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«BULLETIN OF THE IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY. GEOARCHAEOLOGY, ETHNOLOGY, AND ANTHROPOLOGY SERIES»
ISSN 2227-2380 (Print)

List of issues > «Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series». 2025. Vol 53

On the Ethnic Origin of the Buryat Group Kharanut

Full text (russian)
Author(s)

S. B. Bolkhosoev

East-Siberian State Institute of Culture, Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation

Abstract
This article is devoted to studying the ethnic origins of one of the largest tribal communities of the Western Buryats, known by the ethnonym “Kharanut”. The relevance of this research is due to the insufficient study of the ethnic origin, territory, and time of formation of the West Buryat tribal group. It is based on comparative and etymological methods. Analysis of historical data and genealogical traditions shows that the formation of the Kharanut group took place on the northwestern periphery of the Buryat ethnic region within the Uda-Oka interfluve, located in the Cis-Baikal region. It has been established that in this region, the Kharanut people interacted closely with Tungusic and Yeniseian ethnic groups and constituted the leading group. This is indicated by the ethnonym of this group, which is used in combination with other general designations of Buryat, Tungusic, and Yeniseian ethnic groups. Such ethnic contacts predetermined the mutual influence and interpenetration of ethnic elements. This is confirmed by both historical records and the oral tradition of the Buryats. At the same time, the Mongolian origin of the Kharanut people is clearly evident, which is confirmed by the etymological analysis of their ethnonym. A strong argument in favor of this is also provided by data from oral tradition, which indicates a foreign Mongolian element in the behavior of the Kharanut people. In this case, the ethnonym of the Buryat Kharanuts is consistent with the generic names of the Western Mongols. This is also confirmed by a comparison with the historical ethnonyms of the medieval Mongols, known from the writings of the medieval chronicler Rashid al-Din. Furthermore, a review of the ethnonymy of the peoples of the Altaic language family provides strong arguments in favor of the Mongol identity of the Kharanut people. For example, their ethnonym is found primarily among Mongolian ethnic groups. All of this gave reason to believe that the Kharanut people are not the indigenous population of the Cis-Baikal, but rather an ethnic group of Mongolian origin that migrated to this region. The time of their appearance in the Cis-Baikal region and the formation of the Kharanut association is conventionally dated to the 15th–16th centuries, since this group was already mentioned in historical documents in the 17th century.
About the Authors
Bolkhosoev Stanislav Borisovich, Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor of the Department of ethnology and folk art culture, EastSiberian State Institute of Culture; 1, Tereshkova st., Ulan-Ude, 670031, Russian Federation e-mail: stanislav_bolhos@mail.ru
For citation
Bolkhosoev S. B. On the Ethnic Origin of the Buryat Group Kharanut. Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University. Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series. 2025, Vol. 53, pp. 30–42. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2025.53.30 (In Russ.)
Keywords
Buryats, Kharanuts, Tungusic peoples, Kotts, Oirats, Mongols, ancestral group, ethnonym, origin.
UDC
39(=512.31)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2025.53.30
References

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