Assimilation of the Chulym Turkic People by the Russians in the First Half of the XIX Century: the case of the Kolmogorov Family from Chumay Village

Abstract

The article deals with the assimilation of Siberian indigenous peoples by the first Russian settlers in the north of the Kemerovo region. The research was based on the historical and genealogical methods and featured a microhistorical analysis of a particular settlement of the Chulym Turkic people who lived in the Kiya river basin in the first half of the XIX century. The paper introduces the case of the Kolmogorov family of old-timers from the village of Сhumay (Chebulinsky municipal district of the Kemerovo region). The author studied memoirs and parish documents to trace the changes in the status of the Kolmogorovs: from representatives of the indigenous peoples who paid a regular tribute in furs (yasak) to peasants. The research also helped to define the borders of the yasak territories and establish the conditions that encouraged the yasak-payers to settle down as peasants. The exposure to peasantry and Russification was a long stage: it took the Kolmogorovs 25 years to enter the peasant community of Сhumay village. Moreover, the process was small-scale and random in the period under review.