Льыоравэтльан

We congratulate everybody with publishing the first issue of the Informational Bulletin of Informational Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass! It is prepared by us – the 1st group of interns of the Center. Let us introduce ourselves!

From left to right: Marina Todysheva (Teleut, Belovo, entrepreneur), Tatyana Barsukova (Teleut, Belovo, activist of the youth of Teleut village), Eduard Todyshev (Teleut, Belovo, activist of the youth of Teleut village), Yulia Kolchegosheva (Teleut, Belovo, director of Informational Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass), Ludmila Kormina (Teleut, Novobachaty village, Belovo Region, representative of the community of Novobachaty), Oksana Tarasova (Teleut, Shanda village, Guryevsky Region, deputy of Razdolnensky village Council), Svetlana Chebelkova (Teleut, Belovo, entrepreneur), Svetlana Faizrahmanova (Teleut, Novobachaty village, activist of Novobachaty). MEETINGS AND OPINIONS OF THE INTERNS We, the interns of the first group of Informational Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass, besides studying international, Russian, regional laws, legal norms and documents on indigenous peoples, had some interesting meetings and want to share the received information with you, our dear readers.

On 23 November 2006 the new training course “Education in the Field of Human Rights, Rights of Indigenous Peoples” started in the Informational Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass. The first group of interns consisted of seven representatives of indigenous peoples living in Belovo town, Belovo and Guryevsk Regions.
The Chairman of the National Cultural Center of Teleut People “Tazyldar” Victor Aleksandrovich Barsukov came to congratulate us with the beginning of the studies. He told us about the history of our people. We got to know that our ancestors were wandering on the territory of today’s northern China till 3rd century B.C. The tribes of our forefathers formed the basis of military power of Turkic state, they posted 60 tumens, i.e. 600 thousand warriors. And now the population of our people is only 2500.
He also told us about the traditions of our people, e.g. the celebration of national Teleut wedding. The main decoration of the wedding Teleut table is national cuisine: kainatkan, perektor and kalachiktar (pies and rolls boiled in oil), katama (a kind of cookies), etc.; on the second day of the wedding the newly weds and the relatives of the bridegroom cook pelmeny and treat the relatives of the bride. In the past on the wedding there was a ritual called “kure”: men gathered in the yard round the fire and ate boiled meat while women were busy in the kitchen. For the wedding the relatives of the bride prepared a lot of national dresses, which they put on the close relatives of the bridegroom. We also have a ritual of worshiping the spirit of the fire: the bride coming to the house of the bridegroom asks to take her to the new family bowing before the fire, she must bow three times to the fire (at that moment on the oven there are three earthenware pots with three birch twigs) and to somdorga (birches) running under national coverlet (kezhege) with her uncle and the uncle of the bridegroom.
In the conclusion of our meeting Victor Aleskandrovich wished us not to forget our language, keep and develop the culture of our people, as well as successful and fruitful work to our Informational Center.

Oksana Tarasova and Marina Todysheva

On 7 December 2006 our group met with the main specialist on Teleut village – O.N. Korbina. She told us that she had a two-week internship in Kemerovo in public organization “Nabat” run by Timur Kalishev.
On the question about territorial self-government she answered that the villages Teleut, 8 Marta, Cherta, Zarechnoye and Babonakovo are joined in one Territorial Department, i.e. there is only one accountant and the head of the Department A.N. Kudryavtsev for all these villages. The budget is also one for these villages. It all means, that if before we had national territorial committee of self-government, i.e. we were more or less independent, now we are just a small link of the general Territorial Department.

Tatyana Barsukova

On 8 December our group met with Valentin Todyshev, the third Teleut intern from Kuzbass of L’auravetl’an Indigenous Information Center in Moscow in 1999. At present Valentin is a lawyer of the Association of Teleut People "Ene-Bayat" and is consulting on the rights of indigenous peoples. Valentin told us about his training in Moscow; they studied international and Russian legislation in the field of human rights and liberties, rights of indigenous peoples; got skills of using a computer, Internet, e-mail; during the internship they met with officials, visited the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, the State Duma, met the officials of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and with the Plenipotentiary on Human Rights of the Russian Federation, as well as with a representative of indigenous peoples of Canada, took part in working out thestatues of the the All-Russia Union. In 2004 Valentin had a five-day individual training of the Honorary Barrister of Russia Olga Yakovleva. During the training the focus was made on environment and land rights of indigenous peoples.

Marina Todysheva

On 15 December our group met with the Head of the Land Committee Nicolay Stepanovich Chernetsov. He told us about the general principles of work of the Committee established in 1991 after the decree of the President on Land Reform. The Committee is controlling land relations, protects land resources. With establishment of the Committee there become more order on the issues of land-use, collecting taxes increased 200 times. Nicolay Stepanovich said that for every land plot a tax and rent are paid. The sum of rent depends on the purpose of using the land plot. Starting from this year the fee will be made depending on the cadastre evaluation. The objectives of the Land Committee include protection of land resources, which is a hard task today. They have to content with coal industry, which is the leading industry in our country. According to technology, the formed cavities after mining must be reclamated, i.e. filled and planted with saplings, what no coal enterprise is doing. Now the coal-miners are made the new terms: to use 1 hectare of new land for mining they have to reclamate the same area of land. Nicolay Stepanovich also answered our questions concerning privatization of land, division of territories between neighboring villages and other questions on land.
Oksana Tarasova

PAGES OF HISTORY OF TELEUT PEOPLE
Ethnic history of Teleuts can be observed since the beginning of 1st millennium BC.
Teleut ancestors under the ethnic name CHI-DI till the 3rd BC wandered on the territory of modern Northern China. In the 3rd BC they were forced out by the Chinese to the steppes in the southern side of Gobi desert. In Chinese chronicle WEI they are called GAOGUI (GAOJUI means a high cart).
In 297 Gaogui became subjugated by Xianbei Tuoba founded Wei Dynasty. In Wei Dynasty chronicle their customs are described as follows, “They don’t have one major chieftain, each clan has their own leader. By character they are rough and severe. The members of a clan are unanimous, when they suffer an incursion they all help each other. In battles they don’t form lines, but attack the enemy chaotically, occasionally appearing and leaving… By customs they squat… for marriage they present as a gift cattle and horses, considering it an honour. On a wedding day a bride and a groom give koumiss and hot meat. Domestic cattle have marks, and although it pastures free, nobody steals it. They like thunderclaps. With each clap they shout and shoot into the sky, and then they leave that place and move to another… In peaceful times they make gratifying praying, during which they slaughter a lot of different cattle, burn their bones, ride several hundred circles around this place on horses. All men and women of all ages gather for such an event… Gaojui move from one place to another depending on availability of grass and water, dress in skins, eat meat, breed cattle, sheep and other domestic animals. Their carts have high wheels with a large number of spokes… They constantly fought with Juan-juans (Mongol-speaking nomadic tribes), and often attacked Wei state and sacked it.”
Gaogui (different names: Gaigui Dinlins, folk name Chele transformed into Tele) roamed in modern Mongolia and partly in Tyva.
At the end of the 5th century a considerable part of Gaogui (about 100,000 wagons or 500-600 thousand people) moved from Mongolia across Altai to the valley of the Irtysh river, the area of modern Turfan (Semirechye or Jity-su, i.e. seven rivers, corresponds to the South-Eastern part of modern Kazakhstan), and having destroyed the state Uaban – the rest of the Huns epoch – in 42 founded their state Gaogui (according to L. Gumilev – Teleut Khanate).
But the period of Teleut Empire was not long in the dynamic nomadic world.
Gaogui, who became to be called as Tele, were constantly fighting with Juan-juan Khaganate and were attacked by Hephthalites.
In 540 the last leader of the state Gaogui Bidi was defeated by Juan-juans, and the state of Tele people ceased to exist, and Tele themselves became dependant on Juan-juan Khaganate.
Western Teles endured Juan-juan yoke very hard, and in 550 (?) they rebelled and moved against Juan-juan intending to defeat them in Khalka – the center of Juan-juan Khaganate. When Teles were in the middle of their way, from the ravines of Gobi Altai well-disposed lines of Turkuts in lamellar armors with long spears on the well-fed horses went out headed by Bumyn from Ashin clan. As Teles were going to fight with hated Juan-juans, and had ethnic cognation with Turkuts who were also feudatory to Juan-juans, they immediately expressed their submission to Bumyn and joined his horde.
Submission in the steppe is mutually binding. One could rule 50 thousand wagons (about 300 thousand people) only when he did what they wanted. Tele wanted to defeat hateful Juan-juans, that was the same what Bumyn’s people wanted. The war of Turkic tribes united by Bumyn with Juan-juan Khaganate was unavoidable.
In winter 552 Bumyn started a campaign against Juan-juans and fully crushed them. Since that time hegemony in Central Asia is taken by Turkic people with the head of the Ashins’ clan.
Bumyn was titled as Il-Khan, and became the founder of the Great Turkic Khaganate. Since that time and up to 745 the history of Teleuts is closely connected with the history of “Eternal Turkic El” (“El” means “power”).

Tele tribes were the basis of military power of the Turkic Empire. According to the words of a famous orientalist N. Bichurin-Iakinf, grounded on Chinese sources, “Ancient Turkish fought heroically by the power of Tele on the deserts of the North”, i.e. in the steppes of Eurasia. In that period, according to the same sources, Tele put forward 60 tumens, i.e. 600,000 warriors. Probably, this data are hyperbolic and this figure shows the total number, nut nevertheless it gives us the idea of multiplicity of Tele tribes – ancestors of Teleuts.
No wonder that having such a threatening power of Teleut warriors, Turkic Khagan just for 3 (!) years could subjugate the whole Great Steppe from the Pacific Ocean to the northern side of the Black Sea.
This unique fact is connected mainly with the name of a great Turkic commander Istem, brother of the founder of the Great Turkic Khaganate – Bumyn-Khagan.
Turkic Khaganate in that period, along with China, Byzantium and Iran, became the world power. At the same time China and Byzantium had to render furtive or overt tribute to the Khaganate of the Eternal El.
In 745 with downfall of the Turkic power, Tele became scattered all over the Great Steppe: from “Eastern” to “Western” seas. Part of Tele in the 8th century was included in the khaganate founded by Uigurs as one of Tele tribes in the basin of the high Yenisey river and existed till 840. Alike Turkic Khaganate, the core of the new power were Turkic-speaking Tele tribes headed by Uigurs.
In 840 20-year war of Uigurs with the state Hyagas finished with defeat of the former, and up to the conquering marches of Genghis Khan peoples of Sayan-Altai highlands were under political predominance of ancient Kyrgyz. Ethnically the population of Kyrgyz state was rather bright. Obviously, the core was composed by turkied local population and ancient Turkic-speaking group of Kyrgyz moved to the land north from Sayan in the period 3-1 centuries BC from North-Western Mongolia. Tan chronicle tells, “Population mixed with Dinlins”. Here we can make a conclusion that by ethnical composition these were local tribes, who were called Dinlins before, and later – Tele.
Ancient khanate state existed till Genghis Khan’s conquests and was totally destroyed in 1293.
The processes of forming a state were actively accompanied by the process of ethnogeny. Separate tribes of Tele segregated and became independent ethnic groups: Tyva, Uigur, Yakuts, Teleuts (in different transcriptions: Telengets, Telengits, Telenguts).
In 1635 in Western Mongolia there was founded a powerful feudal state – Dzungaria Khanate, which was strengthening very quickly and in a short time could impose furtive or overt tribute on China and the state of the middle Asia.
Trying to protect their independence, Teleuts had to wage exhausting wars with Dzungars that completed with recognition by our ancestors feudatory dependence of Dzungaria Khanate.
At the beginning of the 8th century in the East the struggle between three empires is strengthening: China, Dzungaria and Russia. It became the beginning of the first act of a historical drama performed a bit later and being continued nowadays.
In this struggle Teleuts were used by Russia sometimes as a buffer, sometimes as a military power in its opposition with China and Dzungaria.
In the middle of the 8th century, in 1756-58, our ancestors were involved in the war of annihilation between China and Dzungaria. In result of the war about 1 million of Dzungars were killed, their state was completely destroyed, and Teleuts having suffered big losses, partly hid in Altai mountains, partly retreated to the frontier fortresses of Russia. Trying to resist aggression of China, they asked their ally Russia to naturalize them with the lands. Russia, after some hesitation, agreed, but it was decided to move to Volga region the majority of new citizens.
While implementing this action most part of migrants died of hunger and diseases. Smaller part returned back and together with the rest of their people composed the ethnic basis of modern Teleuts.
Further history of the ancient people is connected with the destiny of Russia. Initially, the tsar power, due to small population in the south of Siberia, had to agree to attach to Teleuts the territory necessary for traditional nomadic economy basing on cattle-farming. But from the 19th century, with the beginning of settlement of the territory by migrants from the west of Russia, the territory of Teleuts was quickly shortening. And this process is accompanied by intensive assimilation of indigenous population. Simultaneously, this process is entailed by intensive Christianizing of local population with its good and negative consequences.
After establishing in Russia Soviet power, Teleut people with ancient many-century-long history was excluded from official register of peoples of the USSR. Thus for decades one of the most ancient peoples in Russia became a phantom people: de facto it existed with its spiritual culture and self-consciousness, but officially it didn’t.
Only at the beginning of 1990s, due to the start of the process of democratization of the soviet society, the initiative of the leaders of national revival and the activity of the Association “Ene-Bayat”, there was restored historical justice in this principle issue – Teleuts are recognized as independent ethnic group.
The history of Teleuts is partly written by different authors, whose vision often has a considerable part of subjectivism. In this connection it is necessary to comprehend critically some historical works.
There are needed researches on the period of forming the Great Turkic Khaganate in 9-12 centuries. There is a gap in the period of 13-16 centuries.
Accepting that history is almost an applied science, that its interpreting depends a lot of the personality of the author, his ethnicity, we need our own view at our history, free of clichés, which are still having place in the history science.

V. Barsukov

INTERNS’ ARTICLES

I’m Marina Todysheva. I was born and live in Belovo, Teleut area.
My mother is Shor, father is Teleut, I belong to the tribe “Todosh”. I’m 42 and I have two children. As mother, I’m worried about the future of our children, in what conditions they will live tomorrow.
Our people has many problems connected with keeping and development of our unique national culture: tribal memory, native language, traditions and customs of our people. Besides, we have the ecological problem and environment pollution by nearby organizations, the problem of unemployment, especially for the young generation.
To raise my level of juridical and cultural competence I took part in the training course “Education in the Field of Human Rights and Rights of Indigenous Peoples” organized by L’auravetl’an Information and Education Network of Indigenous Peoples in Kuzbass.

With great interest I heard the lectures of the President of LIENIP Gulvaira Shermatova on International, Russian Law in the field of human rights and liberties and rights of indigenous peoples.
Interesting meetings were organized with representatives of public organizations, local self-government bodies and Land Committee, which told about their activity. We visited national museum “Cholkoi” in Bekovo village, where the history of forming and development of Teleut people is reconstructed. We also met an intern who told about his training in 1999 in Moscow.
Having heard the course of lectures I’ve understood the importance and necessity of legal education of indigenous population, as the majority don’t know their lawful rights and liberties.
Marina Todysheva

I’m Oksana Tarasova. I live in Shanda village of Guryevsk Region. Our village is located between two rich coalmines. They are “Shestaky” and “Bachatsky” open-pit mines. It seems, having such neighboring we should live in prosperity. In reality everything is vice versa. The environmental problem is very sharp. The dumps of the rock are approaching close to the village. When explosions, the village is covered with a cloud of coal dust, which doesn’t dissipate for a long time. The hayfields and pastures are already heaped up with coal rock. It is getting harder and harder to do the gardening and farming, but to find a job in an enterprise one can via good connections only. Thus, the village is in danger of extinction.
We know that the coal is one of the basic riches, which our country is famous for, and that the coal industry is one of the main. But you shouldn’t forget about the people living next to it. The youth are leaving, the number of children is getting less and less.

It scares me. I’m afraid to imagine what will happen 10 years later. I have a son and a daughter, and I want very much to have them healthy and clever, I want them to remember their roots, their ancestors, to respect their culture and traditions. That’s why we want our authorities hear us now, don’t forget that we are part of great people of Russia. There are some concrete issues, which we would like to fulfill with the help of the administration, they are: to make a playground for children in the center of the village, to construct roads and, the most important, to provide people with good drinking water. If these problems were solved, this would be a great step of the authorities to us.
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We have a lot of delicious national dishes, one of which I want to describe. It is called “Tutmash”. The dish is cooked of meat. Meat, pluck are boiled separately. Then all is cut into small pieces and mixed. Then the dough is also boiled, cut and mixed with the meat. All this is poured over with meat bouillon, everyone adds the onion to his/her taste.

We also have very tasty kalachi (see the picture) and pies called kainatkan, perektar and kalachiktar cooked in boiling oil; pelmeny made in the shape of plait (chekyrlagan), tabak kursak, katama, etc.
Oksana Tarasova

I’m Svetlana Faizrahmanova. I live in Novobachaty village. I visit the training courses “Education in the Field of Human Rights, Rights of Indigenous Peoples” in Belovo from 23 November to 23 December 2006. I belong to the tribe Mundus. I’m hereditary Teleut.
In our village there are 167 Teleut people. Children don’t know their native language, for this reason in the school a study group was organized headed by Valentina Kolchegosheva. We want to ask the Head of the administration, T. Mikhailova, to give us the room for the studies.
“Tashkomir” is translated as ‘coal’. From both sides of our place coalmines are being opened. They are destroying the environment. As indigenous population, we feel very anxious about the future of our village. The population is small, as the birth rate is very low. After finishing school, the children stay in the town, as our administration doesn’t offer job for young specialists.

We, Teleuts, have a lot of customs and rituals. I want to tell about one of them.
Why and how do “emegender” (dolls) appeared among Teleuts? Teleuts considered emegender were very important in their lives: they were the keepers of the dwelling, the fire. They were made of cloth, stuffed with flax or hemp, they didn’t have hands and legs, the eyes were beads, the mouth and the nose were drawn. The dolls were kept is small linen bags in a safe place so that no strangers could see or touch them. Every spring or autumn the dolls were taken away from the bags for feeding. They were fed with a special kasha called “salamat”. It is cooked of milk, butter and flour without salt or sugar. The dolls embodied the ancestors of several generations and were inherited in mother’s line. When a daughter got married, her mother prepared emegender to give it to the daughter.
Sveltana Faizrahmanova

I’m Tatyana Barsukova, Teleut by nation, my tribe is Teles. I live in Belovo town of Kemerovskaya Oblast in a small area called Teleut.
Under our area there is a mine, that’s why the houses where we live become more and more deformed every year, and it troubles me very much. Moreover, next to our region there is a Central Concentrating Mill that spoils the air, which we are breathing.
I want to touch the subject of revival of our culture, traditions, language, nation, because all these things are forgotten more and more from year to year.
While our grandparents are still speaking native language, our parents are mostly using Russian, let alone our generation – modern youth. What will happen with it in the future?

I want very much that in the schools, which we visited, the Teleut language would be taught. I think it’s very important for everyone to know his/her native language!
We have very beautiful and unique national dresses.

The dresses (kunek) are made of bright, beautiful cloth, mainly of brocade. The design is loose, calf-length, the front of the top is decorated with so called teshtek, which is usually embroidered with golden or silver threads, big buttons and different laces. The collar (tyaka) is decorated with birch bark and is also embroidered with threads; it is attached separately. The dress is girded with a sash (koor) weaved on the handloom.
The overcoat is a sheepskin coat (ton), its skirt is sewed round with musquash; autumn-spring overcoat (syrmal) is quilted with a thin layer of wadding, the skirt is decorated with velvet frill; summer clothes are made of wool and decorated with laces and big buttons.
The headdress is a large brightly colored shawl with tassels or a hat (peruk). Summer footwear (charyktar) is made of leather, the inside edge is sewed round with fur.
Tatyana Barsukova

I’m Eduard Todyshev, my tribe – ooty. We, Teleut people, have a very big problem – our youth cannot speak their native language. Besides in our village sport is developed very little. For example, we have to go for competitions unprepared, as there is no gym, no sport uniform, sport equipment in our village, all these things we have to buy for own money. And the situation is getting worse and worse from year to year.
Our club is very little, and young people don’t go there, as there is nothing to do. But we want to have a good club, with interesting events held not for reporting, but for people…
If we had a gym, the youth would have the interest to go in for sport, and they wouldn’t waste time in the streets drinking alcohol and being one step from drugs addiction, we want to have healthy youth. We have small children, what will happen with them if everything is left the same? Our people have very many problems, and solving them all needs very much time and effort. Most of my friends living in Teleut village have gray hair, they seem to be about 40 years old, but with young faces.

Next to Teleut there is the Central Concentrating Mill “Belovskaya”, and 5 chimneys are smoking without breaks and holidays, the poisoned cloud rises into the sky, where different species of birds fly and suffocate of such air, and then this cloud falls with rain and snow on the ground. Not only birds suffocate, but we, the people, do either!!! Soon we will have to look for another planet to move people, animals, everything there, because it will be impossible to breathe with clean air.
One more problem of our village is that there is no shop working 24 hours. The nearest one is one kilometer away. We have a shop on our territory, but it is open only 8 hours.
We also don’t have medical service or a chemist’s at least. When you need medicine, you have to travel for them, and if you are ill, it is a real problem. We have a lot of old people, who walk with great difficulty.
I think it’s very good we have the Information Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass opened in Belovo, so far I didn’t know my rights and liberties. I learned very much for the time of my training, and I think everybody should know it, because if we don’t protect our rights, nobody will do it for us. It’s for our benefit to know and use our rights!
Eduard Todyshev

I’m Svetlana Chebelkova, representative of two small indigenous peoples: my mother, A.A. Arlinekova, is Shor, my father, Ye.S. Alaganchakov, is Teleut of Kemerovskaya Oblast, Belovo town.
I’m very much worried about the question of saving and development of cultural heritage of the nation. For this purpose in 2003 me and my sister Marina Todysheva wanted to establish a cultural center of small indigenous peoples of Siberia. We consider, it is important not only to preserve our language and traditions but to join peoples spread all over Siberia so that we could exchange experience and knowledge in the field of culture, traditions, art.
From my personal experience I know that our problems are only our problems, and nobody is going to help us. The officials of the local administration made me feel abased, aggrieved, a beggar asking for alms from our local authority. I was shocked to know that our local Teleut public organizations are against creation of such a center and they see me as a rival, but as a teacher by education I want our growing generation knew not only our culture but the culture of the neighbor peoples.

For three years all the attempts were nipped in the buds. I almost lived in the administration.
In 2006 in our town L’auravetl’an Information and Education Network of Indigenous Peoples was opened, which started the courses for indigenous population in the field of human rights and liberties. For the first time I heard about LIENIP organization during the “Round table” in Kemerovo organized by Timur Kalishev and Gulvaira Shermatova. I took the course of training and learned a lot of new about international and Russian legislation in the field of human rights, about the structure of authorities and about public organizations. I grew among Russian people without knowledge of my language and traditions, that’s why with great interest I listened to the lecture of V.A. Barsukov in the native language, in which he told us about the culture, traditions and history of our people. I was amazed what a patriot of his people Victor Alexandrovich is.

I also liked very much a meeting, when the President of LIENIP G. Shermatova and the director of Informational Center of Indigenous Peoples of Kuzbass Yu. Kolchegosheva together with the interns held a press-conference devoted to the opening of the Center in Belovo town, where the reporters from the newspapers “Mega-Express” and “Selskiye Zory” were invited. On the press-conference an exhibition was organized where for the first time I saw national tappings, elements of Teleut dresses. I’m very glad that our adult generation saved the language, culture of our people and transfer their knowledge to the younger, growing generation. I also want to thank the director of Teleut Museum “Cholkoy” Vladimir Ilyich Chelukhoyev for interesting visual information about the history, everyday life of our people.
Many thanks to Gulvaira Kudenovna Shermatova for creation of the Center in Belovo town, although first it was planned to be open in Kemerovo city, but the compact settlement of Teleuts is located in Belovo and Belovo Region. Now I know what the authority should do and what it must do for protection and support of indigenous people, what is the right way to assert our rights and protect our interests.
Svetlana Chebelkova

Опубликовано на: 2007-02-01 (7902 Прочтено)

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