Russia is a multinational power that has united hundreds of multilingual nationalities with a common fate and history. The reason for this was the almost ongoing process of joining new territories during the formation and development of the Russian state. Moreover, the entry of new territories, which is typical, in most cases occurred voluntarily.
Who are the Zyryans (Komi)? Almost 300 thousand people living in Western Siberia, Northern and Eastern Europe. Ethnic education is distinguished by linguistic and cultural originality, its own traditions and a special culture. They were called “Russian Americans” or “Jews of the North” for good reason.
On the ethnic diversity of Russia
Ethnic and cultural diversity in Russia is achieved by a combination of the so-called indigenous peoples (the population that lived in certain territories before the arrival of immigrants), immigrants from neighboring union republics (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Armenians, Lithuanians, etc.) and small ethnic groups, in most living outside of Russia (Hungarians, Czechs, Vietnamese, Serbs, Assyrians and others). Of course, the most colorful and numerous group is precisely the indigenous peoples.
Briefly about the Zyryans: who are they?
What are zyryans? More precisely, who are they? Zyryans are called ethnic education, which today has retained a relatively small number in the national composition of the Russian Federation. Until 1917, it was precisely this ethnic group that was in first place among the indigenous inhabitants of the Russian state, their education was second only to Jews, and enterprise and culture favorably distinguished the Zyrians from other Slavic peoples. Moreover, the population was also considered Russian, i.e., the indigenous people of Russia. Along with that, as already indicated, the Zyryans were called "Jews of the North" or "Russian Americans."
Resettlement and nationality
Who are the Zyrites, it is impossible to determine holistically, without considering their number and territory of settlement. These factors have a great influence on the development of ethnic education as a whole: a few nationalities are gradually dying out, remaining only a page in history, and the life of the population depends on the territory of residence. That, according to Karl Marx, in turn, determines and consciousness, the general culture of the people.
Today, the total number of Zyryans together with closely related small nationalities around the world reaches about 400 thousand people. The prevailing number of them now lives in the territories where the first Zyryans appeared, that is, in Russia. A small group of ethnic groups (just over 1, 500 people) is recorded in Ukraine.
If we talk about the first representatives of ethnic education, the number of Zyryans at various periods of historical development is reliably unknown. To believe the written sources of ancient times, of course, it is possible, but it is also known that inaccurate information is often found in them. Zyryans were not mentioned at all in chronicles and other documents until 1865, when the "Alphabetical List of Peoples Living in the Russian Empire" was published.
Who are the Zyrites (then the population was singled out as a separate ethnic group), what is their number and in what regions did the people live in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, this source indicates.
According to the “Alphabetical List of Peoples …”, the Zyrites amounted to 120 thousand people. They lived mainly in small districts of the Arkhangelsk, Perm and Vologda provinces. The region of the settlement of Zyrs in ancient times was called Arimaspea (a book of the same name was written by one of the writers of Ancient Hellas, but this historical source, unfortunately, has not survived to our days, otherwise it is likely that the document could open a significant part of the history of the ancient Zyrians)
The vast earlier people of the Zyryans are now dying out, even in the memory of the representatives of the ethnic group there were practically no clear legends that could fill the lack of historical information.
Anthropology and genetics of the people
Around the same time that the “Alphabetical List of Peoples …” was published, the “Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary” described the appearance of the ethnic group: the Zyryans of our day (meaning the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries) are distinguished by a strong physique. They are of medium height, most have black hair and dark brown or gray eyes. Tall blond-haired people with blue eyes are rare among Zyr people.
Their appearance suggests that Zyryans (as well as modern representatives of the ethnic group) were distinguished by good health and endurance.
At the same time, the average brain zyryan more than the brain of the Slavs by 20-30 grams. This was known even in pre-revolutionary times, the source of information is the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published in 1890-1907. In the area of resettlement of Zyryans there have always been many schools and libraries than in other regions of the Russian North. They were also engaged in reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing, and farming. “On conscience” zyryan exploration of Siberia and the Far East. It was they who carried out most of the trade between Siberia and Moscow.
Ethnic history of Zyryans
As already mentioned, few sources have survived to our time that could give a detailed answer to a number of questions. Who the zyryans really are, how they appeared, which distinguished ethnic education at different stages of history, now we can only guess by referring to brief snippets in various written historical sources.
It is known that the first Zyryans inhabited the banks of the Volga (at the confluence of the river into the Oka and Kama) in the second century BC. Somewhat later, the settlement of the people to the north began, and already in the IV-VIII centuries. n e. they inhabited the territories where their modern descendants reside. Later, the Zyryans were the first to pass from the power of Veliky Novgorod to the power of Moscow.
By the 18th century, the stage of the formation of ethnic education was completed. The beginning of the statehood of the nation was laid during the formation of the USSR: in 1926 the autonomous region of Komi (Zyryan) was formed. At that time, a little more than 200 thousand representatives of the Zyryans lived in the USSR. The Zyryan Republic underwent several more formal transformations from 1926 to 1992. At present, this region is part of the Russian Federation under the name of the Republic of Komi.
Komi culture
Since ancient times, woodworking had a mass distribution among the Zyryans. This is associated with painting and woodcarving, which are one of the distinguishing features of the culture of Zyryans (Komi). Common types of needlework have traditionally been weaving and embroidery. Ethnicity pays considerable attention to folk healing. Folklore is in many ways similar to traditional Russian culture.
Komi-Zyryan language
The native language of the Zyryans - Komi-Zyryans - belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family and breaks up into many dialects. In modern Russia, only 1, 560 thousand representatives of the nationality were called the Komi-Zyryan language, which is about half the total number of Komi-Zyryans.
A small number of representatives of ethnic education determines the Komi-Zyryan language as a mother tongue in Ukraine (4 thousand people) and in Kazakhstan (1.5 thousand).
The origin of the names of the people
The origin of the name “Zyryans” is still not unambiguously clarified. There are several versions of the origin of the ethnonym:
- from the Russian verbs “to see” or “to see”, which meant “to drink excessively”;
- the most plausible version is from the verb “zyrny” - “oust”, that is, the zyryans literally “ousted people from somewhere”;
- from the ancient name of beer (“sur”), that is, “people drinking on a national drink”;
- from the common Perm “sara” - a man (historical sources allow us to assert that once the Zyryans called themselves Suryans, Syryans, etc.).
As for the most plausible assumption about the origin of the ethnonym, it is also confirmed by the fact that the Komi and Finns were called Zyrians. In their language, the name meant “resident of the outskirts”, and “Perm” - “distant land”. That is how the Komi people living in the Perm Territory began to be called Zyryans. Today, scientists share the Komi-Zyryans and Komi-Permians.
With the name "Komi" everything is more clear. In scientific circles, it is generally accepted that the name came either from the Kama River (that is, literally “a person living on the banks of the Kama River”), or from the pra-Permian “com” - “man, person”.
Komi or Zyryans: how to?
The assertion is widespread that Zyryans and Komi are one and the same people. In fact, the way it is, however, here you can find some contradictions. Zyryans - this is only one kind of Komi nationality; there are also similar peoples (Permyaks, for example).
In one of the annals in the time of Ancient Rus, the name of one small ethnic group was transferred to the entire population living in Siberia. The ethnonym entrenched for many centuries and confusion arose. Today, historical justice is restored and the original name is replaced by the general name “Komi”, but earlier they were called Zyryans.
