Buryatia and Buryats by Tsypylma Darieva "Buddhists in the east, shamanists in the west, the Buryats once spent their lives in hunting and cattle herding. Now with changes brought by collective farming and industry, few remember how to distill the vodkalike 'tarasun' once drunk with so much ceremony in mountain encampments. But one thing remains unchanged - the love of learning bequeathed by the lamas. Buryats have achieved a high level of education that helps equip many for work in regional industries such as aircraft manufacture." [1] The Buryat Republic, the southern part of the territory of East Siberia, is situated in the region between northern Mongolia and Lake Baikal. With a multinational make up Buryatia today consists mostly of Russians with 70 percent of the population followed by Buryats at 24%. This article deals with Buryats only. Buryats, the indigenous people of this territory are people of Mongolian language, physical type and cultural tradition. By tradition they are a nomadic pastoral people whose stock consists of cattle, horses, sheep, goats and a few camels. In addition Buryats had a highly organized battue or hunting-form. Buryats live not only in the boundaries of the Republic of Buryatia but also in the ethnical autonomous districts (ok- rug) of Chita and Irkutsk administrative provinces (oblast') within the Russian Federation. Large numbers of Buryats (about 28,000) live in the Mongolian Republic, mostly in the districts which border on Russia (Xentii aimag). About 20,000 Buryats live in the People's Republic of China in the region of Barga in Manchuria. Some of these have settled or were sent there in the eighteenth century and others are Buryats who emigrated from the Soviet Union after the revolution and Civil War. With the new policy of open bor- ders with China certain numbers of Buryat families are leav- ing China and emigrating back to Buryatia. The spoken language of Buryats consists of many dialects. The "Khori" dialect was adopted in the Soviet time as offi- cial language of literature. In 1979 there were 353,000 Buryats in the USSR of whom 96.2% counted Buryat as their native language. Buryats have a common traditional belief system - shamanism, which was overlaid by Tibetan form of Buddhism among the eastern and southern Buryats (in Transbaikalia) during the 18th century, and partly by Russian Orthodoxy among the western Buryats (in Cisbaikalia) during the 19th century. Since the 17th century Buryat lands were incorporated in the politics of the Russian Empire and have been increasingly settled by Russian peasants both Orthodox and Old Believers as well as Cossacks (Russian military frontier guards) who have been guarding the border with Mongolia and China. With the development of Russian form of agriculture and especially during the socialist collectivization and in- dustrialization Buryats gave up their traditional way of life and became sedentary. As such they do not live any more in their former dwellings, the felt tent but have moved in- stead into permanent wooden structure-houses which are typi- cal for Russian peasant life throughout Siberia. After the October Revolution the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR (Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) was established in 30th of Mai 1923 and included most of the area within the Soviet Union settled by Buryats. It consisted of eight aimags: Tunka, Khorinsk Troizkosavsk, Bargusin, Bokhan, Alar, Eckirit-Bulagat, Aga and Verchne-Udinsk. At the 26th of September 1937 the Buryat-Mongolian Republic was divided into three sectors: Aga and Ulan-Onon aimags were cut from the Republic and went aside to the Chita oblast'; Alar, Bokhan, Eckirit-Bulagat aimags to Irkutsk oblast'. Other aimags went to form today's Buryat Republic with the capital Ulan-Ude. The newly set up "national okrugs" Aga National Autonomous Okrug and Ust-Orda Okrug are to provide administrative units of lower level for important centers of Buryat population now outside the Buryatia Republic. With the general policy of russification having profounded the name Mongol was cut out of the Buryat ASSR in 1957. At the 30th March of 1992 the Supreme Soviet of Buryat republic adopted a new name: Republic of Buryatia (Buryaad Respublika) within the Russian Federation. Since 1990 there is a process of national cultural revival which results in some political events to be listed below. Buryatia Geography Total area: 351,507 km2, which compose 2.06% of the Russian territory Land area: 351,300 km2, excluding lake Baikal Lake Baikal maritime line of Buryat border: ca. 1000 km Comparative area: nearly corresponds to the size of united Germany and a bit larger than England. Land boundaries: Republic of Tuva (west), Irkutsk oblast (northwest), Chita oblast (east), Mongolian Republic (south) Territory disputes: to unite three ethnic divisions under one administrative unit of Buryatian Republic, or rather restore the former boundaries of Buryat-Mongolian republic of 1937. Climate: extreme continental climate is characterized by cold long winters with low snow accumulation followed by hot dry summers. An average temperature as in January of -24 degrees contrasts with the July mean temperature of plus 17-18 degrees. The climate of Baikal coastal region is more tender by maritime influences. Terrain: mountainy plains, meadows and middleland steppe (13%), stones and sand (15%). Mountains are covered with forest and taiga, which make 70% of the total area. Buryatia is situated on the average level above sea 500-700 m (lowest level-Baikal coast 455m; the highest mountain- peak of Munkhu Saridak in Sayan mountain range is of 3,491m). Lake Baikal: Lake Baikal with the deepest point of 1,620 m is the world`s deepest lake. Also the largest in Eurasia at 636 km long by an average width of 48 km it measures some 31,500 km2, more than the area of Belgium, contains 20% of fresh water contaiments in all the world's lakes. Its volume is of 23,000 km3. Fed by 336 rivers and streams Baikal acts as a reservoir for only one river Angara, wich flows north to join the river Yenisey. Natural Resources: Treasures of soil: ore and non-ore, nonferrous metals, gold, silver; beryllium, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, tungsten, molibdene, iron, phosphat, apattite, quarz fuel-enerqetic raw materials: black and brown coal (the balance reserve of coil amounts 2,632 million tons) stone materials: granit, marble, deposits, semi-precious stones fresh water (20% of world reserve), mineral and termal ground water. Exploitation reserve of water supply and irrigation amount 21 million m3 /day. wood and forest: 70% of Buryatia is covered with forests, primarily conifers, larch, pine, fir, ceder. Land use: wood forestry econonmy (77,68%), agriculture- arable land and pastures (13,22%), state reserve (6,37%), national parks and protected landscapes (1,18%), industry (1,5%), transportation (0,09%) (1989) distribution af land use in agriculture and cattlesheep- breeding: pastures 49,4% field 38.0% haymaking 12,6% Buryatia People Population: more than 1 million 48,000 (1993); growth rate 10% (1993), some districts experience death rate rising (Zakamensk, 1994) High rate of urbanisation - 41% of the population live in sities. Birth rate: 11,7% for total population, Buryats -14,5% (1993) Death rate: 10,2% for total population, Buryats -9,2% Density: sparcely populated - 3 persons 1 km2, in southern parts of the territory the population is more con- centrated and amounts 25 persons on 1 km. Life expectancy at birth: about 68 years (russians and buryats), 35 years among evenks! Ethnic division: Russians 727,000 Buryats 249,500 Ukrainians 21,800 Tatars 10,400 Belarussians 5,300 Armenians 2,200 Germans 2,100 Evenks 1,600 Soyot 200 Buryats:Buryatia republic 249,500 Irkutsk oblast 77,300 Chita oblast 66,100 Moscow 2,000 alltogether in CIS - 421,600 (1989) Society type: traditionally the union of patrilineal clans with exogamous lineages Religions: among Buryats (east) - Tibetan Buddhism in Gelukpa tradi- tion; among Buryats (west) - shamanism; Russians - orthodox Christianity; new mordern religious movements in Buryatia: krishnaism, Adventists of the 7th day, Bahai Languages: The Buryat language belongs to the northern group of Mongolian languages of the Altai language family. It is divided into ten dialects. The classical Uigur- Mongolian script was used until 1931, in the period from 1931 until 1937 Latin script and since this time Cyril- lic letters with some modifications. Literacy: 98% of the population, compulsory secondary educa- tion Government of the Buryat Republic Long form name: Republic of Buryatia (Buryaad Respublika) Capital : Ulan-Ude ( former Verhkne-lldinsk ) Type:Form of goverment: federal multiparty republic with a single policy-making body (Khural) and its standing par- liment (former Supreme Soviet) (1994). Administrative division: altogether 21 districts (rayons): Severo-Baikalsky / Severobaikalsk, Kurumkansky/ Kurum- kan,Bargusinsky/ Bargusin Pribaikalsky / Turuntaevo, Bauntovsky / Bagdarin, Khorinsky / Khorinsk, Eravninsky / Sosnovo-Oserskoye, Okinsky / Orlik, Tunkinsky / Kyren, Kabansky / Kabansk, Ivolginsky / Ivolginsk, Tar- bagataysky / Tarbagatay, Zaigraevsky / Zaigraevo, Kijinginsky / Kijinga, Zakamensky / Zakamensk, Jidinsky/ Petropavloka, Selenginsky / Gusinoozersk, Mukhor- shibirsky / Mukhorshibir, Kyakhtinsky / Kyakhta, Bichursky / Bichura, Muysky / Taksimo Constitution: new Constition from 22th of February 1994 con- sists of 122 articles. Legal system: until the beginning of the 20th centiry blend of russian colonial Yasak system and traditional feodal buryat system of law. Since the October Revolution and proclamation of the Buryat-Mongolian Socialist Soviet Republic in 1923 - soviet system of law. National holidays: Sagaalgan (White Moon) - New Year Feast according to moon calendar, Surharbaan (first decade of July), Maidari Khural (July)- buddhist feast Leqislative power: Goverment of Buryat Republic Executive power : President and National Khural ( Parliment ) Juridical Branch : Constitutional Court , High Court and Ar- bitrational Court Leaders: President of Buryatia and at the same time Head of the Goverment (June 1994) - Leonid Potapov (russian born in Buryatia 1935); Chairman of National Khural (July 1994) Mikhail Semenov (buryat); Vice-President (August 1994) - Mihkail Spasov (buryat) Political arties: all parties except the Communist Party are new and exist since about 1990. Communist Party of Rus- sian federation, Social Labor Party of Russia, Democratic Party of Independent Russia, Movement od democtratic reforms Local parties: Buryat-Mongolian National Party, World Buryat Association of cultural development, Movement for na- tional unity "Negedel" , Democratic Buryatia, "Unity and Progress" (mostly represented by Buryat members) Transbaikalian Union of russian People, National-Patriotic Party Verkhne-Udinsky section of Transbaikalia Cossacks (russian local parties) Suffrage; universal at age of 18 Elections: Last and first President elections held in June 1994 with 4 years term. Results - Mr. Leonid Potapov (the former Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Buryatia), elected by the people of Buryatia on the base of universal direct suffrage (41,9%). National Khural of Buryatia consists of 65 mem- bers and was elected in 16 June 1994. Government of Buryatia is ruled by the President of Buryatia who as- signs the members of the Government. Last one held at 2d of August 1994. The Goverment consists of Vice- President, assistants of President, State manager, mini- sters and Chairmen of state commitee. State symbol: The Buryat Republic has its own national em- blem national flag and national hymm. The national flag of Buryatia present a regtangular width with three horizontally coloured fields: blue, white and yellow. On the upper field close to the flag-pole there is image of soyombo in yellow colour. Soyombo is an all Mongolian symbol of sovereignity which combines three symbols of moon, sun and flame. Capital Ulan-Ude: Ulan-Ude (till 1934 Verkhne-Udinsk), 362,400 inhabitants (1991) is situated on the Uda river at its confluence with the Selenga river. The town came to the existence in mid-17th century with the foundation by Russian cossacks of a small fort in 1668. The town was on the 18th century Siberian road and was formerly a great center for tea trade from Mongolia via Kyakhta. 1899 through the town passed the Transsiberian railway, which promoted the economical development of Buryatia. Modern Ulan-Ude is an industrial centre in the Republic: electric locomotive and cars works plant, aircraft plant, ship machines, meat packing plant, glass factory. There are four high schools (pedagogical, technological, agricultural, cultural), State University (filial from the Novosibirsk University), four theaters. Economy of Buryatia Industry: wood and forestry industries, paper and food in- dustries, construction manufacture, black and other metallurgy, ship and electric locomotive and cars works for the Transsib railway, aircrafts and technics in- dustries, radiotechnics and energetics, agriculture machines and military industry. Transportation: Transsiberian railway is crossing the whole Buryatia connecting the capital of Buryat Ulan-Ude with Ulan Bator / Mongolia and Beijing (PRC). On the northern part of Buryatia there is a part of Baikal-Amur main line, which is 547 km long. Buryatia has a relatively good traffic net, and a big airport of international status. Aqriculture: crops, feed and vegetables; sheep and cattle breeding. GDP (1993) industry - 44,2%, transport and communications - 20%, agriculture - 15,1%, material-technical supply - 13,1%, construction - 12,9%, trade and public catering - 5,8% Export goods: wood and forestry materials, cellulose, wool, crops, gold, silver, metalls (zinc, tin, nickel, wol- fram, molibdene, beryllium) coal, marble, furs, leather, electromotors, tools, glass, furniture parts. Import goods: machine parts, industry equipment, food, beverage and clothing Trade partners: CIS, Mongolia (50%), China, Germany, Korea (North & South) Public newspapers: Pravda Buryatii, Buryatia, Buryaad Unen, Molodyoj Buryatii, Soyol, Gulamta, Kommunist Buryatii. ------------- [1] From: Peoples of the Soviet Union (Map - produced by the Cartographic Division, National Geographic Society, Washington, Feb. 1976).