The History of Naming among the Baunt Evenks

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to explore the naming system of Baunt Evenks – local group of Evenks in Buryatia. For centuries, each nation has developed its own anthroponymicon – a register of personal names, which had its own characteristics in each historical period.Results. We examined this process using the example of the personal names of the Baunt Evenks – a local group of the indigenous people of the Republic of Buryatia, currently living in the Bauntovsky Evenk district. Name played a very important role in an Evenk’s life. It was individual, rarely repeated and perceived as something alive. In the process of research, the original Evenk names of the 17th – 21st centuries, unknown to modern Evenks, have been revealed. It was established that the most common male names among the Baunt Evenks were formed with the suffix -wul. The next in the frequency of use were names ending in -cha, -nay, -nei, -ni, -tu / -ltu, -kta / -to, -no, -nya, -chan, -ko. Most female names were formed with the suffix -k. We have recorded Russian and Buryat names that appeared in the Evenks anthroponymicon as a result of the establishment of cultural relations between peoples. The frequency of their use has been also determined. It has been found that since the end of the 19th century, the Evenks have mainly been using three-word names: first name, patronymic, surname.Conclusion. In the naming system of the Evenks, there were a number of conventions and prohibitions. Firstly, a person could not exist without a name. Secondly, the Evenks treated personal names as something intimate. Thirdly, the naming process was not instantaneous. Fourth, the name of the Evenks was a new word. And fifth, the formation of personal names among the Evenks was subject to certain linguistic norms.