Hongodory gen. Hongodors - who are they? Under the canopy of eagles

The Khongodors are a tribe belonging to the subethnic group of Buryatia. Its representatives took part in the ethnogenesis of the Buryats. This is the northernmost Mongolian people, the oldest population of the Baikal region. The Hongodors have a rich epic telling about the life and conquests of this small people.

Number

This subethnic group has only 30,000 inhabitants. Despite this, within the tribe there are 9 representatives of the main clans (direct ancestors of the founder of the clan) and 16 clans that do not have a blood connection with the first ancestor.

Where live

The distribution area of ​​the Hongodors is determined by several regions of Buryatia and Mongolia. These people live in the Alarsky district of the Irkutsk region, the Mongolian cities of Khovd and Khovsgol. On the territory of Buryatia they are located in the areas:

1. Tunkinsky
2. Okinsky
3. Zakamensky

The related peoples of the Khongodors are the Kalmyks and Khalkhas. The Khalkhas make up the main population of Mongolia. Kalmyks live in the Republic of Kalmykia, part of the Russian Federation.

Language

The Hongodors speak the Buryat language. It is official in the Republic of Buryatia. The language is part of the central branch of the North Mongolian group of Mongolian languages.

Name

There is no consensus on the origin of the name of the people. The most common versions:

1. From the word "huba", meaning "swan". This is a totem (sacred) animal that is revered by the Buryats.
2. From the Turkic “hun” - “sun”. This version suggests that the people are descendants of the ancient Xiongnu tribe.
3. The word “hon” is translated as a noble bird, and “godor” means its children.

Story

The ethnogenesis of the Hongodors is also questionable. A certain group of historians considers them descendants of the Mongols. Another is that they descended from the Bulatag tribe, conquered by the Mongols and assimilated with them. Most scientists are inclined to believe that the people came from the Khongirads (Kongotors, Kungrats). This Mongol tribe influenced the ethnogenesis of the Mongol and Turkic peoples.
According to legend, the founder of the Khongodor clan had 9 sons, who formed 9 separate clans. Later, representatives of the Mongols and Buryats joined the tribe, as a result of which sub-branches were formed. The Hongodors moved from Mongolia to the territory of modern Buryatia in the 17th century during the war. They were defeated in a battle with the Khan of Manchuria and retreated to the Alar steppes. At first, the tribes led a familiar nomadic life. Then they moved away from it, settled down and began to engage in arable farming.

The Khongodors are mountain tribes, unlike the rest of the Buryat peoples who live in the steppes. They live in the foothills of the Sayan Mountains and Khamar-Daban. The Oka tribes still have a semi-nomadic way of life called vertical nomadism. It lies in the fact that in the summer people live in the foothills, where livestock graze in the meadows, and with the onset of winter they move to the plain.

Religion

The main religion of the Hongodors is shamanism. A small part professes Buddhism and Orthodoxy. Buddhism has survived from the time of life in Mongolia. Orthodoxy spread with its arrival in Siberia and was implanted by force. At the moment, the vast majority of the people continue to adhere to traditional beliefs.

Shamanism, or shamanism, is an ancient form of religion based on the belief in spirits. The mediator between the people and the spirits is the shaman - a representative of the tribe endowed with special skills. The teaching says that the world is divided into three parts: upper, middle, lower, which are ruled by the gods - Tengri. The patron saint of the Hongodor people is Uurak Sagan Tenger. He sends swans to earth - sacred birds, through which he conveys gifts to people. The main deities are Esege Malan (wise father) and the Earth goddess Ulgen. The upper world is led by Khan Khurmasta, the chief of good deities, and Asarani Arban, a dark deity. Evil and good gods are constantly at war with each other. Then lightning, thunder, and meteorites appear in the sky.

The Hongodors worship all the supreme deities, the sun, the moon, mountains, and rivers. According to their beliefs, all natural phenomena have their owners. In the mountains and near villages there are special places where steles, figures of gods, and stone pyramids are placed. These are places of worship where they pray and ask for well-being and success.

Life

At that time, when the Hongodors were nomadic tribes, they were engaged in cattle breeding and hunting. They raised goats, sheep, and cows. Thanks to this, people had meat, milk, skins, and wool. They also kept camels and horses, which served as a means of transportation. They hunted large animals in groups, and set traps for small animals alone. The Hongodor tribes began to engage in agriculture after they came to a settled life. They adopted farming techniques from neighboring peoples. Blacksmithing also developed.

The Hongodors engaged in group hunting together with the Bulagat and Ekhirit tribes. There were several dozen participants who formed a large circle, spreading out across the territory. A hierarchical structure was created, headed by a commander, two commanders of the left and right flanks, three hunters who navigated the terrain, who controlled everyone else. Leadership was carried out through war cries. Fires were lit around the perimeter to scare away animals. When the animals ran out of the forest, they were shot at with arrows. The spoils were then divided among the participants. The bosses received the largest share, the rest was divided equally.

The Hongodors mined iron ore, which gave rise to blacksmithing. There were dynasties of blacksmiths; the craft was taught from childhood and the knowledge was passed on through generations. They made not only iron, but also silver and gold products. In addition to military armor and weapons, elements of harness, tools, and jewelry were forged.

Food

The diet of Hongodors contains a lot of meat. This is mainly lamb, veal, and poultry. During the holidays, the whole animal carcass is cooked. The head of a ram is considered an honorary food and is served to guests. It is placed on a separate dish and brought facing the respected guest. Also a lot of dairy products. Cottage cheese, sour cream, and various drinks are made from milk. Herbal infusions and green tea are popular. Traditionally, black tea is brewed with cream and fried flour. You can drink it with salt and butter. This drink gives strength and fills the body with energy.

Traditions

Marriages among the Hongodors are concluded by agreement between the parents of the children when they are still small. The agreement is sealed with mutual offerings and wine. Previously, at the age of 15, children were already married. A wedding consists of many stages, including the following:

• sending matchmakers;
• transfer of ransom;
• hen-party;
• wedding procession;
• consecration of housing.

Also at the wedding there are various games, competitions, a lot of songs and dances. Young people are given gifts. They try to have more children, so families have large families.

After the death of one of the tribe members, a funeral ceremony is performed. In ancient times, jewelry and household items were buried in the grave along with the deceased. Men were buried in armor, weapons and the saddle of the horse he rode were placed nearby. In a number of areas where the population professes Buddhism, a person is burned after death. Before this, it is wrapped in white cloth so that the deceased does not see the living. In ancient times, people were not buried in the ground, but simply taken to the steppe and left there. The body was eaten by wild animals.
Hongodors celebrate the following holidays:

1. Sagaalgan
2. Surkharban
3. Altargana
4. Zula Khural.

Surkharban is a holiday of honoring the spirits of the earth. On this day, sacrifices are made and prayers are read. Then sports competitions are held, and festive food is brought outside. Sagaalgan - New Year, which is celebrated at the beginning of spring. This is the White Month holiday. The house is cleaned, old clothes are thrown away, and treats are prepared. White foods are placed on the table - cottage cheese, sour cream, milk vodka, dumplings. It is customary to celebrate the holiday wearing all white, which symbolizes purity and happiness.

Altargana is a national Buryat festival. People perform folk songs there, participate in sports competitions, and hold an exhibition of traditional crafts. Zula Khural is the holiday of a thousand lamps. He is Buddhist. On this day, a solemn procession is held, a prayer service is held, and candles are lit. The light from the candles represents the enlightenment that Buddha achieved.

Hongodors honor all the traditions of their people and family ties. For these people, a connection with nature is important, in which they see the divine principle.

From the history of the tribe

Let us remind you that the Hongodors are one of the largest Buryat tribes, which live compactly in the villages of the Tunkinsky, Zakamensky, Okinsky districts of Buryatia, in the Alarsky district of the Irkutsk region. And dispersedly - in the Nukutsk region, where there is even a surname “Khongodorov”.

Where did the Hongodors come from? At their meetings, of course, they discuss their history. At one of them in Kyren, a detailed and scientifically based report on this topic was given. And it was made by the then head of the Tunkinsky district Yuri Khorenov, with the help of fellow historians. In popular form it looks something like this...

At one time, the Hongodors lived in the Angara region together with the Bulagats, and then went south to the Mongolian steppes. Here they formed the most combat-ready formations of Genghis Khan. After the collapse of his empire, they returned to their tribal lands, which were already occupied by other Buryat clans. But the return process took place peacefully, without military clashes. The Hongodors just returned home.

Yohor Nygda

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

One culture - one people

This is explained, first of all, by ethnic unity with the Western Buryat clans who lived here - Bulagats, Ikinats, Ashabagats, etc. This is expressed in the common Alaro-Tunka dialect, clothing, houses - wooden yurts, spiritual culture - ekhorah and segeen (arsin) duun, common shamanic cults...

At the same time, the Khongodors also penetrated into the mountains, where local clans also lived, such as the Terte, Khamnigans and Khoikhos in Zakamna, and the Soyots in Oka. Moreover, Oka was inhabited by Tunki, Alari and Unga (Nukuts). They also reserved a strategically important corridor to the Mongolian steppes - Tunku. In addition to hunters, Hongodors and Bulagats Alari and Ungi were sent to the Oki and Zakamny mountains for guard duty along the border drawn by Savva Raguzinsky. Many of them started families here and settled there. At the same time, natives of Tunka and Oka moved to the left bank of the Angara region or to the Zakamna mountains. At one time, there was a lively exchange of goods through the Sayan ridges. Flour and industrial goods from Irkutsk were exchanged for meat and furs from the mountains. They also exchanged brides, sometimes they were simply stolen. Matchmakers and grooms walked along mountain paths or along the beds of icy rivers. For example, along the Oka River there was a path from Alari and Unga to Oka. At the same time, administratively Tunka and Oka belonged to Irkutsk, and not to Chita. The Alar and Kyrensky datsans were also directly subordinate to the Irkutsk governor-general.

During the Soviet period, many traditionally existing ties were broken, and administrative redistributions also played a negative role. Nevertheless, the Hongodors always knew and remembered their ethnic unity. It is no coincidence that the Hongodoriada 2016 is already the 11th festival, held every two years alternately in the Hongodori districts. And this time the unity of fellow tribesmen was fully confirmed.

Hambo Llama Tree

The hosts offered the guests a rich program. The delegations visited the 200-year-old Alarsky datsan, where he served Hambo Lama Itigelov. At one time this datsan was visited Hambo Lama Iroltuev and current Hambo Lama Damba Ayusheev. The last one was in Alari last year for the 200th anniversary. The datsan preserved a photograph of him tightly hugging an ancient cedar tree in the monastery garden. Now the Alarians believe that by hugging this tree, you can receive the blessing of the Hambo Lama. Many guests also decided to receive Hambo's blessing at the sacred tree.

Hambo Lama hugging a cedar tree in 2015

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

And these are the guests hugging that same tree

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

Under the soaring eagles

The ritual of worshiping ancestors “Ekhe Tailagan” was remembered for the fact that eagles soared above the believers all the time, and this is a very good sign - a sign of the blessing of the Eternal Blue Sky. At the end of the prayer service, the shamans released the horse intended for sacrifice. Amid the cries of joy and applause of the believers, the horse rushed off into the steppe, waving its mane and hadaks - silk scarves - tied around its neck.

And meat, tea, salamat and pilaf were cooked in the cauldrons. The tables were set right in the steppe, and the guests were treated to strong togooney archi.

The hosts challenged the guests to a singing competition - mungalgyn duun, in the genre of who can outsing who, while making fun of each other. The hosts were represented by local elders, and the guests were the head of Oka Bair Baldanov, the head of Tunka Ivan Alkheev and the head of the Zakamna delegation, chairman of the district council Beligto Zunduev.

After the song competition, the chorus began, everyone danced beautifully and cheerfully. Ekhor gathered all the Hongodor people who were here, and everyone stood in a circle.

Horse wrestling

Horse games were a surprise for the guests. First, we played the game “Tear off the hat,” where riders tore off each other’s hats. And then the ancient fun of the Bator took place - Morine Barildaan (horse wrestling). The riders circled on their horses, pushing and pulling each other. Everyone fought, the Zakamensky, Okinsky and Tunkinsky guys came out to the challenge of the Alarians. In the end, one of the hosts, Sagadar Semenov from the village of Burkavo, won. He got the main prize - a ram. The head of Oka, Bair Baldanov, established his own prize - 5 thousand rubles for a wrestler from his team. “Ekhe tailagan”, “mungalgyn duun”, ekhor and morine barildaan have become truly popular festivals in the steppe.

On the second day there were exhibitions, a round table, competitions “Sageen duun” (“Arsiin duun”) and “Edir Baatar-Dangina”, sports competitions in national wrestling, archery, horse racing, football, volleyball, weights, etc. d.

Horse wrestling final

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

Winner of horse wrestling Sagadar Semenov

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

Drinking songs

The program of the second day was so intense that it was not possible to be both here and there. An innovation at the Hongodoriada 2016 was the competition “Segeen duun” (“Arsiin duun”) - drinking songs. This genre is common among all Western Buryats, but is now going through hard times. In Barguzin and Kurumkan, these songs, richly ornamented and characterized by improvisation, are practically no longer sung. And in the Khongodor districts and Buryat regions of the Irkutsk region, only the older generation performs them. At the competition in Kutulik, segeen duun was performed with the observance of all rituals, a treat with totona arkhi (a national alcoholic drink made from milk) and an offering of toolei - a treat with lamb.

Alarets Nikolai Zangeev treats Tunkin resident Gavril Darmaev, both in Hongodor costumes

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

Salamat

Photo by Alexander Makhachkeev

About the language

At the round table “Khongodors and modernity”, held in the library named after. A. Vampilov had a conversation, first of all, about the state of the native language. All Hongodors have problems with it, but the Alarians have the most difficult situation. They live in the densely populated industrial metropolis of Cheremkhovo - Angarsk - Irkutsk - Shelekhovo, with a necklace of smaller settlements. They live in a foreign-language environment.

To the question: “What to do?”, the participants, of course, found an answer. But life will show what will actually turn into action. It all ended with a festive disco and fireworks.

Under the canopy of eagles

Overall the holiday was a success. Hongodor, separated by mountain ranges, became closer to each other. When the hosts saw them off at the barisan (a sacred place on the road), the guests thanked them from the bottom of their hearts and invited them for a return visit.

Eagles soared in the sky, larks sang in the steppe, swans, the totem of the Hongodors, swam majestically on Lake Khuhe Nur, and the Sayan Mountains whitened in the south. Behind them, Tunka, Oka and Zakamna were waiting for the guests. Goodbye, Hongodoriada 2016. Next meeting in Oka!

Head of Okinsky district Bair Baldanov said:

Our ancestors rode to each other on horseback. We Hongodors live in different regions, but we have a common history, family friendly and territorial ties. They will become stronger. We have many relatives in the Alar region. We invite you to our place, through the mountains just two days on horseback...

Alexander MAKHACHKEEV

Ulan-Ude – Alar - Kutulik – Ulan-Ude

To the territory of the modern Irkutsk region and Buryatia, the Hongodors led by the leader Bahak Irban [ ] moved at the end of the 17th century (1688) during the Oirat-Khalkhas war. The reason for the exodus was the reluctance to support one side or another in the war that was going on between the Dzungar Khanate (Oirats) and Khalkha-Mongolia. The resettlement went in three directions - to the Alar steppes (modern Irkutsk region) and the mountainous regions of the Eastern Sayans and Khamar-Daban (modern Tunkinsky, Okinsky and Zakamensky districts of Buryatia). In the new lands, the Hongodors continued to lead a nomadic lifestyle. Gradually, after becoming part of the Russian state, they began to settle down and engage in agriculture.

The division of Outer Mongolia (Dzasaktu Khanate, Altan Khanate Khotogoit, Tushetu Khanate) between the Russian Empire and Qing China, with the subsequent closure of the border, led to the impossibility of horizontal migration, which led to the impoverishment of pastures within the Eastern Sayan and Khamar-Daban and forced the Khongodors to switch from vertical nomadism to a semi-nomadic way of life, and subsequently to a sedentary one.

Modernity

Currently, the descendants of the Khongodors live in the Tunkinsky, Okinsky, Zakamensky districts of the Republic of Buryatia, in the Alarsky district of the Irkutsk region, in the Khovd and Khovsgol aimaks of Mongolia.

The number of Hongodors is about 30 thousand people. [ ] In the regions of Buryatia and the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug, inhabited by the Hongodors, meetings of representatives of this tribe are alternately held, where pressing problems are discussed: ways to preserve and develop folk traditions, customs, unique folklore, ancient tunes and dances.

List of clans included in the Hongodor tribe

The pedigree of the Hongodors is dual. On the one hand, there is a designation of genera by number:

• I Hongodor clan.
• II Hongodor clan
• III Hongodor family.
• IV Hongodor clan.
• V Hongodor family.
• VI Hongodor clan.
• VII Hongodor clan.
• VIII Hongodor clan.

On the other hand, there are named genders:

Ashat, ashkhai, badarkhan, booldoy, bulbu, buruuuha, dardaytan, dashi, doloonguud, dureten, naimanguud, sagaantan, taibzhan, terte, hagta, hotogoyto, kholto, habarnuud, ulakhan, ulaba, sharanuud, shoshoologist, shurankhan.

The number of Hongodors according to the 1897 census was 13,678 souls and by district: .

In the documents and archives of the Irkutsk province, the Hongodors are present only by numbered names, with the exception of the 9th Sharanut clan (spun out from the VIII Khongodor clan) and the Shurunkhan clan (split out from the III Khongodor clan). In the oral version, Hongodors do not use numbered names of genera, but only named ones.

Named clans, along with genealogies, began to appear in written sources only at the end of the 19th century. This feature is due to the fact that the genealogy is of a sacred nature and is not intended for a wide range of people and, for the most part, is intended for shamanic rituals and invoking the spirits of ancestors.

In the 17th century, the Khongodors left Western Mongolia (Altan Khanate of the Khotogoit, Dzasagtu Khanate, western aimags of the Tushetu Khanate and eastern aimags of the Oirat Confederation), a military detachment of 8 hundred, together with their families with a total number of 4-5 thousand people ( 1 thousand tents), and the number designation of the clans only indicates that their ancestor served in the 1st to 8th hundred. This number designation of clans was also fixed in the tsarist administration for the purpose of levying yasak. This was the last largest and largest migration of the Hongodors; there were migrations of the Hongodors after it, but they were not so numerous in terms of the number of people.

All Hongodor clans are divided into actually Hongodorov(there is blood descent from the first ancestor named Hongodor, in Buryat-Mongolian pronunciation Nirun-Khongodor) And Hongodorov in general(those representatives of the clans who were included in the Hongodors with the rights hari(“strangers, not related by blood”), in Buryat-Mongolian pronunciation Darlequin-Hongodore).

TO Hongodoram itself (Nirun-Khongodor) according to S.P. Baldaev are of this kind.

(prefix to the name Baator, Noyon - honorary titles awarded for military merit. Bearers of names with the prefix Baator created 8 numbered genera nirun-hongodor. Representatives Darlekin-Hongodorov, administratively and organizationally were assigned to different number categories).

According to the genealogical note of Arabdan-Dorzho Gunsenov and informant Bata Zurbanov to Hongodoram itself are of this kind.

1. Ashkhay (Ashikhay) ᠠᠱᠠᠬᠠᠢ
2. Ashata (Ashita) ᠠᠰᠢᠲᠠ
3. Holsho ᠬᠣᠯᠠᠱᠣ
4. Boroldoy ᠪᠣᠷᠣᠯᠳᠠᠢ
5. Dasha ᠳᠠᠰᠢᠶ᠎ᠠ
6. Naydar ᠨᠠᠶᠢᠳᠠᠷ
7. Nashan ᠨᠠᠰᠢᠨ
8. Bata Khara Badarkhan ᠪᠠᠳᠢᠷᠠᠬᠠᠨ
9. Boldoy ᠪᠣᠯᠳᠣᠢ

TO Hongodoram in general (Darlequin-Hongodore), included in their composition only organizationally with the rights of “hari” and not having blood descent from the first ancestor Hongodora include the following types.

1. Bulba
2. Storm
3. Dardaitan
4. Doloonguud - came along with the Hongodors from Western Mongolia.
5. Naimanguud - came along with the Hongodors from Western Mongolia.
6. Sagaantan
7. Taibzhan (Sagan) - belonged to the VI Hongodor clan.
8. Terte are permanent inhabitants of the Baikal region, such toponyms as Tyret, Taiturka are associated with them
9. Khotogoito - came along with the Hongodors, people from the Altan Khanate of Khotogoi, scattered among different numbered genera.
10. Holto
11. Khabarnuud
12. Ulakhan
13. Ulyaba
14. Sharanuud - was part of the VIII Khongodor clan, was administratively removed from it, with the formation of the IX Khongodor clan.
15. Shosholog are permanent inhabitants of the Baikal region; in archival documents they are found as tsysoliks.
16. Shurankhan - was part of the III Khongodor clan, and was administratively removed from it under his own name.

Hongodore religion

There are three main religions among the Hongodors

Buddhism

The Hongodors became acquainted with Buddhism within Western Mongolia and brought it with them to Western Buryat-Mongolia. Initially, there were no datsans among the Khongodors; there were yurts in which Buddhist rituals were held; over time, datsans began to be built.

Shamanism

Before the advent of Buddhism and Orthodoxy, shamanism was widespread among the Hongodors. Shamanism includes the division of the world into three parts of the upper, middle and lower world, each of which has its own rulers. The pantheon of shamanic (Tengrian) gods consists of 99 Tengris, which in turn consists of 55 Western Tengris (good) and 44 Eastern Tengris (evil).

Patron of Hongodors:

Uurak Sagan Tenger (Milk White Tengri) - bestows wealth on the earth through his swans envoys, is the spiritual father of Buudal Ongon, who is called Ulaan Zalay Mergen Degei. His refuge is the Arkhag Pass near the Urik River in the Eastern Sayan Mountains.

Territorial patrons:

Ama Sagan noyon is the owner of the Angara River.

Tulba Sagan noen is the owner of the city of Irkutsk.

Hermete noyon is the owner of Mount Kyren.

Ulaan zalai Mergen Degei (Red Brush Warrior) - owner of the Urik River, middle name Buudal Ongon.

Orthodoxy

The spread of the Orthodox religion among the Khongodors began to occur with the conquest of Siberia by detachments of Cossacks of the Russian Kingdom or in the Byzantine version of the Russian Kingdom. The implantation of religion among conquered peoples is one of the methods of colonization and strengthening of one’s power. Initially, the propagation of Orthodoxy was carried out using violent methods, which led to negative results.

Subsequently, the implantation of Orthodoxy shifted to political pressure on representatives of the heads of the Khongodor clans and economic measures. Such as exemption from paying yasak for three years, donation of pieces of cloth, and payments in monetary terms. However, these methods were not successful, as it led to the fact that some representatives were baptized several times, still remaining in shamanism or Buddhism.

Buddhist lamas acted much more effectively, bringing representatives of shamanism and pseudo-neophytes of Orthodoxy into the fold of the Lamaist church. Ultimately, it was not the effectiveness of Orthodox priests in baptizing Buryats and Khongodors among them, and vice versa the effectiveness of the Buddhist Church, that led to Empress Catherine II recognizing Buddhism as one of the state religions of the Russian Empire.

Currently, the number of Hongodors professing Orthodoxy is extremely small.

Type of management of Hongodors

In the first place in the economic structure of the Hongodors is cattle breeding, breeding horses, sheep, goats, cows, and camels.

In second place is hunting, individual and collective (zegete-aba, abai sadak).

In general terms, the entire roundup hunt boiled down to the fact that the participants, dividing into dozens, dispersed in different directions, covering a huge territory, creating a circle (cauldron) and then began to narrow this circle towards the center and drive all the animals in this circle into its very center.

Organizationally, in order to manage a large number of people, during the hunt, a chief manager was selected from among the participants - tubshi (tub - center, main), and two leaders who commanded the left and right wings, called - garshins (gar - hand, zungarshi - commander of the left "hand" , eastern wing and barungarshi - commander of the right “hand”, western wing). Three gazarshins (gazar - terrain) were also selected, who knew the terrain well, who were assigned to the center, the right wing and the left wing, whose duties included placing hunters depending on the terrain conditions, in some way they performed reconnaissance functions. Galshi (gal - fire) were also selected, who guarded and maintained tribal fires, organized the life and food of hunters, selected places for overnight stays and camps, that is, performed rear functions.

Over a vast territory, in order to identify each other and know each other's location, battle cries were used: among the Bulagats - burget, among the Khongodors - worse, hozhi, among the Ekhirites - edir.

When the left and right wings advanced, covering the territory in a circle (cauldron), this circle, at the command of the tubsha, began to narrow and drove all the animals into the center. Subsequently, gazars were sent inside the circle to find out if there were animals inside; if there were not, then a repeat operation was carried out to cover the territory in a different place.

If the coverage was successful and there were animals in the circle, then guards were posted around the circle in order not to let the animals out of it, galshas lit fires, each ten had their own fire and their own section of the circle, which they guarded. Over the course of several days, as a rule, the guard changed and all this time the animals could not leave the circle. This created a closed, cordoned-off circle of guards and fires, and any animal that tried to get out of it was shot with arrows.

When they did not break out of the cordon, Tubshi again gave the command and the circle again narrowed to a certain distance, then the cycles of narrowing were repeated. This event was carried out in order to get all the animals in the cordon; if you narrow the circle (cauldron) in one cycle, then most of the animals still broke through from the cordon.

The division of the spoils was carried out according to established traditions: tubshis, gazarshis, garshis, galshis took a tenth for themselves, everything else was divided equally among the other participants in the raid.

Collective hunting, unlike individual hunting, was more effective and brought more prey and food.

Over time, collective hunting began to lose its value and became more of a cultural event, this is due to the transition to a sedentary lifestyle and the development of agriculture, since in monetary terms it provided more profit and a stable income than hunting.

Individual hunts were usually carried out using traps and snares and were carried out in relation to fur-bearing animals.

Agriculture

The Hongodors began to switch to agriculture at the moment when the border between the Russian Empire and Qing China was closed, as this led to the impossibility of horizontal nomadism and, as a consequence, to the impoverishment of pastures and a decrease in the food supply. In the new conditions, the Hongodors had to borrow experience from the Bulagats and Ekhirits, who in turn borrowed it from the Kurykans, who had lived in the Baikal region for a long time and had a fairly developed culture of agricultural agriculture. The Russians also borrowed farming experience from the Ekhirites and Bulagats, since the agricultural calendar, tied to the church calendar, did not correspond to the climatic conditions of the Baikal region, where summers are short and winters are long and harsh compared to the European part of Russia. Different climatic conditions impose restrictions on the sowing of winter and spring crops, as well as on the varieties of these crops adapted to the harsh Siberian conditions. The fact that the Khongodors borrowed experience from the Bulagats and Ekhirits is evidenced by the borrowing into the Khongodor language of native Buryat, and not Russian, names of agricultural tools and more, such as: sickle - khaduur, scythe - khazhuur, pitchfork - asa, rake - tarmuur, plow - anzahan , harrow - dagnuur, sheaf - boodolgo, flail for threshing - nanshuur, hand mill - gar teerme, horse-drawn mill - morin teerme, water mill - uhan teerme, device for rolling out and grinding manure on the field (no analogue in Russian) - baluur , land area - dusheneg.

Atamans V. Tyumenets and M. Perfilyev were the first Russians to report that the Buryats cultivate the land, that they are arable people and sow barley and buckwheat.

In climatic conditions, when it is not possible to carry out haymaking (grazing in winter, when cattle shovel snow with their hooves), due to high snow cover, the question arises of harvesting hay in the summer (haymaking) and storing it in a stationary camp, which in turn leads to the creation a complex complex of pastoral and agricultural farming on a semi-sedentary basis.

Blacksmithing

The Hongodors lived in the mountains and one of the types of economic activity was the extraction and processing of metals: iron, gold, silver. This type of activity was carried out by a narrow circle of representatives of the Khongodors, called in their midst as darkhans (in the Buryat-Mongolian pronunciation khara darkhan - iron smith, mungen darkhan - silver smith, altan darkhan - gold smith). This craft was widespread among the family and passed on from generation to generation. During the period of the Northern Yuan state, there was virtually no trade with China, as a result of the ban by the emperors of China of the Ming dynasty, hara darkhans were of great importance. The responsibilities of the khara darkhans included searching for iron deposits in the Mongolian Altai, Khangai, and Eastern Sayan mountains, for the needs of the army and for household needs.

In particular, for the needs of the army, the following were made: sabers (selem), broadswords, swords (ild), spear and arrowheads, helmets, shishaks, chain mail (ilchirbilig huyag) and lamellar armor (khudesutu huyag, hatagu degel, huus huyag, chargakh), metal shield elements.

The question of the ethnogenesis of the Hongodors remains one of the cornerstones in Mongolian history. Recently I had a discussion with a friend who is a Hongodor. We came to unexpected conclusions. So, who are the Hongodors? Now they live in the Zakamensky and Tuninsky districts of Buryatia, as well as in the Alarsky district of the Irkutsk region. According to legend, in the 17th century they were led out of Khalkha by leader Bakhak Irbanov. Following him, a military detachment was sent in pursuit under the command of Sukher (Shuukher) Noyon.

Let's leave this episode for now and come back.

In the genealogy of the Zakamensk Buryats, recorded by Ts.B. Tsydendambaev, gives a legendary story about three brothers - Khori, Shosholok and Khongodor, born of the Bird - a heavenly maiden: Let us note that among the Buryats, legends about descent from the White Bird are found mainly among the Shosholoks, Khongodors and Khorints:

Hon shubuun hurialatai,
Sen shubuun semelgetei,
Khori-Mongol Galbaritai,
Tengariin naiman huuhedhee tarahan
Khoyor otog hongodor.

Indeed, the ancestral totem of the Khongodors is a swan, just like among the Hori-Buryats. The Khongodors, with their ethnogonic myth, have the same plot as the Hori, the ancestors of Khoridoy (Khorilartai-mergen) and the goddess in the form of a swan. These eponyms and mythologemes with an ethnogonic outline are found only among the Khorin people and groups associated with their origin.

In addition, the range of the Khongodors in the 16th and 17th centuries largely coincides with the range of the Khori-Tumats in the 13th century.
Apparently, this is the part of the Khori-Tumats that remained in almost the same places where the uprising of 1217-18 found them.

But, in those days, the Tumats were located on the territory of the present Krasnoyarsk Territory. And, according to a number of historians, the Hori had nothing to do with the tribe at all.

Now to the question of the Hungirats. Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor T.D. Skrynnikova reveals the presence of a dual-clan organization, in which the Hungirats and clans close to them were marriage partners (anda-kuda) of the Bordzhigin clan, and then Khiad-Bordzhigin, that is, “Altan Urag”, clan of Chinggis Khaan. In conditions of exogamy, the agreement on the regular exchange of girl-brides between the Borjigins and the Hungirats was very important: “Most of them and their children took girls from the clan of Genghis Khan, and gave their own to his (clan).” This episode is mentioned in the “Secret Legend”, when Dei-sechen, a noyon of the Hungirats, persuaded Yesugei-bagatur to marry his daughter Borte to Temujin.

Writes the author of the ARD, historian Dorzhi Tsybikdorzhiev: There is a version that the Hongodors are a group formed according to principles other than tribal ones. They say about themselves that they were warriors of the commander in the state of Khotogoit. When the local khan began repressions against them, they returned to the Buryat mountains and forests.
Presumably, the Hongodors were not a tribal union, but a military organization, into which, however, representatives of several ethnic groups were recruited (mainly from among the descendants of the Khori-Tumats).
The principle is approximately similar to the formation of the Djurgins, Tumats, Khongirat group of Dai-setsen and some others known in the history of the Mongols.
Those. the Dzhurgin group was made up of the most warlike representatives of one and a half dozen related (and not so related) tribes Onon and Kerulen.
Tumats is a military organization into which representatives of 11 Khorin clans were recruited.
It’s more complicated with the Dai-setsen horde, there is little information about it, but apparently there was something in common in the principle of formation.

An interesting opinion was expressed by Nikifor Petrovich Egunov in his work “Buryatia before joining Russia.” According to his theory, the Hongodors are a branch of the Bulagats. Sergei Petrovich Baldaev believed that the ethnonym came from the words “hon” - noble bird and “goodor” - joker of a noble bird. The original version was proposed by Dashinima Sanzhievich Dugarov. In his opinion, it was based on the Turkic hun/khon (kun) - the sun and huba - the swan, the bearers of which were “fragments of the formerly powerful Xiongnu.” These "splinters", scattered and weakened, at the turn of our era, were thrown back to the northern outskirts of the Turkic-Mongolian ecumene. In the Khitan and post-Khitan times, there was a merger of these ethnic components, which united to form the Hongodor tribe (Dashinima Dugarov, 1993). Ardan Lobsonovich Angarkhaev, pointed out the possibility of a simplified version from hon (kong) and arad "khongarad ~ khongirad ~ hongodor.

Scientists have different opinions about where the Hongodors arrived in the Baikal region in the 16th-18th centuries, but they all point to the region of Northwestern Mongolia. Currently, this is a region in which various groups of Turkic origin are settled, such as the Tsaatans, Darkhat, Soyots, as well as various Mongol population groups. All this suggests the possible early parallel existence of forms of different groups, such as oirad and khongirad, in different parts of the previously single original group. The wide spread of the ethnonym Oirat ~ Kungurat ~ Kungirat ~ Khongirat is, first of all, due to the fact that its bearers took an active part in the historical events of the 12th-13th centuries associated with the offensive of the Chingidiz, and that is why it spread among the Turks of Central Asia in the form of Mongolian ending. Regarding the form hongirat ~ hongoodor, it can be assumed that its use was limited only in northwestern Mongolia, in close proximity to the Turkic Sayan peoples.

But despite the proximity, the Hongodors switched to the Mongolian language in the early period, at least before the ancestors of the Oirats and Buryats lost their positions before Genghis Khan, but had already separated from the future “Khalkhas”, whose positions before the campaigns of Genghis Khan have been preserved to the present day, says Professor Valentin Ivanovich Rassadin.

The history of Hongodors is still a historical detective story. When we sang a song about Ust-Orda as children, there was a line - “udha bulagad, ekhirit, ug negen hongodor.” Why?