Teleuts

Teleuts (Altay: тэлэңэт, тэлэңут, romanized: Telenget, Telengut) are a Turkic indigenous people of Siberia living in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia.[2] According to the 2010 census, there were 2,643 Teleuts in Russia. They speak the Southern Altai Teleut language/dialect.[3][4]

Teleuts
Altay: тэлэңэт, тэлэңут
Telenget, Telengut
Regions with significant populations
 Russia 2,643[1]
Languages
Southern Altai Teleut
Religion
Predominantly Russian Orthodox Minority Sunni Islam, shamanism
Related ethnic groups
Altaians, Chelkans, Khakas, Kumandins, Siberian Tatars, Shors, Tofalar
Kemerovo Oblast is the primarily region of the Teleuts.

In the Soviet years and until 2000, the authorities considered the Teleuts to be part of the Altai people. Currently, according to the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 255 dated March 24, 2000, as well as 2002 and 2010 Russian Census, they are recognized as a separate ethnic group within indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East.

History

The Teleuts were once part of the Tiele people. They came under the rule of the First Turkic Khaganate. The Teleuts emerged from the result of Kipchaks and Mongols mixing together.[5] Near the end of the 16th century, the Teleuts wandered the steppe between the Irtysh and the Ob'. They became nominal subjects to the Oirats at this period. Their population at this time numbered 4,000 tents.[6]

The Russians gained control of the region in the mid-eighteenth century and the Teleuts subsequently became their subjects.[5] The Russians called the Teleuts "White Kalmyks" in their documents despite the ethnic and linguistic differences between the Kalmyks and Teleuts.[6]

The Teleuts consider themselves to be a distinct people and many don't accept being labeled as Altaian.[7] The majority of the Teleuts live along the Great and Little Bachat Rivers in Kemerovo Oblast. However, a few Teleuts also live in the Altai Republic.[6]

Culture

Most Teleuts used to be nomadic or semi-nomadic livestock herders and horses, goats, cattle, and sheep were the most common types of animals they raised. Some Teleuts were hunters and relied on animals living in the taiga for subsistence.[5]

Traditional Teleut dwellings included conic yurts made out of bark or perches.[5]

Common Teleut dress was composed of linen shirts, short breeches, and single-breasted robes.[5]

Religion

Most Teleuts are Orthodox Christians. However, there is a minority that practice shamanism and Sunni Islam.[5][6] Burkhanism was once widely practiced by the Teleuts but was effectively eliminated during the Soviet era. Contemporary revivals of the religion among other Altaian groups have not affected the Teleuts.[8]

See also

References
  1. Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity (in Russian)
  2. Library of Congress - Classification Web : web link
  3. Nevskaya I.A. "The Teleut Language". Endangered Languages of Indigenous Peoples of Siberia. UNESCO. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  4. Altai Republic - Teleuts (Республика Алтай - Телеуты) : web link Archived 2006-06-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  5. 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)
  6. Akiner, Shirin (1986). Islamic Peoples of the Soviet Union (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 435–436. ISBN 0-7103-0025-5.
  7. Mote, Victor L. (1998). Siberia: Worlds Apart. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. pp. 138. ISBN 0-8133-1298-1.
  8. Bat'ianova, E. P. (2007). "The Teleut Version of Burkhanism". Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia. 45 (3): 9–34. doi:10.2753/aae1061-1959450301. ISSN 1061-1959.
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