Gurans (nationality): history and modernity

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Have you heard about the people called "Gurans"? "Nationality? What 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 with the similar word "guru". So what is this people, which is rarely known about?

History

Surely no one can say exactly when the first Russian pioneers appeared in Transbaikalia, in the Altai Territory. But one thing is for sure: it was a very long time ago, and then there were no people called "Gurans". 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, the Evenks and Buryats, they gradually assimilated with them, tried to follow their customs and traditions - in a word, they adopted elements of the culture and life of the Altaians. At the same time, they did not forget their language and did notlost their Slavic identity. This means that their culture and way of life eventually began to bear both Russian and Eveno-Buryat features.

On the other hand, Russian settlers introduced new features inherent in the Slavic way of life and culture into the life of the inhabitants of Transbaikalia, for example, agriculture, building cities, etc. Thus, a new type of people of mixed blood began to form in these parts - Gurans, whose nationality was difficult to determine. They were a mix of two races - Mongoloid and European, and in the fourth generation.

Origin

According to the chronicles, the Gurans lived here already in the 18th century. Nationality (history testifies to this) was never officially adopted. It's more of 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 begin to be called that way, and not otherwise?

The Cossacks of Transbaikalia made for themselves winter hats from the fur of roe deer males, which the indigenous people called gurans. At the same time, they left horns in order to mislead the pursued animals when hunting. As you know, winters in these parts are long, so the Cossacks wore these hats for quite a long time. And they began to be identified with roe deer.

Who are the Gurans - nationality or ethnic group?

This issue is still being debated. According to one theory, as a result of hybridization or interpenetration of several ethnic groups, not only the disappearance of the old one, but also the emergence of a new ethnic group can occur. Of course, this is not possible everywhere, but Transbaikalia is ideal 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 appeared, which is not similar to either the first, or the second, or the third. But isn’t this proof that the Gurans are a nationality (see the photo in the article)? Nevertheless, there is no information about such a people in the Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia. 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 about the origin of this nationality. Once, in late winter, the Russian traveler and explorer Yerofei Khabarov was passing through Transbaikalia. He rode in a sleigh with a guide in front of the convoy. And suddenly a swift-footed roe deer cut their way, and some peasant in strange fur clothes was chasing her. Khabarov asked the coachman: who is this? And he, thinking that the master meant the animal running ahead, said that it was a guran.

Description

In the folklore of local residents, you can find a detailed description of the representatives of the ethnic group Guran. Although their nationality does not appear in their passports, however, their belonging toethnos speak characteristic features. First, they can be recognized by their liking. They are not vain, affectionate, have a powerful Cossack spirit. As for purely external characteristics, their eyes are half-slanted, their cheekbones are inherited 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 American Indians. In a word, their appearance is very exotic, with a predominance of signs of the Mongoloid race. In addition, the gourans have well-developed muscles, they are flexible and perfectly master the techniques of martial arts. At one time, representatives of this ethnic group defended the borders of Siberia from the raids of neighboring peoples - the Chinese and the Mongols.

Gurans: nationality, modernity

According to the representatives of this nationality themselves, today they have practically not preserved the traditions of their distant ancestors who inhabited Transbaikalia. They consider themselves more Russians, but they do not forget that the blood of Gurans flows in them. Representatives of this nationality have many traditions, legends and stories about the life of their ancestors. Studying them, you understand that it is difficult to attribute them to Russian culture. There is also practically no Buryat or Evenk (Tungus) language here. Based on this, you understand that this is, of course, a separate people, with its own 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.

Mix of white and yellow blood

Speech of courseIt's about mixing races. Mongoloid, as a rule, is called yellow, and European, despite the different skin tones, is considered white. Some scholars believe that initially the Gurans were called those people 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 Caucasoid (white) and Mongoloid (Mongoloid) races. However, these are not ordinary mestizos, but precisely those who bear the mark of generations.

Derovers are the conscience of Transbaikalia

As already mentioned, the Gurans themselves consider themselves more Russian than Buryats or Tungus, but it is interesting to know what faith they consider themselves to be, what or who they believe in. In Transbaikalia, for the past few centuries, there have been many Christian denominations. At the same time, they were not created by theologians, but arose spontaneously. However, some of them may seem wild to us. So, for example, many gurans are holers. They do not worship icons, but holes, believing that by contemplating the cosmos through these holes, they receive energy. These believers live apart from others, marry exclusively among themselves, lead a strict, ascetic lifestyle. They were able to keep their blood, traditions and customs.