Introduction. Recent times witness an increased interest in the written heritage of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Russian-Kalmyk interactions. So, the paper introduces some collections from a variety of previously unpublished orders and edicts of Peter I and Khan Ayuka from the period of (including preceding arrangements) the 1722 Persian Campaign. Goals. The work seeks to present a number of newly discovered document narratives pertaining to Russian-Kalmyk relations in Peter the Great’s era. Materials. The article focuses on collections of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire that contain unique correspondence materials between the Kalmyk ruler and the Russian emperor. Results. Publications of such documents shall essentially contribute to the study of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Russian-Kalmyk contacts. The text mentions most interesting details of how Kalmyk cavalry units would prepare and participate in the Persian Campaign of 1722. Conclusions. Essentials of Peter the Great’s orders and edicts — as well as those of Khan Ayuka — attest to the Russian government was perfectly aware of the actual situation along its southern borders. The edict’s text shows the government did pay particular attention to military training of irregular troops, and sought to secure the latter receive comprehensive support and stipulated combat pays.

Introduction. The article examines migration as a factor for the transformation of the system of pristav directorates in the Central Caucasus and southern steppe Ciscaucasia between 1800 and1803. Goals. The work seeks to identify some specifics of how authorities and officials would approach the issue of resettling Iki-Dorbet Kalmyks that had left lands of the Don Host for those of Astrakhan Governorate in 1800, to outline certain features inherent to the transformation of pristav directorates in 1800–1803 through the example of the established position of Chief Pristav and subsequent separation of the latter’s office. Materials and methods. The study employs the chronological, historical genetic, historical systemic methods, and involves an institutional approach to analyze some newly discovered documentary narratives from the Russian State Historical Archive and National Archive of Kalmykia. Results. Particular attention is given to the circumstances and key directions of activities undertaken by authorities to determine the territorial jurisdiction (subordination) of the Chief Pristav’s Office in 1800–1801, with due regard of how territorial jurisdictions of other pristav directorates would be reshaped after the Kalmyk People’s Chief Pristav’s Office was established in 1801. Conclusions. In the early eighteenth century, internal migrations remained an important factor when it came to transform the then system of pristav directorates across the Central Caucasus and southern steppe Ciscaucasia. The measures undertaken by authorities did contribute to the strengthening of the Russian government apparatus in the south of the country, and yielded somewhat comfortable conditions for the incorporation of the region’s indigenous peoples — into Imperial Russia’s political and legal environments.

Introduction. The article deals with the issue of afforestation in Kalmyk Steppe of Astrakhan Governorate throughout the mid-eighteenth century which remains topical enough to date. The Republic of Kalmykia clusters with sparsely forested regions and is characterized by absence of natural tree and shrub structures. So, any lack of reforestation can lead to complete desertification of the territory. Therefore, re- and afforestation efforts in the region primarily seek to increase forested areas and prevent the spread of sand. The Republic participates in the federal program ‘Forest Conservation’ integral to the National Project ‘Ecology’. The region’s climate patterns result in extremely low survivability of planted trees, which requires a wide range of forestry measures, including clearing and grubbing, pit digging and seed harvesting. It is also urgent to acquire special equipment and create new jobs in the forestry sector. Goals. The paper seeks to examine the mid-eighteenth forestry efforts across Kalmyk Steppe for an insight into how the question would be solved in the pre-revolutionary period. Materials and methods. Quite a number of nineteenth-century researchers — including local officials — would emphasize the utmost importance of afforestation in Kalmyk Steppe. The article focuses on travel notes made by the academic forester I. Sankevich in the autumn of 1856 when he arrived to review forestry/gardening efforts and analyze native forests in Kalmyk-inhabited districts. The notes describe tree plantations in a number of Kalmyk uluses, outline key afforestation problems, and articulate proposals for the improvement of further activities. This forester’s narrative provides an opportunity to assemble a documented picture of forestry affairs across steppe areas of the mid-eighteenth century Russian Empire, i.e. in earliest stages of such endeavors. I. Sankevich did utter quite essential proposals on forestry management, development of foresters and watchmen’s services. In terms of methodology, our study rests on the principles of historicism and systemacity. The principle of historicism secures the insight into Kalmyk Steppe's (Astrakhan Governorate) afforestation affairs be complete enough in relation to the actual historical conditions, while that of systemity makes it possible to comprehensively examine the reforestation issue with due regard of then Russia' contexts.  Results. Afforestation in Kalmyk-inhabited steppes was largely protective and associated with significant difficulties. It is crucial to investigate experiences of professionals who had made considerable forestry efforts in Kalmykia before.

Introduction. Relocations of foreigners would be conducted by the Tsarist government under Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I to populate steppes of South Russia, secure the latter from attacks launched by nomadic groups, and gain additional economic benefits from land use. Under Catherine II, another reason for inviting the former became the urgent need to populate the newly acquired lands — southern territories captured in the aftermath of the two Russo-Turkish wars, and some western domains obtained through the partitions of Poland. So, the Government tended to welcome foreign colonists en masse — the French, Swedes, Bulgarians, Serbs, Germans and others. Goals. The paper attempts a reconstruction of how Germans representing the Unity of Brethren of Herrnhut appeared and settled in Russia’s south. To facilitate these, the work shall analyze eighteenth- and nineteenth-century government documents, examine ethnographic and statistical accounts authored by scholars and officials from the period in question, with due attention be paid to notes of travelers from the period in question and writings of modern researchers. Results. The study shows why and how foreigners would choose to settle in Russia — from the reign of Peter the Great and his predecessors to the government measures under Catherine II and subsequent emperors. Conclusions. The first and only Russia’s settlement of the Herrnhut Brethren (Germany) proved a successful experience of colonization across the undeveloped agricultural areas of South Russia. Sarepta did make a significant contribution to the development of the Lower Volga — and would serve an important economic and cultural stronghold of the region.

Introduction. In the Far North, where harsh climate conditions and underpopulation pose specific challenges to human life, hunting remains an important economic activity. The study of labor and daily life of Yakutia’s hunters provides further insights into the specifics of human adaptation to severe environments and evaluates the contribution of hunters to the region’s development. Goals. The article attempts an analysis into the labor agenda and everyday life of hunters in Yakutia throughout the 1960 to 1980s. To facilitate this, the paper shall investigate the impacts of state policies on hunting arrangements, examine some peculiarities of hunting in the Far North, identify key essentials of their daily (mostly autonomous) work. Materials and methods. The study examines a variety of materials that secure a comprehensive understanding of labor and daily routine of hunters in the 1960s to 1980s. These include documents from state and departmental archives containing data on the development of industrial hunting in Yakutia, working and socioeconomic conditions for hunters, a significant supplement thereto be interviews with hunters proper and their life stories. Special attention is paid to local history works and oral narratives of small villages where hunting remains an important part of the life-support system to date. The research is based on an integrated approach that comprises analyses of historical sources, comparative evaluations, use of ethnographic and oral history tools. Results. The sources have proved instrumental in outlining the daily life of hunters, their working routine, problems and challenges they faced. From the 1960s to late 1980s, hunting and animal husbandry were important sectors of the Soviet economy. Those would bring the so much required income and currencies to the government, which is confirmed by constant attention of highest agencies to hunting arrangements and management. So, hunting was considered an independent and important branch of the national socialist economy. The examined period witnessed a number of important steps aimed at supporting the activity in the Yakut ASSR. The work of hunters was necessary for the state, but it was as needed by indigenous populations since hunting remained an integral part of their life sustenance. 

Introduction. Integration serves a principal trend characterizing the dynamics of sociocultural processes in modern society, and is accompanied by progressing ethnocultural diversity, emergence of new social strata and communities, including mixed-race ones. Individual miscegenation degrees are influenced by various ethnosocial processes, primarily expanded marriage opportunities and increased interethnic unions, essentially contributed to by high migration mobility. Goals. The article seeks to outline matrimonial practices leading to interethnic unions, and attempts insights into marriage and partnership relations that dominate among mestizos (descendants of such unions) — in a regional perspective through the example of Khakassia (Russian Federation). Materials and methods. The study employs an integrated approach based on statistical data and secondary document analysis, including that of scholarly publications examining miscegenation. Survey methods (questionnaires, informal interviews) and personal observations have also proved instrumental herein. Interviews and interrogations were conducted in 2023–2024. Results and conclusions. The paper identifies some key sociodemographic characteristics of Khakassia’s mestizos, describes individual situations and related objective/subjective conditions — prior to interethnic unions and characteristic of marriage, partnership and family patterns (practices) adopted by mestizos proper and their parents. In this regard, it is noteworthy that, firstly, dating and mate choice practices are largely determined by actual environments and — the ethno-contact zone in terms of its heterogeneity or homogeneity, the latter be also contributed to by migration and urbanization. Secondly, the interviewed mestizos of Khakassia tend to focus on manifesting civil and regional identities, which results in lower ethnicity levels and somewhat relaxed attitudes to ethnic intermarriages, including for their own children. The undertaken study expands our understanding of the place and role played by miscegenation in Khakassia’s cross-cultural agenda, specifies the dynamics of interethnic unions, outlines marriage and partnership practices of mestizos. In the future, the obtained results can be used to calculate directions and prospects for the development of regional ethnosocial processes.

 Introduction. The passportization arrangements resulted in that Tuvans acquired surnames and patronymics: the ethnic naming tradition was thus replaced by a Soviet naming formula. So, the transformation processes led to names (ethnonyms) of clan/tribal groups — that had often been used as last names in the years of the Tuvan People’s Republic (TPR), and not that often during the Soviet passportization — were virtually excluded from Tuvan naming formulas, which is largely evident from present-day surname selections of Tuva’s population. So, modern Tuvans — already generations of them — may (and actually do) face drastic difficulties when it comes to identify themselves with a certain clan/tribe, suffer from being unaware of actual genealogies and names of direct ancestors. Goals. The study seeks to examine the transformation of the ethnic naming tradition — into the Soviet naming formula observed after the passportization. To facilitate this, the paper shall specify peculiarities of Tuvan naming practices in the TNR and Soviet Tuva, trace some changes in traditional naming patterns caused by the Soviet passportization. Materials and methods. The work pays particular attention to writings of Tuvan scholars — experts in Tuvan studies, ethnographers — and archival documents, periodicals of the TPR and those from the Soviet era (1940s). The study focuses on surnames of Tuvans that resided in territories supposed to have experienced utmost transformation processes of excluding clan/tribal designations from the naming formula, and particularly on ones selected by natives of Erzinsky District. Results. The passportization arrangements did entail dramatic changes in anthroponomy of modern Tuvan clan/tribal groups. The traditional naming system has undergone changes only to be replaced by different naming patterns, which is confirmed by present-day surnames and naming formulas of Tuva’s population. In particular, ethnonyms (names of clan/tribal groups) have been largely excluded from naming formulas of Tuvans residing in Erzinsky District.

Introduction. The study examines patriotism as a component of Bashkortostan’s youth worldviews, which is topical enough since recent decades witness a global struggle of values aggravated by extended mindset control opportunities, including ones targeted on younger generations. The mass attack against traditional values requires deeper philosophical, cultural, and axiological insights for certain countermeasures, lest its consequences should become catastrophic for involved communities. One such ideological basis instrumental in resisting the marginal trends is patriotism supposed to ultimately serve a crucial driver of social development. Materials and methods. The paper analyzes survey materials collected from young individuals residing in the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2023–2024. And it is this age group — their pro-active attitudes and sense of nationhood — that shall determine the country’s future. Results. The article reviews some theoretical approaches to the concept of patriotism, reveals its significance, shows how younger generations tend to perceive contemporary sociopolitical processes, traces mutual impacts of patriotism and various identities. Such public, questionnaire and focus group surveys make it possible to outline the mindset of a particular social cluster, update approaches and methods of education, clarify and actualize related concepts. The obtained data yield an attempted semantic clarification into the concept of patriotism, substantiate processes that influence its shaping and strengthening, and show its relations with identity patterns observed in present-day Russia. The paper depicts the actual state and prospects of patriotism in contemporary Russia, conveys how involved groups tend to understand the essence of this phenomenon. Ultimately, this may help systematize patriotic endeavors for the latter to deliver vivid results. Conclusions. In the context of geopolitical challenges, patriotism gains particular importance. The questionnaire survey of Bashkortostan’s youth shows the issue hits chord with most of them, and only less than 5% of respondents indicated that ‘patriotism is outdated’. Recent studies confirm the strengthening of patriotism nationwide goes hand in hand with the development of all-Russian identity. Moreover, the former becomes a foundation for civic identity and performs identification/integration functions — expected to shape a national idea that would unite Russia’s population regardless of ethnic and religious attributes, this be a key factor to secure the country’s unity and civil harmony in the multicultural society. 

Introduction. The national education system is supposed to develop mobility and increase exports of Russian education. In the mean time, the government strives to redirect flows of educational migrants from megalopolises and cities — towards regions. Educational services to foreign citizens entail a variety of social, political and economic benefits. Recent years witness increased numbers of students from abroad that choose to attend university-level programs or preliminary ones at Russia’s regional institutions, while the former are distributed not that evenly between the latter. This might arise from economic and geographic factors, academic reputations of universities, educational infrastructures, existing informal or cultural contacts. Goals. The article examines the Republic of Kalmykia and neighboring federal subjects to articulate some aspects of educational migration to Russia’s regions essential for foreign students. Materials and methods. The paper analyzes statistical data on foreign students and their distribution across some South Russian regions, such as Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan oblasts, Stavropol Region, Kalmykia and Dagestan. The study involves a sociological survey of foreign students at the Gorodovikov Kalmyk State University, a key research method being the comparative analysis one. Results. . Our insight into foreign student data for universities of the specified regions (academic year 2018–2019) shows Rostov Oblast hosted the largest number of foreigners, while the latter’s share proved utmost in Astrakhan Oblast, with Kalmykia ranked next, and Volgograd Oblast in the third place. In virtually all the regions, the bulk of foreigners take medical and technical university programs. The survey indicates the essential factors in choosing Russia include — quality and accessibility of education, good living conditions, further training and employment prospects, citizenship opportunities. The choice of Kalmykia is usually prompted by the advice from friends and relatives who have already studied in the region, by relatively low tuition fees and dormitory accommodation costs. Another mentioned advantage of Elista (Kalmykia’s administrative center) proves its small size and, consequently, reduced home-to-university travel times. Conclusions. Our distribution analysis for the examined South Russian regions shows larger territories — such as Rostov and Volgograd oblasts, Stavropol Krai, and the Republic of Dagestan — somewhat fail to use the full potential of attracting foreign students.

Introduction. The article examines the literary tradition of ‘Mawlid’ in works of early twentieth-century Central Asian poets, the latter be represented by Kazakh and Uzbek authors. Central Asian literature proves a synthesis of Islam and the Turkic world that would articulate the history of Islam for religious and educational purposes, develop motifs, plots, images from the Quran, Hadiths and other religious texts. The literary Mawlid tradition celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (PBUH) holds a particular place in Muslim culture. In the literature of Central Asia of the early twentieth century this tradition acquired a special significance since it would combine elements of classical Islamic literature and local cultural features. Goals. The study seeks to consider how the literary tradition of Mawlid formed, its thematic and genre originality, and the role of such works in the world of Islam. Materials and methods. The article provides a historical/literary analysis into Mawlid-type works by Kazakh and Uzbek poets from the period in question, in particular, dastans by Mulla Yoʻldosh Xilvatiy (Mawlid [al-] Sharif) and Shadi Zhangiruly (Siyar Sharif). The original texts examined herein are housed at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan) and Institute of Turkic Studies (Manuscript Collection, Ahmet Yassawi University). Results. The paper outlines thematic scopes of the texts, their genre and artistic originality, identifies some key references and reminiscences from the Quran and Hadiths, explains their utmost didactic potential in transmitting religious and moral values, in strengthening faith and national identity. Conclusions. The religious and literary narratives made a significant contribution to the development of Mawlid traditions in Uzbek and Kazakh literatures in the early twentieth century.

Introduction. Despite studies in Transbaikalia’s onomastics are voluminous enough, the toponymic environments of its urban settlements remain somewhat understudied. Goals. The work attempts a comprehensive insight — at oikonymic, urbanonymic and ergonymic levels — into how the specified field formed and developed. Materials and methods. The empirical basis comprises official names of urban objects within a total of six towns/cities located in two administrative territorial units of Transbaikalia (Republic of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai), the former be identified across a variety of documentary, journalistic, pictorial and oral sources. The toponymic study of new towns and cities in Transbaikalia employs the etymological, semantic, comparative historical and statistical methods. Results. The paper analyzes and systematizes oikonyms, urbanonyms and ergonyms of the region’s new towns and cities, reveals some distinctive features of toponymic formation for three types of urban settlements — transport, industrial and youth ones, shows key stages of state toponymic policies, hypothesizes as to causes and consequences of renaming arrangements. Conclusions. The analysis into the three levels of Transbaikalia’s urban toponymic environments makes it possible to conclude that the latter remains systemically organized and — in the context of the transition from a unified Soviet toponymic policy to present-day nominative differentiations — maintains its integral and continuous essentials.

Introduction. The article deals with modern Mongolian terms for elements of a riding saddle (эмээл) and pack ones, the latter to include янгирцаг (a cargo saddle for oxen and deer) and хом (a saddle for Bactrian camels to transport bales). Goals. The study attempts etymological analyses into the specified terms and concludes on how the lexical/semantic group in question may have formed. Materials and methods. The paper focuses on Mongolic and Turkic dictionaries, scholarly works on the ethnography of Mongols. The material was selected through the continuous sampling method for further etymological insights with the aid of etymological dictionaries and works on Mongolic and Turkic etymologies. Results. There are approximately 30 Mongolian terms for elements of a riding saddle and pack ones. One third of the former cluster with the colloquial Mongolian vocabulary and are used either in figurative or in direct — but specified — senses. The remaining two thirds are special terms, the overwhelming majority of which have parallels in the Turkic languages. So, it is often difficult enough to establish whether a word denoting an element of the saddle is a Mongolism in the Turkic languages — or a Turkism in the Mongolic ones. The only explicitly distinctive borrowing here is the Sinicism мааюуз ‘cushion on the saddle’. Conclusions. The bulk of the lexical/semantic group in question is compiled from ancient terms. These are units of either native Mongolian vocabulary or Turkisms. So, introductions of advanced structural elements would give rise to new terms — borrowed from either colloquial Mongolian or languages of neighboring Turks, and only one proves an evident borrowing from Chinese.

Introduction. Lexicographic sources in Old Kalmyk are of particular importance for studies of Kalmyk historical phonetics. Such earliest sources include a variety of dictionaries and wordlists compiled by German scholars engaged in the research of Imperial Russia’s peoples — including Kalmyks — and languages between the mid-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The definite linguistic value is that those are records of colloquial language made by ‘external’ observers unfamiliar with oral-to-writing rules inherent to Oirat (Old Kalmyk) Script. If compared to written texts from the same period usually characterized by classical/literary language forms, such records would reflect the then Kalmyk phonetic features in a more accurate manner. Goals. The paper attempts an analysis into grapho-phonetic peculiarities inherent to the Kalmyk language throughout the mid-eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries. Materials and methods. The study focuses on Kalmyk wordlists compiled by G. Doerfer (Ältere Westeuropäische Quellen zür Kalmückischen Sprachgeschichte, 1965) from G. F. Müller’s Sammlung Russischer Geschichte (1760–1762) and B. Bergman’s Nomadische Streifereien unter den Kalmȕken in den Jahren 1802 und 1803 (1804–1805). The wordlists have been formatted to MS Excel, each entry to contain the authors’ spelling, German/Russian translations, and a modern literary form — to be further uploaded onto the LingvoDoc platform for comparative analysis with Proto-Mongolic and contemporary standard Kalmyk patterns. Results. The insight into the Old Kalmyk graphophonetic system articulated in G. F. Müller and B. Bergman’s publications makes it possible to conclude as follows. All the involved dictionaries and wordlists (including ones by P. S. Pallas and J. H. Klaproth) contain some archaic features of Old Kalmyk (from the examined period) that coincide with Proto-Mongolic forms (o — std. Kalm. ɵ, ai — a, u — ү), and innovative ones (e — std. Kalm. ɵ (Proto-Mongolic *ö), ä — e, ü — ө, o — у) that differ from both Proto-Mongolic and modern Kalmyk. It can be assumed that these were characteristic of Old Kalmyk in the mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries at large — and not just for individual dialects. As for the consonant system, the correspondence k / c — std. Kalm. х is present only in G. F. Müller’s materials, where one can also find double spelling patterns for some lexemes with [k] and [ch] (e.g., kogur / chojor, kori / chori). This may indicate the archaic feature started to vanish in the 1760s and virtually disappeared by the early nineteenth century, since in materials of B. Bergman and J. H. Klaproth the correspondence can be traced only in spelling patterns of the verbal affix -kö. The correspondences tz — std. Kalm. ч and sch — ч have been discovered in both G. F. Müller and B. Bergman’s wordlists, which attests to these be viewed as phonetic features of Old Kalmyk from the period under consideration. Some correspondences identified in the examined wordlists (b — std. Kalm. в, e — ɵ, o — ɵ, i — ү, ö — ү, o / oo — у) are found in modern Buzava and Dorbet dialects, as well as in Orenburg and Ural subdialects.

Introduction. The paper examines and describes some archaic and innovative features identified in a word list of P. S. Pallas from the treatise titled ‘Comparative Dictionaries of All Languages and Dialects Collected by the Order of Her Imperial Majesty’ and printed by I. K. Schnor (St. Petersburg) in 1787–1789. Special attention be paid to specific traits once inherent to various Kalmyk dialects. Goals. So, the study attempts a description of archaic and innovative features traced in the Kalmyk word list contained in the mentioned work of P. S. Pallas. Materials. The analysis focuses on the Kalmyk word list (including word combinations) from the specified dictionary that comprises a total of 531 entries. The former be supplemented with Proto-Mongolic reconstructions by H. Nugteren, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Kalmyk dictionaries by G. F. Müller, B. Bergmann and J. Klaproth published in G. Doerfer’s Ältere Westeuropäische Quellen zur Kalmückischen Sprachengeschichte, The Dictionary of Kalmyk edited by B. Muniev. Results. The LingvoDoc-based survey has yielded certain correspondence rows of vowel graphemes compiled from ones in the dictionary of P. S. Pallas, that of modern Kalmyk, and reconstruction works of H. Nugteren. There are some archaisms and innovations that may have been recorded from an unidentified dialect, and the traces can be observed in other seventeenth- and eighteenth-century dictionaries too. The examined materials contain features of both Dorbet, Torghut, Buzav and Orenburg dialects.

 Introduction. The article examines etymologies and semantics of wind-related terms in the Mongolic languages. Goals. The study primarily seeks to identify some etymological and semantic–typological features inherent to the specified thematic group of the general Mongolian lexicon. The concept of wind is included in the basic vocabulary and, in particular, can be traced in most languages of the world. Materials and methods. The work investigates a variety of Mongolic dictionaries, these be supplemented with etymological insights into the Mongolian vocabulary and certain dictionaries of other Altaic languages, field data of expeditions aimed at compiling context-based Swadesh lists for dialects of Mongolic languages. Results. The paper indentifies a total of 25 wind names in the Mongolic languages. The analysis shows there are a significant number of proto-Mongolic terms for wind and their varieties. All of them are authentic (i.e., essentially Mongolic) and have reliable Altaic parallels. The six lexemes — kei ‘air, wind’, *sal-kïn ‘wind, air’, *kuyï(n) ‘whirlwind, tornado’, *sïhurgan ‘blizzard, snowstorm’, *boruhan ‘storm with snow or rain’, *serihün ‘coolness; cool; fresh breeze’ — are reconstructed only from proto-Mongolic stems. Meanwhile, such lexical units as *kabsur-ga ‘cold dry wind’, *ǰïbar ‘coolness, freshness; wind’, ǰüse ‘strong, sudden wind; prolonged rain’; *simarga ‘snowstorm with sleet’, *sebsihen ‘fresh, light breeze’, *sense ‘light breeze’ are probably proto-Northern Mongolian neologisms. The words formed in some Mongolic languages from verbs expressing similar concepts (‘to fan’, ‘to wave’, ‘to be cool’) have also been traced.