The Bashkirs, like all nomads, have been famous since ancient times for their love of freedom and belligerence. And now they have retained courage, a heightened sense of justice, pride, and stubbornness in defending their interests.
At the same time, in Bashkiria they always warmly welcomed immigrants, actually provided them with land for free, and did not impose their customs and beliefs. It is not surprising that modern Bashkirs are very friendly and hospitable people. Intolerance towards representatives of other nations is completely alien to them.
The ancient laws of hospitality are still honored and respected in Bashkortostan. When guests arrive, even uninvited ones, a rich table is set, and those leaving are presented with gifts. The tradition of presenting rich gifts is unusual infant guests - it is believed that he needs to be appeased, because the baby, unlike his older relatives, cannot eat anything in the owner’s house, which means he can curse him.
Traditions and customs
In modern Bashkiria great importance is given to the traditional way of life, everything National holidays are celebrated on a national scale. And in ancient times, rituals accompanied all the most significant events for a person - the birth of a child, a wedding, a funeral.
Traditional wedding ceremonies Bashkir- complex and beautiful. The groom paid a large bride price for the bride. True, the thrifty always had a way out: to kidnap their beloved. In the old days, families conspired to become related even before children were born. And the engagement between the bride and groom (syrgatuy) took place at the tender age of 5-12 years. Later, the search for a bride began only when the boy reached puberty.
The parents chose a bride for their son and then sent them to the chosen family as matchmakers. Weddings were held on a grand scale: horse races, wrestling tournaments and, of course, a feast were organized. For the first year, the young wife could not talk to her mother-in-law and father-in-law - this was a sign of humility and respect. At the same time, ethnographers note a very caring attitude towards women in the Bashkir family.
If the husband raised his hand against his wife or did not provide for her, then the matter could end in divorce.
Divorce was also possible in the event of a woman’s infidelity - in Bashkiria they strictly regarded female chastity.
The Bashkirs had a special attitude towards the birth of a child. Thus, a pregnant woman temporarily became almost a “queen”: according to custom, all her whims had to be fulfilled in order to ensure the birth of a healthy baby. Children in Bashkir families were very loved and rarely punished. Submission was based only on the unquestioned authority of the father of the family. The Bashkir family has always been built on traditional values: respect for elders, love for children, spiritual development and proper upbringing of children.
In the Bashkir community, aksakals, elders, and keepers of knowledge enjoyed great respect. And now a real Bashkir will never say harsh words an old man or an elderly woman.
Culture and holidays
The cultural heritage of the Bashkir people is incredibly rich. Heroic epics ("Ural Batyr", "Akbuzat", "Alpamysha" and others) force you to plunge into the warlike past of this people. Folklore includes numerous magical tales about people, deities and animals.
The Bashkirs were very fond of song and music - the people's collection includes ritual, epic, satirical, and everyday songs. It seems that not a single minute of life ancient Bashkir never passed without a song! The Bashkirs also loved to dance, and many dances are complex, narrative in nature, turning into either pantomime or theatrical performance.
The main holidays occurred in the spring and summer, during the heyday of nature. The most famous are kargatuy (rook holiday, day of arrival of rooks), Maidan (May holiday), Sabantuy (plow day, end of sowing), which remains the most significant holiday of the Bashkir people and is celebrated on a large scale. In the summer, Jiin took place - a festival at which residents of several neighboring villages. Women had their own holiday - the “cuckoo tea” ritual, in which men were not allowed to participate. IN holidays Village residents gathered and held competitions in wrestling, running, shooting, and horse racing, ending with a common meal.
Horse racing has always been an important part of the festivities. After all, the Bashkirs are skilled horsemen; in the villages, boys were taught horse riding from an early age. They used to say that Bashkirs were born and died in the saddle, and indeed, most of their lives were spent on horseback. Women were no less good at riding a horse and, if necessary, could ride for several days. They did not cover their faces, unlike other Islamic women, and had the right to vote. Elderly Bashkirs had the same influence in the community as the elders-aksakals.
In rituals and celebrations there is an interweaving Muslim culture with the ancients pagan beliefs, there is a reverence for the forces of nature.
Interesting facts about the Bashkirs
The Bashkirs first used runic Turkic writing, then Arabic. In the 1920s, an alphabet based on the Latin alphabet was developed, and in the 1940s, the Bashkirs switched to the Cyrillic alphabet. But, unlike Russian, it has 9 additional letters to display specific sounds.
Bashkortostan – the only place in Russia, where beekeeping has been preserved, that is, a form of beekeeping involving the collection of honey from wild bees from tree hollows.
The Bashkirs' favorite dish is beshbarmak (a dish made of meat and dough), and their favorite drink is kumiss.
In Bashkiria, a handshake with two hands is customary - it symbolizes special respect. In relation to old people, such a greeting is mandatory.
Bashkirs put the interests of the community above personal ones. They have adopted the “Bashkir brotherhood” - everyone cares about the well-being of their family.
A few decades ago, long before the official ban on swearing in public space, in Bashkir language there was no profanity. Historians attribute this both to norms prohibiting swearing in the presence of women, children and elders, and to the belief that swear words harm the speaker. Unfortunately, over time, under the influence of other cultures, the Bashkirs lost this unique and commendable feature.
If you write the name Ufa in the Bashkir language, it will look like ӨФӨ. People call it “three screws” or “three tablets”. This stylized inscription can often be found on the streets of the city.
The Bashkirs took part in the defeat of Napoleonic army during the War of 1812. They were armed only with bows and arrows. Despite their archaic weapons, the Bashkirs were considered dangerous opponents, and European soldiers nicknamed them the Northern Cupids.
Women's Bashkir names traditionally contain particles denoting celestial bodies: ay - moon, kon - sun and tan - dawn. Male names usually associated with masculinity and resilience.
The Bashkirs had two names - one was given immediately after birth, when the baby was wrapped in the first diapers. That’s what it was called – a diaper bag. And the baby received the second during the naming ceremony from the mullah.
The Russian Federation is a multinational country. The state is inhabited by various peoples who have their own beliefs, culture, and traditions. There is such a subject of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Bashkortostan. She enters this subject Russian Federation borders with Orenburg, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions, Perm region, Republics within the Russian Federation - Udmurtia and Tatarstan. is the city of Ufa. The republic is the first autonomy based on nationality. It was founded back in 1917. In terms of population (more than four million people), it also ranks first among the autonomies. The republic is inhabited mainly by Bashkirs. Culture, religion, people will be the topic of our article. It should be said that the Bashkirs live not only in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Representatives of this people can be found in other parts of the Russian Federation, as well as in Ukraine and Hungary.
What kind of people are the Bashkirs?
This is the autochthonous population of the historical region of the same name. If it is more than four million people, then there are only 1,172,287 ethnic Bashkirs living in it (according to the latest 2010 census). There are one and a half million representatives of this ethnic group throughout the Russian Federation. About a hundred thousand more went abroad. The Bashkir language separated from the Altai family of the Western Turkic subgroup a long time ago. But until the beginning of the twentieth century, their writing was based on Arabic script. IN Soviet Union“by decree from above” it was translated into the Latin alphabet, and during the reign of Stalin - into the Cyrillic alphabet. But it is not only language that unites people. Religion is also a binding factor that allows people to maintain their identity. The majority of Bashkir believers are Sunni Muslims. Below we will take a closer look at their religion.
History of the people
According to scientists, the ancient Bashkirs were described by Herodotus and Claudius Ptolemy. The “Father of History” called them Argippaeans and pointed out that these people dress like Scythians, but speak a special dialect. Chinese chronicles classify the Bashkirs as a tribe of the Huns. The Book of Sui (seventh century) mentions the Bei Din and Bo Han peoples. They can be identified as Bashkirs and Volga Bulgars. Medieval Arab travelers provide more clarity. Around 840, Sallam at-Tarjuman visited the region, described its borders and the life of its inhabitants. He characterizes the Bashkirs as an independent people living on both slopes of the Ural ridge, between the Volga, Kama, Tobol and Yaik rivers. They were semi-nomadic pastoralists, but very warlike. The Arab traveler also mentions animism, which was professed by the ancient Bashkirs. Their religion implied twelve gods: summer and winter, wind and rain, water and earth, day and night, horses and people, death. The main thing above them was the Spirit of Heaven. The beliefs of the Bashkirs also included elements of totemism (some tribes revered cranes, fish and snakes) and shamanism.
Great exodus to the Danube
In the ninth century, not only the ancient Magyars left the foothills of the Urals in search of better pastures. They were joined by some Bashkir tribes - Kese, Yeney, Yurmatians and some others. This nomadic confederation first settled in the territory between the Dnieper and Don, forming the country of Levedia. And at the beginning of the tenth century, under the leadership of Arpad, she began to advance further to the west. Having crossed the Carpathians, the nomadic tribes conquered Pannonia and founded Hungary. But one should not think that the Bashkirs quickly assimilated with the ancient Magyars. The tribes split up and began to live on both banks of the Danube. The beliefs of the Bashkirs, who managed to Islamize back in the Urals, began to gradually be replaced by monotheism. Arab chronicles of the twelfth century mention that Christian Hunkars live on the northern bank of the Danube. And in the south of the Hungarian kingdom live the Muslim Bashgirds. Their main city was Kerat. Of course, Islam could not exist in the heart of Europe for long. Already in the thirteenth century, the majority of Bashkirs converted to Christianity. And in 1414 there were no Muslims in Hungary at all.
Tengrism
But let's go back to the early times, before the exodus of some of the nomadic tribes from the Urals. Let us consider in more detail the beliefs that the Bashkirs then professed. This religion was called Tengri - after the name of the Father of all things and the god of heaven. In the Universe, according to the ancient Bashkirs, there are three zones: the earth, on it and under it. And each of them had a visible and an invisible part. The sky was divided into several tiers. Tengri Khan lived on the highest one. The Bashkirs, who did not know statehood, nevertheless had a clear concept of All other gods were responsible for the elements or natural phenomena (change of seasons, thunderstorms, rain, wind, etc.) and unconditionally obeyed Tengri Khan. The ancient Bashkirs did not believe in the resurrection of the soul. But they believed that the day would come when they would come to life in the body, and would continue to live on earth according to the established worldly way.
Connection with Islam
In the tenth century, Muslim missionaries began to penetrate into the territories inhabited by the Bashkirs and Volga Bulgars. Unlike the baptism of Rus', which met fierce resistance from the pagan people, the Tengri nomads accepted Islam without incident. The concept of the religion of the Bashkirs ideally combined with the idea of one God, which the Bible gives. They began to associate Tengri with Allah. However, the "lower gods" responsible for the elements and natural phenomena, were held in high esteem for a long time. Even now, traces of ancient beliefs can be traced in proverbs, rites and rituals. We can say that Tengrism was refracted in the mass consciousness of the people, creating a unique cultural phenomenon.
Acceptance of Islam
The first Muslim burials on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan date back to the eighth century. But, judging by the objects found in the burial ground, it can be judged that the deceased were most likely strangers. On early stage conversion of the local population to Islam (tenth century) played a role big role missionaries of such brotherhoods as Naqshbandiyya and Yasawiya. They came from cities Central Asia, mainly from Bukhara. This predetermined what religion the Bashkirs profess now. After all, the Bukhara kingdom adhered to Sunni Islam, in which Sufi ideas and Hanafi interpretations of the Koran were closely intertwined. But for our Western neighbors, all these nuances of Islam were incomprehensible. The Franciscans John the Hungarian and William, who lived continuously for six years in Bashkiria, sent the following report to the General of their order in 1320: “We found the Sovereign of Bascardia and almost all of his household completely infected with Saracen delusions.” And this allows us to say that in the first half of the fourteenth century, the majority of the region’s population converted to Islam.
Joining Russia
In 1552, after the fall, Bashkiria became part of the Moscow kingdom. But local elders have negotiated rights to some autonomy. Thus, the Bashkirs could continue to own their lands, practice their religion and live in the same way of life. Local cavalry took part in the battles of the Russian army against the Livonian Order. The religion of the Tatars and Bashkirs had several different meaning. The latter converted to Islam much earlier. And religion became a factor in the self-identification of the people. With the annexation of Bashkiria to Russia, dogmatic Muslim cults began to penetrate into the region. The state, wanting to keep all believers in the country under control, established a muftiate in Ufa in 1782. Such spiritual dominance led to the fact that in the nineteenth century the believing regions split. A traditionalist wing (Kadimism), a reformist wing (Jadidism) and ishanism (Sufism, which had lost its sacred basis) emerged.
What religion do the Bashkirs have now?
Since the seventeenth century, there have been constant uprisings in the region against its powerful northwestern neighbor. They became especially frequent in the eighteenth century. These uprisings were brutally suppressed. But the Bashkirs, whose religion was the unifying element of the self-identification of the people, managed to preserve their rights to beliefs. They continue to profess Sunni Islam with elements of Sufism. At the same time, Bashkortostan is a spiritual center for all Muslims of the Russian Federation. There are more than three hundred mosques, an Islamic Institute, and several madrassas in the Republic. The Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation is located in Ufa.
The people also retained early pre-Islamic beliefs. Studying the rituals of the Bashkirs, one can see that they exhibit amazing syncretism. Thus, Tengri turned in the consciousness of the people into one God, Allah. Other idols began to be associated with Muslim spirits - evil demons or genies favorably disposed towards people. A special place among them is occupied by yort eyyahe (analogue of the Slavic brownie), hyu eyyahe (water) and shurale (goblin). An excellent illustration of religious syncretism are amulets, where, along with the teeth and claws of animals, sayings from the Koran written on birch bark help against the evil eye. The rook festival Kargatuy bears traces of the cult of ancestors, when ritual porridge was left on the field. Many rituals practiced during childbirth, funerals and funerals also testify to the pagan past of the people.
Other religions in Bashkortostan
Considering that ethnic Bashkirs make up only a quarter of the total population of the Republic, other religions should also be mentioned. First of all, this is Orthodoxy, which penetrated here with the first Russian settlers ( end XVI V.). Later, Old Believers also settled here. IN XIX century German and Jewish craftsmen came to the region. Lutheran churches and synagogues appeared. When Poland and Lithuania became part Russian Empire, military and exiled Catholics began to settle in the region. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a colony of Baptists from the Kharkov region moved to Ufa. The multinationality of the population of the Republic also served as the reason for the diversity of beliefs, to which the indigenous Bashkirs are very tolerant. The religion of this people, with its inherent syncretism, still remains an element of self-identification of the ethnic group.
Tatars and Bashkirs belong to Turkic language group . Since ancient times, these peoples have always lived nearby. They have a lot common features, which include external and internal. These peoples developed and always lived in close contact. However, there are a number distinctive features. Wednesday Tatar people is also heterogeneous and includes the following branches:
- Crimean.
- Volzhskie.
- Chulymskie.
- Kuznetsky.
- Mountaineers.
- Siberian.
- Nogaiskys, etc.
A brief excursion into history
In order to understand them, you need to take a short trip into the past. Until the late Middle Ages, the Turkic peoples led nomadic lifestyle. They were divided into clans and tribes, one of which were the “Tatars”. This name is found among Europeans who suffered from the invasions of the Mongol khans. A number of domestic ethnographers agree that the Tatars do not have common roots with the Mongols. They assume that the roots of modern Tatars originate from the settlements of the Volga Bulgars. Bashkirs are considered the indigenous population Southern Urals. Their ethnonym was formed around the 9th-10th century.
According to anthropological characteristics, the Bashkirs have incomparably more similarities with the Mongoloid races than the Tatars. The basis for the Bashkir ethnic group was the ancient Turkic tribes, which are genetically related to the ancient people who inhabited the south of Siberia, Central and Central Asia. As they settled in the Southern Urals, the Bashkirs began to join close relations with Finno-Ugric peoples.
The halo of distribution of Tatar nationality begins from the lands of Siberia and ends with the Crimean peninsula. It should be noted that they, of course, differ in many of their characteristics. The population of the Bashkirs covers mainly such territories as the Urals, Southern and Middle Urals. But most of them live within the modern borders of the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan. Large enclaves are found in the Sverdlovsk, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Samara and Orenburg regions.
To subjugate the rebellious and strong Tatars, the Russian tsars had to make a lot of military efforts. An example is the repeated assault on Kazan by Russian troops. The Bashkirs did not resist Ivan the Terrible and voluntarily became part of the Russian Empire. There were no such major battles in the history of the Bashkirs.
Undoubtedly, historians note the periodic struggle for independence of both peoples. Suffice it to recall Salavat Yulaev, Kanzafar Usaev, Bakhtiyar Kankaev, Syuyumbike and others. And if they had not done this, their numbers would most likely have been even smaller. Now the Bashkirs are 4-5 times smaller in number than the Tatars.
Anthropological differences
In persons of Tatar nationality, features of the European race predominate. These signs are more relevant to the Volga-Ural Tatars. Mongoloid features are present among these peoples living on the other side Ural mountains. If we describe in more detail the Volga Tatars, of whom the majority are, then they can be divided into 4 anthropological types:
- Light Caucasian.
- Pontic.
- Sublaponoid.
- Mongoloid.
The study of the racial characteristics of the anthropology of the Bashkirs led to the conclusion of a clear territorial localization, which cannot be said about the Tatars. The majority of Bashkirs have Mongoloid facial features. The majority of representatives of this people have dark skin color.
Divisions of the Bashkirs on anthropological grounds, according to one of the scientists:
- South Siberian species.
- Suburalsky.
- Pontic.
But among the Tatars, European facial features already significantly predominate. Skin colors are lighter.
National clothes
The Tatars have always loved very much bright colors of clothes– red, green, blue.
Bashkirs usually preferred calmer colors - yellow, pink, blue. The clothing of these peoples is consistent with what is prescribed by the laws of Islam - modesty.
Language differences
The differences between the Tatar and Bashkir languages are much smaller than can be found in Russian and Belarusian, British and American. But they still have their own grammatical and phonetic features.
Differences in vocabulary
There are a number of words that, when translated into Russian, have a completely different meaning. For example, the words cat, far, nose, mother.
Differences in phonetics
The Tatar language does not have some specific letters that are characteristic of Bashkir. Because of this, there are slight differences in the spelling of words. For example, the letters “k” and “g” have different pronunciations. Also, many plural nouns have different word endings. Due to phonetic differences, the Bashkir language is perceived softer than Tatar.
Conclusion
In general, the conclusion is that these peoples, of course, have more similarities than differences. Take, for example, the same language spoken, clothing, external anthropological signs and everyday life. The main similarity lies in historical development these peoples, namely, in their close interaction in a long process of coexistence. Their traditional religion is Sunni Islam. However, it must be said that Kazan Islam is more fundamental. Despite the fact that religion does not have a clear impact on the consciousness of the Bashkirs, nevertheless it has become traditional social norm in the lives of many people. The modest life philosophy of devout Muslims has left its mark on the way of life, the attitude towards material values and the relationships between people.
A study of the available literature on the ethnogenesis of the Bashkirs shows that there are three theories about the origin of the Bashkir people: Turkic, Ugric, and intermediate.
Identification of the Bashkirs with Ugric tribes the ancestors of the modern Hungarian people goes back to the Middle Ages.
A Hungarian legend, recorded at the end of the 12th century, is known to science. It tells about the route of movement of the Magyars from the east to Pannonia (modern Hungary): “In 884, it is written there, from the incarnation of our Lord, seven leaders, called Hetu moger, came out from the east, from the land of Scytska. Of these, the chief Almus, the son of Igeic, from the line of the king of Magaog, came out of that country with his wife, his son Arpad, and a great multitude of allied nations. After a many-day march through deserted places, they swam across the Etyl (Volga) River in their leather bags and, finding neither rural roads nor villages anywhere, did not eat food made by people, as was their custom, but ate themselves on meat and fish until they arrived in Suzdal (Russia). From Suzdal they went to Kyiv and then through the Carpathian Mountains to Pannonia to take possession of the inheritance of Attila, the ancestor of Almus" (E.I. Goryunova. Ethnic history of the Volga-Oka interfluve. // Materials and research on the archeology of the USSR. 94. M., 1961. P. 149). Noteworthy is the statement that the Magyar tribes did not move west alone, but “with a great many allied peoples,” which could have included some Bashkir tribes. It is no coincidence that Konstantin Porphyrogenitus notes that the Hungarian union in Pannonia consisted of seven tribes, two of which were called Yurmatou and Ene (E. Molnar. Problems of ethnogenesis and ancient history Hungarian people. Budapest, 1955. P.134). Along with numerous tribes, the ancient and large tribes of the Yurmatians and Yeneys participated in the formation of the Bashkir people. Naturally, the Magyar tribes that settled in Pannonia preserved legends about their ancient ancestral home and the fellow tribesmen who remained there. To find them and convert them to Christianity, risky journeys were undertaken from Hungary to the East by missionary monks Otto, Johanna Hungarian and others, which ended in failure. For the same purpose, the Hungarian monk Julian traveled to the Volga region. After much ordeal and torment, he managed to get to Great Bulgaria. There, in one of big cities, Julian met a Hungarian woman, married to this city “from the country he was looking for” (S.A. Anninsky. News of Hungarian missionaries of the XIII-XIV centuries about the Tatars and Eastern Europe. // Historical archive. III. M.-L ., 1940. P. 81). She showed him the way to his fellow tribesmen. Soon Julian found them near the large river Etil (Itil, Idel, Iel, Aileel), or Volga. “And everything he wanted to explain to them, about faith and so on, they listened very carefully, since their language was completely Hungarian: they understood him, and he understood them” (S.A. Anninsky. S. 81).
Plano Carpini, Ambassador of Pope Innocent IV to Mongol Khan, in his essay “History of the Mongols,” talking about the northern campaign of Batu Khan in 1242, writes: “Coming out of Russia and Comania, the Tatars led their army against the Hungarians and Poles, where many of them fell... From there they went into the land Mordvans - idolaters and, having defeated them, went to the country of the Bilers, i.e. to Great Bulgaria, which was completely ruined. Then to the north against the Bastarks (Bashkir. R.Ya.), i.e. Great Hungary and, having won, moved to the Parasites, and from there to the Samoyeds" (Travel to eastern countries Plano Carpini and Rubruk. M., 1957. P. 48). In addition, he calls the country of the Bashkirs “Great Hungary” two more times” (Journey to the eastern countries of Plano Carpini and Rubruk. M., 1957. P. 57, 72).
Another Catholic missionary, Guillaume de Rubruk, who visited the Golden Horde in 1253, reports: “After traveling 12 days from Etilia (Volga), we found a large river called Yagak (Yaik. R.Ya.); it flows from the north, from the land of Pascatir (Bashkir. R.Ya.) ... the language of Pascatir and Hungarians is the same, they are shepherds who do not have any city; their country touches on the west with Great Bulgaria. From the land to the east, the said northern side, there is no longer any city. From this land of Pascatir came the Huns, later the Hungarians, and this, in fact, is Great Bulgaria” (Journey to the eastern countries of Plano Carpini and Rubruk, pp. 122-123).
The reports of Western European authors later became one of the important arguments in favor of the Ugric theory of the origin of the Bashkir people. One of the first to write about the origin of the Bashkirs was Philipp-Johann Stralenberg (16761747), a lieutenant colonel in the Swedish army. He accompanied Charles XII in the Northern War. During the Battle of Poltava (1709) he was captured and exiled to Siberia. Having received permission to travel around Siberia, he drew up a map of it. After the Peace of Nystad in 1721 he returned to Sweden. In 1730 he published the book “Das nord und ostliche Theil von Europa und Asia” in Stockholm. Stralenberg called the Bashkirs Ostyaks, since they have red hair and their neighbors call them Sary-ishtyaks (Ostyaks). Thus, Stralenberg was the first to put forward a theory about the Ugric origin of the Bashkir people.
The outstanding historian V.N. Tatishchev (1686-1750) in “Russian History” (T.1. M.-L., 1962) was the first in Russian historiography to give a historical and ethnographic description of the Bashkirs and express an interesting view about their origin. The ethnonym “Bashkort” means “chief wolf” or “thief”, “they were named for their trade.” The Kazakhs call them “Sary-Ostyaks”. According to V.N. Tatishchev, the Bashkirs were mentioned by Ptolemy as “askatiri”. The Bashkirs “were a great people,” are the descendants of the ancient Finnish-speaking Sarmatians “Suschie Sarmatians” (p. 252). Carpini and Rubruk testify to this. As for the language, “before they (the Bashkirs. R.Ya.) adopted the law of Mohammed from the Tatars and began to use their language, they are already revered as Tatars. However, the language differs greatly from other Tatars, so that not every Tatar can understand them” (p. 428).
V.N. Tatishchev reports some information about ethnic history Bashkir. “According to legends, they themselves (the Bashkirs. R.Ya.) say that they are descended from the Bulgars” (p. 428). Here we're talking about about the Bashkirs-Gainians, who have preserved legends about their common origin with the Bulgars. He also testifies that the Tabyn people are scattered in Crimea, Bashkortostan and other areas.
N.M. Karamzin (17661829) in volume I of “History of the Russian State”, in chapter II “About the Slavs and other peoples who made up the Russian state”, based on information from European travelers of the 13th century. Juliana, Plano Carpini and Guillaume de Rubrucka, writes that “the Bashkirs live between the Urals and the Volga. In the beginning their language was Hungarian. Then they became Turkish. The Bashkirs now speak the Tatar language: one must think that they accepted it from their victors and forgot their own in a long-term hostel with the Tatars” (M., 1989. P. 250).
In 1869, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of St. Petersburg University, the work of D. A. Khvolson “News about the Khazars, Burtases, Bulgarians, Magyars, Slavs and Russians by Abu-Ali Ahmed Ben Omar Ibn-Dast, a hitherto unknown Arab writer” was published beginning of the 10th century." In it, the author analyzes the writings of medieval Arab geographers and travelers about the Bashkirs and Magyars. His conclusions are as follows.
The original homeland of the Magyars was both sides of the Ural Mountains, i.e. territories between the Volga, Kama, Tobol and the upper reaches of the Yaik. They were part of the Bashkir people. This is evidenced by the 13th century travelers Julian, Plano Carpini and Guillaume de Rubruk, who wrote about the identity of the Bashkir language with the Magyar. That is why they called the country of the Bashkirs “Great Hungary.”
Around 884, part of the Magyars left the Urals under the blows of the Pechenegs. Their leader was Almus. After long wanderings, they settled next to the Khazars. Their new homeland was called Lebedia after their then leader Lebedias. However, again oppressed by the Pechenegs who moved to Europe, the Magyars went further to the southwest and settled in Athel-Kuz. From there they gradually moved to the territory of modern Hungary.
Based on the analysis of the messages of Ibn-Dast, Ibn-Fadlan, Masudi, Abu Zaid El-Balkhi, Idrisi, Yakut, Ibn-Said, Qazwini, Dimeshki, Abulfred and Shukrallah about the Bashkirs and Magyars and based on the position that the Magyars are part of Bashkir people, Khvolson believes that the ancient form of the name of the Bashkirs was “Badzhgard”. This ethnonym gradually changes “in two ways: in the east from “Bajgard” the forms “Bashgard”, “Bashkard”, “Bashkart”, etc. were formed; in the west the initial "b" became "m" and the final "d" was dropped, so the form "Majgar" came from "Bajgard", "Majgar" became "Majar" and this form finally passed into "Magyar". Khvolson gives a table of the transition of the ethnonym “Badzhgard” to “Magyar” and “Bashkirs”:
B a j g a r d
Bashgard Bajgar
Bashkard Mojgar
Bashkart Majgar
Bashkert Majar
Bashkirt Magyar
Bashkir
The self-name of the Bashkirs is “Bashkort”. Therefore, it is more correct to speak here of a transition not to “Bashkirs”, but to “Bashkorts”, although logically Khvolson succeeds in this too. Based on Khvolson’s research, it is generally accepted that the Ugric theory of the origin of the Bashkir people received a logically clear design from him.
Approximately the same point of view was expressed by I.N. Berezin. In his opinion, “the Bashkirs are a large Vogul tribe, Ugric group» (Bashkirs. // Russian encyclopedic Dictionary. T. 3. Dept. 1. St. Petersburg, 1873).
The well-known researcher of the history of Siberia I. Fischer (Sibirische Geschichte. Petersburg, 1874. pp. 78-79) supported Khvolson’s hypothesis. He also believed that the Hungarian ethnonym “madchar” comes from the word “baschart”.
Among anthropologists, the Ugric theory was supported by K. Uifalfi. He measured 12 soldiers of the Orenburg Bashkir Cavalry Regiment and concluded that, according to anthropological data, the Bashkirs are Finno-Ugrians (Bashkirs, Meshcheryaks and Teptyars. Letter to active member V.N. Mainov. // News of the Russian Geographical Society. Vol. 13 . Issue 2. 1877. pp. 188-120).
The outstanding Bashkir educator M.I. Umetbaev (1841-1907) made a great contribution to the study of the origins of the Bashkir people. The main ethnographic works of Umetbaev, in which the problem of the ethnogenesis of the Bashkirs was illuminated, are “From the translator Umetbaev” and “Bashkirs”. They were published in the Bashkir language (M. Umetbaev. Yadkar. Ufa, 1984. Introductory article G.S. Kunafina). The full text of “Bashkirs” was published by G.S. Kunafin in the collection “Issues of textual criticism of Bashkir literature” (Ufa, 1979. P.61-65).
Umetbaev perfectly understood the significance of shezhere in the study of the ethnic history of the Bashkir people. In 1897, he published the book “Yadkar” in Kazan, in which he published several shezheres of the Tabyn Bashkirs (pp. 39-59). Each genus, writes Umetbaev, has its own bird, tree, tamga and review. For example, among the Yumran-Tabyns, a bird is a black hawk, a tree is a larch, a tamga is a rib and a response is salavat, which means prayer.
Having studied eastern and western sources, historical literature in Russian and foreign languages and, most importantly, Bashkir oral folk art and Bashkir history, Umetbaev presents the ethnogenesis of the Bashkirs as follows. The Bashkirs are the indigenous and primordial people of the Southern Urals. By ethnicity: Ugrians. They were neighbors of the Bulgars and at the same time adopted Islam with them. In the Middle Ages, Kipchaks, Burzyans, Turkmen, Sarts and other peoples began to move to Bashkortostan, most of whom “belonged to the Mongolian or Dzhagatai tribe” (Bashkirs. p.62). Seeing this, the Bashkirs began to call themselves Bash Ungar, i.e. main eel Bash Ungar gradually took the form of “bashkort”. In this case, Umetbaev agrees with Khvolson. Gradually, both the Bashkirs and the newcomer peoples began to speak Bashkir and the entire people were gradually called Bashkir. The Bashkir language is very similar to the Chagatai language of Central Asia.
In 19131914 V.F. Filonenko’s work “Bashkirs” was published in the “Bulletin of the Orenburg Educational District” (1913. NoNo 2, 5-8; 1914. NoNo 2,5,8). The author tried to outline various issues Bashkir history and ethnography, but in general repeated the conclusions of previous authors. His point of view on the ethnonym “Bashkort” deserves attention. Filonenko cites the opinions of previous authors and concludes that “courage and boundless courage gave the Bashkirs the name “Bashkurt” - the main wolf. The latter not only did not contain anything shameful or offensive, but was even considered the glory and pride of the people. " Chief wolf“in a figurative sense, in the figurative language of the East meant “the main, brave robber.” That was the time when robberies and robberies were considered famous feats” (P.168-169).
Filonenko also touches on the problems of the ethnic history of the Bashkirs. According to the author, geographical names Bashkir rivers, lakes and localities indicate that the Bashkirs “are not natives of their country, but aliens.” True, Filonenko does not indicate exactly what topographic materials speak of the Bashkirs as “aliens.” In his opinion, “their (Bashkir. R.Ya.) Finnish origin is beyond doubt, but during their settlement in the present place of their settlement, thanks to crossing, they lost their Finnish character and were no longer different from the Turks” (S. 39).
Filonenko cites information from medieval Arab authors Ibn-Dast, Ibn-Fadlan, Masudi, El-Balkhi, Idrisi, Yakut, Ibn-Said, Qazvini, Dimeshki, as well as European travelers Guillaume de Rubruk, Plano Carpini and Julian and draws conclusions (p. 38):
1) at the beginning of the 10th century. the Bashkirs were already in the places they now occupy;
2) even then they were known under their real name “Bashkort”, “Bashkurt”, etc.;
3) Bashkirs and Hungarians of the same origin;
4) Bashkirs are currently Turks.
In the mid-1950s, N.P. Shastina came out in support of the Ugric theory. In a note to the “History of the Mongols”, Plano Carpini writes that “by “baskart” we must understand the Bashkirs... there is a tribal relationship between the medieval Bashkirs of the Urals and the Hungarians. Under the pressure of nomadic peoples, part of the Bashkirs went west and settled in Hungary, while the remaining Bashkirs mixed with the Turks and Mongols, lost their language and eventually gave birth to a completely new ethnic people, also called Bashkirs" (Travel to the eastern countries of Plano Carpini and Rubruk. M., 1957. P. 211).
It should be noted that among Hungarian scientists, Dr. D. Gyorffy adheres to the Ugric hypothesis and believes that the main core in the formation of the Bashkir people were the Magyar tribes of the Yurmatians and Yeneys who remained on the Volga.
An interesting opinion about Bashkir-Hungarian ethnic ties was expressed by the outstanding Bashkir linguist Jalil Kiekbaev. At the beginning of 1960, the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Lajos Ligeti, wrote a letter to J. Kiekbaev and asked him to express his opinion about the Bashkir tribes of Yurmaty and Yeneo, since the Hungarians included tribes with similar names (Yarmat and Yeneoo).
To fulfill the request of Lajos Ligeti, J. Kiekbaev conducts research and gives the following conclusions about the Bashkir-Hungarian ethnic connection (Magyar-Orsal-Venger ile. // Council of Bashkortostan. 1965. June 17).
The word yenei was used to mean big, i.e. denoted a large tribe. And where there is a big tribe, there is also a small tribe. In Hungary, among the ancient Hungarian tribes there was the Kesi tribe.
The words Hungarian and Wenger are derived from the word vunugyr. Wun in Bashkir is ten. Therefore, some peoples call the Hungarians Ungar. This word is derived from the words un ungar. Not surprisingly, there is a village called Bish Ungar. And the word Bashkort is derived from Bash Ugyr, then changed into Bashgur and Bashkurt, now Bashkort. The ancient Turkic word bash in Bashkir means bish (five). So, the words Venger (Ungar) and Bashkurt (Bashkort) are formed in the same way.
Eat historical arguments, confirming the kinship of Hungarians and Bashkirs. In the IV-V centuries. Hungarian tribes lived near the Ob and Irtysh rivers. From there the Hungarians moved to the west. For several centuries they wandered around the Southern Urals, near the rivers Idel, Yaik, and Sakmar. At this time they closely communicated with the ancient Bashkir tribes. Therefore, it is not surprising that until the 16th century some Bashkir tribes called themselves Estyak, and until the 20th century the Kazakhs called the Bashkirs Istek.
The ancient Hungarian tribes moved first from the Southern Urals to Azov, and in the VIII-IX centuries. in Transcarpathia, and some of them remained in the Southern Urals. Therefore, among the ancient Bashkir tribes there are the Yurmat, Yeney, Kese tribes, and among the Hungarian people the Yarmat, Yeneoo and Kese tribes.
There are a lot of common words in the Bashkir and Hungarian languages. Many of them are common Turkic. For example, arpa, bua, kinder, k£b, balta, alma, s£bk, borsaª, ªomalaª, kese, ªor, etc. A lot of words are characteristic only of the Bashkir and Hungarian languages.
In the works of J. Kiekbaev, the kinship of the ancient Bashkir and Hungarian tribes is proven by new arguments. Undoubtedly, the scientist’s views should be reflected in works on the origins of the two peoples.
At one time, T.M. Garipov and R.G. Kuzeev wrote about the Ugric theory of the origin of the Bashkir people that today “the existence in historical science of a special “Bashkir-Magyar” problem, as a reflection of certain views that interpret the kinship and even identity of these in reality different nations, is devoid of scientific meaning and is a kind of anachronism” (Bashkir-Magyar problem. // Archeology and ethnography of Bashkiria. T.I. Ufa, 1962. pp. 342-343). Is this really true? Comprehensive research in ethnography, linguistics, archeology, anthropology and other sciences proves that the Ugric theory of the origin of the Bashkir people has a right to exist.
- Turkic people speaking the Bashkir language. The total population is approximately 1.6 million people. One of the titular peoples of Russia. The main population of the subject of the Russian Federation is Bashkortostan, which is located in the south of the Urals. The formation of the Republic dates back to October 11, 1990. The final name, the Republic of Bashkortostan, was adopted on October 11, 1992. The total area of the Republic’s lands is 142.9 sq. km, which is 0.79% of the total area of Russia. Population – 4 million 052 thousand people, density 28.4 people. per sq. km. (with a density in the country of 8.31 people per sq. km). Capital city Ufa, population 1 mln. 99 thousand people According to the composition of the population of the republic: Russians - 36.28%, Bashkirs -29.78%, Tatars -24.09%, as well as representatives of Chuvashia, Mari - El, Ukraine, Mordovia, Germany.
Bashkir culture
The Bashkir people, being the indigenous population of the Southern Urals, who led a nomadic lifestyle, began to play one of the leading roles in the agricultural structure of the Russian state. The neighborhood with Russia played an important role in the development of the people.
The Bashkir population did not move from other areas, but were formed through a very complex historical self-development. In the 7th and 8th centuries BC, the Ananyir tribes lived in the Ural mountains, according to scientists, the direct ancestors of the Turkic peoples came from them: Komi-Permyaks, Udmurts, Mari, and the descendants of these peoples are credited with the origin of the Chuvashia, Volga Tatars, Bashkirs and many others tribes living in the Urals and Volga region.
Bashkir families lived in yurts, which were transported to new pastures after the herds of animals. But the people lived not only by cattle breeding; their hobbies were hunting, fishing, and botanicals (honey collection). Until the 12th century, the Bashkir people united tribal communities who gathered into tribes. Tribes often fought among themselves over the territories of pastures, fishing, and hunting. Feuds between tribes led to the isolation of marriages within tribal boundaries and in some cases led to mixing of blood. This caused the decline of the clan system and significantly weakened the tribes, which the Bulgar khans took advantage of, subjugating the Bashkir tribes and forcibly imposing the Islamic religion. The nomadic way of life was reflected in the uniqueness of life and national costumes.
History of the people
The time of the Golden Horde.
In the 13th century the country of Eastern Europe were conquered by the Mongol-Tatar army. Bulgaria and the Bashkir tribes also fell under the Horde's skating rink. Subsequently, the Bulgars and Bashkirs became part of the Golden Horde under the leadership of Batu Khan with the obligatory payment of yasak - tribute. This duty included mandatory payment in fur pelts, horses, carts, and concubines. This duty was distributed to each family and included:
— Kupchury — monetary collection from pastures and heads of livestock;
- skins of fur-bearing animals - at least 5 pieces;
- military, all boys from the age of 12 are required to undergo military training;
- underwater, supply of carts or wagons for transporting luggage in the troops or transporting commanders.
The tribal nobility of the Bashkirs was not subject to yasak, but had to supply part of the Bashkir army who were on the campaigns of the Golden Horde with annual provisions. The nobility of Bashkiria, in gratitude for the benefits, was loyal to the authorities. In the 15th century Golden Horde completely collapsed, but this did not make it any easier for the Bashkir people. The territory of Bashkiria fell under the rule of three khanates of the Golden Horde and was divided into southern, western and northwestern, which were constantly at enmity with each other demanding payment of yasak in ever larger volumes.
Joining Russia.
In the 16th century, Russia was finally freed from Mongol yoke and began to gain its power. But the Tatar-Mongols continued their raids and constantly ravaged the Russian lands, capturing many captives. There were more than 150 thousand Russians in Kazan alone. Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan, and the khanates of the Golden Horde ceased to exist. After which Ivan the Terrible, turning to the peoples conquered by the Golden Horde, called on them to switch to Russian citizenship. They were promised protection and patronage from all external enemies, inviolability of lands, customs and religions. In 1557, the Bashkir Lands accepted Russian citizenship.
The uprising under the leadership of E. Pugachev.
The further development of Bashkiria was closely connected with the history of Russia. Endless attempts to seize Russia by European states required enormous strain on human and government resources. This was due to the excessive exploitation of workers and peasants. On September 17, 1773, the fugitive Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, declaring himself Tsar Peter III, read a manifesto to the outpost of the Yaik garrison. With a squad of 60 people. captured the city of Yaitsk. This was the beginning of the uprising. The Bashkir people, exploited by local feudal lords and yasak exactions, joined the uprising. Salavat Yulaev, having read Pugachev’s manifesto, called on the Bashkir peasants to join the uprising. Soon the entire Bashkir region was engulfed in the flames of struggle. But the poorly armed peasants were unable to resist government troops arriving from St. Petersburg. The uprising was soon suppressed. Salavat Yulaev died in hard labor for more than 25 years. E. Pugachev was captured and executed.
Bashkiria during the Great Patriotic War.
During the Great Patriotic War, Bashkortostan became one of the main territories of the USSR to which enterprises and the population were evacuated. The region provided the front with weapons, fuels and lubricants, food and equipment. During the war years, the republic housed about 109 factories, dozens of hospitals, and many central government agencies. and economic institutions, 279 thousand evacuees.
Despite the fact that the able-bodied male population entered the war, agriculture, through the efforts of teenagers and women, continued to supply the front with food and livestock products.
