Sternberg), therefore, cannot be attributed to different branches. For now, the following classification in relation to the historically established nomenclature would be quite satisfactory: 1) Manchus, characterized by a strictly defined territory and economic culture (agriculture, cattle breeding). According to their geographical location, they can be classified as Solons and Daurs, Manegras, Birars, and partly Golds, who were for a long time under Manchu influence; 2) the Tungus proper, or Siberian Tungus, whose characteristic feature is a nomadic way of life and reindeer herding, and 3) small peoples, mostly marginal, each bearing an independent name: Olchi, Oroch, Orok, Negda, Samagir, Lamut, Orochon, etc. ., many of whom left their nomadic lifestyle and turned to fisher-hunters. Representatives of the second group, actually called Tungus, are taken as the main type of tribe. They are characterized by Schrenk on the basis of Middendorff's observations, his own and many others as follows. They are usually of average or slightly below average height, with a relatively large head, broad shoulders, slightly short extremities and small arms and legs. Like all the peoples of the north, they are wiry, thin, muscular, and there are no obese people among them. Eyes dark; The hair on the head is black, straight, and coarse. The skin color is more or less yellowish-brown, the facial hair is very scanty and short, the eyebrows are usually sharply defined, sometimes arched. The structure of the head and face, although partly softened, is decidedly Mongolian; the skull is always wide, sometimes very high. The face is usually somewhat elongated in length, wide at the cheeks, tapering towards the forehead; The cheekbones are prominent, although not as strong as those of real Mongols. The eye sockets are large, the eyes are set obliquely, narrow. The distance between the eyes is wide; the nose at the root is wide, flat, often flattened, later slightly raised, small and thin. The lips are thin, the upper lip is rather long, the chin is round, the jaw is somewhat prognathic. The general facial expression reveals good nature, laziness and carelessness. Unlike the Tungus proper, representatives of another large branch - the Manchus - have sharper and rougher features, a more curved and thicker nose, fleshier lips, a larger mouth, a more rectangular head, and are usually of greater stature. Daurs and Solons differ sharply in their tall stature and strong physique. Small T. tribes, to a greater or lesser extent, approach one of these two types, falling either into the Mongolian, then into the Russian, then into the Turkic, then into the Palaeasian, for example. Olcha, assimilated with the Gilyaks and partly with the Ainu. Anthropological study of the T. tribe began in the 18th century. since Blumenbach's time. Various measurements of skulls were made by Behr, Welker, Virchow, Huxley, Maliev, Schrenk, Uyfalvi, I. Mainov and others. Cf. L. Schrenk, "Reisen und Forschungen im Amurlande" (vol. Ш, issue 1, St. Petersburg, ); I. I. Mainov, “Some data about the Tungus of the Yakut region” (Proceedings of the East Siberian Department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, No. 2, Irk.); Deniker "Les races et peuples de la terre" (P., ).

The measurement results turned out to be different and give reason to conclude that there are two different types. Recius, R. Wagner, Behr, Huxley recognized the Tungus dolichocephals, and Ber in terms of the head indicator (76: width to length ratio) brought them closer to the Germans. According to Welker, on the contrary, they - brachycephals, most of all approaching the Buryats. Schrenk, Winkler, Gikish, Topinar find them moderately brachycephalic(Schrenck has 5 brachycephals and 2 mesocephals and, in addition, all platycephals; average index: 82.76). On the other hand, I. Mainov brings them closer to the Finns and gives the following table of averages: northern Tungus (Yakut region), according to Mainov, - 81.39; southern Tungus (Yakut region), according to Mainov, - 82.69; Manchus of Shibin (Poyarkov) - 82.32; Manchus (Uyfalvi) - 84.91. The same researcher, who made numerous measurements on the living among the Tungus in the Yakut region, decisively distinguishes between two completely different racial elements, delimited by the line of the Ayansky tract: the northern one, characterized by very short stature (average 154.8), a high percentage of moderately dolichocephalic (63. 64%), almost complete absence of brachycephaly, moderate cheekbones; on the contrary, the southern element, directly adjacent to the Amur region, is distinguished by good average height (163.1), strong physique, almost complete moderate brachycephaly, eyes not particularly narrow, cut straight or almost straight, thick eyebrows, short, almost straight and not particularly with a thick nose, in everything, thus most likely reminiscent of the Manchus. And it is precisely this latter author who considers the characteristic T. type, and attributes the features of the northern type entirely to the influence of Palaisians. In contrast to Middendorf and Shrenk, I. Mainov considers the indigenous features of the T. tribe to be non-Mongolian. Deniker, on the contrary, takes the T. tribe for the northern subrace of the Mongolian tribe, characterized by mesocephaly or mild subdolichocephaly, an oval or round face, prominent cheekbones - a type common in Manchuria, Korea, Northern China, Mongolia, and in general he takes the Tungus for a mixture of Mongols with paleasians. However, the question of the influence of these latter on the entire Tungus tribe must be considered very problematic. About the Tungusic language - see.

The names of Evenki clans are quite numerous; So far, more than 200 of them have been identified from various sources and inquiries. Most of them are of later origin and are associated with small groups of Evenks. A number of names are noted among the majority of Tungus-Manchu peoples; Some of these names are also found among peoples of other language groups. Our article is devoted to the consideration of some names and Evenki clans.

We have an etymologization of names and an explanation of their origin both from the bearers themselves and from researchers. Bearers of names of later origin tell legends about the origin of the family, thereby revealing their meaning. This is typical for the Evenks of the Yenisei basin. Others, according to the tradition established in the area, taking advantage of the similarity of the name with the words of the modern language, create etymological legends and myths. We encounter this phenomenon in a number of places, and especially among the Tungus peoples of the Amur basin, where small movements and mixing of clans constantly occurred.

Researchers usually decompose names into roots and suffixes, compare the latter with the suffixes of the modern language and draw conclusions about the historical settlement of tribes. We will begin by considering names from a morphological point of view. All names can be divided into two groups: 1) consisting of a two-syllable root, 2) consisting of a root and a suffix of belonging to a generic organization. The first ones in most cases end in a vowel sound, for example: Buta, Whom, Kima, Chemba, Cholko etc. Initially, the most ancient of them ended in - n(omitting and maintaining the final n roots and suffixes are widespread in the languages ​​of the Altai peoples). This phenomenon can be seen in the same name recorded at different times. For example: Cherdu n’skiy, and with the transition of the final - n a iota before its complete disappearance - Cherdui’sky (census of 1897) and, finally, with the final omitted - n and with the suffix plural. h. - T. Cherdu-t’ skiy. Dongo- a generic name common on the right tributaries of the river. Olekmy (pl. Dongo-l), but along with this there is an option Dongoi(plural) Dongoi-l) and a variant with an earlier suffix pl. h. - Dongo-t. Name of the Tungus tribe Kilen at the same time used in a truncated form - Kiel. Shaman' The family was noted in the 17th century; when increasing the suffix of belonging to the clan organization, the final one is n got down - Shama(n) + gir but among the Nanai this name came into use in the plural form. h. Sama-p(suff. - R added only to words ending in - n, replacing the latter). In a number of cases we have the same name without a suffix and with suffixes of belonging to the clan organization, for example: Ingan’ skiy and Inga + kin’skiy, as well as Ingar + gir(one of the tributaries of the Lower Tunguska), Sholon’ skiy and Solo + rut. Some of the names retained the final one - n and were preserved without suffixes belonging to the clan organization, for example: Edyan ~ Ejan, Delyan ~ Jelan, Dokan, etc.

The second group of names with suffixes of belonging to a clan organization can be divided according to the type of suffixes into three subgroups: 1) names with the earliest suffix, which is first added to tribal and clan names, later in a number of languages ​​it turned into a plural suffix. h., namely, the suffix - T (-d) . Currently the suffix is T in the minds of the speakers no longer has any meaning, and the plural of such names is formed by adding a suffix used in the language. For example: Bulde+ T, plural h. Bulde + rear; Branga+ T, plural h. Branga+ rear; Dongo+ T, plural h. Dongo + rear. This subgroup also includes names with the suffix - R or - l. Although these suffixes exist in the language as indicators of plurals. hours, but in generic names they lost their meaning and merged with the base. For example: De+ R, Je+ R, plural h. Je + r-i-l: Egdire+ l (sometimes: Egdylė+ R), pl. h. Egdire + l-i-l (Egdylė + r-i-l); Gave + R, plural h. Gave + r-i-l.

The second subgroup of names has a suffix of belonging to the clan organization - ki(man), - kshin~ —tires(woman). Names with this suffix were preserved on the outskirts of the territory occupied by the Tungus-Manchu peoples. Among the Evenks - west of the Yenisei and in the Podkamennaya Tunguska region (lower reaches) ( Baya+ ki, Baya+ kshin); isolated cases were noted in Transbaikalia ( Noma+ syn' sky, Ulya+ syn' skiy). In the 17th century - in the area of ​​the river. Hunting ( Chelyu+ shir' tsy, Inga + kin' sky, Bai — shen' skiy). In the northeast - among the Evenks and Lamuto-Yukaghirs ( Bai+ shen’sky), in the east - among the Ulchi and Oroks ( Baya + at + everyone, Ogdy + MSOE + whether).

The third subgroup of names has a suffix of belonging to the clan organization - gin || —gan(plural - earlier forms: - gir, —gar, and later ones and for the most part - modern ones: - gir-i-l, gar-i-l). Suffix - gin like the suffix - kshin, originally expressed belonging to the clan organization of a woman, which is preserved among certain Evenki groups to the present day. For example: Baya + ki"a man from the Bay family" Baya + kshin"woman from the Bay family" Kima"a man from the Kim family" Kima+ gin“woman from the clan of Kim” (pl. Baya+ ki-l, Baya+ kshir, Kima-l, Kima-gir). But in the vast majority of names we have the suffix - gir, in which the final one is R is no longer recognized as an indicator of plurality. h. Therefore, there follows a further, secondary increase in suffixes. For example: Putu + gir“a man from the Putu-gir clan”, not Putu as it was before, and Putu + gi-mni ~ Putu + gi-mngu“a woman from the Putugir clan” (plural in such cases - Putu + gir-i-l, Putu + gi-mni-l). Suffix - gan(plural - gar) is a synonym for the suffix - gin. For example: Nina + gan, Solo + rut, Oooh + gan, Nyurma + gan' skiy and others

On the suffix - gan should stop. In modern language, the same suffix has the meaning of a sign of residence; For example, agi-gan"taiga resident" bira-gan“riverside resident”, “Porechanin”. This moment gave rise to the explanation of a number of names: Edyan< Eddie + gen"Nizovskaya" Dol + gan"from the middle reaches" Solo + rut"Verkhovskaya". Further, these names were associated with the river, where at some historical time the bearers of these names lived (however, all three (36) have not yet been noted on any river). Explain the suffix - gan from modern language, it seems to us, it is impossible. Names that include it are found, firstly, in a variety of places, and secondly, in foreign language environments. In particular, ethnonyms with the suffix gan || —rut || —gong are noted among the Mongolian and Turkic peoples (as with the suff. plural - T ~ —d, and without it).

Bul + ha + T- the name of a group of northern Buryats. “Most Buryat clans trace their origins to two brothers: Bulgat and Ikhirit.” Buda + gan- name of the Ocheul Buryat family. Bula+ ha+ T- name of the Barguzin Buryat clan; Bar+ gu+ T Mank + gu + T- an old scion of the Mongolian family Kiyat-Borji-gin. Epke+ gu+ T- name of a Mongolian family. Hut + gin ~ Hut + kin- tribal name for Mongol. Among the Yakuts we have: Borough+ gon' skoe - a tribe that lived along pp. Tatta and Amga in the 16th century; Mallya+ gir' sky, Men + gin' Skaya - volosts noted in the 17th century. Among the Altaians a generic name was noted Ker + Gil. The 1897 census noted the Turkic name in the Achinsk region Basa + gar.

To confirm that these endings of gender names in different languages ​​express the same thing, we provide analogies in other cases in word formation:

The presence of similar facts in languages ​​allows us to attribute the origin of suffixes of belonging to the clan organization - gin, —gan to the period of Tungus-Mongol relations. In the Tungus-speaking environment, names with the suffix - gin, —gir prevail and are widespread (among the Evenks, Evens, Negidals, Solons), but along with this there are also names with the suffix - gan.

The presence in the Tungus-speaking environment of two types of expression of belonging to the clan organization (- kshin And - gin), as well as saving names with the suffix - kshin on the outskirts and, conversely, the widespread use of names with the suffix - gin, —gir suggests that they were originally characteristic of two tribal groups: the suffix - kshin for the western, Baikal, speaking w- dialect, suffix - gin- for the eastern, Transbaikal, speaking With-dialect.

This explains the fact that we have two synonymous suffixes - gin And - gan in the Evenki language. In Transbaikalia (starting from the Iron Age), there were changes in tribes and connections between Tungus, Turkic and Mongolian tribes. “The most fertile strip of the highlands was the northern area along the Selenga, Tole and Orkhon rivers,” writes D. Pozdneev; - the strongest of the nomadic (37) nomads always sought here, and the most important battles took place here. It’s clear how often tribal internecine wars arose because of him.”

Tungus tribes With-dialect lived next to an area where Turkic and Mongolian tribes changed over the course of many centuries. This neighborhood could not exist without connections, both linguistic and other. The connections were reflected not only in languages, but also in common generic names and, as we saw above, in the general suffix of belonging to a generic organization.

The meaning of a woman’s belonging to a clan organization, preserved to this day in the dialects of individual Evenki groups, and its expression by the suffix - gin (kima + gin letters “kima + woman”) allows us to turn to the work of N. Ya. Marr, in which he analyzes the Sumerian word geme → gem “woman”, “girl”. “And here is the Svan kel we have it in full in Sumerian ke l(written kiel) meaning “woman” with voicing k → h and with the loss of the smooth one as part of the crossed ge + m'e"woman"; He finds the closest correspondence to this term in the language of the Yenisei Ostyaks-Kets qem ↔ qim.

If N. Ya. Marr is at the indicated root ( ge↔gl) with the loss of smoothness in the outcome sees the word “woman” of the Japhetic, Sumerian and Ket languages, then - gin In the Evenki language, the meaning “woman” also means “smooth in outcome.” The preservation of this element in the languages ​​of different systems and different historical periods is not a coincidence of sounds, since there are not only a significant number of words, but also morphological and syntactic phenomena that are common in expression and meaning. This fact indicates the extreme antiquity of the appearance of the suffix - gin || —gan, which was originally an independent word meaning “woman”.

Let us consider modern generic, formerly tribal names, which are usually interpreted as “Nizovskaya”, “from the middle reaches”, “Verkhovskaya”, namely the names eden ~ edjen, Dolgan || Dulgan, solon.

Eden ~ ejen ~ ejan- the name of the Evenki clan, widespread in the territory of Yakutia and the Far East (Amur region, Okhotsk coast and Sakhalin Island). Ezhan’ The Tsy are repeatedly mentioned in the letters of the Cossacks of the 18th century. This name was first mentioned in this territory in the 12th century. Under the first Jurgenian emperor Aguda, the Okhotsk coast was inhabited by wild people eugene. Among the Dolgans and Evens (Lamuts) Edyan ~ Ezhan- one of the most common generic names. The Dolgans themselves explain it as follows: the brothers divided the bird; head eater Dylma began to be called kil-magir ate sides ejekey began to be called edjen eating abdominal muscles dulang began to be called Dulgan. They gave rise to the names of these genera.

It should be noted that in the Evenki environment, the plot of dividing a bird and its plumage between brothers is widespread when separating members of the clan into independent clans. In some cases, the names of the parts of the bird were probably the basis for the formation of the names of new genera. But in this case we only have a ready-made plot dedicated to explaining the origin of the genus.

Among the Nanai there is a clan Odzyal(the Nanai language is characterized by the omission of final sonants in common Tungusic words; - l, suffix (38) pl. h. Odzya+ l). This clan is related to the Ulch clan Udzyal. The Ulchi attribute the origin of this genus to the Golds. Nanai researcher Lipskaya connects the origins of him and the family Hadzen With eugene'sky group of Jurgens. The largest family among the Orcs Kopinka- relatives of the Gold family Ojal. Among the Manchus - Ubyala- a numerous genus, the place of origin of which Shirokogorov attributes to Ninguta. The Manchus note the large number of representatives of this genus among the Koreans and Chinese.

Thus, in the Tungus-Manchu-speaking environment we have the ethnonym ejen almost throughout the entire territory of their settlement, with the exception of the taiga zone of the Yenisei basin. The indication that the Ulch and Oroch clans came from the Nanai environment indicates the later formation of these tribes. The absence of this ethnonym in the taiga zone of the Yenisei, its mention in the 12th century. on the territory of the Okhotsk coast, its presence among the Manchus and Nanais indicates its appearance on the territory between Baikal and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, in other words, on the territory With-dialects of the Old Tungusic language, which were the Tungusic basis of all the languages ​​of the Tungus-Manchu group of the Amur basin. But its distribution is not limited only to the Tungus-speaking environment. We meet it among the Mongolian and Turkic peoples. Wujing- one of the tribal names of the Mongols. Busse believes wuzeng's "Mongol tribe, which became part of the Nerchinsk Tungus under the leadership of Prince Gantimurov. The question of the clans united by Gantimur has not yet been clarified. In the west, the Mongols of San-chuan, adjacent to Tibet, have a self-name edjen. The Sanchuan people of the outskirts of the city of Bownan call themselves egeni kun And gozhangi kun(literally "ejeni people" and "kojani people"). Shiraegurs call themselves Egeni Mongol, literally "edzheni Mongols". A. O. Ivanovsky brings the language of the Shirongols closer to the language of the Dagur, who are the unified Evenks. In the Mongolian epic, the ethnonym edjen And edzen is part of the proper name Edzen-Bogdo, under which Genghis Khan sometimes appears in legends.

Thus, in the Mongol-speaking environment we have this ethnonym on the outskirts and in the epic associated with the conqueror Genghis Khan. Both facts indicate the antiquity of its appearance in the Mongol-speaking environment. The remarks of A. O. Ivanovsky about the language of the Shirongols do not contradict the truth. The Dagurs are groups of Tungus clans that merged with the Mongolian ones and became homogeneous in language. In addition, during the Manchu dynasty in the b. Banner troops, consisting of Dagurs, Solons and Ongkors, were evicted from Chinese Turkestan and the Ili region to protect the borders. Records of the language of the Ongkors of the Ili region, made by Muromsky during the Klemenets expedition in 1907, provide examples of one of the dialects of the Evenki language, which has preserved significantly more communities than the language of the Solons of Mongolia, who call themselves Evenks. The Ongkor language was only influenced by the phonetics and vocabulary of neighboring languages. These points suggest that the Sanchuan and Shirongol Mongols included representatives of the ancient Tungus tribe edjen.

In the Turkic-speaking environment we encounter the ethnonym ezer in the 17th century on the territory of the Kyrgyz (upper Yenisei): one of the four principalities (tribes) on the left side of the Yenisei was Yezer'skoe. And Chinese sources call the tribe eji- one of the Dulgas aimags on the eastern side of the lake. Kosogol in the area of ​​the sources of the Yenisei. Barthold classifies this tribe as Turks.

The first mention of the ethnonym by Chinese sources uzen dates back to the V-VI centuries. This name replaces an earlier one ilow. They tried to compare it with weji"inhabitants of forests and bushes." Uji And mohe according to the same sources, they come from the “kingdom of Sushen”. They lived a tribal life and were mainly engaged in hunting and fishing. Their homes were pits with an exit at the top. According to Iakinthos uji - ugh, they were also called mohe. There were only seven generations of them, settled in the Amur basin.

Predominant distribution of the ethnonym edjen ~ ujin among the Tungus-Manchu-speaking peoples, starting from the 7th century. and to the present time, the probable entry of the ancient Tungus, bearers of this name, into the environment of the Mongols (San-Chuans and Shirongols), its presence among the Turkic peoples historically associated with the territory adjacent to Transbaikalia and the upper Amur region, allow us to attribute its appearance to the Tungus-speaking environment , from where it penetrated to the Turks of the Sayan Highlands in the form of separate groups of Tungus edjen. This is confirmed by the facts of language. This ethnonym is undoubtedly ancient, and it cannot be explained from the data of modern languages.

Let us move on to consider the second ethnonym, which has at its root blew || dol, dun || Don. It is preserved among the following nationalities: Dol + gan- the name of the Even (Lamut) clans, probably a tribe in the territory of Yakutia and the Far East (Kamchatka); Dul-u + gir- the name of the Evenki (Tungus) clan in the territory of Transbaikalia and the northeastern part of Mongolia; Dul-a + R ~ Dul-a+ T- the name of the Evenk (Tungus) clan in Transbaikalia (Chita region, 1897); Dul-a+ R- the name of the Solonsky clan - Evenks of Mongolia; Dol+ gan|| Dul+ gan- the name of the yakized group of Evenks in the Taimyr district; Dun + nga, Don + ma-l, Dunna + gir- the name of the Evenk (Tungus) clans in Transbaikalia (pp. Nercha, Vitim, Tungir) and in the Amur region; Don + ngo - the name of one of the Dolgan clans in the Taimyr district; Don + ka(n)- name of the Nanai (Gold) family; Duon + cha- name of the Ulchi clan.

Thus, the ethnonym with the root dol || blew distributed in the Tungus-speaking environment in the territory of northern Yakutia, Kamchatka and in the Amur and Transbaikalia basins. Among the yakized Evenks, we have this ethnonym in the west - in the tundra of the Taimyr district (it should be added that the Evenks, who became yakized Dolgans, came from the Lena); in the south we meet it on the territory of Mongolia. Ethnonym with root Don || dun distributed from Transbaikalia along the Amur to the east and in the north - in the Taimyr district.

In a foreign language environment we have the following names of genera: Don + chickens- the name of the Tannu-Tuvan clan in the Kobdo region; Tone + ha + T- name of the Soyot clan.

In historical sources, the ethnonym with the root dul has been mentioned since (40) II century. N.A. Aristov, based on the name list of the Bulgarian princes, believes that the family Dulu, existed BC, in the 2nd century. together with the Huns, he migrated from what is now western Mongolia to the Kyrgyz steppe. “And after the collapse of the kingdom of Atilla, Dulu became the head of that part of the Bulgarians (the union of Hunnic Turkified Finno-Ugric tribes), which founded the Bulgarian kingdom beyond the Danube.” In the 5th century Chinese sources mention doula among the Gao-Kyu tribes under the name Tulu in the western part of Mongolia between the Tien Shan and the Mongolian Altai. In the 7th century, according to the assumption of N.A. Aristov, “the Dulu clan took precedence among the Turkic clans.” In the VI century. there were already two tribes Dula ~ Thule And Dulga. In 551 Thule The elder went to war against the Rourans, but dulga+ With The prince of Tumen defeated him on the road and conquered the entire aimag of 50,000 tents. At the end of the 6th century. lands of tribes united under the name dulga ~ tulga, extended from the sandy steppe to the North Sea; dulgas’ The people were cattle breeders and hunters. In the VII-VIII centuries. they moved to the Baikal basin and drove out the aborigines from there. Descendants dulga entered into the education of the Mongols, Jaghatais, Uzbeks and Kazakhs. Tribe Dulu And Nushebi in the 6th century lived in East Turkestan adjacent to the Western Turkic Khaganate. In the XVI-XVII centuries. Part dulat’ ov under the name long ~ dologot subordinated to the Dzungars, and in 1832 Dulat‘ s - Thulath‘s constituted one of the Wusun generations.

As a result of our review, we come to the following conclusion: an ethnonym with a root blew || dol mentioned intermittently since the 2nd century. in the 19th century, on the territory of the steppe and desert zones of Central Asia, therefore, its appearance dates back to ancient times. N.A. Aristov attributes its origin to Altai. Descendants of tribes Dulga And Dulu became part of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples. In the Evenki environment the names Dulugir, Dular and others are noted in individual cases. The distribution of all ethnonyms in the Tungus-speaking environment is associated with the territory east of the Lena-Baikal line, but the presence of the ethnonym Dolgan || Dulgan in the tundras of Yakutia, to the west and east of them, among peoples who had already separated in language from the Evenks, suggests that this ethnonym in the distant past entered the Tungus-speaking environment from the south. The very territory of its distribution (Amur region and Yakutia and further from here) allows us to think that it appeared in the Tungus-speaking environment in the territory of Transbaikalia along with its speakers. In order to Dolgan‘s, having become Evenks, went to the north, where, having assimilated the aborigines and united with other groups of ancient Evenks, they gave rise to a tribe with a new - Even - language, which took many centuries. These facts, we believe, show quite clearly that to explain the name Dolgan from the Evenki language, as “resident from the middle reaches of the river,” is absolutely impossible.

Third ethnonym solon, usually explained as a “Verkhovsky resident”, is noted mainly among the Tungus peoples.

Evenks. On the territory of Yakutia and the areas adjacent to the south in the painting of rivers in 1640-1641. Shelonskaya volost (R. Vitim, R. Maya) is noted. On the Okhotsk coast along the river. Motykhlee and in the south near the river. Selimba (41) groups of Evenks also lived at this time Shelon’ov. By the 13th century. Information from Chinese sources also applies. Group Solon’ ov (Evenki) lived in the northern part of Manchuria and along pp. Zeya, Argun. In 1639, the Chinese government transferred them to the river. Nonny. At this time it organized from solon and dagur’s banner troops, whose purpose was to protect the borders. To achieve this, the Chinese government settled them along the entire northern and western border, and individual groups solon And ongkor-solon’ ov ended up in b. Chinese Turkestan and the Ili region. A significant part of them settled or became Mongolic, but some of them retained their language. Individual groups solon(Bay-Solons) remained hunters and retained their language.

Later, in 1897, the census recorded Shologon’ ski family on the river Vilyue. Leaving a number of their own on the Lena, in the Kirensk region, these Evenks moved to the sources of the Aldan, Amga and Batoma. In addition, the census registered them on the river. Markhe in the Yakutsk district. Shrenk found solon’ ov on the right bank of the Amur, and under Middendorf, a few years earlier, they lived on the river. Zeya. Nowadays, representatives of the genus Solon + mountains They live along the tributaries of the Olekma (Tungir, Nyukzha) and Zeya. Chinese travelers in 1712 noted solon‘s between Yeniseisk and Irkutsk.

Evens. In the Verkhoyansk region on pp. Tompo, Sin and Mat live Evens from the clan Shologon(according to Raspvetaev).

Türks. The 1897 census noted the name of the indigenous family among the Minusinsk Turks Sholo+ shin' skiy.

Mongols. The same census noted among the Buryats of the Balagansky district Sholo + T' kiy family

Thus the ethnonym solon ~ Sholon distributed mainly among the Evenks, from where it came to the Evens of the Verkhoyansk region.

In the Tungus-speaking environment, Solon, like the previous ethnonym, is noted east of the Lena-Baikal line, mainly in the territory of Manchuria and Mongolia. These facts allow us to agree with the explanation of Chinese sources, which deduce solon’ ov from Transbaikalia. The same sources consider them descendants of the Khitan clan hamny-gan ~ Kamnygan. According to Gerbillon, solon’ They consider themselves descendants of the Nü Zhi. After the defeat of the Nu-Chengs by the Mongols (1204), they escaped to Transbaikalia. Gerbillon gave rise to the interpretation of the ethnonym Solon as Verkhovskoy (from solo “to move up the river”). These facts show that the ethnonym solon appeared in the Tungus-speaking environment in the area east of Lake Baikal. Perhaps it was one of the tribes With-dialect Group penetration solon’ ov to the north (taiga of Yakutia) and further to the Evens took place long before the arrival of the Russians and, probably, before the arrival of the Turkic-speaking tribes on the territory of Yakutia. The latter drove them out of the Lena, and by the arrival of the Russians only small groups remained on pp. Vitim, Markha, a little later near Kirensk on the Lena and on Vilyui, but the bulk was again pushed south (along Vitim and Olekma) to the Amur. Their relatives, who remained on the territory of Manchuria and Mongolia, have survived to this day under the name solon’ s, ongkor-solon And bay-solon and with the self-name Evenki. On Wednesday Buryats and Minusinsk Turks ethnonym solon came from the Evenki environment, perhaps during the period when the Evenki w-dialect, among which the suffix of belonging to the clan organization developed - kshin ~ -tire, occupied (42) the taiga zone between the Yenisei and Baikal south of the Angara and adjacent to the Minusinsk Territory. There is no other explanation for the name of the indigenous family of the Minusinsk Turks Sholo + shin' skiy.

We looked at three ethnonyms that are so easy to explain from modern language and translate with the words “Verkhovskaya”, “Middle River” and “Nizovskaya”. Let's look at a few more generic names that are common not only in the Tungus-speaking environment.

1. Baya ~ bye. Ancestral and tribal names with the indicated root are widespread among the peoples of North Asia. Summarized in a table, they give the following picture:

Name of clan, tribes	Nationality	Place	Time
Baya + ki, Baya + kshin, Baya + gir(genus)	Evenks	the territory of the Yenisei throughout the territory of the Evenks	modernity
Bai + shin' s, Baya + ki(genus)	Evens (Lamuts), Yukaghirs	Verkhoyansk district, Okhotsk coast	modernity and in the 18th century.
Baya + everything + whether(genus)	Ulchi, Orok	lower reaches of the Amur, Sakhalin	modernity
(Ulanka)<- Baya(genus)	orochi, nanap	coast of the Tatar Strait	»
Baya + ra(genus)	Manchus	Manchuria	»
Bai+ l(genus)	Gilyaks	lower Amur	»
Bai+ T‘s, Baya-u+ d(tribe)	Mongols	western part of Mongolia	»
Accordion + give(genus)	Buryats	R. Barguzin	»
Bai+ d‘s (genus)	Yakuts	Kolyma district	»
Bae + gu(tribe)	Uighurs	origins of the Selenga	VII century
Bai + si(tribe)	-	southern part of Manchuria	VII century
Bai + yang(tribe)	-	west of the Huns	VIII century
Bai + di(tribe)	din-lines	Northern Mongolia and north of the Altai-Sayan Plateau	VII-III centuries BC e.
Bai(Onogoy Baya), own. Name	legendary ancestor of the Yakuts	upper Lena	-
Bai + Shura (proper name)	ancestor of the Great Horde (Kyrgyz)	-	-
Bai + hin‘ skies ~ Bai + shin' skies (group)	Selkups	R. Turukhan	modernity
Bai(genus)	Enets	lower reaches of the river Yenisei	»
Bai + disgusting(genus)	chum salmon< койбалы	Yenisei	XIX century

Genus name with root baya ~ bye noted among the majority of Tungus-Manchu peoples. Among the Evenks we have both options: baya + kshin, characteristic of the Evenks w-dialect, b. Pribaikalsk-Angarsk, and baya—gir, characteristic of the Evenks With-dialect, b. Transbaikal-Amur. Representatives of the first are noted among the Evens ( bai + tires- Verkhoyansk region and Okhotsk coast, baya + ki- Okhotsk region) and on the lower Amur among the Ulchi and Oroks. Mongol tribe bai+ T’ov is included in the Oirot group. But the Derbets (43) count Bayit' ov nationality, which is united with them only politically. Among the Yakuts in Verkhoyansk and Kolyma naslegs there was a clan Baids. Onogoy Bai, according to Yakut legend, was the first to move north along the Lena. The same ethnonym is also found in the proper names of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh khans. “Alash had three sons, one of them Bai-Shura, the founder of the Great Horde”; “Abul-khair had three sons, one of them was Bai-chira.” Among the Samoyed peoples, this ethnonym is found among the Entsy-Bai, who in the 15th-16th centuries. lived south and west of the modern territory, in the southeastern part of the Gydan tundra, east of the middle reaches of the river. Taz. They were forced out to the east by the Nenets.

Names of the Selkup group living along the river. Turukhan (Evenki name for a tributary of the Yenisei), bai + shin' skies or bai+ hin' skies - appeared from the Evenks Baya + kshin. This is confirmed by linguistic facts, as well as some ethnographic data. Among the Kets in the half of the last century there were two Koybal families: large and small Baigado.

Thus, from modern nationalities the ethnonym with the root bye - baya is found among the majority of the Tungus-Manchu peoples (from which it passed: in the east - to the Amur Gilyaks, in the north - to the Yukaghirs, in the west - to the Selkups), as well as among the Buryats, Mongols, Yakuts, Kazakhs, Yenisei Paleo-Asians, Kets and some Samoyed tribes (Enets). Distribution of the Evenki ethnonym baikshin ~ baishin to the west, northeast and east from the Baikal region, its presence among peoples historically associated with the territory adjacent to Lake Baikal indicates the antiquity of its appearance, and precisely in the territory from the Ob to Lake Baikal or to Transbaikalia. The latter is confirmed by toponymy: the Upper and Lower Baikha rivers (tributaries of the Turukhan River), the Bayanjur-Manzurka river near Irkutsk; Boyar ridge near the village. Kopeny in the Minusinsk region (writings from the 7th-2nd centuries BC were found on the slopes of the ridge); Lake Baikal; winter quarters of Baikalovo at the mouth of the Yenisei; the village of Baikal on the right bank of the Lower Tunguska; O. Baikalskoe on the right bank of the Yenisei above the village. Abakansky; the town of Bayakit on Podkamennaya Tunguska. On the map of Russia in 1562 (a copy of Jenkinson’s map, published by V. Kordt), between the Ob and Yenisei, near the word Baida, the following note is placed: “to the east of the Ob, to the east of Moyeda were the countries of Baida and Co l mak. The inhabitants of these countries worship the sun and a red rag suspended on a pole; life is spent in tents; feed on the meat of animals, snakes and worms; have their own language." “The Legend of Unknown Men” tells: “in the eastern country beyond the Ugra land at the top of the Ob River there is a great land bide called"

Ethnonym bye first mentioned by Chinese sources in 694-250 BC. e. as the name of one group of Dinlings - Bai Di 白狄. Self-name qualifier (- di) - bye has two translations: “northern” (according to Iakinthos) and “white” (according to Pozdneev). Iakinf also cites (44) an indication from the Chan-haj king to the territory of one of the Dinlin tribes: “they occupied lands from the Yenisei to the east to Baikal on the left side of the Angara.” The question of the ethnicity of the Dinlins has no final solution. Chinese sources call them the Mongolian tribe (ancient history of Shu-gin) and the Turks (history of Jiong-di-heu). What is interesting for us is the fact that the groups di, who lived in the territory from the Ob to Lake Baikal, were called baidhi. Maybe a word bye was interpreted by the Chinese as Bay- northern, maybe other - Central Asian di, interbreeding with tribes in the north bye, gave new tribes and a new ethnonym bye + di. In any case, the important fact is that in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e. ethnonym bye already existed in the territory, which in the “Tale of Men” was preserved with the earliest suffix in the form bai+ d(about the suffix - d ~ —T see above). We have ethnonyms with this suffix among peoples historically associated with the territory of the Circum-Baikal region: Yakuts ( bai+ d‘s), Mongols ( bai+T‘s, bye-y+ d). Probably, the Enets clan is a trace of these tribes Bai. Ethnonym baya + kshin also formed on this territory and from here was already carried to the outskirts of the Tunguska territory.

Much later, in the 5th-7th centuries, north of the river. Tolo Baegu was the name of one of the Gaogyi aimags, which later (VII-X centuries) was noted near the borders of Manchuria. At the same time, at the source of the Selenga, on the northern side of the Great Sandy Steppe, lived a tribe of herders and hunters baisi. Tribe baegu compared with baerku Orkhon inscriptions and are attributed to the Uyghur tribes.

Movements of tribal groups in Asia have always occurred. Groups bye could go east from the specified territory and become part of other tribes (like Bayara- among the Manchus, bye- among the Nanai). Perhaps tribes were formed in the same way baegu ~ baerku And baisi. Vladimirtsov also points to a similar movement. During the time of Genghis Khan, “The people of the Bayaud clan lived scatteredly, some of them wandered with Genghis Khan, and some lived with the Chaichiut tribe.”

1. Kima|| kumo. No less interesting is the ethnonym kima|| kumo. In the Evenki environment we have both options: Kima And Whom- two names of the Evenk clans living west and east of the Yenisei ( Kimo ~ Whom + ka + gir). Vague traces of the former large number of the clan Kima preserved in the memory of the Evenks to the west of the Yenisei. Childbirth Momo(numerous, on the Podkamennaya Tunguska system) and Kima separated from the family Kima. In the east (in the Amur region, the Okhotsk coast and Sakhalin) the ethnonym kimo preserved in Evenki legends. When narrating these tales, direct speech is usually sung by the narrator, and the quatrain is often repeated by the listeners. Direct speech always begins with the name of the speaker or with the name of his clan-tribe, the pronunciation of which provides the motive-rhythm for subsequent speech. So, in a number of legends we have the name Kimo ≈ Kimoko ≈ Kimonin ≈ Kimonori. For example:

Kimonin! Kimonin!
Bogatyr-man
Where are you going?
Let's go play! (i.e. we will compete in wrestling, shooting, dancing, etc.)

(Recorded from Sakhalin Evenks)

... Kimo! Kimoko!
Sister Mongunkon,
Look at you
Who came?

Umusninde the hero married the daughter of the sun (from the clan) Kimonori (named) Mongunkon-girl...

(Recorded from the Chumikamn Evenks)

Kimo ≈ Kimoko according to legends, this is a clan or tribe from which the Evenks take girls as wives, having previously won a competition with a rival - the girl’s brother. Kimo they live somewhere in the east, where the Evenks, the heroes of legends, travel on foot “from their places” for a very long time: a year or two. They live in chorama- semi-underground dwellings with exit through a smoke hole, built (sometimes) from the bones of large animals. There must be several compartments in a home ( kospoki). Some versions feature only women. They lure men to them and kill them. By language Kimo are not very different from the Evenks, since the latter speak freely with them. But the difference in appearance is emphasized: they are hairy (hair curls around the head in curls), their eyes are different (like rings spinning), they are squat and clumsy. According to some legends, these tribes have deer. And the Evenk hunter, having taken his wife, returns “to their places” together with the deer.

In the Nanai and Manchu languages ​​there are words: kimu-li Nan, kimun Manj "enemy". And “enemy” and “friend”, “stranger” and “friend” go back to the word “man” = “people”, a word that can also be a self-name. This can be seen in a number of other words in the languages ​​of the peoples of North Asia. Among the Tungusic peoples of the Far East we have clan names Kimu-nka, among the Orochi kekar (according to the 1897 census) and Kimon—co- modern genus among Ude. Perhaps the Orochi and Ude are representatives of these clans and are descendants of the aboriginal tribes of the Evenki legends, from whom foot hunters - the ancient Tungus - took wives (these legends are overgrown with mythological elements, which indicates their antiquity). Chinese sources give two ethnonyms kumo+ hee(IV-VI centuries) and kima + ki(about suff. - ki see above). Kumo + hee or kudzhen + hee one tribe with the Khitans, but their customs are similar to the Shives; live to the west of the latter. Skilled in archery, prone to raids and robberies. They raise horses, bulls, pigs and birds, live in felt yurts, sow millet, which is stored in pits, and cooked in clay vessels. Before 487 kumohi lived in An-zhou and Jun-zhou mixed with the border residents of China and conducted barter trade; in 488, “they rebelled and went far from us,” Chinese sources say. In the VI century. kumohi multiplied and were divided into five aimags.

In the X-XI centuries. we meet an ethnonym kimaki already in Persian sources (Gardizi). Kimaki- Western neighbors of the Kyrgyz, roamed near the Irtysh, in the northern part of modern Kazakhstan. They kept horses, cows, sheep and at the same time hunted sables and ermines. Furs served them for their needs and for foreign trade. They had freemen and slaves. Western branch kimak’ ov were Kipchaks, neighbors of the Pechenegs, who subsequently separated and formed a special people.

(46) In what relation do these tribes stand with the above-mentioned Tungus tribes? For the antiquity of the origin of the ethnonym kimo || kumo they say its origin is from a word meaning “people” (“friends” and “strangers” for different tribes of the Amur basin) and mythical tales. These tribes in distant times became part of the Tungus tribes. The movement of the ancient Tungus-Evenks from the Circum-Baikal region to the east is recorded both by the generic names of the modern Tungus peoples of the Lower Amur region and by language data. But all the legends point to the return of the heroes to “their places.” Perhaps such facts did exist. The role of a woman (suffixes: - gin, —kshin, the originators of the names of clans and tribes, initially denoted a woman), women kimo in legends and a number of many other moments in the life of the Tungus peoples allow us to suggest that the clan or tribal name kimo may have been brought to the west, where it gave rise to the name of a new genus kima ~ to whom many centuries before the 10th century. The movements and mixing of tribes in this “cauldron of ethnogony” allow for the following assumption: kima in the area adjacent to Lake Baikal, they could split up. Some of them remained Tungus and, having descended the Angara-Yenisei, survived to our time, and some turned into the 11th-10th centuries. to a Turkic-speaking tribe kimak’ ov. That tribe kima ≈ kema was historically associated with the region of the upper Yenisei, as indicated by the name of the upper part of the latter: Kima ≈ Kema(record of Messerschmidt's expedition, 1723) and Kim ≈ By whom(modern name). Small river names are often tribal names. On the other hand, clan or tribal names sometimes become the name of a nationality, which is used by neighbors. The peoples associated with the territory of the Yenisei-Baikal are called Evenks hamnegan(Buryats), heangba ≈ hanba ≈ Fomba(chum salmon). Roots boor ≈ hean ≈ khan can be interpreted as a revoicing of Evenki by whom|| kim.

1. Kure ≈ chickens. Ethnonym kure noted only in the Evenki group in the area adjacent to the Angara. Its phonetic composition itself (open wide uh in the second syllable is not typical for the Tungus languages ​​and especially for Evenki) indicates that the founder of this family came to the Evenki environment from a foreign language environment. This ethnonym is of certain interest, since it can provide some materials on the question of the tribe chickens, who once lived in the Baikal region.

Kure-ka + gir- the name of the Evenki clan that lived in the area of ​​the river. Ilim (right tributary of the Angara) and the sources of the Lower and Podkamennaya Tunguska. The Lontogir clan waged constant wars with this clan. The last collision is even recorded by the Evenks: this is the left tributary of the Lower Tunguska - the river. Ikokonda near Mount Ikondoyo. It happened 7-8 generations ago. In tsarist times, the foreign government that united the Evenks of this area was called Quray' Sky. Clashes between the Evenks and the Kura tribe apparently occurred in earlier periods, when they occupied the taiga on the left tributaries of the Angara. In the folklore of the Evenki, who now live on Podkamennaya Tunguska and west of the Yenisei, there is a legend, which has already become a myth, about the fight against Carendo. Here are its contents. Carendo- representatives of the cannibal people living near Lamu (Baikal) take all the Evenks captive (according to myth, Carendo, having flown in like a bird, swallows it). Only the old woman remains, who miraculously raises the avenger boy Unyana. He grows quickly, forges iron wings for himself and flies to Lama Carendo liberate the Evenks. During the flight, Unyana descends to the ground several times to stand Carendo, where the latter’s wives live - captive Evenki women bearing Evenki names. Having flown to Carendo, Unyany offers the latter martial arts in flight over Lake Baikal. In this single combat (first with his father, then with his sons), Unyany gains the upper hand and frees the captive Evenks (according to myth, with iron (47) wings he rips open the bellies of his opponents, and living and half-dead Evenks fall out of them). According to myth, cannibals live in the Baikal region Care, who often attack Evenks, take them captive, make women their wives, and eat men. In terms of time, this refers to the iron period. The Evenks, who left the Baikal region to the west, already know how to forge metal things. Both groups of legends speak of close interactions between the ancient Tungus and the tribe Kure. The latter were part of the Evenks and vice versa.

Historical sources provide materials on the tribe guligan chickens-kan ≈ smoke (fury) from VII-XII centuries. According to Chinese sources, the tribe guligan lived along the shores of Lake Baikal and north to the sea. Their neighbors to the west were the tribes oak. In their country “there was a lot of saran, and their horses were strong and tall, and their heads were like camels.” They had diplomatic ties with China. According to Persian sources (Gardizi), smoke ≈ fury lived three months away from the headquarters of the Kirghiz Khan. These are wild people who lived in the swamps. If one of them was captured by the Kirghiz, he refused food and took every opportunity to escape. They carried their dead to the mountains and left them in the trees. They were cannibals (Tumansky manuscript). Kurykan’ They formed a district in the Kyrgyz possessions. Their language was significantly different from Kyrgyz.

Tribal affiliation chickens was defined differently: the ancestors of the Yakuts (Radlov), non-Turkic tribes (Radlov), Mongols (Bartold). The latest archaeological expeditions of A.P. Okladnikov along the river. Lena significantly clarified the question about chickens. During the Iron Age (V-X centuries), the upper Lena was inhabited by tribes that had reached a high level of culture. Along with cattle breeding, they had agriculture. Their art has much in common with the art of the Minusinsk region and Altai. They had a letter of the Yenisei type. It was a Turkic-speaking tribe. Representatives of these Chickens entered not only the Evenki environment. Among the Uriankhians - Tannu-Tuvians of the Khosut Khoshun, in the list of clans given to G. N. Potanin, there is a name Khureklyg. This genus, notes Grum-Grzhimailo, is of unknown origin.

Kurigir- one of the Bulgarian tribes. In honor of one of the Bulgarian statesmen from the tribe Kurigir By order of Omor-tag, a column was erected.

1. Kiele ≈ kylen. This ethnonym, widespread in the Tungus-speaking environment, in terms of phonetic composition, like the previous one, is not typical for the Tungus languages ​​(sound e in the second syllable).

Kiel ≈ kylen- the name of the Evenki clan - a tribe widespread in the territory of Yakutia and adjacent regions of the Far East. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. this genus was recorded in the area of ​​the river. Hunting, where you can still meet Evens (Lamuts) from the clan Kilen. On the territory of Yakutia, the 1897 census noted them in the Yakut and Vilyui districts ( Kilyat' ski family); one of the river's tributaries Mui (Olekma system) is called Kilyan. In the 50s of the last century Kilen' We've already reached the river. Kur (Amur system near Khabarovsk). Schrenk met the group (48) Kilen in the lake area Hanka. To or the southern part of Sakhalin (small materials collected by Nakonoma Akira) in language are no different from the Ayan Evenks. Among the Nanais Kili, formed a special group until recently. They gave new births: Duncan ~ Donkan(Lake Bolen), Yukaminka (Urmi River) and Udynka (n) (Kur River). The origin of the Negidal clan Yukomil is also associated with the second of these clans.

We stopped at this ethnonym because in the recent past it was widely used as the name of the Lower Amur natives. Evenks - “Birarchens” called the Amur and Ussuri Nanais keel. Orochi, Orok, Ulchi and Amur Gilyaks are still called Evenki keel. In a word kilin ≈gilin ≈chilin ≈chiliki The Chinese and Manchus called all the Tungus who lived in the Amur basin. They sometimes called Koreans by this name. Siebold, and after him Shirokogorov, explained the origin of this ethnonym from the name of the river. Girin: the Chinese in the 16th-17th centuries, having first met the Tungus on the river. Girin, transferred the name of the river to them, and then transferred this name to all the natives of the Amur. Closer to the truth interpretation. L. Ya. Sternberg: “The name Gilyak was formed, I think, from travelers’ distortion of the word kile, meaning “Tungus” in the language of the Amur Gilyaks, whom the travelers first encountered. And such a distortion could very easily occur due to the fact that the Gilyaks of the lower reaches of the Amur speak the same language as the Tungus, who, according to their legends, constitute “one people” with the Gilyaks, Golds and Orochens. It is very possible that due to the common language of the Amur Gilyaks and Tungus, who previously dominated the Amur region, the Manchus called the Gilyaks and Tungus by a common name Kile» .

Territory of distribution of the ethnonym kylen and using it as the name of neighbors allows us to talk about the once numerous Evenki tribe; Their representatives, having gone to the Amur, became part of the Nanai, and probably also the Oroks, Orochs, Ulchis, and Amur Gilyaks, whose name came from the Evenki kilen (we have already observed a case of transferring the name of a clan to a nationality among the Dolgans). Kilen' We went to Amur a long time ago. Evenki group keels has become so close to the life and language of the Nanai people that it does not even form a dialect. This group has already managed to identify three new genera, one of which became part of the Negidals.

Distribution of the ethnonym kylen on the territory of Yakutia, its non-Tungus origin in terms of phonetic composition, the non-aboriginality of the Evenks of Yakutia - allow us to see in this ethnonym a trace of the tribe of aborigines of Yakutia, absorbed by the first newcomers, the Evenks.

We have given only eight of the oldest ethnonyms. Their number is much larger, but the ethnonyms we have already examined sufficiently show the complexity of the ethnic composition of both the Evenks and other peoples of North Asia in remote periods. Further tracing of such ethnonyms confirms the complexity of the composition of individual national groups.

If we conventionally consider the tribes as the “Tunguska basis” even And edjen, then already at the beginning of AD. (if not earlier) tribes were included in their powerful stream baya, whose ancestral territory was the region from the Ob to Lake Baikal. On the territory of Yakutia, traces of the aborigines absorbed by the Evenks are ethnonyms kylen And bulde. The eastern aborigines who became part of the Evenki - the ancient Tungus - include the tribe kimo~kima. Somewhat later, probably already on the territory of Transbaikalia, the Evenks included Mongol-Turkic-speaking tribes blew || dol. The group of the Angara Evenks included representatives of the Turkic-speaking Kures. The mixed ethnic composition and interaction of the ancient Tungus tribes with other tribes of Asia is fully confirmed by linguistic data.
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For example, title edian And Dolgan interpreted as “lower” and “residents of the middle reaches”, linking them to the river. Lena. See for more details E.I. Ubryatova, About the Dolgan language. Manuscript. Archive of the Institute of Language and Thinking of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

See more about this suffix in my work “Language Materials for the Problem of Tungus Ethnogenesis.” Manuscript from the Archive of the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

P. Petri. Elements of the ancestral connection among the Buryats. Irkutsk, 1924, p. 3.

P. Petri. Territorial kinship among the northern Buryats. Irkutsk, 1924.

B. Ya. Vladimirtsev. Social system of the Mongols. L., 1934, p. 60.

L. B. Vladimirtsev. Comparative grammar. L., 1924, p. 7; G. M. Grum-Grzhimailo. Western Mongolia and Uriankhai region, vol. III, part I, 1926, p. 245. Iakinf. Collection of information, part I, pp. 87-89 S. M. Schirokogoroff. Social organization of the northern Tungus. Shanghai, 1929.

L. Ya. Sternberg. Gilyaks, Orochi..., page 347

Language materials indicate that the ancient Evenks of the sh-dialect, having penetrated the Lena River into the Privilyuya-Prialdanya region, absorbed the aborigines and formed a new x-dialect. This also coincides with archaeological data. Further development of the Evenki dialects on the territory of Yakutia followed the line of crossing the newly formed x-dialect with the c-dialect of the Evenks of Transbaikalia-Amur region.

S. Patkanov. Experience in geography and statistics of the Tungus. Notes of the Russian Geographical Society, Dept. ethnography, vol. I, p. 86.

The Evenks are one of the most numerous northern peoples who have preserved their identity and traditional religious beliefs. The Evenks were called the aristocrats of Siberia, the French of the tundra and taiga. They also wore tailcoats, gave life to the word “shaman” and considered ravens to be enchanted people.

Name

Until the 30s of the last century, the Evenks were known as the Tungus. This name comes from the Yakut toҥ uus; the exonym was subsequently adopted by the Russians, reflecting it in reporting and historical documents.
The self-name of the Evenks is Evenkil, which is translated as “people living in mountain forests” or “walking across the ridges.” It is believed that the name came from the habitat of ancient Evenki tribes in the mountain taiga territories of Transbaikalia. Another well-known self-name of the ethnic groups of Evenki reindeer herders is Orochens. It comes from the Evenk “oron” - deer, orochen - “a person who owns a deer”. Individual groups of the ethnic group had their own names: Solons, Manegras, Birars.
Other peoples had their own names for Evenks:

• kilin, qilin, o-lunchun (from “orochen”) - Chinese;
• Orochnun - Manchus;
• hamnegan - Mongols;
• Tongus - Tatars.

Where live

Before the Russians began to develop Transbaikalia, the Evenki, leading a nomadic lifestyle, occupied vast territories from the border with China to the Arctic Ocean, from the Yenisei to Kamchatka. Such a wide distribution is explained by the tendency to constant long-term migrations: from several hundred to a thousand kilometers per season. Each Evenk accounted for 25 km2 of undeveloped territory. Representatives of the people considered the whole earth home and said: “Evenks are nowhere and everywhere.”

Since the 17th century, Russians, Buryats, and Yakuts have been displacing the Evenks from the territories of Barguzin, Angara, and the left bank of the Amur. Some Evenks move to Sakhalin and occupy the free territories of the Ob and Taz. The borders of Russia and China are established: this leads to the migration of Birars and Manegros to Northern China.
Today, the Evenks do not have national villages, living in close proximity to the Russian and northern peoples. The general boundaries of settlement of most of the representatives of the nationality are delineated by the following boundaries:

1. North - Arctic Ocean.
2. South - Amur River, territories of the Baikal region.
3. East - Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
4. West - Yenisei River.

Number

The total number of Evenks in the world is about 80,000 people: half live in Russia, the other part in China. According to the 2010 census, there are 35,527 Evenks in Russia. Distribution by region:

• Yakutia - 18,232 people.
• Krasnoyarsk Territory - 4,632 people.
• Khabarovsk Territory - 4,533 people.
• Buryatia - 2,334 people.
• Amur region - 1,501 people
• Trans-Baikal Territory - 1492 people.
• Irkutsk region - 1,431 people

The 2000 Chinese census showed 38,396 representatives of historical Evenks in China. Formally, they are divided into 2 subethnic groups, officially recognized among other nations of the PRC:

1. Orochon - 8196 people living in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces.
2. Evenki - 30,505 people, from which separate groups of Evenki proper, Khamnigans and Solons are distinguished. They live in the urban district of Hulun Buir, about 25,000 people are registered as solons. About 1,000 Evenks live scatteredly in Mongolia, having undergone significant assimilation and having lost their cultural characteristics.

There is a people related to the Evenks - the Evens, who live in the eastern part of Russia: in Yakutia, Chukotka, Magadan and Kamchatka regions, Koryak Autonomous Okrug. There are two versions of the appearance of the ethnic group:

1. In the first millennium AD, during the period of settlement of the Tungus from the Baikal region, a separate group of clans reached the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, where they assimilated the local population: the Yukaghirs and Koryaks.
2. In the XIV-XVI centuries, the walking Tungus, who were engaged in dog breeding and did not have deer, were forced to migrate to the north under the influence of the aggressive development of territories by the Yakuts.

The 2010 census showed that 21,830 Evens live in Russia. Another common name for the people is Lamut.

Language

The Evenki language belongs to the Tungus-Manchu family, along with Negidal and Even. It can be characterized as a transitional variant between the Turkic and Mongolian languages. It is distinguished by a complex multi-stage use of vowel sounds, an abundance of complex words: gerunds, case, verb forms.
Writing appeared in the 30s of the last century, first based on Latin, then Russian graphics. Previously, the Evenks used primitive pictograms: a system of signs associated with nomadism and hunting. Notches in the trees near the abandoned camp indicated the time of departure: a blunt tooth meant bad weather, a sharp tooth meant a sunny day. Their number and combination determined the time of departure for migration. If the people who left did not plan to return, a spruce branch was placed in the direction of the path of movement. A branch folded in a circle meant the intention to return to the site of the camp again.
Special signs existed during the hunt:

• a stick placed on top of the footprint - you can’t go further;
• an arrow pointing downwards, sticking out of a notch - crossbows are placed nearby;
• a slightly beveled arrow, pointing upward - the hunter left the arrow far away;
• a branch in the same position means hunting is going on nearby.

Story

The ancient ancestors of the Evenks were the ancient Tungus Mongoloid tribes, who formed the Glazkov culture in the Bronze Age. Scattered tribes occupied the territories of the Angara region, the Baikal region, the lower reaches of the Selenga, and the upper reaches of the Lena. In the 5th-7th centuries AD, the nomadic herders of the Uvan tribe who came from the south, migrated through Transbaikalia, moved east and north, forming the proto-Evenki people.
At the end of the first millennium, the Yakuts invaded the region, presumably dividing the ethnic group into eastern Evenks and western Evenks.
When Russians arrived in the region in the 17th century, the Evenks formed an independent people, divided into separate clans. Each was headed by princes - elders, shamans or the most powerful warriors of the clan. The reporting documents noted about 360 births, each with 100-400 people.
The Tungus were stronger than other northern peoples in opposing the new government. They moved from the place of migration, came into conflict, one report noted: “The Lena Tunguz in 1640 plucked the beards of yasak collectors.” The Baikal groups of Evenks submitted in 1643, the eastern ones who lived under Vitim only in 1657.

One of the most influential princes was Gantimir, under whose rule were 15 nomadic clans belonging to the branch of the mounted Tungus. Gantimir was an extraordinary personality: he had 9 wives, more than 30 children, who were trained in military wisdom and handling weapons from childhood. The prince was of remarkable strength and powerful physique: his bow of impressive size is kept in the Amur Museum.
Gantimir had a decisive influence on the establishment of partnerships with the Russian state in the 80s. XVII century having accepted Christianity and citizenship of Russia. The ruler achieved the right to autonomously rule the people, in return he pledged to protect the borders from Mongol raids and provide, if necessary, trained warriors. A century later, a five-hundred-strong Tunguska Cossack Cavalry Regiment was created, which in the mid-19th century was included in the Transbaikal Cavalry Army.
The Evenks did not accept the arrival of Soviet power; in 1924-1925. starting the Tunguska uprising, which was quickly suppressed. In the 1930s Teaching in the Evenki language begins in local schools. At the same time, collective farms and city industrial farms were created, a sedentary way of life was imposed on the people: the way of life that had existed for centuries was destroyed, assimilation erased national characteristics. Today, traditional activities, including nomadic reindeer herding, are preserved only in inaccessible northern regions. Most Evenks lead a modern lifestyle, practicing only hunting among their usual activities.

Appearance and character

Mixing with a number of aboriginal and neighboring peoples, as well as a significant area of ​​settlement, led to the identification of three anthropological types of appearance among the Evenks. Among them:

1. Baikalsky.
2. Katangese.
3. Central Asian.

Despite the differences, the following characteristic features of the appearance of the Tungus are distinguished:

• average height;
• disproportionate physique;
• rounded face shape;
• wide arched eyebrows;
• narrow dark brown eyes;
• wide flat forehead;
• prominent cheekbones;
• pointed chin;
• wide mouth;
• black coarse hair;
• weak hair on the face and body.

Ethnographers, researchers, and Cossacks who came to the region noted the Evenki’s mobility of body, sharpness of mind, good nature bordering on naivety, good-heartedness, hospitality, cheerful disposition, and cleanliness. According to the researchers’ notes, “in contrast to the clumsy Ostyak, the gloomy Samoyed, the inhospitable and sour Yakut, the Evenks made a more pleasant impression, for which they were nicknamed “the French of the tundra and forest.”

Cloth

The Evenks were also called “aristocrats of Siberia” for the rich decoration of their national costumes. Everyday clothing was called “in theme” - a tailcoat, for its unusual cut: a whole deer skin was placed in the central part on the back, tied at the front with braid. Holes were cut out in the upper side parts for the sleeves, which were sewn on separately, the shoulder seams were collected, and wedges made of deer skins reaching to the floor were sewn into the back.
The upper front part remained open: under it the Evenks wore fur bibs richly decorated with beads. The lower part was covered with natazniks made of rovduga: straight for women, angular for men. High boots made of rovduga, sealskin, and fur were put on their feet: the functional shoes of the Evenks were adopted by many neighboring peoples. In everyday life, simple straight-cut parkas were used, sewn from deer skins turned with the fur on the outside. Their heads were covered with hoods. The hair of men and women was cut short or braided into two braids. Jewelry included voluminous women's earrings, pendants, and talisman pendants.
The decoration of the bib and fur coat deserves special attention: dog and deer fur, beads, beads, coins, embroidery, and fur appliques were used. Ornaments had a sacred meaning: it was forbidden to transfer exact images of animals, birds and people onto things, so allegorical symbols were used. Triangles were associated with the cult of fertility, childbirth, and the strength of the tribal community. Solar signs and schematic representations of spiders - symbols of well-being, guardians - were of great importance.

Family life

The Evenks lived in patriarchal communities consisting of 2-3 generations; the youngest son usually remained to live with his parents. The elders got married and left their father's house for new places. The clan played a decisive role and consisted of small families connected by close and distant kinship through the male line. In the summer, when the due date for the birth of important women arrived, related families gathered in a common camp: joint holidays, celebrations, weddings took place, and family relationships were strengthened. In winter, small families went nomadic, uniting in 2-3 chums.
The marriageable age for men came late: at 20-30 years old. They preferred to marry women who were experienced and over 20 years old, but there were marriages with girls 12-15 years old. Weddings took place by agreement with the payment of a dowry, which included one of three forms:

1. Deer (from 2 to 15).
2. Working out in the bride's family.
3. Sister exchange between two families.

Women

Premarital relations were not prohibited, but brides who led a free lifestyle before marriage were given a smaller bride price. In the life of the Evenks, a woman had a dependent position: she was forbidden to eat with guests, contradict her husband, step over weapons, participate in public affairs, or inherit property. Elderly women were respected: in the Evenki beliefs, the mistress of the earth and taiga, the spirit of the Universe, was a woman, represented in the form of a hunched old woman.

There were special family rituals that only the wife could perform. The woman was the keeper of the hearth: she made sure that it did not go out, she was engaged in feeding - she threw meat into the fire after the hunt, before eating. The Ulgani ritual, dedicated to welcoming spring migratory birds, occupied an important place. The ritual was performed by elderly women: the Evenks associated the annual arrival of birds with the cycle of life, and experienced women who gave birth carried the eternal connection of birth and death. The action consisted of tying colored ribbons on sacred trees or family idols, asking for well-being, and greeting the messengers of spring.

Housing

The traditional dwelling of the Evenks is a conical-shaped chum-urus. The base of tightly assembled poles was covered with reindeer skins in winter. In the summer - smoked and soaked birch bark blankets: processing the material gave softness, strength, and made it waterproof. When leaving the site, they kept the base of poles and took skins, birch bark, and utensils with them.
In the center of the Urus there was an open hearth or fireplace covered with clay; a pole for the boiler was placed on top. The back of the chum was intended for guests of honor; women were not allowed to enter it. Sedentary Evenks lived in half-dugouts with a flat roof, herders built yurts, like the Mongol ones.

Life

The Evenks assimilated the indigenous northern peoples and were influenced by the Buryats and Yakuts, which led to the emergence of branches of different types of economic activity:

1. Walking dog breeders engaged in fishing.
2. Hunters and reindeer herders.
3. Sedentary pastoralists.

Most of the Evenks led a nomadic lifestyle associated with the development of new hunting grounds. They moved between sites on reindeer: this method of using animals is the “calling card” of the Evenks. Deer were used as pack animals; the herd usually consisted of 3-5 heads.

They hunted individually; they hunted large animals in groups of 3-5 people. They used bows, crossbows, spears, and tracked elk, deer, bears, hares, and sables. For camouflage, they put on the skin from the head of a deer, sewing up the slits for the eyes and antlers with beads.
Fishing played a secondary role for most Evenks. They went out into the rivers in dugout boats, boats made of birch bark, deer skin, and sea animals. The fish were beamed, pierced with a spear, and less often constipated. Women were engaged in collecting roots, herbs, nuts; farming and gardening were not developed.

Religion

The traditional religion of the Evenks is shamanism, based on the deification of the forces of nature, animism, and belief in master spirits and patrons. Bug's universe was divided into 3 worlds:

1. Upper - located above the sky, is the home of deities. Its entrance is the North Star.
2. The middle one is earthly, where people and spirits live.
3. Lower - one of the souls goes there for eternal life. The entrance to the lower world is whirlpools and crevices in the rocks.

Shamans traveled between worlds, were guides between the living and the dead, and brought messages from the gods and dead ancestors. The shaman's costume personified a wolf or a bear and was decorated with animistic figures, fringe, and bird feathers. For rituals they used a tambourine, a harp, and fire was an invariable element.

Shamans participated in common ancestral festivals, helped during childbirth and illness, and predicted the future. The places of prayer were large clearings during general family gatherings, sacred trees, mountain passes, and large stones.

Traditions

Animism, hunting rituals and traditions, which only men could carry out, played a large role in the life of the Evenks. The wolf was a sacred animal for the Evenks; they did not hunt it. The raven was revered: it was believed that it conveyed earthly messages to the gods. Since crows could talk, the Evenks considered them to be the souls of people, dressed in bird form.
The customs of the bear holiday are well known. The bear was considered the father of the Evenks, who in ancient times married a woman who gave life to the people. The animal was called “amaka” - “grandfather”. They did not take the blame for the murder; they carved out faces on the trees, pointing at them and saying: “It wasn’t me who killed, it was him.”
Superstitions also arose based on the idea that the carcass of a skinned bear resembled a human one. The killing of an animal was accompanied by a family gathering, the calling of a shaman, and a general holiday. The bear's bones were not cut, but separated by joints. In some births, they were then gathered together, hung up, and a ritual of “fighting” one of the children with the “resurrected” bear was performed. Others organized a ritual of air burial of bear bones: in ancient times, the Evenks also used it for their fellow tribesmen.

When the Russians arrived in the region, the dead were buried in the ground, in wooden boxes. According to the Evenks, in the lower world souls continued to live the same way as on the average. However, after death, everything was turned upside down, so things from his daily life, broken, were placed in the coffin of the deceased: a pipe, a bow, arrows, household items, jewelry.

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