Abstract
The article analyses materials from the general archival fond of the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs (COMX) of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, which were collected and prepared for printing by the well-known orientalist, G. N. Rumyantsev, leading figure in the science of Buryatia. 30 originals and certified copies on the history of the Khory Buryats of the 18–19th centuries are included in the file “The archival materials of the Khory taishas with certificates, diplomas, etc.” The article offers their source analysis and genre classification, as well as description of their paleographic features, handwriting, stamps, etc. Archival documents illustrate the dynamics of the state policy towards the Buryats over more than one hundred and fifty years: Buryats’ subordination to local governments, relationship between governing bodies, features of Buryat common law and court. Documents enable to follow the integration of the Buryat population into the Russian society. In the private archive of the scholar an unpublished manuscript of his book “The archives of the Khory taishas: Materials for the history of Buryat-Mongolian people: 1711-1850” have been found. It includes hand- and type-written texts with commentaries. It was not accidental that G. N. Rumyantsev prepared publication of archival documents on the history of the Buryat people. In 1960, in collaboration with S. B. Okun, he had published “Collected documents on history of Buryatia: The 18th century. Issue 1.” It is probable that he carried on with this work by identifying and interpreting sources from the COMX and the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia. The publication of sources still remains an important task, even if there are now many works on the history of the Buryats that analyze different sides of their social development and culture. The structure and composition of the Buryat government and administration remain unclear, and answers to these questions may be found in these archival documents.
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