Проблемы прародины и этнических корней бурятской группы сэгэнутов

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of the origin of one of the main components of the tribal composition of the Western Buryats, known as “Segenut”. The relevance of this study is due to the insufficient study of the ethnic origins of the ancestral group, the territory, and the time of the formation of the West Buryat group. The study is based on general scientific research methods. Comparative historical and textual methods are also used. Analysis of ancestral traditions and texts of shamanic invocations of Buryats shows that the origin of the Buryat group of Segenuts was associated with the territory of northwestern Mongolia and adjacent areas of southeastern Tuva. These territories are located within the boundaries of the biosphere reserve, called the Ubsunur basin. This is indicated by the analysis of toponymic names found in folklore and texts of the sacred tradition of the Segenuts. This is also evidenced by the ethnonymy reflected in the legends of the Buryats. This made it possible to identify the ethnic origins of the Segenuts, going back to the Uriankhai/Turkic basis. This basis makes up a significant layer of the original population of the Ubsunur basin. A significant argument in favor of this is the reference to the Uighur language of the ancestors of the Segenuts. This language is captured by the shamanic folklore of the Buryats. It is known that language is one of the basic elements in ethnic identification. Language stands out as a key factor in the definition of an ethnic group in various scientific concepts. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the marking of the Segenuts as Uriankhais in folklore, representations and traditions of the Buryats. This also gave reason to believe that the Segenuts are not autochthons of the Cis-Baikal region, but a migrated part of the Turkic-speaking society, close in origin to the Tuvan groups Soyan and choodu. That is, the Segenuts are the descendants of the Turkic-speaking ethnic group who became Buryats. In this regard, a version has been put forward about the time of their migration. It was provoked by the unstable situation in Western Mongolia and Southern Siberia in the 15th–16th centuries. Perhaps the situation was connected with the desire of the Oirats as a leading ethno-political association, who tried to expand their zone of influence to neighboring territories. This led to civil strife, military actions and the outflow of the population to other regions.