Have you heard of a people called "goran"? "Nationality? What kind of nation? ” - you will probably think. This word is borrowed from the Buryat language. So they call male roe deer. The Mongols, Evenks, Kalmyks and other Altai peoples called these graceful animals the similar word “guru”. So what kind of people are these, which rarely anyone knows?
History
Surely no one can say for sure when the first Russian pioneers appeared in Transbaikalia, in the Altai Territory. But one thing is certain: it was a very long time ago, and then there was no people called the "gurana". This nationality appeared as a result of various incest. After the first Russians settled in these parts at the beginning of the seventeenth century and began to live among the indigenous population, that is, Evenks and Buryats, they gradually assimilated with them, tried to follow their customs and traditions - in a word, adopted elements of the Altai culture and life. At the same time, they did not forget their language and did not lose Slavic identity. This means that over time, their culture and life began to bear both Russian and Even-Buryat features.
On the other hand, Russian immigrants brought into the life of the inhabitants of Transbaikalia new features inherent in Slavic life and culture, for example, agriculture, urban construction, etc. Thus, a new type of people of mixed blood began to form in these parts of the world - gorans, whose nationality was difficult to determine. They were a mix of two races - the Mongoloid and the European, and in the fourth generation.
Origin
According to the annals, as early as the 18th century, gurans lived here. Nationality (history testifies to this) has never been officially adopted. It is rather an ethnic group. Sometimes the word “guran” was considered as a nickname for people whose ancestors belonged to different races and peoples, among them were Buryats, Mongols, Evenks, Manchus, and, of course, Russians. But why did this ethnic group come to be called that way, and not otherwise?
Cossacks of Transbaikalia made winter hats for themselves from the fur of male roe deer, which the indigenous inhabitants called guranes. At the same time, they left horns in order to deceive the pursued animals when hunting. As you know, winters are long in these parts of the world, so the Cossacks wore these hats for quite some time. And they began to be identified with roe deer.
Who are the gurans - nationality or ethnic group?
There is still debate about this issue. According to one theory, as a result of hybridization or interpenetration of several ethnic groups, not only the disappearance of the old, but also the emergence of a new ethnic group can occur. Of course, this is not possible everywhere, but Transbaikalia is ideally suited for this process. So, as a result of the merger of such nationalities as the Buryats, Evenks and Russians, a new type of local population has appeared that is not similar to the first, second, or third. But is this not proof that the gurans are nationality (see photo in the article)? Nevertheless, in the Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia there is no information about such people. Guran (nationality) is designated as a type of local population based on three ethnic groups: Buryat, Evenk and Russian. By the way, this term sometimes replaces the word Transbaikalian.
The story that happened to Khabarov
There is another legend of the origin of this nationality. One late winter, a Russian traveler and explorer Erofei Khabarov drove through Transbaikalia. He rode in a sleigh with a guide in front of the convoy. And suddenly a roe deer cut their way, and some peasant in strange fur clothes was chasing after her. Khabarov asked the coachman: who is this? And he, thinking that the gentleman had in mind the animal running in front, said that it was guran.
Description
In the folklore of local residents, you can find a detailed description of representatives of the Gurana ethnic group. Their nationality, although not listed in the passports, however, characteristic features speak of belonging to an ethnic group. Firstly, they can be recognized by liking. They are not vain, affectionate, have a powerful Cossack spirit. As for purely external characteristics, their eyes are half-slanted, the cheekbones come from the Mongols, and the color of the eyes can be light, even blue. Their skin is dark and their hair is mostly black. By the way, people of this mixed race are similar to the American Indians. In short, their appearance is very exotic, with a predominance of signs of the Mongoloid race. In addition, the guranes have well-developed musculature, they are flexible and are well versed in martial arts. At one time, representatives of this ethnic group defended the borders of Siberia from attacks by neighboring peoples - the Chinese and the Mongols.
Guranes: nationality, modernity
According to the representatives of this nation themselves, today they practically did not preserve the traditions of their distant ancestors who inhabited Transbaikalia. They consider themselves more Russian, but do not forget that the blood of guran flows in them. Representatives of this nationality have many legends, legends and stories about the life of their ancestors. Studying them, you understand that it is difficult to attribute them to Russian culture. There are also practically no Buryat or Evenk (Tungus) here. Based on this, you understand that this is, of course, a separate people, with its characteristic features. But the Russian ethnographer Nikolai Yadrintsev believed that the gurans are not an ethnic group, but a special “regional type” with its characteristic features.
A mixture of white and yellow blood
Of course, this is a mixture of races. Mongoloid, as a rule, is called yellow, and European, despite various skin tones, is considered white. Some scholars believe that initially people were called gurans who came from a mixture of Cossacks and Russian peasants with the Tungus. Later, this name was attached to all who have signs of both the Caucasoid (white) and Mongoloid (Mongoloid) races. However, these are not ordinary mestizos, namely those who carry the label of generations.
