Chelkans
Чалканду, Шалканду Chalkandu, Shalkandu | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Russia | 1,181[1] |
| Languages | |
| Northern Altai Chelkan, Altai, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Russian Orthodox, Burkhanism, shamanism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Khakas, Kumandins, Shors, Teleuts | |
The Chelkans (native name—Chalkandu, Shalkandu) are a small group of Turkic indigenous people of Siberia. They speak the Northern Altai Chelkan language.[2] Those residing in Altai Republic are sometimes grouped together with the Altai ethnic group and those in Kemerovo Oblast are grouped with the Shors; however, they are recognized as a separate ethnic group within the list of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East by ethnographers and the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 255 dated March 24, 2000, and Russian Census (2002). But, during the 2010 census, they were again "united" with the Altaians. According to the 2010 census, there were 1,181 Chelkans in Russia.
History[]
The Chelkans emerged from the mixing of Turkic clans with Ket, Samoyed, and other native Siberian groups. This was a process that began as early as the period when the Yenisei Kygryz dominated the region. The Mongols then ruled over the region and people from the 13th to 18th centuries. The Dzungars than briefly controlled the area until the Chelkans (along with other Altaians) submitted to the Russians.[3]
Culture[]
The Chelkans were originally hunters and animals living in the taiga were their main prey and were vital to the local subsistence economy.[3]
The Chelkans traditional dwellings included polygonal yurts made out of bark or log and topped with a conic bark roof. Other types of dwellings also included conic yurts made out of bark or perches.[3]
Traditional Chelkan dress included short breeches, linen shirts, and single-breasted robes.[3]
Religion[]
Most modern Chelkans are Orthodox Christian. However, Burkhanism and shamanism is also found among the Chelkans.[3]
References[]
- ^ Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity Archived April 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
- ^ Tazranova A.R. "The Chelkan Language". Endangered Languages of Indigenous Peoples of Siberia. UNESCO. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
- ^ a b c d e Encyclopedia of the world's minorities. Skutsch, Carl., Ryle, Martin (J. Martin). New York: Routledge. 2005. pp. 82–83. ISBN 1-57958-392-X.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
External links[]
- International Arctic Social Sciences Association, 2001
- The Chelkan Language page of Endangered Languages of Indigenous Peoples of Siberia
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- Altai people
- Ethnic groups in Russia
- Indigenous peoples of North Asia
- Indigenous peoples of the Altai Republic
- Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East
- Turkic peoples of Asia
- Indigenous peoples in the Arctic
- Asian ethnic group stubs