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IJBPAS, December, 2016, 5(12): 3397-3403 ISSN: 2277–4998 MONGOLIAN TUVANS: THEIR ETHNO-LINGUISTIC SITUATION1 AYYZHY EV1 AND MONGUSH MV2 1: Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of General History and Archeology, Associate Professor of the Department of General History and Archeology, The Tuvan State University. 36-Lenin Str., Kyzyl, Republic of Tyva, Russia, 667000 E-mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +7-923-544-24-69 2: - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Leading Research Scientist of the Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage. 2-Kosmonavtov Str., Moscow, Russia, 129301 E-mail: [email protected] Received 13th Aug. 2016; Revised 24th Sept. 2016; Accepted 5th Nov. 2016; Available online 1st Dec.2016 ABSTRACT This article is an attempt to investigate Tuvan ethnic groups living in Mongolia, where they are national minorities and do not have national-territorial status. Object of research are four large ethno-local groups of Tuvans, who inhabit different aimags, set at some distance from each other. These groups are located in Tsengelsum ('district') and Buyantsum of Bayan Olgii. Buyamsum of Khovd, Tsagaannuursum in Khovsgol and Tsagaan-Uursum, which is also in Khovsgol aimag though they are set apart from the TsagaannuurTuvans in terms of distance and ethnohistorical context. The authors focus on their settlement, number and modern ethno-linguistic processes. This article is based on materials gathered during field-work, which was conducted by the authors in Mongolia in the 2000–2014s. Keywords: Mongolia,Tuvans, Turkic-speaking people, ethno-linguistic processes,ethnic minority, ethnic identity, nomads of Central Asia 1 This article was written with the financial support of the grant RGNF №15-21-03002 «Dialogue of civilizations of the peoples of Central and Inner Asia: history, culture and paradigm of existence". RGNF grant №16-21-03002 «Socio-cultural, ethno-genetic research and kinship groups of Central Asian nations (Case of Tuva Republic, Altai Republic, Kalmyk Republic, Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China)." 3397 IJBPAS, December, 2016, 5(12) Ayyzhy EV and Mongush M Research Article INTRODUCTION Tuvan ethnic groups are settled not only on Distribution and Numbers the territory of the Russian Federation, but As research, carried out by Y.L. Aranchyn and also in Mongolia. In the territory of M.Kh. Mannai-ool demonstrates, Tuvans Mongolia, Tuvans are national minorities have lived in Mongolia for a long time. and do not have national-territorial status. According to their research, in 1757 the Because of their settlement in various Tuvan tribes that travelled as nomads along territories in the past, Tuvans have had to the southern ridge of Tannu-Ol (or Tagna- live in mixed communities with other Uul in Mongolian) to the upper reaches of the ethnic groups: this had led to processes of Khovd River were separated from the general assimilation, and as a result they became mass of Tuvans, who inhabited the Upper parts of the host population. Yenisei basin. This separation created the At the present moment, there are at conditions for the foundation of four distinct least four large ethno-local groups of Tuvansin ethno-local groups of Tuvans in this area Mongolia, who inhabit different aimags, set at [1:214; 3:57]. some distance from each other. These groups The sums of Tsengel in Bayan-Olgii are located in Tsengelsum ('district') and and Tsagaannuur in Khovsgol are the closest Buyantsum of Bayan Olgii. Buyamsum of to the border of the Republic of Тuva in the Khovd, Tsagaannuursumin Khovsgol and Russian Federation, where the majority of the Tsagaan-Uursum,which is also in Tuvan people is to be found. The first of Khovsgolaimagthough they are set apart from these sums abuts the Mongun- the TsagaannuurTuvans in terms of distance Taigakozhuun(district in Tuva), and the and ethnohistorical context. second is adjacent to the Todjakozhuun. Tuvans are also to be found in Many of the Tuvans who live in these sums Selenge and Tov aimags(in Altanbulag and assert that their land was a part of the territory Zaamarsums, respectively), but because of of Tuva at the time when the state borders, their small numbers and wide dispersal, these which now divide Russia and Mongolia, did two groups do not represent compact ethnic not exist. The establishment of borders formations. between the two states in the first half of the This article focuses on distribution twentieth century, however, led to the and numbers of the Tuvan population in separation of a certain number of Tuvans Mongolia, their modern ethno-linguistic from their native ethnos and their consequent situation. settlement in neighbouring Mongolia. 3398 IJBPAS, December, 2016, 5(12) Ayyzhy EV and Mongush M Research Article Khovdaimag, which is also inhabited throughout the area [6:6-7]. by Tuvans, is comparatively far from Tuva. It Due to forced resettlement that is understood from Chinese sources that the took place during the 1960s and 1970s, Tuvan tribes under the dominion of the Altan Tuvans also came to inhabit Selenge and Khans (from the sixteenth lo the first half of Tov aimagsof Mongolia. In 1963, the the eighteenth centuries) travelled not only independent Tuvansum of Tsengel in within the territory of present-day Tuva, but Bayan Olgiiaimagwas liquidated and was also further south along the Khovd, and unified with Ak-Khemsum, which had a further east as far as Lake Khovsgol[2:200]. principally Kazakh population. From that In 1974, on his first visit to the KhovdTuvans, point on, Tsengelsum ceased to be an area Y.L. Aranchyn, the well-known Tuvan with a mono-ethnic population. This action historian, identified remnant characteristics exerted a negative effect on the Tuvans, who of the Tuvan ethnos [1:234]. formed a minority in this newly-created sum. Mongolia's northernmost border Kazakhs filled all the important posts and region of Tsagaannuursumin senior positions, and many Tuvans were left Khovsgolaimag, is home to a distinct without employment. ethno-local group of Tuvans made up of Unfortunately, reliable reports on approximately 500 people who generally the numbers of Tuvans in Mongolia do not call themselves Dukha. Because most of exist. Data collected from unofficial these Tuvans have historically engaged in sources state that approximately 25,000 reindeer-herding, hunting and fishing in Tuvans live in Mongolia. However, as the taiga regions to the west of Lake our informantsclarify, this number Khovsgol and Darkhad valley, they are includes both those Tuvans who have commonly known in Mongolia as the retained their native language, and also 'tsaatan' (Mongolian for 'reindeer those who abandoned it a long time ago herder'). but who still call themselves Tuvans. It is Currently, a little over thirty estimated that out of these 25,000 Tuvans, households lead a fully nomadic lifestyle about 8,000 speak Tuvan as a first of herding reindeer and hunting in the language. taiga, while the remainder of the The ethno-linguistic situation population cither live in the centre of Before asking concrete questions about Tsagaannuursum or herd steppe-based the ethno-linguistic processes whichtake livestock in the valleys that stretch place among these various ethno-local 3399 IJBPAS, December, 2016, 5(12) Ayyzhy EV and Mongush M Research Article groups, it is important to note that in their language may on the whole be considered linguistic relations the Tuvans of a dialect very close to the Tere-Khol Mongolia are a single unit: they all speak dialect of Tuvan. The departures made in various dialects of Tuvan. Their from this dialect may in truth be language is wholly similar to modern identified as individual peculiarities of Tuvan, apart from a few peculiarities in speech. Alongside their native language, its phonetics, lexis and melodies. the Tsagaannuur Tuvans also freely speak Alongside this it must be pointed out that the Darkhad dialect of Mongolian. In each group has, as a result of general, Tuvanis used only within the itslocalisation, a characteristic ethno- narrow family circle. But because their linguistic situation. children study in the local Mongolian For example, following linguistic boarding school for most of the year, now criteria, the Tsagaannuur Tuvans roughly Tuvan is mainly spoken fluently by those fall into two groups: those from Todja and in their twenties or older. While children those from Kungurtug khozhuuns of Tuva. may have listening comprehension of This division arises from the fact that in Tuvan, in practice they communicate with the 1940s and 1950s, when the period of their parents and siblings in the Darkhad collectivization began in Tuva, many dialect of Mongolian. Tuvan families from the above-mentioned The KhovdTuvans exist within a regions migrated into Khovsgol aimag on similar eth no- linguistic situation in that the Mongolian side of the border. In this they live surrounded by Mongolian new place, they became united with the groups, such as Dorvots, Zakhchins and small group of Tuvans that had already others, as well as by Kazakhs. In their been living in the area. linguistic relations they are bilingual It is a fact, acknowledged not only speaking both Tuvan and Mongolian. by researchers but by the Tuvans of Tsa- Their children study in Mongolian gaannuur themselves, that there are schools, where classes are held in subtle differences between the languages Mongolian, and they study either Russian of the two groups, even though they both or English as a foreign language. speak Tuvan. Their language contains In the autumn of 1974 the Tuvan word-borrowings from Mongolian, and researchers Iu. L. Aranchyn and D. A. certain words have become Mongolisedin Mongush made their first visit to the sound. These facts notwithstanding, their KhovdTuvans. The result of their research 3400 IJBPAS, December, 2016, 5(12) Ayyzhy EV and Mongush M Research Article was a number of essays that were undoubtedly contributes to the retention published in several different academic of the Tuvan language's usage among the works.