How the Yakuts live. Yakuts are hardworking and hardy people

According to archaeological data, the nationality of the Yakuts arose as a result of the union of local tribes living near the middle reaches of the Lena River with southern Turkic-speaking settlers. Over time, the created new nationality was divided into several groups. For example, reindeer herders of the northwest, etc.

Yakuts, description of the people

The Yakuts are considered one of the most numerous Siberian peoples. Their number reaches over 380 thousand people. Yakuts live in the Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk regions, but mostly in the Republic of Sakha. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic dialects that are part of the Altai family. The main occupations of the Yakuts are breeding horses and cattle, fishing and hunting. In modern times, the main wealth of the Yakuts is diamonds. The mining industry is highly developed. The dwelling of the Yakuts is yurts, which can be small and vice versa, different in height. Yurts are built of wood.

Who worshiped the Yakuts since ancient times

Among the Yakuts, an important place in the belief is still occupied by the veneration of nature. All traditions and customs of the Yakuts are closely connected with it. They believe that nature is alive, and all earthly objects have their own spirits and inner strength. For a long time, the owner of the road was considered one of the main ones. Previously, they even made sacrificial offerings to him, leaving horsehair, shreds of cloth, buttons and copper coins at the crossroads. Similar actions were performed for the owners of reservoirs, mountains, etc.

Thunder and lightning in the representation of the Yakuts pursue evil spirits. If a tree splits during a thunderstorm, it is believed that it has healing powers. The wind in the view of the Yakuts has four spirits that guard the earthly peace. The Earth has a female deity - Aan. It monitors the growth and fertility of all living things (plants, animals, people). In the spring, special offerings are made for Aan.

Water has its owner. Gifts are brought to him in autumn and spring in the form of a birch bark boat with a picture of a man carved on it and pieces of cloth attached. Dropping sharp objects into water is considered a sin.

The owner of the fire is a gray-haired old man who casts out evil spirits. This element has always been treated with great respect. The fire was never put out and in the old days they carried it with them in pots. It is believed that he is the patron of the family and the hearth.

The Yakuts call Baai Baiyanai the spirit of the forest. He helps in fishing and hunting. In ancient times, it was chosen which could not be killed and eaten. For example, goose, swan, ermine and some others. The eagle was considered the head of all birds. The bear has always been the most revered among all groups of Yakuts. His claws and other attributes are still used as amulets.

Holidays

The holidays of the Yakuts are closely connected with traditions and rituals. The most important is Ysyakh. It takes place once a year and reflects the worldview and picture of the world. It is celebrated at the very beginning of summer. According to ancient traditions, a hitching post is set up in a clearing surrounded by young birches, which symbolizes the World Tree and the axes of the Universe. In modern times, it has also become the personification of the friendship of the peoples living in Yakutia. This holiday is considered a family holiday.

Ysyakh always begins with sprinkling fire and four cardinal points with koumiss. This is followed by a request to the Deities for grace. National clothes are put on for the celebration and traditional dishes and koumiss are prepared. The meal is always held at the same table with all relatives. Then they begin to dance, sports competitions, wrestling, archery and stick pulling are arranged.

Yakuts: families

Yakuts live small until the 19th century, polygamy was common. But they all lived separately, and each had its own household. Yakuts enter into marriage in the period from 16 to 25 years. During marriage, money is paid. If then the bride can be kidnapped, followed by working off for her.

Rites and traditions

The Yakut people have many traditions and rituals, the description of which can even lead to a separate book. Often they are associated with magical actions. For example, to protect housing and livestock from evil spirits, the Yakuts use a number of conspiracies. Important components in this case are the ornament on clothes, jewelry and utensils. Rites are also held for a good harvest, livestock offspring, birth of children, etc.

Until now, the Yakuts have preserved many traditions and customs. For example, the Sat stone is considered magical, and if a woman looks at it, then it loses its power. It is found in the stomachs or livers of animals and birds. After extraction, it is wrapped in birch bark and wrapped in horsehair. It is believed that through certain spells with the help of Sat, rain, wind or snow can be caused.

Many traditions and customs of the Yakuts have been preserved since ancient times. For example, they have But in modern times it was replaced by a ransom. The Yakuts are very hospitable and love to exchange gifts. Birthing rites are associated with the goddess Aiyy-Syt, who is considered the patroness of children.

hitching posts

The Yakuts have a lot of different tying posts. And this is not accidental, since they have been one of the main components of the culture of the people since ancient times. Beliefs, many rituals, traditions and customs are associated with them. All hitching posts have a different ornament, decoration, height, shape.

In total there are three groups of such pillars. The first (outdoor) includes those that are installed near the dwelling. Horses are tied to them. The second group includes pillars used for various religious ceremonies. And in the third - hitching posts, which are installed on the main Yakut holiday Ysyakh.

Yurts of the Yakuts

The settlements of the Yakuts consist of several houses (yurts) located at a great distance from each other. The dwelling of the Yakuts is created from round standing logs. But only small trees are used in construction, since cutting large ones is considered a sin. The doors are located on the east side, towards the sun. Inside the yurt there is a fireplace smeared with clay. The dwelling has many small windows. Along the walls are wide sun loungers of different heights. At the entrance - the lowest. Only the owner of the yurt sleeps on the top. The beds are separated from each other by partitions.

For the construction of the yurt, a low place is chosen, protected from the winds. In addition, the Yakuts are looking for a "happy place". Therefore, they do not settle among mighty trees, since they have already taken all the power of the earth. There are many more such moments, as in Chinese geomancy. When choosing a place to build a yurta, they turn to the shaman. Often yurts are built collapsible so that they can be transported during a nomadic lifestyle.

National clothes

Consists of a single-breasted caftan. Previously, for winter it was sewn from fur, and for summer - from the skin of a horse or cow. The caftan has 4 additional wedges and a wide belt. The sleeves are wide. Fur socks are also worn on the feet. In modern times, the Yakuts use fabric for sewing clothes. They began to wear shirts with collars, belted with a belt.

Wedding coats for women are sewn long, to the heels. Expand to the bottom. The sleeves and collar are decorated with brocade, red and green cloth, silver ornaments, braid. The hem is lined with sable fur. These wedding coats are inherited. On the head, instead of a veil, they wear fur hats with a high top made of black or red decorated cloth.

Folklore

Talking about the traditions and customs of the Yakuts, one cannot fail to mention their folklore. The main thing in it is the olonkho epic, which is considered a kind of poetry, and in performance it is similar to an opera. This art has been preserved since antiquity. Olonkho includes many traditional legends. And in 2005, this art was recognized as a UNESCO heritage.

Poems with a length of 10 to 15 thousand lines are performed by folk storytellers. Not everyone can become one. Narrators must have an oratorical gift, be able to improvise, have acting talent. Speech should be in a different tone. Large olonkhos can be performed for seven nights. The largest and most famous work consists of 36 thousand poetic lines.

Despite the fact that the Tungus took part in the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts, relations between them were not friendly, even mutual marriages were forbidden. The religion of the Tungus was much more severe than that of the Yakuts.

What food was considered valuable, and what was "unclean"

Horse meat was the most valuable product. Cattle of local breeds were hardy and cold-resistant, but were milked only in summer. This refers to cow's milk and horse - koumiss. Deer were bred in the north.

Yogurt was made from cow's milk - "suorat", it was frozen for the winter, adding berries, roots, meat. In winter, they broke off and cooked soup on this basis - “butugas”.

The diet included game and fish. One of the methods of hunting was the use of a grazing bull, behind which the hunter was hiding. The same technique was used by the North American Indians. The Yakuts knew how to hunt on horseback and with the use of dogs.

For fishing, two types of boats were used: wooden punts and birch bark, which were called "tyy". They were caught with nets or nets. Sometimes they arranged a collective passage with a net; the booty was divided equally among all participants. In winter they practiced ice fishing through the hole. Fish was eaten raw or cooked, frozen in reserve or fermented in pits.

The Yakuts were engaged in collecting and harvesting the gifts of the forest: these are sorrel, wild garlic, various roots, and even the inner layer of tree bark. Berries were harvested less, and raspberries were not used at all: they were considered unclean.

Blacksmiths in animal skins

Blacksmith-Yakut, 1902. (from the archive of the Dzhesupov North Pacific Expedition).

Before the arrival of the Russians, the Yakuts dressed mainly in skins: spinning, weaving and felting were not used. Fabrics were imported goods, they were worn by the richest members of the family.

Horsehair was actively used: cords, ropes, lassoes, fishing nets were woven from it, they were embroidered.

Clothing, especially women's, was decorated with embroidery and appliqué.

Carving on wood and mammoth bone was practiced.

A characteristic motif that was used in ornaments is bull horns. This is a very ancient symbol, it is found throughout Eurasia: in Mesopotamia, Crete, India, Spain, Scandinavia ...

The Yakut people were well versed in blacksmithing. The search for ore, smelting and coinage of products from various metals: iron, copper, silver. Horse harness, weapons, belts, clothes were decorated with silver, gold and copper chasing. Women wore earrings, rings, chains, bracelets, all kinds of beautiful pendants.

Weapons before the arrival of the Russians consisted of a bow with arrows and spears.

Unlike most Siberian peoples, the Yakuts made not only metal and leather utensils, but also molded ceramics.

The Yakuts prepared hay for the cattle for the winter, using a pink salmon scythe, which they knew even before the arrival of the Russians. The unit of measure for land was "kyu-ryuyo" - a plot that was required to create one haystack.

In Rus', the Lithuanian scythe (which is mowed with a straight back) began to come into use in the 14th century, among the Yakuts - in the 17th, with the arrival of Russians in Siberia.

How to get through the taiga

Most of the travel was on horseback. Local horses are small, very hardy and unpretentious, accustomed to rugged terrain. In winter, the Yakuts used skis similar to Russian ones. The difference was that in Rus' they were stuffed with the skin from the shin of an elk, and in Yakutia - with the skin of a deer or horse.

Bulls were used as pack and draft animals. In winter, they were harnessed to a special sled "silis syarga" with runners made of crooked tree trunks. Deer were harnessed to the sleds, their runners were made straight.

Yakut house: what do the Yakuts have in common with the Normans

The house was called "yurt", it had a complex internal structure. It was a settled dwelling, not a nomadic one. The frame was made of poles, the summer yurt was covered with sewn birch bark, the winter yurt with log flooring. From above, the building was covered with turf, which grew together and provided additional protection from cold and moisture. The outer part of the walls was built of turf and filled with clay. Living quarters, a warehouse, workshops, and a barn were united under one roof. The buildings were oriented to the cardinal points. The entrance has always been made in the east.

In the far right corner, a hearth was made - “dry”. In winter it was heated constantly. Along the walls were long benches "oron". The shop to the left of the entrance was intended for young men and workers. Women and children were placed near the hearth. The shop running along the left (southern wall) was considered the most honorable. Where this wall ended, there was a sacred corner, where objects related to religion were placed.

Similar houses have been preserved in Greenland since the Norman colonization. Another reason to recall the sources that the Scandinavians came from Asia.

Brides from afar

Until the 19th century, polygamy was accepted. Each wife had her own yurt and household. It was customary to choose a bride in a different kind, and preferably even in a different ulus.

For the bride, bride price was paid, consisting mainly of cattle, some of which was slaughtered for the wedding feast. The groom received a dowry, including utensils, furs and household items. A fur coat for women was a particularly expensive item and was inherited.

At the wedding, songs-tales about ancestors, love lyrics, fairy tales (including about animals), comic songs like Russian ditties were performed. Individual storytellers “olonkhosut” specialized in the performance of heroic legends: they sang in the technique of throat falsetto polyphony - with the effect of two voices. Among the musical instruments were the jew's harp, stringed and percussion instruments.

Dances were both general - round dance, and personal.

How the Yakuts looked like slavery

A prisoner of war, a poor relative, or a child sold into slavery could become a slave. All of these options were very common. Slave-owning aristocrats were called toyons. Slaves made up their military detachment, grazed cattle, performed housework. The slave had the right to a family and a separate yurt.

Tiered world and the souls of dead shamans

According to the belief of the Yakuts, the world has nine tiers, in which creatures live, invisible in the world of people, but having a great influence on it. Horses were sacrificed to the spirits of the upper levels, cows were sacrificed to the spirits of the lower ones.

The Yakuts believed in the spirits of their ancestors, who were divided into the dead righteously and unrighteously, and in accordance with this behaved after death. The souls of the dead shamans had great posthumous power. The existence of spirits - the owners of various natural objects - was recognized. One of the most important was the cult of the female goddess of fertility.

Religious issues were in charge of shamans: both men and women. Their tambourines are not round, but oval - "dungur".

Elements of totemism have survived to this day: each clan has a patron animal, which is forbidden to be killed and called by name. Each shaman had an animal-double in which he could reincarnate.

Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Yakutsk.

The Yakuts began to adopt Orthodoxy in the 18th century. A large cross was added to the usual silver jewelry. In the sacred corner of the yurt, in addition to the protective symbols of good spirits, icons appeared.

I visited those places in the 70s of the last, twentieth century

I am familiar with the conditions of life in the Arctic and it is difficult to shock me with anything. I'll tell you just two episodes:

They killed a deer. Raised with the help of a davit on board. There was a Yakut in the team. He takes an ax and cuts the skull around the horns, throws them aside, scoops up the brains with bloody palms and eats. Many of those who stood nearby were shocked and began to "burp". When I asked why he did that? Yakut answered calmly;

However, I will be smart as a deer!

Another time we went to the fishermen in the lower reaches of the Lena to exchange vodka for fish. We were surrounded by armed Yakuts and were not let out of the boat, while our handsome navigator was invited to the yurt and forced to have sex with a Yakut woman under the barrel of a carbine. After that, our boat was loaded with fish and pushed off the shore.

When I yelled why did they do that? Yakut answered;

However, I want a son as big, strong and with blue eyes!!!

So, the most frequent question that I am asked about Yakutia is: how does the equipment behave there in such a frost?

Everything is clear with cars. They are not silenced. If you muffle, then you will not start. A constantly running engine burns 1,500 rubles worth of gasoline per day, if you don’t drive much. To save money, people rent warm garages (15,000 rubles) or, as I wrote in previous reports, cover the car with a warm Natasha cover - in this case, the engine can be started once an hour for several minutes to maintain the temperature. If the car is frozen, then it's okay: in Yakutia there is a special service when they come to you with a heat gun, cover the car with an awning and warm it up. It costs from 1500 to 3000 rubles. But the wheels, if you leave the car for a long time in the cold, become square, and at first the car drives like on a bad road.

It's easy with a camera. I had a Nikon D5 with a 2500 mAh lithium-ion battery. For 2 days and about 1000 shots, he sat down by 20%. Even a few hours in -40 frost did not prevent him from actuating the shutter. In general, "Nikon" showed itself perfectly, the characteristics of the camera did not change in the cold.

I shot the video on the Sony FDR-X3000. Her batteries were simpler, and in the cold they lasted for 3-5 minutes, after which the camera died, and the batteries were sent to warm up in gloves.

"iPhone" also does not particularly hold in the cold, even in your pocket.

As for people, the frost does not interfere much. The locals, of course, are used to it. It is difficult for an unprepared person to speak at first, as every breath burns, but then you get used to it! The main thing is to dress warmly.

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01. Aeroflot flight lands early in the morning, the difference with Moscow is 6 hours, just like in Japan.

02. The Yakutsk airport is in the fog, everything is in the fog because of the frost! The captain of the aircraft happily reports that it is -45 outside and the weather is fine.

03. Nothing is visible in the city, at all. I don't understand how people drive here. At the same time, the locals say that this is not a heavy fog yet, everything is generally in milk.

04. Yakutsk is usually covered in fog during severe frosts, although in summer and autumn this is also not the rarest occurrence. This is facilitated by the location of the city, which stands in the Tuymaada valley.

05. On the highway it can be difficult to overtake someone, because the exhaust gases turn into a permanent cloud behind the car, because of which nothing is visible.

06. Cars drive carefully, and people, taking advantage of the sluggishness of drivers, cross the road anywhere.

07. Fog is coming to Yakutsk. The city itself is not particularly interesting. Instead of developing as an original tourist center, Yakutsk has collected all the mistakes of Russian urban planning. There are random buildings, and an abundance of inappropriate advertising, and miserable yards.

08. But because of the fog, all this horror is not visible. I'm afraid to come in the summer;)

09. Gasoline prices

10. Yakut

11. The main monument of the city, which reminds that Yakutia is not Russia!

12. All wires, houses, trees are covered with a layer of frost, it lasts until spring.

13. From this, the city is very smart all winter.

14. By the way, if you rise a little higher, the fog dissipates.

15. Original naming) Unlike other national republics, most Yakuts have ordinary Russian names and surnames. You make an appointment with some Ivan Vasilyevich Yegorov and you think to see a Russian peasant, but no!

16. As I said, Yakutsk does not hesitate to collect and reproduce the mistakes of modern Russian cities.

17. Actual announcements

18. Another local feature

19. There is much more frost on bushes and trees near intersections due to exhaust gases.

20. Last time I wrote that in Yakutsk they don’t think about people and don’t make warm stops. Really think and stop began to do! They are simply combined with stores, but I did not immediately notice. There are several rows of chairs at the bus stop.

21. The screen shows the arrival time of the bus.

22. On another monitor, the image from the camera is displayed so that you can see when your bus has approached and you can get off. Interesting idea, I haven't seen this before.

23. With transport, unfortunately, everything is sad. Almost everywhere miserable PAZiki.

24. And there are few warm stops, basically everything looks like this:

25. And so:

27. As in Kazakhstan, in Yakutia they like to make steps to buildings from polished stone or slippery tiles, and then lay a carpet. It would be cool if they did not lay miserable Soviet carpets, but bright carpets with a national pattern. I suggest that the mayor's office of Yakutsk invite artists (there are many of them in Yakutsk itself), make a corporate print and order unique carpets. It will be cool - the Kazakhs will envy!

28. Frost covers not only trees, but also buildings and poles.

29. But pedestrians are not covered.

30. Sign

31. In winter, roads are covered with sand, which makes the city very dirty in spring.

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34. Yakutsk is an important port on the Lena River. Since there are very few roads and railways in the vast region, and flights are very expensive, river transport is indispensable.

35. In winter, when rivers are ice-bound, ships are repaired, replacing old worn-out metal with new and durable one.

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40. Most ships for repair are placed on special pedestals.

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43. Some vessels remained on the water and "froze" into the river.

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45. To repair them, the freezing technique is used.

46. ​​To do this, ice cubes are periodically sawn out around the area of ​​​​the vessel to which access is needed. When the ice surface hardens, the next layer is sawn out, and so on. In the end, it turns out such an ice niche in which it is possible to repair the ship.

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49. And this is an ice slide in a cave, which was once the repository of the State Reserve. It was dug in the late 1980s for strategic purposes. True, it was not gold that was stored here, but products.

50. Ice figures of a woolly rhinoceros and a cave lion, which were once found on the territory of Yakutia.

51. This is the throne room of Chiskhan. And Chiskhan is the Yakut Santa Claus.

52. In addition to the rhinoceros and the cave lion, I met Zhirinovsky here.

53. Wernick is resting on an ice bed

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56. Picturesque Yakutsk

57. Sorry, but it's time to fly away!

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Yakuts (self-name Sakha; pl. h. Sakhalar) is a Turkic-speaking people, the indigenous population of Yakutia. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of languages. According to the results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, 478.1 thousand Yakuts lived in Russia, mainly in Yakutia (466.5 thousand), as well as in the Irkutsk, Magadan regions, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories. The Yakuts are the most numerous (49.9% of the population) people in Yakutia and the largest of the indigenous peoples of Siberia within the borders of the Russian Federation.

Distribution area

The distribution of the Yakuts across the territory of the republic is extremely uneven. About nine of them are concentrated in the central regions - in the former Yakut and Vilyui districts. These are the two main groups of the Yakut people: the first of them is somewhat larger in number than the second. "Yakut" (or Amga-Lena) Yakuts occupy the quadrangle between the Lena, the lower Aldan and the Amga, the taiga plateau, as well as the adjacent left bank of the Lena. "Vilyui" Yakuts occupy the Vilyui basin. In these indigenous Yakut regions, the most typical, purely Yakut way of life has developed; here, at the same time, especially on the Amga-Lena plateau, it is best studied. The third, much smaller group of Yakuts settled in the region of Olekminsk. The Yakuts of this group became more Russified, in their way of life (but not in language) they became closer to the Russians. And, finally, the last, smallest, but widely settled group of Yakuts is the population of the northern regions of Yakutia, i.e., the basins of the river. Kolyma, Indigirka, Yana, Olenek, Anabar.

The northern Yakuts are distinguished by a completely unique cultural and everyday way of life: in relation to it, they are more like hunting and fishing small peoples of the North, like the Tungus, Yukagirs, than like their southern tribesmen. These northern Yakuts are sometimes even called "Tungus" (for example, in the upper reaches of the Olenek and Anabar), although they are Yakuts in their language and call themselves Sakha.

History and origins

According to a widespread hypothesis, the ancestors of modern Yakuts are the nomadic tribe of Kurykans, who lived until the 14th century in Transbaikalia. In turn, the Kurykans came to the region of Lake Baikal because of the Yenisei River.

Most scientists believe that in the XII-XIV centuries AD. e. The Yakuts migrated in several waves from the region of Lake Baikal to the Lena, Aldan and Vilyui basins, where they partly assimilated and partly displaced the Evenks (Tungus) and Yukaghirs (Oduls) who lived here earlier. The Yakuts were traditionally engaged in cattle breeding (Yakut cow), having gained a unique experience in breeding cattle in a sharply continental climate in the northern latitudes, horse breeding (Yakut horse), fishing, hunting, developed trade, blacksmithing and military affairs.

According to Yakut legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts floated down the Lena on rafts with livestock, household goods and people until they found the Tuymaada valley - suitable for cattle breeding. Now this place is modern Yakutsk. According to the same legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts were headed by two leaders Elley Bootur and Omogoi Baai.

According to archaeological and ethnographic data, the Yakuts were formed as a result of the absorption of local tribes of the middle reaches of the Lena by the southern Turkic-speaking settlers. It is believed that the last wave of the southern ancestors of the Yakuts penetrated the Middle Lena in the XIV-XV centuries. Racially, the Yakuts belong to the Central Asian anthropological type of the North Asian race. In comparison with other Turkic-speaking peoples of Siberia, they are characterized by the strongest manifestation of the Mongoloid complex, the final formation of which took place in the middle of the second millennium AD already on the Lena.

It is assumed that some groups of Yakuts, for example, reindeer herders of the northwest, arose relatively recently as a result of mixing of individual groups of Evenks with Yakuts, immigrants from the central regions of Yakutia. In the process of resettlement in Eastern Siberia, the Yakuts mastered the basins of the northern rivers Anabar, Olenka, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma. The Yakuts modified the reindeer husbandry of the Tungus, created the Tungus-Yakut type of draft reindeer husbandry.

The inclusion of the Yakuts into the Russian state in the 1620s–1630s accelerated their socioeconomic and cultural development. In the 17th-19th centuries, the main occupation of the Yakuts was cattle breeding (breeding of cattle and horses), from the second half of the 19th century, a significant part began to engage in agriculture; hunting and fishing played a secondary role. The main type of dwelling was a log booth, in summer - a urasa made of poles. Clothes were made from hides and furs. In the second half of the 18th century, most of the Yakuts were converted to Christianity, but traditional beliefs were also preserved.

Under Russian influence, Christian onomastics spread among the Yakuts, almost completely replacing the pre-Christian Yakut names. At present, the Yakuts bear both names of Greek and Latin origin (Christian) and Yakut names.

Yakuts and Russians

Accurate historical information about the Yakuts is available only from the time of their first contact with the Russians, that is, from the 1620s, and joining the Russian state. The Yakuts did not constitute a single political entity at that time, but were divided into a number of tribes independent of each other. However, tribal relations were already disintegrating, and there was a rather sharp class stratification. The tsarist governors and servicemen used tribal strife to break the resistance of part of the Yakut population; they also used the class contradictions within it, pursuing a policy of systematic support for the ruling aristocratic stratum - the princes (toyons), whom they turned into their agents for managing the Yakut region. Since that time, class contradictions among the Yakuts began to become more and more aggravated.

The position of the mass of the Yakut population was difficult. The Yakuts paid yasak with sable and fox furs, carried out a number of other duties, being extorted by the tsarist servants, Russian merchants and their toyons. After unsuccessful attempts at uprisings (1634, 1636-1637, 1639-1640, 1642), after the transition of the toyons to the side of the governors, the Yakut masses could only respond to oppression with scattered, isolated attempts of resistance and flight from the indigenous uluses to the outskirts. By the end of the 18th century, as a result of the predatory management of the tsarist authorities, the depletion of the fur wealth of the Yakutsk region and its partial desolation was revealed. At the same time, the Yakut population, which for various reasons migrated from the Lena-Vilyui region, appeared on the outskirts of Yakutia, where it had not previously been: in Kolyma, Indigirka, Olenek, Anabar, up to the Lower Tunguska basin.

But already in those first decades, contact with the Russian people had a beneficial effect on the economy and culture of the Yakuts. The Russians brought with them a higher culture; since the middle of the 17th century. an agricultural economy appears on the Lena; the Russian type of buildings, Russian clothing made of fabrics, new types of crafts, new furnishings and household items gradually began to penetrate into the environment of the Yakut population.

It was extremely important that with the establishment of Russian power in Yakutia, intertribal wars and predatory raids of the Toyons stopped, which used to be a great disaster for the Yakut population. The self-will of the Russian servicemen, who had been at war with each other more than once and drawn the Yakuts into their strife, was also suppressed. The order that had already been established in the Yakut land since the 1640s was better than the previous state of chronic anarchy and constant strife.

In the 18th century, in connection with the further advance of the Russians to the east (the annexation of Kamchatka, Chukotka, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska), Yakutia played the role of a transit route and a base for new campaigns and the development of distant "lands". The influx of the Russian peasant population (especially along the valley of the Lena River, in connection with the arrangement of the postal route in 1773) created the conditions for the cultural mutual influence of the Russian and Yakut elements. As early as the end of the 17th and 18th centuries among the Yakuts, agriculture begins to spread, although at first very slowly, houses of the Russian type appear. However, the number of Russian settlers remained even in the 19th century. relatively small. Along with peasant colonization in the XIX century. sending exiled settlers to Yakutia was of great importance. Together with the criminal exiles, who had a negative influence on the Yakuts, in the second half of the 19th century. political exiles appeared in Yakutia, first populists, and in the 1890s also Marxists, who played a big role in the cultural and political development of the Yakut masses.

By the beginning of the XX century. in the economic development of Yakutia, at least in its central regions (Yakutsky, Vilyuisky, Olekminsky districts), great successes were observed. An internal market was created. The growth of economic ties accelerated the development of national identity.

During the bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917, the movement of the Yakut masses for their liberation unfolded deeper and wider. At first it was (especially in the city of Yakutsk) under the predominant leadership of the Bolsheviks. But after the departure (in May 1917) of the majority of the political exiles to Russia in Yakutia, the counter-revolutionary forces of the toionism gained the upper hand, which entered into an alliance with the Socialist-Revolutionary-bourgeois part of the Russian urban population. The struggle for Soviet power in Yakutia dragged on for a long time. Only on June 30, 1918, the power of the Soviets was proclaimed for the first time in Yakutsk, and only in December 1919, after the liquidation of Kolchakism in all of Siberia, was Soviet power finally established in Yakutia.

Religion

Their life is connected with shamanism. The construction of a house, the birth of children and many other aspects of life do not pass without the participation of a shaman. On the other hand, a significant part of the half-million population of Yakuts professes Orthodox Christianity or even adheres to agnostic beliefs.

This people has its own tradition, before joining the state of Russia, they professed "Aar Aiyy". This religion assumes the belief that the Yakuts are the children of Tanar - God and Relatives of the Twelve White Aiyy. Even from conception, the child is surrounded by spirits, or as the Yakuts call them - “Ichchi”, and there are also celestials who are also surrounded by the still born child. Religion is documented in the administration of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Yakutia. In the 18th century, Yakutia was subjected to universal Christianity, but the people treat this with the hope of certain religions from the state of Russia.

Housing

The Yakuts are descended from nomadic tribes. That is why they live in yurts. However, in contrast to the Mongolian felt yurts, the round dwelling of the Yakuts is built from the trunks of small trees with a cone-shaped roof. Many windows are arranged in the walls, under which sunbeds are located at different heights. Partitions are installed between them, forming a semblance of rooms, and a smeared hearth is tripled in the center. Temporary birch bark yurts - urases - can be erected for the summer. And since the 20th century, some Yakuts have settled in huts.

Winter settlements (kystyk) were located near mowing fields, consisted of 1-3 yurts, summer ones - near pastures, numbered up to 10 yurts. The winter yurt (booth, diie) had sloping walls made of standing thin logs on a rectangular log frame and a low gable roof. The walls were plastered on the outside with clay and manure, the roof over the log flooring was covered with bark and earth. The house was placed on the cardinal points, the entrance was arranged in the east side, the windows - in the south and west, the roof was oriented from north to south. To the right of the entrance, in the northeast corner, a hearth (oosh) was arranged - a pipe made of poles coated with clay, which went out through the roof. Plank bunks (oron) were arranged along the walls. The most honorable was the southwestern corner. At the western wall there was a master's place. The bunks to the left of the entrance were intended for male youth, workers, on the right, at the hearth, for women. A table (ostuol) and stools were placed in the front corner. On the north side, a barn (khoton) was attached to the yurt, often under the same roof with housing, the door to it from the yurt was behind the hearth. In front of the entrance to the yurt, a canopy or canopy was arranged. The yurt was surrounded by a low mound, often with a fence. A hitching post was placed near the house, often decorated with carvings. Summer yurts differed little from winter ones. Instead of a hoton, a barn for calves (titik), sheds, etc. were set up at a distance. Since the end of the 18th century, polygonal log yurts with a pyramidal roof have been known. From the 2nd half of the 18th century, Russian huts spread.

clothing

Traditional men's and women's clothing - short leather pants, a fur underbelly, leather legs, a single-breasted caftan (sleep), in winter - fur, in summer - from horse or cow skin with wool inside, for the rich - from fabric. Later, fabric shirts with a turn-down collar (yrbakhs) appeared. Men girded themselves with a leather belt with a knife and flint, the rich - with silver and copper plaques. Characteristic is a women's wedding fur long caftan (sangyah), embroidered with red and green cloth and a gold braid; an elegant women's fur hat made of expensive fur that goes down to the back and shoulders, with a high cloth, velvet or brocade top with a silver plaque (tuosakhta) and other decorations sewn on it. Women's silver and gold jewelry is widespread. Shoes - winter high boots made of deer or horse skins with wool outside (eterbes), summer boots made of soft leather (saary) with a top covered with cloth, for women - with appliqué, long fur stockings.

Food

The main food is dairy, especially in summer: from mare's milk - koumiss, from cow's - yogurt (suorat, sora), cream (kuercheh), butter; oil was drunk melted or with koumiss; suorat was prepared for the winter in a frozen form (tar) with the addition of berries, roots, etc.; stew (butugas) was prepared from it with the addition of water, flour, roots, pine sapwood, etc. Fish food played a major role for the poor, and in the northern regions, where there were no livestock, meat was consumed mainly by the rich. Horse meat was especially valued. In the 19th century, barley flour came into use: it was used to make unleavened cakes, pancakes, salamat stew. Vegetables were known in the Olekminsk district.

crafts

The main traditional occupations are horse breeding (in Russian documents of the 17th century, the Yakuts were called “horse people”) and cattle breeding. The men took care of the horses, the women took care of the cattle. Deer were bred in the north. Cattle were kept in the summer on grazing, in the winter in barns (hotons). Haymaking was known before the arrival of the Russians. The Yakut breeds of cattle were distinguished by endurance, but were unproductive.

Fishing was also developed. They fished mainly in the summer, but also in the winter in the hole; in the fall, a collective seine fishing was organized with the division of prey between all participants. For the poor who did not have livestock, fishing was the main occupation (in the documents of the 17th century, the term "fisherman" - balyksyt - is used in the meaning of "poor"), some tribes also specialized in it - the so-called "foot Yakuts" - osekui, ontuly, kokui , Kirikians, Kyrgydais, Orgoths and others.

Hunting was especially widespread in the north, being the main source of food here (arctic fox, hare, reindeer, elk, bird). In the taiga, by the arrival of the Russians, both meat and fur hunting (bear, elk, squirrel, fox, hare, bird, etc.) was known, but later, due to a decrease in the number of animals, its importance fell. Specific hunting techniques are characteristic: with a bull (the hunter sneaks up on the prey, hiding behind the bull), horseback chasing the beast along the trail, sometimes with dogs.

There was gathering - the collection of pine and larch sapwood (the inner layer of the bark), harvested for the winter in dried form, roots (saran, coinage, etc.), greens (wild onions, horseradish, sorrel), raspberries, which were considered unclean, were not used from berries.

Agriculture (barley, to a lesser extent wheat) was borrowed from the Russians at the end of the 17th century, until the middle of the 19th century it was very poorly developed; its spread (especially in the Olekminsk district) was facilitated by Russian exiled settlers.

The processing of wood (artistic carving, coloring with alder broth), birch bark, fur, and leather was developed; dishes were made from leather, rugs were made from horse and cow skins sewn in a checkerboard pattern, blankets were made from hare fur, etc .; Cords were twisted from horse hair with hands, weaved, embroidered. Spinning, weaving and felting of felt were absent. The production of stucco ceramics, which distinguished the Yakuts from other peoples of Siberia, has been preserved. The smelting and forging of iron, which had a commercial value, the smelting and chasing of silver, copper, etc., were developed, from the 19th century - carving on mammoth ivory.

Yakut cuisine

It has some common features with the cuisine of the Buryats, Mongols, northern peoples (Evenks, Evens, Chukchi), as well as Russians. Methods of cooking in the Yakut cuisine are few: it is either boiling (meat, fish), or fermentation (koumiss, suorat), or freezing (meat, fish).

From meat, horse meat, beef, venison, game birds, as well as offal and blood are traditionally used. Dishes from Siberian fish are widespread (sturgeon, broad whitefish, omul, muksun, peled, nelma, taimen, grayling).

A distinctive feature of the Yakut cuisine is the fullest possible use of all components of the original product. A very typical example is the recipe for cooking carp in Yakut. Before cooking, the scales are peeled off, the head is not cut off or thrown away, the fish is practically not gutted, a small lateral incision is made, through which the gallbladder is carefully removed, a part of the large intestine is cut off and the swim bladder is pierced. In this form, the fish is boiled or fried. A similar approach is used in relation to almost all other products: beef, horse meat, and so on. Almost all by-products are actively used. In particular, giblet soups (is miine), blood delicacies (khaan), etc. are very popular. Obviously, such a thrifty attitude to food is the result of people's experience of survival in harsh polar conditions.

Horse or beef ribs in Yakutia are known as oyogos. Stroganina is made from frozen meat and fish, which is eaten with a spicy seasoning from a flask (ramson), spoon (like horseradish) and saranka (onion plant). From beef or horse blood, khaan is obtained - Yakut black pudding.

The national drink is koumiss, popular among many eastern peoples, as well as a stronger koonnyoruu kymys(or koiuurgen). Suorat (curdled milk), kuerchekh (whipped cream), kober (butter churned with milk to form a thick cream), chokhoon (or chehon- butter churned with milk and berries), iedegey (cottage cheese), suumeh (cheese). From flour and dairy products, the Yakuts cook a thick mass of salamat.

Interesting traditions and customs of the people of Yakutia

The customs and rituals of the Yakuts are closely connected with folk beliefs. Even many Orthodox or agnostics follow them. The structure of beliefs is very similar to Shintoism - each manifestation of nature has its own spirit, and shamans communicate with them. The laying of a yurt and the birth of a child, marriage and burial are not complete without rites. It is noteworthy that until recently, Yakut families were polygamous, each wife of one husband had her own household and dwelling. Apparently, under the influence of assimilation with the Russians, the Yakuts nevertheless switched to monogamous cells of society.

An important place in the life of every Yakut is occupied by the holiday of koumiss Ysyakh. Various rituals are designed to appease the gods. Hunters glorify Bai-Bayanai, women praise Aiyysyt. The holiday is crowned by the universal dance of the sun - osoukhay. All participants join hands and arrange a huge round dance. Fire has sacred properties at any time of the year. Therefore, every meal in a Yakut home begins with treating the fire - throwing food into the fire and irrigating it with milk. Feeding the fire is one of the key moments of any holiday and business.

The most characteristic cultural phenomenon is the olonkho poetic stories, which can have up to 36 thousand rhymed lines. The epic is passed down from generation to generation between master performers, and most recently these stories were included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Good memory and high life expectancy are one of the distinguishing features of the Yakuts. In connection with this feature, a custom arose according to which a dying elderly person calls someone from the younger generation to him and tells him about all his social ties - friends, enemies. The Yakuts are distinguished by social activity, even though their settlements are several yurts located at an impressive distance. The main social relations take place during major holidays, the main of which is the holiday of koumiss - Ysyakh.

The traditional culture is most fully represented by the Amga-Lena and Vilyui Yakuts. The northern Yakuts are close in culture to the Evenks and Yukaghirs, the Olyokma are strongly acculturated by Russians.

12 facts about the Yakuts

1. It is not so cold in Yakutia as everyone thinks. Almost throughout the territory of Yakutia, the minimum temperature is on average -40-45 degrees, which are not so terrible, since the air is very dry. -20 degrees in St. Petersburg will be worse than -50 in Yakutsk.
2. The Yakuts eat raw meat - frozen foal meat, sliced ​​\u200b\u200band shavings or cut into cubes. The meat of adult horses is also eaten, but it is not so tasty. Meat is extremely tasty and healthy, rich in vitamins and other useful substances, in particular, antioxidants.
3. Stroganina is also eaten in Yakutia - the meat of river fish, mainly whitefish and omul, trimmed with thick chips, stroganina from sturgeon and nelma is most valued (all these fish, with the exception of sturgeon, are from the whitefish family). All this splendor can be consumed by dipping the chips in salt and pepper. Some also make different sauces.
4. Contrary to popular belief, most people in Yakutia have never seen deer. Deer are found mainly in the Far North of Yakutia and, oddly enough, in South Yakutia.
5. The legend of crowbars becoming brittle like glass in severe frost is true. If, at a temperature below 50-55 degrees, you hit a solid object with a cast-iron crowbar, the crowbar will shatter into pieces.
6. In Yakutia, almost all grains, vegetables and even some fruits ripen perfectly during the summer. For example, beautiful, tasty, red, sweet watermelons are grown not far from Yakutsk.
7. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of languages. There are a lot of words in the Yakut language that begin with the letter "Y".
8. In Yakutia, even in 40-degree frost, children eat ice cream right on the street.
9. When the Yakuts eat bear meat, they make the sound "Hook" before eating or imitate the cry of a raven, thereby, as it were, disguising themselves from the spirit of the bear - it's not we who eat your meat, but crows.
10. Yakut horses are a very ancient breed. They graze all year round on their own without any supervision.
11. Yakuts are very hardworking. In summer, haymaking can easily work 18 hours a day without a break for lunch, and then have a good drink in the evening and after 2 hours of sleep, back to work. They can work 24 hours and then plow 300 km behind the wheel and work there for another 10 hours.
12. The Yakuts do not like being called Yakuts and prefer to be called "Sakha".

In the history of Yakutia, there were many people who left their mark on culture, science, public life, both in Yakutsk itself and in the region. Many names are beginning to be undeservedly forgotten.

Priyutov Vasily Petrovich

An exiled Narodnaya Volya member from Petersburg, workers, a member of the so-called. "Groups of the 4th leaf": in Yakutsk he organized "Priyutov's Cinema" (1913), located on the street. Big in own. house (now the territory of the city of the telephone exchange, near the c / t "Central"). V.P. Shelters, as an entrepreneur using hired labor, found himself outside the exiled collective for some time; in 1917-20 meetings and rallies of townspeople were held in the building of the Priyutov Cinematography; in 1917, the 1st founding, congress of teachers of Yakutia was held in this house; 1918-19 - there was also a secret weapons depot of the Yakut organization of the RSDLP, and on the night of December 14-15, 1919, an armed socialist coup was carried out under the hands of. Khariton Gladunov - Commander of the Military Staff

Photo of Priyutov on Bolshaya Street

A hundred years ago, a man lived in our city, worked hard, struggled with circumstances, occupied prominent positions, but now all that remains of him are documents in the National Archives and photographs in family photo albums of citizens, in the archives and the Yakut Museum. This man was fond of the new-fangled and not so long ago photography that became accessible to art lovers. And today we remember him not as an exiled Narodnaya Volya or the founder of the first cinema in the city, but as a photographer thanks to black and white photographs. A researcher of documents related to Vasily Petrovich Priyutov inevitably gets the impression that he was a very versatile personality and with a considerable amount of adventurism in character. However, the same can be said about the majority of political exiles who were forced to live some part of their lives in our places, which are extremely remote from their homeland. As for the origin of Vasily Petrovich, he was from the Akkerman philistines of the Bessarabian province, was born in 1865, received a home education. Subsequently, in a questionnaire for employees of the department of justice of the Yakut province of 1921, he designated his specialty as “tailor”. He lived in St. Petersburg and, like many young people of that time, was a member of the Narodnaya Volya group, for which in 1896 he received two years of solitary confinement and 8 years of exile. He was exiled to Srednekolymsk, and in February 1899, Priyutov, while on transit in Yakutsk, wrote a letter to the Yakut governor, in which he asked permission to stay in the city, as he “feels bad and needs medical care, which is not available in Srednekolymsk.” It is not known what exactly was dictated by the reluctance to go further to the North: poor health or hatched escape plan. One way or another, Priyutov's medical examination diagnosed neurasthenia, chronic articular rheumatism, and inflammation of the spinal cord. The city doctor V. Vvedensky recommended putting the political exile in the Yakutsk hospital and "treating with internal medicines, electricity and baths." Vasily Petrovich remained in Yakutsk, and in the summer of the same 1899, with his acquaintance, Samuil Gozhansky, attempted to escape. They took third-class tickets to Ust-Kut on the Yakut steamer at the Bestyakhskaya station, but on the way they were arrested and sent back to their place of exile. For attempting to escape, he was sentenced to more than a year in prison, where he returned again for half a year after organizing rallies in Yakutsk in 1906. Later this case was called the "invasion of the Duma." Restless Priyutov from 1910 to 1913 was under public administration. He married a woman with two children, later had seven more by her.

Cinema Piyutov

In 1913, he arranged the first permanent cinema in Yakutsk and worked there with his very large family. But after the change of power, in 1920, the cinema was nationalized, and Priyutov was appointed instructor in the organization of cinematography. The former owner of his own house number 23 on Bolshaya Street and the cinema is now left with only the necessary apartment furnishings, a horse with a harness and a cart, and a cow. But he, as a man who did not lose heart, continued to walk through life with his head held high - in October 1920 he became chairman of the Council of People's Judges for three years. By order of the SNKRSFSR No. 13 of December 13, 1932, he was given a personal pension of republican significance, and at the end of 30? x years. he left Yakutsk. As can be seen from the above, Priyutov Vasily Petrovich was a rather busy person, and despite this, he kept a photo studio at home all this time and was in great demand as a photographer. Hundreds of unique photographs have been preserved that tell about those distant and most interesting times. The entire history of the era can be traced through the photographs of Priyutov (for example, we present several pictures in the article). According to relatives, he was going to send a large collection of his photographs to Yakutsk, but the war prevented him, and later most of them disappeared. Vasily Petrovich died in the hungry besieged Leningrad. The funds of the Yakutsk Museum contain more than a hundred of his photographs; they were deposited in a scattered form for a long period. Do most photos received before 50? x years. of the last century, there are no even acts of acceptance, not to mention full annotations. It is a pity that every year there are fewer opportunities to recognize those unknown people that are depicted in some photographs. In Soviet times, only a few local historians were interested in the pre-revolutionary photographs of V.P.Priyutov. And only at 90? th years, due to the increased interest in the history of the pre-Soviet era, the researchers finally paid close attention to the photographs of the beginning of the century. It was at this time that photographs taken in Priyutov's photo studio were identified and collected in one collection. This work continues, because the museum's photo fund continues to receive pictures from family gatherings. We hope that over time the museum will store a more complete collection of prints of the irrevocably gone time, preserved for us by this amazing person.

The first Yakut doctor P. N. Sokolnikov

Prokopy Nesterovich Sokolnikov was born in 1865 in the Tattinsky ulus in a family of peasants. After graduating from school in Churapcha, he continued his studies at the Yakut progymnasium and theological seminary. At the age of 26, Procopius went to Tomsk and, after graduating from the provincial gymnasium, entered the medical faculty of Tomsk University (He traveled to this city for two years, apparently earning food and travel along the way). In 1896, the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition opened in Nizhny Novgorod, where Vasily Vasilyevich Nikiforov, his friend from the pro-gymnasium, worked as an authorized representative from the Yakutsk region. The brothers Peter and Mikhail Afanasievs, also former classmates of Procopius, also come there. At the exhibition, the Siberian Department is headed by the world-famous scientist, geographer, traveler P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. Friends seek through him the invitation of P.N. Sokolnikov from Tomsk to Nizhny Novgorod as a guide. Pyotr Petrovich liked the young Yakuts and he petitioned the Ministry of Education to transfer P.N. Sokolnikov from Tomsk University to Moscow University. So Procopius becomes a student of a famous educational institution. There he was lucky to listen to lectures and attend classes conducted by the largest professors of that time. His teachers were: I. M. Sechenov - the famous physiologist, N. F. Filatov - the founder of pediatrics in Russia, N. V. Sklifosovsky and others.

In the autumn of 1898, Procopius successfully passed the state exams and received a doctor's diploma. One of the political exiles who was exiled in Yakutia introduces Prokopy Nesterovich to the brilliant Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. P.N. Sokolnikov’s personal meeting with the author of War and Peace took place in Moscow, in the writer’s apartment in Khamovnichesky Lane. Prokopiy Nesterovich was taking his final exams and was preparing to return to his homeland, when a former political exile approached him on behalf of Tolstoy. Lev Nikolaevich, as a humanist, was concerned about the fate of the Dukhobors, who were exiled by the government for refusing to perform military service in the tsarist army, first to the Caucasus, then to the Yakutsk region. Tolstoy received Sokolnikov at his home in Moscow and asked him to accompany the wives and children of the Doukhobors. After all, Sokolnikov, as a native of Yakutia and a doctor, could be very useful to them on a long journey. The young doctor happily agreed. Prokopiy Nesterovich brilliantly fulfilled the instructions of the great writer. He provided medical assistance to the wives and children of the Dukhobors and collected donations from the population. He was on the road for more than two months, organizing everything for the wives and children of the Dukhobors accompanied by him, enduring with them all the hardships and hardships of the difficult journey, until they reached the Ust-Maisky ulus.

P. Sokolnikov with L. Tolstoy. Hood.E.I. Vasiliev

In 1899, in seven issues of the Irkutsk newspaper Vostochnoye Obozreniye, P.N. Sokolnikov’s travel notes “Wives and Children of the Dukhobors” were published. This publication was edited by a former political exile, an acquaintance of Prokopy Nesterovich from the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition, Ivan Ivanovich Popov. In 1902 Sokolnikov came to see Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana. In parting, the writer, as a token of gratitude, presented him with a photograph of himself with a handwritten inscription: “To dear Prokopy Nesterovich Sokolnikov in good memory from Leo Tolstoy.” Upon returning from studies to his homeland on December 16, 1898. Sokolnikov is appointed as a doctor in Churapcha, where he devotes himself entirely to work. He had not only to treat people in hospital beds, but also to go out on a call on horseback. The position of the local doctor obliged him to be a generalist. During a trip to Moscow in 1902, Prokopy Nesterovich married Lidia Mikhailovna Nikiforova. She graduated from the Tikhomirov courses in Moscow and was a teacher. Lydia followed her husband to distant Yakutia and, helping him, carried out sanitary and educational work there. She became the mother of four children. But Sokolnikov's personal life was tragic. In 1910 his wife died. Then, in the summer of that year, her six-year-old daughter Valentina fell from a height and died.

While still a student, Sokolnikov showed great interest in public life, he constantly published articles in Vostochnoye Obozreniye, a magazine published in Irkutsk. While working on the "Dictionary of the Yakut language", E.K. Pekarsky used the Yakut terms for medicine and anatomy, collected by Sokolnikov. For his medical work, by decree of the emperor of January 1, 1903, P. N. Sokolnikov was awarded the Order of St. Stanislav of the III degree, of December 6, 1907 - the Order of St. Anna of the III degree. In 1913, Sokolnikov headed the Yakut delegation at the anniversary celebrations dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, which included well-known public figures V. V. Nikiforov and D. I. Sleptsov. He died of an incurable disease on December 10, 1917 at the age of 52.

Governor V.N. Skrypitsyn: the experience of managing the Yakutsk region at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries.

On January 1, 1852, the Yakutsk region acquired the status of a province headed by a civil governor who was subordinate to the Governor-General and the Main Directorate of Eastern Siberia. In Siberia, the imperial tendencies of the internal political course of the government were especially clearly manifested in the laws on the organization of peasant administration, the "foreign" issue and land use. The studies of L.M. Dameshek, I.L. Dameshek. Recently, much attention has been paid in historical science to the personal characteristics of leaders. Honesty or greed, efficiency and efficiency or idleness, convictions, understanding of one's duties, personal and professional interests largely determined the nature of the governor's activities. An example is the activities of the Yakut governor V.N. Skrypitsyn. Of all the areas of his activity in the literature, only the land reform proposed by the governor, as well as the work of V.N. Skripitsyn on the arrangement of loan offices. Therefore, this publication considers the management practice of V.N. Skrypitsyn as governor of the Yakutsk region in the light of all-Siberian problems. Analyze the activities of V.N. Skrypitsyn as governor of the Yakutsk region. Show the contribution of the governor V.N. Skrypitsyn in the development of the Yakutsk region. V.N. Skrypitsyn served as governor of the Yakutsk region more than other Yakut governors, for almost eleven years. He received a military education, after his dismissal from the service, he worked as a clerk in the financial department of the Plotsk provincial government, then temporarily served as secretary in the Tseranovsky district administration. In 1870, he was appointed acting assistant to the clerk of the Main Directorate of Eastern Siberia for the fourth department. In January 1871, he was appointed acting junior auditor of the Irkutsk Chamber of Control, from January 1873 he temporarily acted as the manager of the Irkutsk Chamber of Control. In 1876, he was promoted to titular councilor with seniority for his length of service. In January 1882, he was promoted for seniority to court councilors with seniority and appointed senior auditor in the St. Petersburg Chamber of Control, from April 1884 - assistant manager of the Warsaw Chamber of Control. In 1886, for his years of service, he was promoted to collegiate adviser and appointed manager of the Irkutsk Chamber of Control.

Yakut students

By personal decree of April 23, 1892, V.N. Skrypitsyn was appointed acting governor of the Yakutia, from January 1, 1894, the Yakut governor. He stayed in this post until the middle of 1903, was dismissed at his personal request for health reasons. The vigorous transformative activity of the governor V.N. Skrypitsyn covered almost all areas of management, his views and character traits influenced his policy. The official began his work with a study of the area entrusted to him. Understanding perfectly well that transformations are impossible without a thorough study of the socio-economic situation of the population of the region, he began to revise the districts. Since 1822, there were five districts in the region: Yakutsky, Vilyuysky, Olekminsky, Verkhoyansky and Kolymsky. More than ten trips of the governor are known, connected with the inspection of the territories affected by the flood, the review of the places of residence of the May Tungus, etc. At the end of the XIX century. scientific study of the Northern Territories is developing, in this regard, when the question arose of organizing a historical and ethnographic Siberian (Yakut) expedition, on the initiative and at the expense of the famous gold miner I.M. Sibiryakov, Governor V.N. Skrypitsyn not only allowed it, but also led it. Given the remoteness of the region from the center, the lack of personnel, political exiles were able to provide the scientific side of the study, but involving them in the expedition was problematic in the existing conditions of imperial Russia. It was necessary to achieve certain freedoms and rights for them, especially with regard to unimpeded movement around the region. The Governor has done everything possible to resolve this issue. The experience and knowledge of political exiles have already been used by the regional administration in solving some problems, in particular, in the preparation of the "Memorial book of the Yakutsk region." The sightseers have done a huge collection and research work on almost all issues of the life of the population of a vast territory. The exiles were also involved in teaching activities in the northern districts, where their knowledge was essential. The activities of this expedition contributed to the intensification of local history research in the north of Siberia, as well as the studies of excursionists were used by the governor in the preparation of a land reform project in the Yakutsk region. Guided by the experience of his predecessors, V.N. Skrypitsyn, already in his first report to the emperor, noted the main difficulties and problems in the administration of the Yakut Territory, the main of which was the land issue. The governor saw the main problem in the disorder of land use among the Yakuts.

Governor of Yakutia V.N. Skrypitsin among the participants of the congress

Governor of Yakutia V.N. Skrypitsin among the participants of the congress dedicated to land use issues. Yakutsk, February 1902 V.N. Skrypitsin (in the first row, second from the right) is pictured with prominent representatives of the Yakut elite. Next to the governor (left) - E.K. Pekarsky, author of the academic work "Dictionary of the Yakut language". In the second row (from right to left): V.N. Ksenofontov is a wealthy merchant, the father of the famous Siberian ethnographer G.V. Ksenofontova, V.V. Nikiforov - a member of the Siberian expedition, and then an employee of the Yakutsk Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences, P.N. Sokolnikov - the first doctor from among the Yakuts, M.A. Afanasiev is the first Yakut lawyer.

Merchant family. Yakutsk 1909

“Although the land of the Yakuts is the property of a whole society, whose members should be equal in rights, and the order of land use is communal, but the latter has almost universally taken on the character of conquest, mainly due to the fact that the community is usually under the control of leaders, rich and influential people, concentrating in vast and best sloping places in their hands, thus contributing to the enrichment of some at the expense of others. Thus, due to the imperfect collection of payments, most of the population could not pay taxes, and arrears accumulated over the years. For seven years, the governor has been developing a land use reform project. Its provisions were set out in the "Instructions on the procedure for the equal distribution of lands in a naslege (or village) among social activists in accordance with tax and duty payments", published in 1899. The essence of the reform was that members of a naslezh society who had reached the age of 21 and those limited in their rights by court had to draw up a detailed land register on the quantity and quality of available land at general meetings. The number of mowings and the number of ostozhias or kopens, determined by the average yield, was divided by the number of all available souls of both sexes. The amount of necessary cash payments was distributed according to the number of shares in the nasleg, the resulting value was the size of the payment of taxes per capita. This measure, according to the governor, would stop the “impoverishment” of the population and help reduce the arrears of yasak to the imperial treasury. In total, the instruction contained more than thirty articles, many of which caused complaints from the clan chiefs. With the participation of educated representatives of the population, a number of its provisions were revised and changed. In particular, this concerned the fact that females were to be taken into account only when distributing the total number of mowing shares, there was no talk of any new civil rights for them. In addition, closed voting was introduced at the gatherings on all issues related to land use, the council meetings could allocate zemstvo and internal duties based on the economic situation of the farms. Also, with the participation of the congress of foreigners, a number of other provisions were changed. However, despite this, the founders and toyons, distorting the essence of the "Instruction", continued to reject it, write complaints, referring to its recommendatory nature.

In fact, its provisions were applied only in some uluses of the Vilyui, Olekminsky and Yakutsk districts. The supreme administration of the general government was guided by the fact that the distribution of land among foreigners should be carried out with their mutual consent without the intervention of the administration, which was dictated by the "Charter". This is clearly seen from the letter of the Irkutsk Governor-General to V.N. Skrypitsyn of October 13, 1899, which emphasizes that the instruction "should not be enforced." And it was finally confirmed in the explanation of the Governing Senate that “cases relating to the internal distribution of land between separate groups (naslegs) of one generation should be resolved by agreement between these groups, and the administrative government power, until the final land arrangement of nomadic aliens, does not entitled to intervene in such disputes. Among the local population, there were also no necessary conditions for its support. Thus, the existing procedure for the distribution of land continued to operate until the establishment of Soviet power. By the end of the XIX century. the provisions of the "Charter on the management of foreigners" M.M. Speransky, developed back in 1822, have lost their relevance. The government understood that this hindered the development of the Siberian region, but tried to reform the management of foreigners without changing its main articles. The main goal was to transfer vagrant and nomadic foreigners into the category of settled people and to apply to them the orders applied to peasants. The need was dictated by the fiscal interests of the state in connection with the growth of arrears in the receipt of tax payments. In 1898, the government adopted a law on peasant and "foreign" chiefs, which was based on the provision on zemstvo chiefs in European Russia. The authorities proclaimed a course towards the unification of the organization of management of the rural population of European Russia and Siberia. In 1899, the Yakut governor V.N. Skrypitsyn was sent a project “On the transformation of the management of settled and nomadic foreigners in the provinces of Tomsk, Tobolsk, Yenisei and Irkutsk”, developed by the clerk of the Zemsky department of the Irkutsk office, court adviser I.I. Kraft. Its essence was that nomadic foreigners were endowed with the same rights as peasants, headed by peasant chiefs. All settled foreigners were compared with rural inhabitants, and nomadic foreigners “constitute a special class, equated to the peasant, but unlike them, they are governed by their own laws. Wandering foreigners do not participate in monetary zemstvo duties and do not incur any expenses for the maintenance of the steppe administration. The governor was recommended to discuss the project with district police officers who are closely familiar with the life and economic structure of the local population. To resolve this issue, a commission was organized, the district chiefs were given the task to discuss the prescription on the ground. A draft of a new Regulation on foreigners in the Yakutsk region was drawn up. The Yakut elders and foremen unanimously rejected the project, relying on the fact that cattle breeding remains the main occupation of the population, and the specific life of the Yakuts was not taken into account when developing the project. At the meeting of the General Presence of the Yakutsk Regional Board, at the beginning of 1900, the results of the work done were summed up. Attorney at law speaking at the meeting

V.V. Nikiforov emphasized that "the Yakuts, as a pastoral people, have completely different understandings of the conditions of land use than the peasants who are farmers." Also, during its discussion, disagreements arose over the interpretation of the concept of “nomadic and wandering foreigners”. It was decided to consider all "nomadic foreigners" settled, including the wandering Tungus of the Yakut and Vilyui districts, and to introduce an equal distribution of land within society. The governor emphasized that the articles of the "Charter", "... especially those relating to the principle of tolerance of the customs of foreigners and non-interference of the administration in their internal affairs, do not now meet the state's benefits and needs." The need for reform was explained by the fact that the existing procedures were outdated, delayed the natural process of "Russification" of foreigners, did not ensure in some areas the regular receipt of tax payments, which depended not on the severity of taxation, but on the imperfection of the system of distribution and collection of payments. But this project did not receive the unconditional support of the local population. In 1901, the Irkutsk governor-general sent a proposal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to transfer the Yakuts into settled ones without the consent of the latter, but this proposal was not satisfied, so the project remained unrealized. At the turn of the century, cattle breeding continued to be the predominant occupation of the population of the Yakutsk region. For the successful development of agriculture, back in 1888, on the initiative of the governor of the region, K.N. Svetlitsky, an agricultural farm was formed, but it did not receive further development and study. V.N. Skrypitsyn decided to continue these undertakings. At the beginning of 1895, he raised the issue of opening an agricultural school in the region with a small farm, a laboratory and a library of the corresponding level before the Governor-General of Irkutsk. It was supposed to conduct research on soils and agricultural products in parallel with teaching students. The laboratory, due to the absence of institutions of this kind in the Yakutsk region, was supposed to become a center for the scientific development of issues that arise in practice in the development of agriculture. The need for a library was dictated by the almost complete absence of agricultural literature. The school was also supposed to serve as an auxiliary institution for the administration in deciding the issue of colonization of the region. As an example, the Governor cited the case of the exiled Dukhobors, who were assigned the area along the river. Notor, after three years of experience, proved unsuitable for settlement. "All these wanderings of the colonists, associated with significant unproductive costs, could have been prevented by a preliminary study of the soil by the agricultural school ...". The estimated cost of establishing a school in the region amounted to 12 thousand rubles, the same amount was supposed to be allocated annually for its maintenance, with a set of sixty students. It was decided that "only such a school can have a directing beneficial effect on the agriculture of the region, which will be a completely independent institution that meets scientific requirements and is able to meet all the needs of local sectors of the economy - agriculture and cattle breeding." However, this proposal was refused, and the issue remained unresolved. The Irkutsk Governor-General explained this by the fact that “schools with a broad curriculum are needed, first of all, where agriculture is already firmly established, serves as the main occupation and way of life for the population,” and the Yakutsk region in this regard was the opposite. The Governor-General stressed that it is necessary "to take care not so much about theoretical knowledge as about teaching practical skills." An alternative to opening a school was the assertion that "... in the region there is the best school of agriculture, eunuchs, widely settled in all districts." Of no small importance for the refusal to accept the proposal of the Yakut governor were the financial costs necessary for the organization of the school.

Before V.N. Skripitsyn was acutely faced with the task of arranging communications. Much attention was paid to the development of old and the study of new routes connecting Yakutsk with remote northern districts, since the condition and operation of the routes were of paramount importance in the life of the region. The governor drew the attention of the management center to the high cost of delivering essential goods to one of the most remote districts - Kolyma. To resolve this issue, a waterway through the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was considered, which would significantly reduce the cost of delivery. The Verkhoyansk tract was considered the least equipped, the study of which was started by the local administration as early as 1879. Then it was described by the district police officer Kocharovsky for the Verkhoyansk district and the Zemsky assessor Fedoseev for Yakutsky. Based on the available information, it was decided to change it, to correlate the direction with the already existing "merchant path", which runs in more convenient places. By the end of 1899, the Irkutsk governor wrote to the Ministry of Internal Affairs that he agreed to allow the Yakut governor to arrange a new direction of the highway. The costs of maintaining and equipping the tracts were borne by the local population in the form of underwater and road service, as a result of which there were constant disputes between uluses and societies. To resolve this issue, at the initiative of the governor, a congress of representatives of the uluses and volosts of the Yakutsk district was convened. The main goal was to discuss measures to equalize household and road duties. The need to resolve this issue was dictated by the unequal number and quality of roads that fell on the society and their remoteness from settlements. Duty was especially high where the roads passed in deserted places. However, concrete results, despite the large number of recommendations, did not follow. Along with the development of means of communication, the problem of providing the population with affordable credit was resolved, public shops were set up selling basic necessities, and grain stores. Much has been done by the governor in matters of enlightenment and education of the population of the region, as he understood that the successful colonization of the region and the "Russification" of foreigners is impossible without the creation of an appropriate cultural space. One of his achievements is obtaining permission from the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia to involve political exiles in teaching activities in the northern districts, which partially solved the problem of the lack of qualified personnel. A big problem for the students was that the two main educational institutions, the Yakut women's gymnasium and the Yakut real school, provided an incomplete education. For example, those who graduated from the sixth grade of a real school did not have the right to enter a higher educational institution and had to go to Tomsk to take a course of a seven-year additional class of a full real school. The distance from Yakutsk was 4.5 thousand miles, which naturally created insurmountable obstacles for students. In April 1898 V.N. Skrypitsyn submitted a petition to the Minister of Internal Affairs to transform the Yakut real school into a school with a full seven-year course.

The head of the Yakut women's gymnasium E.N. Kuznetsova with teachers and students.

On August 22 of the same year, a petition was sent to the Governor-General of Irkutsk to transform the Yakut women's six-grade progymnasium into a full gymnasium. This issue was resolved in July 1900, the women's gymnasium was transformed into an eight-class women's gymnasium. The full course of the gymnasium gave a general secondary education, the opportunity to become elementary school teachers and enter higher courses, pedagogical and medical faculties. From the same time, the position of inspector of public schools was established, to which the local urban and rural elementary schools of the Ministry of Public Education were transferred. And in August of the same year, the seventh additional class was opened at the Yakut real school. Taking into account the powers of the governor and the work actually carried out by him, it can be concluded that the personal qualities of the leader were reflected in his policy.

Ekaterina Prokopievna Stryukova with 3rd grade students Vera Sleptsova, Nadezhda Sleptsova, Varvara Chernykh, Anna Koryakina, Elena Podgorbunskaya, Kapitolina Dyachkovskaya, Anna Okhlopkova, Elizaveta Sivtseva. 1905

The land use reform project proposed by V.N. Skrypitsyn, was an echo of the liberal reforms of the 60s of the XIX century, and, despite the lack of support, the governor made every effort to transform the life of the population of the region. Within the framework of his authority, the governor made proposals on the further development of the region, took concrete steps to reorganize the life of foreigners. Despite the fact that one of the main tasks of the governor, as a representative of the leading center, was to reduce arrears in the collection of yasak, his activities also testify to his sincere concern for the Yakut Territory. An attempt to reform land use in the region was dictated by the fact that the solvency of the population directly depended on the harvest of herbs and agricultural products. To increase the economic activity of the population, with the participation of the governor, a lot of work was done to organize the transport business, provide the population with affordable credit, create food supplies, and provide assistance to those in dire need. One of the conditions for the successful development of the region, he considered the development of education, especially among the indigenous population. Political exiles from 1902 officially received permission from the governor to engage in pedagogical activities. In fact, the governor's activities have introduced a lot of new things into management practice, into the development of the economy and culture, into the scientific study of the region, into the process of incorporation of the Yakutsk region into the general imperial space. The policy he started was continued in the administration of Governor I.I. Kraft (1907–1913).
Vladimir Nikolaevich Skripitsin made a great contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of Yakutia. His activities to improve land relations and land management found a lively response from the advanced part of the Yakut intelligentsia. His selfless activity in studying the life and culture of the peoples of the region, his assistance in conducting expeditions and understanding the need to preserve ethnographic collections in the funds of the best museums in Russia commands respect.

A. I. Arkhipova

Dmitry Trofimovich Shepilov

A military general, a journalist, an economist, a lawyer, a scientist… He had many roles. He was the hero of Soviet jokes, a favorite of Joseph Stalin, could, like the legendary Zhukov, withstand the harsh dictatorial gaze of the leader. He was a personal enemy of Khrushchev, he called him a "slanderer" and "slanderer". Our story is about a man who was not afraid of anyone or anything - the fourth Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, a prominent politician of the Soviet era, Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Dmitry Shepilov. His life consisted of ups and downs, it included the deprivation of all posts and titles after Khrushchev's disgrace. Now few people know that he began his working biography in Yakutia, and here he joined the ranks of the CPSU (b). His admission file is still kept in the local archive. Already being a person invested with power, he always met the Yakut people like this: “Oh, fellow countryman! Capsee, do5or. Unfortunately, only general information is known about Shepilov's work in Yakutia. Dmitry Trofimovich in his memoirs did not particularly talk about this period of his life. A 21-year-old graduate of the Moscow law faculty was sent to work in a “prison without bars”, distant Yakutia.

He himself called our region "the snow-white tomb." So he went to YASSR with great pleasure. He was assigned to us in 1926 to the position of Assistant Prosecutor of the Main Court. Since the roads in those days left much to be desired, the journey to Yakutsk took about a month. They found housing for him in the very center, in one of the houses behind Gostiny Dvor, where the printing house was located, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bOktyabrskaya Street (now Lenin Avenue). Here Dmitry developed a vigorous activity. In two years, he managed not only to raise the work of the Main Court, which had previously been conducted very badly, but also led a circle of political literacy, taught at teacher courses, participated in various rallies and meetings, read reports ... It should be noted that in those years Yakutsk was small city ​​and had about 10.5 thousand permanent population. Dmitry made new friends, did scientific research and studied languages.

Regional Court in Yakutsk

Often he was seen in the Zaloga area, where the exiled chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod Alexander Samarin lived in one of the houses. A young jurist learned English from him. In Yakutsk, he became a party member, joining the ranks of the CPSU (b) on November 3, 1926. Here he managed to write several ethnographic works; "About the suicide of the Yakuts", about shamanism and emyryakhstvo, about banditry in the Vilyui district. In December 1926, the Council of People's Commissars of the YASSR banned the sale of vodka. Subsequently, Maxim Ammosov asked Shepilov to study how this tough measure affected the population. Researcher Vasily Alekseev discovered Shepilov's letter in the National Archives. The lawyer in the document argued that after the introduction of the veto, it only got worse and the ban not only did not solve the problem, but also aggravated it. The number of crimes increased, smuggling of vodka and its sale at exorbitant prices (5 rubles) began. Bread also became more expensive... In April 1928, Dmitry, together with two local party leaders, was seconded to Moscow, to the Institute of Red Professors, and in the summer Shepilov left Yakutia forever. At the age of 30, Shepilov's career took off sharply.

Samarin with her daughter in Yakutsk. 1927

He was invited to work in the Central Committee of the Party. At one of the meetings, the scientist had the audacity to object to Stalin. According to eyewitnesses, the leader looked at his opponent in surprise and asked him to change his point of view. Shepilov replied that he would remain with his opinion. After that, the scientist spent seven months without work. In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, like millions of Soviet citizens, he volunteered for the front. And this, despite the fact that he already had the title of professor, and, accordingly, the reservation. He went from private to major general. Stalin liked to support young military leaders, and Dmitry Trofimovich's career went up again. In 1952 he was appointed editor-in-chief of the Pravda newspaper. Shepilov's relationship with General Secretary Khrushchev, to put it mildly, did not go well. Although everything went well at first, they were teammates. After Stalin's death, Shepilov even helped Nikita Sergeevich prepare a report for the 20th Congress "On the cult of personality and its consequences."

At a diplomatic reception

In 1956, Khrushchev succeeded in removing Molotov from the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, putting Shelilov in his place. And then well-known events took place in the country, after which the name of Dmitry Trofimovich became a household name. In the summer of 1957, Malenkov, Molotov and Kaganovich tried to remove Khrushchev from the post of general secretary. Shepilov also criticized the “corn lover”, accusing him of his own personality cult. , which was not included in the group, at the next plenum of the Central Committee, the wording “anti-party group of Molotov, Malenkov, Kaganovich and Shepilov who joined them” was born.When Soviet citizens divided a bottle of vodka into “three”, the fourth participant in the drinking bout was jokingly called “Shepilov”. He himself considered this case to be fabricated, which he wrote about in his memoirs "Not Joined". A disgrace began, a black streak in life, dragging on for decades. The party career went down sharply. He was removed from all government posts, deprived of his posts. From 1957 For a year he worked in Kyrgyzstan as deputy director of the Institute of Economics.In 1959, pundits from the USSR Academy of Sciences deprived him of the title of corresponding member ndent, and in 1962 the most terrible punishment followed - expulsion from the party (restored in 1976). Since 1960, Dmitry Trofimovich served as a senior archeographer in the Main Archive Department under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1982 he retired. In 1998, the famous historian and ethnographer Semyon Nikolaev-Somogotto spoke about his acquaintance with the ex-minister in the Kommunist newspaper. “Our meeting took place on June 4, 1973, when I, being a researcher at the party archive, was on a business trip to Moscow. There I learned that Shepilov worked in the editorial department of the Central Archive of the October Revolution (the Central Archive of the October Revolution - now the archive of Russian history) ... When I entered his small office, a man of great stature and advanced years stood up to meet me and exclaimed: “Oh, fellow countryman! Yes? After all, in 1926-1929 I worked in Yakutsk. Well, capsee, dobor, ”and we talked for more than an hour. He recalled his work in Yakutsk, touched upon his trip to Vilyuisk, the local leper colony (leprosy clinic) ... He demonstrated to me "knowledge" of the Yakut language, saying no more than 10 words. This surprised me almost half a century later... He asked me about some of the workers of that time... Upon learning that Ponomarev was alive, he asked me to send greetings and an invitation: "If he comes to Moscow, let him come to me." After that, for a number of years we corresponded with him and exchanged postcards. But then, somehow, it stopped ... "

Tatyana Krotova, Petr Konkin