Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
1) Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 2) Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Balinova Nataliya, e-mail: balinovs@mail.ru; Khomyakova Irina, e-mail: irina-khomyakova@yandex.ru.
The Sart Kalmyks are a small group of Oirat origin now living in the Ak-Suu District, Issyk Kul Province, Republic of Kirghizstan. It is impossible to accurately determine their number at present: according to the 2009 census, 3800 people were counted, but ¾ of the Kalmyks were recorded as Kirghiz for social reasons. The headcount in four villages – Chelpek, Burma-Suu, Tash-Kyya and Beryu-Bash, where 90% of the population are Sart Kalmyks – is about 12 thousand people. Due to their Western Mongolian origin the Sart Kalmyks speak a language which is very close to Kalmyk. At this moment, only few of its speakers have remained, mostly the elderly. Original ethno-cultural characteristics are gradually giving way to Kirghiz and general Muslim traditions. The language, ethnography, and history of the Karakol Kalmyks were studied by scholars such as A.V. Burdukov (1935), Sh. Dondukov (1973), E.R. Tenishev (1976), N.L. Zhukovskaya (1980), D.A. Pavlov (1984), A.N. Bitkeyeva (2006), B. Nanzatov, and M. Sodnompilova (2012). The Sart Kalmyks rarely became the object of bioanthropological research. The few studies include that by D.O. Ashilova (1976), who made a number of conclusions based on anthropometric data. Though the ethnographic group of Sart Kalmyks incorporated into the Kirghiz nation in the past was related to the Western Mongolian ethnic group by common ancestry, language, and culture, now they differ in appearance from groups belonging to the Central Asian anthropological type (Kalmyks, Mongols, and Buryats) and show the closest affinity with Kirghizes. During our expedition in 2013, we conducted a comprehensive anthropometric and genetic study among the Sart Kalmyks. We have collected anthropometric data on 84 women and 119 men, made 830 photographs for creating generalized portraits, and studied the diagnostically important descriptive characteristics of the face. We also collected material for genetic analysis – 197 blood samples of 101 women and 96 men. Regarding ethnicity, the following distribution was observed: 111 persons stated that both their parents were Sart Kalmyks, and about a half of them (51 persons) knew the tribal affiliation of parents. Forty individuals are hybrids between Sart Kalmyks and Kirghizes, 29 have both parents of Kirghiz origin, and 8 people mentioned Kazakhs, Uyghurs, Tatars, and Bashkirs among their ancestors. Based on these materials, we will trace the origin and history of the Issyk Kul Kalmyks in comparison with Kalmyks living in Russia and China; assess the demographic and genetic structure of Karakol Kalmyks; and calculate genetic distances and the degree of relationship with Russian Kalmyks. Based on individual photographs, generalized portraits of the Sart Kalmyk men and women will be created. In sum, this research will highlight the most recent trends in the development of this ethnic group. This study was partly supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for the Humanities, # 12-01-00063a.
physical anthropology, anthropometry, population history, Sart Kalmyks
Цит.: Balinova Natalia, Khomyakova Irina SART KALMYKS OF THE ISSYK KUL PROVINCE, KIRGHIZSTAN: THE ANALYSIS OF FIELD DATA // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 64-65
Download text