All of us have probably heard that the Tatars - Siberian, Kazan or Crimean - are a nation that inhabits the territory of our immense homeland for a long time. Today, some of them have been assimilated, and now it is difficult to distinguish them from the Slavs, but there are those who, despite everything, continue to honor the traditions and culture of their ancestors.
This article aims to give as accurate a description as possible to such a representative of the multinational Russian people as the Russian Tatar. The reader will learn a lot of new and sometimes even unique information about these people. The article will be very interesting and cognitive. No wonder, after all, today the customs of the Tatars are considered one of the most ancient and unusual on the planet.
General information about the people
Tatars in Russia are a nationality that densely populates the central European part of our state, as well as the Urals, Volga region, Siberia and the Far East. Outside the country, they are found in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
According to ethnographers, their approximate number at the moment is 5523 thousand people. Speaking generally about this nation, the Tatars, it is worth noting, can be divided according to their ethno-territorial attribute into three main categories: Volga-Ural, Astrakhan and Siberian.
The latter, in turn, as a rule, call themselves Siberatarlars, or Siberians. Only on the territory of Russia they live approximately 190 thousand people, and about 20 thousand can be found in some countries of Central Asia and Kazakhstan.
Tatars are Siberian. Ethnic groups
Among this nationality, the following ethnic groups are distinguished:
- Tobolo-Irtysh, including the Kurdak-Sargatsky, Tyumen, Tara and Yaskolbin Tatars;
- Barabinskaya, which includes the Baraba-Turazh, Terenino-Choy and Lubeysk-Tuna Tatars;
- Tomsk, consisting of Kalmaks, Eushtins and chats.
Anthropology and language
Contrary to popular belief, in anthropological terms, the Tatars are considered extremely heterogeneous.
The fact is that, say, the Siberian Tatars in their physical appearance are very close to the so-called South Siberian type, which belongs to the huge Mongoloid race. Tatars who permanently live in Siberia, as well as those who inhabit the Urals and the Volga region, speak their own Tatar language, which belongs to the Kypchak subgroup of a very common Turkic group (Altai language family).
Their literary language was once formed on the basis of the so-called middle dialect. According to experts, the written language called the Turkic runic can be attributed to one of the oldest on the planet.
Culture of Siberian Tatars and items of national wardrobe
Not everyone knows that at the very beginning of the last century, local residents of the Tatar settlements did not wear underwear. In their views on this score, Russians and Tatars significantly differed from each other. Underwear last served quite spacious pants and shirts. Both men and women wore national beshmet, which are very extensive caftans with long sleeves.
Camisoles, which were made both with sleeves and without them, were also considered very popular. Special preference for a long time was given to special local chapan bathrobes. Their Tatar women were sewn from durable homespun fabric. Such outfits, of course, could not be saved from the winter cold, so in the cold season warm coats and fur coats, called tones or tunes in the local language, respectively, were removed from the chests.
Somewhere at the turn of the century, Russian Doha, short fur coats, sheepskin coats and Armenians came into fashion. So men dressed. But women preferred to dress up in dresses generously decorated with folk patterns. By the way, it is believed that the Kazan Tatars assimilated sooner than the Siberian ones. At least, now the first in terms of clothing practically do not differ from the native Slavs, while the latter are kept very separate, and those who adhere to national traditions are still considered fashionable.
How is the traditional housing of this people
Surprisingly, the Russians and Tatars, who have lived nearby for a long time, have a completely different idea of the construction of the so-called home. For many centuries, the latter called their settlements yurts and auls. Such villages in most cases were located along the banks of lakes and rivers.
It should be noted that the local mayors ordered and carefully monitored so that all the streets, whether they were cities or a modest village, were located in a straight line, intersecting strictly at right angles. Kazan Tatars, by the way, have never adhered to this principle. Their center of the settlement was an almost equal circle with divergent streets diverging in all directions.
The houses of Tatars living in Siberia are still located on both sides of the road, and only in some cases, for example, near a reservoir, is one-sided development observed. The huts were wooden, but mosques, as a rule, were built of brick.
Against the general background, postal stations, schools, numerous shops and shops, as well as forges, always stood out.
Tatar housing is rarely decorated with any patterns. Only sometimes you can find geometric figures on window platbands, cornices of houses or the gates of an entire estate. And this is far from accidental. It was forbidden by Islam to depict animals, birds, and even more so humans.
As for the interior decoration, even now, the modern Tatars of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities of our country very often decorate their houses and apartments with tables on low legs and intricate shelves for dishes.
Economic activity
At all times, the traditional occupation of this group of Tatars was agriculture. It existed in the tradition of the people even before the advent of the Russians. Its features are still determined by the geography of the place of residence. For example, in the southernmost part of Siberia, millet, wheat, oats and rye were mainly grown. In the northern territories, lake and river fisheries were and continue to be held in high esteem.
Cattle breeding can be practiced on forest-steppe plots or on steppe solonetzes, which at all times were famous for their forbs. If the territory allowed, and the region’s vegetation was relatively lush, Siberian Tatars, unlike the same Tatars, always bred horses and cattle.
Talking about crafts, one cannot but mention leatherwork, the manufacture of especially strong ropes made from special linden bast, weaving boxes, knitting nets and practically mass production both for own needs and for exchanging birch bark dishes, boats, carts, skis and sledges.
Beliefs of the representatives of this nation
Since the 18th century, most Tatars have been Muslim Sunnis in Russian Siberia, and today their religious center is located in the city of Ufa. The most important and widely celebrated holidays are Kurban Bayram and Uraza-Ramadan.
Almost immediately after the arrival of the Russians, a significant part of the Tatars adopted Christianity and began to practice Orthodoxy. However, it should be noted that such representatives of this ethnic group, as a rule, broke away from their historically ethnic group and continued to assimilate with the Russian population.
Until about the second half of the 19th century, ministers of various ancient pagan cults existed in villages en masse, shamanism flourished, and local healers treated the sick. There were also sacrifices, during which a tambourine and a special mallet in the form of a scapula were used.
By the way, it should be noted that both men and women could be shamans.
Beliefs, myths and legends
Siberian Tatars considered kudu and tangri to be their supreme deities. They also believed in the existence of the evil underground spirit of Ain, which brought trouble, illness, and even death.
Myths also testify to special idol spirits. According to legend, they had to be made from birch bark and branches, and then left in a special place in the forest, most often in tree hollows. It was believed that they could protect the whole village from adversity.
It often happened that such wooden gods had to be pinned to the roofs of houses. They had to protect all household members.
It was believed that the spirits of the dead could attack the village, so the locals from time to time made from fabric special Kurchak dolls. They had to be kept in wicker baskets under the big trees near the cemetery.
Features of national cuisine
It should be noted that even today the Tatars of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Ufa proudly boast of the delicacies and delights of their cuisine. What is so special about her? Yes, in fact, nothing special, except, perhaps, the fact that literally everything here is actually very tasty.
In their food, the Siberian Tatars prefer to use mainly meat (pork, moose, rabbit and poultry) and dairy (Ayran, cream, butter, cheese and cottage cheese) products.
Soups are very popular. Now visitors to trendy Tatar restaurants are happy to order shurpa or a very peculiar flour soup, as well as national first dishes from millet, rice or fish.
Traditional cereals based on milk or water are prepared with the addition of barley or oats.
Tatars are famous lovers of flour. At the first opportunity, you should try their cakes, pies and dishes, something remotely resembling our pancakes.
Social organization of Siberian Tatars
During the reign of the Siberian Khanate, this people had so-called tribal relations with the elements of the territorial community present in them. Initially, there were two such communities: a village and a volost. Management of the company was carried out with the help of democratic gatherings. By the way, mutual assistance among these people is far from rare, but the usual order of things.
One cannot fail to mention the existence of a tugum, which was a whole group of families with family ties established between them. This administrative body, as a rule, was used to regulate both family and household relations, and also supervised the performance of various kinds of folk and religious rites.
