The formation and development of nomadism in Central Asia is one of the priority topics in the research of the Institute of Economic Relations of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the 1990s, it was studied in the framework of the international project "Pazyryk" on materials collected on the Ukok plateau in the south-eastern part of the Russian Altai, on the border with Mongolia. A comprehensive program of research on the cultures of early and late nomads involved conducting ethnographic work among the Kazakh and Altai communities on the borders of the Russian Altai.

In 2004 - 2006, according to an agreement between the Institute of Ethnography and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the German Archaeological Institute and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, research was conducted in the north-west of Mongolia, where complexes of the Pazyryk culture were discovered in a high-altitude area on the border with the Russian Altai. The results of this project were presented in a series of publications [Molodin, Parzinger, 2007; Molodin, 2007] and reported in the summer of 2007 at the International Congress in Berlin [Molodin, Parzinger, Tseveendorj, 2007].

An international expedition conducted ethnographic research among the Kazakhs of the region. Having preserved the language, everyday culture, rituals and beliefs, this local group of the Kazakh ethnic group is of great interest for research both as an inheritor of ancient nomadic traditions and as a people integrated into the modern ethno-political structures of the Central Asian macro-region.

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The end of the 20th century was marked by the creation of independent states in the post-Soviet space of Central Asia, which led to the development of transcontinental migration processes.

Kazakhstan is among the states that have taken the path of developing a national concept of repatriation.

The beginning of the mass migration of Cossacks to their historical homeland from the Eurasian states occurred in 1991. In the first years of sovereignty, the rate of migrant influx to the republic was very high. During the ten years of independence, Kazakhstan has received more than 200 thousand displaced Oralmans from different countries of the world. In the 1990s. the largest group of Kazakhs living in foreign countries came to the republic from Mongolia; in 1991-1992 alone, more than 7 thousand families, or 40 thousand Kazakhs, moved from there. Natives of Mongolia accounted for over 80% of the total number of Kazakh Oralmans.

Due to the growth of migration activity, the national policy of Kazakhstan in recent decades has been focused on consolidating society based on ethnic values. Based on ethnicity, the Republic of Kazakhstan has developed a diaspora strategy that takes into account the interests of Kazakhs around the world. In 1995, the State Program for Support of the Kazakh Diaspora was adopted and approved by the President in 1996. With the great interest of the government and public structures of Kazakhstan and the World Association of Kazakhs, since the late 1990s, programs of cultural, scientific, and economic cooperation have been developed in the country, covering cross-border areas of the Greater Altai, including the territory of the Mongolian Altai, where the Kazakh ethnic group was widely represented.

Official Kazakhstan's interest in the potential of the Kazakhs of neighboring countries and regions is reflected in a series of interstate agreements linking the solution of the problems of compatriots with the problems of stabilizing the political situation in the Eurasian space. In the state programs Kazakhs abroad were represented by:-

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A detachment of the Russian-Mongolian-German expedition led by V. I. Molodin.

It is a part of a single Kazakh community that has common historical and cultural roots.

In 2003, the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted a comprehensive fundamental program " Kazakhs of Mongolia (historical and ethnographic research)". Its ideology was determined by the attitude to the culture of the Kazakhs of Mongolia as a creative resource in the development of the Kazakh nation.

Today, the Kazakhs of Mongolia, despite the reduction in their numbers during emigration in the last decade, make up the second largest group (after the Kazakhs of China) outside the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to data for July 2006, out of more than 2.8 million people, The population of Mongolia was 85% Mongol, 7% Kazakh and Kyrgyz, and 3.4% other ethnic groups. The Bayan-Ulgeysky and Kobdo aimags are places of compact residence of the Kazakh population. Kobdo aimag was established in 1931; its territory reaches almost 76 thousand km2. According to data for 2004, 91.8 thousand representatives of 19 ethnic groups lived in the Kobdo aimag, Kazakhs accounted for about 10%. Bayan-Ulgeysky aimag appeared on the administrative map of the country in 1940; its area is approximately 46 thousand km2. The aimag is part of the Western Mongolian District. Its main population is Kazakhs [Kazinform...; Wikipedia...].

The penetration of Kazakhs into Mongolia began after the fall of the Dzungarian state. The steppes of Western Mongolia were especially actively developed in the second half of the XIX-beginning of the XX century by Kere Kazakhs moving from East Turkestan, East Kazakhstan and the Russian Altai.

The demarcation of state borders in Central Asia at the end of the 19th century exacerbated the problem of nomads in the border areas.

At the beginning of the 20th century, cross-border migrations intensified in the course of military and political conflicts involving Russia and China. In 1911-1913.,-

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The situation became more complicated due to the struggle for the independence of Khalkha. The Kazakhs of Mongolia's border regions were drawn into the military-political conflict: several thousand Kazakhs, trying to leave the conflict zone, crossed the Russian border. By 1915, the "Mongolian question" was resolved. The Tripartite Russo-Chinese-Mongolian Conference in Kyakhta adopted an agreement on the autonomy of Outer Mongolia within the Republic of China. At the same time, the return migration of Kazakh families outside the Russian Altai began.

Mass emigration of Russian Kazakhs again acquired in 1916 in connection with the decree of the Government of the Russian Empire on the conscription of foreigners for rear work. The change of state regimes, revolutionary social transformations, ethnic contradictions and foreign policy conflicts in the border regions of Central Asia in the 1920s and 1930s largely determined the development of the ethno-political and migration situation in the region. Active inter-regional and cross-border migrations continued until the 1930s and 1940s.

In July 1921, Mongolia's independence was declared in Urga (now Ulaanbaatar). In 1924, the country's parliament - the Great People's Hural - announced the creation of the Mongolian People's Republic. The Kazakh ethnic group was integrated into the multinational community of this state. Being involved in the contradictory processes of socio-political and economic modernization that unfolded in the country in the XX century, the Kazakhs of Mongolia retained traditional forms and mechanisms of self-organization. Even today, they include tribal groups of Kereys, Naimans, Argyns and Uaks, with a significant predominance of Kereys, which are most often called abak kereys.

Abacus kerei are divided into 12 genera; the most numerous among them are iteli, zhantekey, zhadik, sherushi, molky. Each clan has its own battle cry - Uranus: at iteli - " Bukarbay!", at zhantekeev - " Shakabay!", at zhadikov - " Zhanat!", at sherusha - " Baitalak!", at molka - "Mashan!". Urans of Kazakh families go back to the names of their ancestors. Each Kazakh family also has its own banner, tamga, "ancestral lands" and cemetery. Ethnographic expeditions of the Republic of Kazakhstan recorded 16 ancient large and medium-sized cemeteries with family tombs founded in the late XIX - XX centuries - Karasu, Sogak, Kok-Moynak, Akkol, Bektemir, Karagan, Elesh-aulie, etc. - only on the territory of the Bayan-Ulgey aimag.

Tribal relations among the Kazakhs of Mongolia are very stable. Their traditional structures were used in the administrative structuring of the state in the course of socio-economic transformations in the XX century. In 1921, Mongolia became a socialist state. The first collective farms of Kazakhs in the country had a generic character. Among them were such associations as "Sumon Sherushi", "Bakat", "Tolek", "Botakara", "Sanyrau" (Bikumar, 1995, p.143-153).

Knowledge of ancestral symbols and the seven tribes of ancestors is still mandatory for Kazakhs in Mongolia. Oral history remains true to the past and folk traditions. According to the existing ideas of Kazakhs, each tribal association has its own advantages. The Naimans, for example, were famous for their ability to build mosques and burn bricks; they are remembered as healers, soothsayers, and preachers of Islam. Argyns are known as descendants of four ancestors-Baimukhamet, Baizikir, Kusayyn, Smagul. They are still known as the keepers of knowledge. Their tamga is "pupil" [Ibid.]. According to historical legends, in the past, the Uaks were a large people who lost their independence after the invasions of Genghis Khan and became part of the Middle Zhuz. Since ancient times, the Uaks of Mongolia have been widely known as masters of artistic wood processing. The stability of traditional social structures and cultural standards allows Kazakhs to survive in all political vicissitudes and economic transformations [Ibid.].

Strategies for creating a planned economy and collective farm system and the accompanying policy of secularization of religious practices in Mongolia in the 1921 - 1990s determined trends in the transformation of the cultures of its peoples. Accelerated industrialization, based on the development of natural resources, completed the formation of the country's image in the second half of the XX century. But with all the changes, pasture animal husbandry has always remained the main economic activity of the population of the state. At the end of the 20th century, the country was among the world leaders in terms of livestock per capita - approximately 12 heads per person. With a general focus on animal husbandry, according to data for 2004, there were 1,7884,372 livestock units (camels, horses, cows, sheep, goats) in the Kobdo aimag, where Kazakhs were traditionally settled. 11,992 families had livestock here, of which 2,887 families (24%) owned more than 500 heads of cattle, 3,255 families (27.2%) - more than 200, 2,493 families (20.8%) - more than 100 heads [Wikipedia...].

In the early 2000s, there were about 1.4 million head of livestock in the Bayan-Ulgey aimag. Annually, the aimag supplied over 2 thousand tons of meat, 850 - 900 tons of sheep wool, 130 tons of goat down, 280 - 300 thousand pieces of hides of all types of livestock to foreign and domestic markets. Kazakhs of the aimag, as well as Mongolia as a whole, have been specialized from century to century-

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they specialized in semi-nomadic pastoral farming and led a mobile lifestyle. Modern nomads, preserving the traditions of the past, have significantly modernized their way of life, but still their economy is based on breeding horses, yaks, camels, goats and sheep [Ibid.].

In addition to the cattle breeding of the Kazakhs of Mongolia is hunting, in particular hunting with hunting birds, which in our time is experiencing a revival. Mongolia has always been rich in fur-bearing animals; in some parts of the country, the fur production of marmots-tarbagans, squirrels, foxes-was an important source of income. Today, golden eagle hunting is turning from a traditional economic sector into a prestigious sport and is the basis for international festival practices, which are very popular in the recreational space of Central Asia.

In the annual economic cycle of Kazakhs, hunting correlates mainly with the autumn-winter nomadic cycles. The migration system of Kazakhs in Mongolia is traditionally formed by seasonal distribution and vertical zoning of pastures. Winter camps are located in wind-protected lowlands along the banks of rivers; summer camps are located in the zone of high-altitude steppes.

The change of nomads determines the economic calendar and lifestyle of the Kazakhs of Mongolia. All the economic technologies of this people and their accompanying rituals are subject to the nomadic cycle. The rational knowledge of the Kazakhs of the Mongolian Altai is inseparable from their mystical ideas. Zootechnical techniques and skills are combined with beliefs in the holy Paigambars-patrons of certain types of livestock. Folk Islam of Kazakhs is intertwined with the cults of the elements; it coexists with the institute of baks-soothsayers and healers who acquire sacred knowledge while in a trance state, and use dombra, whip and saber in divination and healing rituals.

Syncretic are the ideas of the Kazakhs of Mongolia about their ancestors - mythical and real. The performance of musical poetic works dedicated to heroes and events of the past is included in all the most significant rituals and holidays. One of the main events of the year for the Kazakhs of Mongolia is migration to summer pastures.

The pastoral spring-summer cycle includes rituals that accompany the first lambing, the birth of the first camel cub, the appearance of foals, the receipt of the first kumiss, etc. On the day of separation of dairy mares from the shoal, Kazakhs organize celebrations. People from nearby parking lots bring goodies with them. Mares with foals are driven out in the morning, when the pre-dawn gloom clears. The tether is a long hair rope, which in traditional culture plays the role of a talisman. Before the foal is allowed near its mother, it is rounded up. This task can easily be handled by one person, but customs require a collective pen.

The first day of tying a mare in Kazakhstan is called kumys muryndyk, while the Kazakhs of Mongolia call it bie baylar. This custom is also called algashky kulynnyn toy (the first celebration of the foal), the baylar cult (tying the foal). On this day, the leash is oiled and the first koumiss in saba (leather skin) is whipped up by all the nomads. Both elders and small children participate in the ritual. The first milking of mares in the summer pasture is traditionally accompanied by a large treat. Since that day, in the old days, every morning people from the parking lot gathered in the yurt where saba was located, tasted young kumiss. His drinking turned into a merry feast.

Nowadays, many ceremonies have been simplified, but the general mood of joy still accompanies the beginning of the summer stage of nomads. In summer, the holidays follow one after another, although the inhabitants of nomadic camps have a lot of work during this period. Men take care of young animals, mark and brand cattle, remove the hair from camels. Women are engaged in milking: mares and camels are milked four to five times a day, sheep and goats - two to three times. With the onset of autumn, according to the nomadic practice of the Kazakhs of Northwestern Mongolia, pastoralists move closer to the winter days. Sheep are sheared there. The economic year ends in November-December, when livestock is slaughtered for the winter. As before, so today these are days of entertainment and collective feasts. A harsh winter is ahead for the pastoralists.

In general, the life support culture of the Kazakhs of Mongolia is adapted to the conditions of the high-altitude steppe zone. The main forms of settlements of the Kazakhs of the Mongolian Altai were and still are stationary sites - kystau (zimniki). They are economic and residential complexes that include not only an adobe dwelling-ysty uy, but also outbuildings: toshaluy-a room for storing meat and other products, sarapshy kora - premises for livestock, usta uy, or duken uy, - workshops. All mud and stone buildings are located inside the large courtyard. Sometimes two houses are located within its borders: ulken uy - the house of the head of the family and otau uy-the house of the distinguished son. The principles of space exploration have deep traditions in nomadic culture and are still preserved among the Kazakhs of Mongolia.

At summer camps, Kazakhs set up a felt yurt-kiz uy. Its dimensions are determined by the number of segments of the grid that forms the walls,

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and dome poles-uykov. The most common among the Kazakhs of Mongolia were yurts with 60-70 uyks. Until now, the felt dwelling is an integral part of the life of the Kazakhs of Mongolia. Application and quilted felts, colored mats and bright embroidery adorn the details of the interior of the modern Kazakh yurt.

Nomad life at all times was extremely functional, things are light and compact. The food system was dominated by a meat and dairy diet. The main products of Kazakhs in Mongolia include milk, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, mutton, barley groats, flour and tea. Especially revered is kumiss, which is made from mare's milk. The process of maturation of the drink symbolizes the rebirth of nature, and receiving the first kumiss is celebrated as a big holiday. The practice of making kumiss among the Kazakhs of Mongolia is associated with the production of leather utensils intended for storing the drink. Leather processing is one of the traditional crafts of the Kazakhs of Mongolia. It is made according to ancient technologies.

Kazakh families carefully preserve the heritage of their ancestors - silver jewelry darkened by time, embroidered chepraks, household utensils. According to old samples, new items are made that simultaneously act as household ornaments, ethnic symbols or items of prestigious export. The craft traditions of the Kazakhs of Mongolia are a role model for the Kazakhs of the Russian Altai.

Women's types of domestic production include weaving and making bedspreads, strips and ribbons for binding the yurt, reed mats with colored wool (ala shi and orauli shi), felt for covering the yurt, carpets: tekemet, syrmak, saualdy syrmak (with fringe), etc. The beginning of making felt is accompanied by good wishes. For felts that are rolled in the summer, Kazakhs use autumn wool - it is more elastic. To get a piece of felt measuring 20 m2, you need to process the wool of more than 10 sheep. Traditionally, many women's works are performed collectively, as part of domestic crafts. In modern Mongolia, skilled craftswomen (sheber) who work to order are known.

The Kazakhs of the Mongolian Altai highly value the art of making traditional clothing and jewelry. Many elements of the national costume are preserved as status clothing mainly for the older generation.

Among the male crafts of Kazakhs, the production of horse equipment and belts, blacksmithing (ustalyk) and jewelry art, which is practiced by master zergers, are distinguished. Part of everyday life is woodworking - the production of yurt parts, furniture, household items, etc.

Craft in the Kazakh environment has a different level of marketability and variable forms of organization-from home production to handicrafts. This ensures the sustainability of various socio-economic structures-from family nomads to cooperative farming.

Located on high-altitude pastures, far from the centers of civilization, Kazakh villages are able to solve current production problems, attracting the entire arsenal of technologies related to the use of modern machines, satellite communications, and ancient blacksmithing practices.

The summer holiday of Naadam, timed to coincide with the Victory Day of the People's Revolution (July 11-12), follows the daily routine of Kazakh nomads. This is the biggest holiday in Mongolia. It is celebrated on a large scale both at the national level and at the level of each aimag. The festival is accompanied by competitions in steppe martial arts, including archery, wrestling and horse racing, which are held according to the old rules. Kazakhs prepare especially carefully for equestrian competitions during Naadam. Horses for the race are selected one month before the start of the holiday. Participants of the race are teenagers 10-12 years old. They spend several hours a day in the saddle, preparing for competitions in which they will have to defend the honor of their native nomads.

The national holiday of Naadam unites Mongolia's multiethnic community into a single whole and manifests the cultural richness and diversity of the country. Kazakhs are part of the ethnopolitical community of modern Mongolia. Much is being done in the country to ensure that these people, along with the titular ethnic group, have the opportunity to live and develop in stable economic and political conditions, preserving their native language, culture and faith.

In 1990, to revive the religious traditions of the Kazakh ethnic group, the Society of Mongolian Muslims was established in the country. The national public television operates the editorial office of Kazakh programs, organized with the support of the Diplomatic mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Mongolia. In government circles, the issue of giving the Kazakh language the official status in places where Kazakhs live compactly is being discussed.

A sign of recognition of the contribution of Kazakhs to the development of Mongolia was an event that was reported by all the mass media in 2007 - the President of the country visited the oldest Kazakh of Mongolia-92-year-old Anuar. A native of Bayan-Ulgey aimag, he served in the armed forces for 30 years,

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his son became one of the most famous doctors in Mongolia and a state prize winner.

Remaining an ethnic minority, the Kazakhs of Mongolia are included in the socio-economic and socio-cultural infrastructure of the state. They are represented in the parliament and law enforcement agencies, in the cultural, educational and scientific spheres of the country. In recent decades, the Kazakh community of Mongolia has been an active participant in Diaspora contacts at the interstate level. The development of Mongolia's diplomatic relations with Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and China makes it possible to implement programs aimed at ensuring the stability of the ethnic group, which has become an organic part of the multiethnic community of the Central Asian macro-region.

List of literature

Бикумар К. Моноголиядагы казактардын салт-дэстурлери (этнологиялык зерттеулер). - 9lgey, 1995. - 344 p.

Wikipedia [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http: //ra.wikipedia.org/wiki (21.04.2008).

Molodin V. I. Issledovaniya Rossiiskoi-Germanskoi-Mongol'skoy expeditsii na Severo-Zapad Mong'lii summer 2006 [Research of the Russian-German-Mongolian expedition in the North-West of Mongolia in the summer of 2006].

Molodin V. I., Parzinger G. Ice warrior of Altai / / National Geographic. - 2007. - June. - pp. 58-71.

Kazinform [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: http://www.inform.kz/stowarticle

Molodin V., Parzinger H., Tseveendorj D. Das Krigergrab von Olon-Kurin-Gol // Im Zeichen des Goldenen Greifen. Konigsgraber der Szythen. - Munchen; Berlin; L., N.Y.: [S.I.], 2007. - S. 148 - 155.

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS

17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

E-mail: SIEM405@archaeology.nsc.ru

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Photo report prepared by V. P. Mylnikov.

V. P. Mylnikov was born in 1948 in Novosibirsk. Graduated from Kemerovo State University. From 1969 to the present, he has been working at the Institute of Electric Power Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His research interests include problems of paleometallic technologies. In 2003, V. P. Mylnikov was awarded the degree of Doctor of Historical Sciences, since 2005. V. P. Mylnikov took part in archaeological expeditions led by academicians A. P. Okladnikov, A. P. Derevyanko, and V. I. Molodin in the Far East, Siberia, Altai, Transbaikalia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and the Urals. Photography became a second profession for him during his expedition journeys. Many scientific and popular science publications are decorated with his photographs.

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1. Kazakhs of the Ulan-Khus somon on summer nomads in the Olon-Kuriyn-Gol river valley.

The Olon-Kuriyn-Gol River valley, closed on both sides by mountain ranges and the Ulan Daba pass, is a traditional place of nomadic Kazakhs of the Ulan-Khus somon. Their winter gardens are located mainly on the southern slopes of the mountains, on high terraces, in places protected from the winds. Yurts of summer nomads are located 10-15 km away from winter camps upstream of mountain rivers.

2. Winter Kazakh camp in the valley of the Olon-Kuriyn-Gol river.

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3. Kazakh nomads of the beginning of the XXI century.

An international archaeological expedition camp is located 160 km northwest of the Bayan-Ulgey aimag, 45-50 km from the Ulan-Khus Somon. The neighbors of scientists were Kazakhs-Kereys, who migrated to summer pastures in mid-June. At an altitude of 2500 - 2700 m above sea level, their villages are located among the high-altitude steppes.

4. In a yurt on a summer pasture. A bowl of kumiss for a Kazakh is a sign of respect for the guest.

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5. Berkutchi Mukhtar from the somon of Ulan-Khus Bayan-Ulgey aimag.

The regular life of Kazakh nomads is formed by everyday concerns about the herd. Several hundred heads of sheep, goats, yaks, and horses are managed by the family community. The summer day runs from morning to evening milking. Sometimes guests come to the nomad camp. On this day, Mukhtar and his brother hunted steppe foxes and marmots with a tame golden eagle in the vicinity of the village. While hunting, they stopped at a familiar village and visited archaeologists.

6. Milking sheep in the summer camp.

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7. The beginning of the first kumiss festival.

With the migration to summer pastures, Kazakhs begin to make kumys. This important event is celebrated as a holiday. It was held in the Olon-Kuriin-Gola valley on July 5. Two dozen mares and foals were driven to the bank of a mountain river. The foals were tied to a long rope strung between stakes. The women began milking the mares. They were assisted by children who led the foal to its mother's udder. The Kazakhs of Mongolia still preserve ancient pastoral traditions; one of them - milking with access-reflects a person's respect for the animals with which he shares his life.

8. Preparation for milking mares.

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9. Dastarkhan in a clearing near a stream.

The holiday of the first kumiss for Kazakhs is associated with the beginning of summer, the growth of herbs and animals. This is a celebration of life. Its content is determined by the ideas of renewal and fertility. The holiday is accompanied by a big treat-dastarkhan, during which music and songs are played. The Kazakh village marks the beginning of the long-awaited summer season, which will bring a lot of worries, but will result in an increase in wealth.

10. The first steps of the future mistress of the valley.

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11. Milking a yak.

For everyday concerns, Kazakhs do not forget about preparing for the main holiday of Mongolia-Naadam, which is celebrated on July 11. Two weeks before that, the fastest horses are caught in the village. Young horses are ridden by teenagers - one rider and three or four assistants. After a week of challenges, the future participants of the festival ride at full speed across the valley for several hours; the upcoming races require serious preparation.

12. A young Kazakh-a future participant of horse races during Naadam.

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13. Kazakh smithy.

In the Kazakh nomads of the beginning of the XXI century, elements of industrial culture and nomadic archaism are organically combined. From time to time, local blacksmiths deploy their tools next to the satellite antenna installed near the yurt. Boulder-anvil, hammer, forge, coals in a large flat basin, water in a bucket for quenching products-this is the mobile forge that ensures the autonomy of the nomad. An experienced master will quickly shoe the horse.

14. Forging a horse.

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15. A Kazakh family in a yurt on a summer nomad camp in the Olon-Kuriyn-Gola valley.

July 2-7, 2006 was a special day in the life of Kazakh villages in the Olon-Kuriyn-Gola valley. President of Mongolia Pambaryn Enkhbayar visited the camp of the international archaeological expedition led by Academician V. I. Molodin. People led by elders of Kazakh families were waiting for him near the mounds. The President examined the finds and made a speech about the strong friendship of Kazakhs, Mongols and Russians. It started to rain. The elders noted that this was fortunate and, after saying good wishes in honor of the president, invited him to dostarkhan

16. President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar with Kazakhs of the Bayan-Ulgey aimag.

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