#telengits

I want to tell you about one disappearing nation, living in Russia, the Telengits - the indigenous people of the Altai Territory. According to the 2010 census, 3712 people remained. ⠀

In the southern Altai, to whom the telengits belong, the Mongoloid anthropological type prevails: often because of their appearance they are compared with Kalmyks. ⠀

In connection with the prevailing nomadic way of life, the traditional house of the Telengits was a yurt, felt or covered with birch bark.

⠀

By the beginning of the 20th century, pentagonal or hexagonal log cabins gained popularity. In the center of the dwelling, a hearth was established, the inner space was divided into female - on the right, and male opposite.

⠀

The main occupation was cattle breeding. Sheep, horses, goats, cows, yaks were raised. In winter, pastures were organized in flat areas, herds were taken to the mountains. In parallel, they hunted birds, deer, bears, wolves, lynxes, sables.

⠀

There were many hunting rituals, for example, after killing an otter, it was customary to leave it for a day in the forest. It was believed that this is the beloved animal of the God of the dead, so after death several dozen souls can go out of it.

⠀

The traditional telengit musical instrument is topshur. It is a mixture of lute and plucked balalaika. The tool was made of pine or sneaker; twisted hair from the tail of the fastest horse in the herd was used as strings. This tradition is symbolic: it was believed that the topshur is the horse of the narrator, on which he rushes into the world of epic battles.

⠀

The traditional religion of telengits is associated with shamanism. It is believed that the good god Ulgen rules the world, and Erlik rules the underground kingdom of spirits. Some legends mention that this is one two-faced deity.

⠀

The telengit world was filled with many patron spirits under the common name "eesi". It was believed that they could appear in front of people in the form of animals and birds or take on a human form.

⠀

Rites of burial, weddings, births, prayers were held with the participation of shamans.

⠀