Eskimos, Nanai, Khanty are the indigenous peoples of Siberia. However, few people know that there are also Chulyms - a small nation that has Turkic roots and is estimated literally by a few representatives, of whom today, according to some information, 656 people, according to others, 742.
14-18 century
The Chulym Turks move over and actively populate the Chulym river basin, their culture is saturated with echoes of Khakass, Tatar and even Mongol traditions. Their main occupation is fishing and hunting of fur-bearing directions, in which the indigenous population of Siberia, it must be said, has succeeded significantly.
Today, Chulym residents live in the Tomsk region, in the Krasnoyarsk and Altai territories, in the Altai Republic.
Chulym people are people far from typical housekeeping, cattle breeding, and especially farming, is not their horse. But collecting and stocking valuable berries and herbs is a characteristic feature of this hardworking people, which reached its maximum number in the 18th century and amounted to almost 4 thousand people.
Culture
Traditional Chulym residents live in dugouts and yurts with open clay stoves, numerous benches and chests; they prefer simple canvas clothes, dresses, caftans, and adorn themselves with beads, earrings and rings. In the winter they change shoes in high boots or hunting boots. Prefer meat and dried fish dishes. Dairy dishes, as well as the tradition of eating pork and mushrooms, came later and were mainly imposed by the influence of Russian traditional cuisine, as well as borsch, kvass and beer.
Chulymts are rather careful with nature and even have their own development regarding all kinds of environmental measures.
Marrying women of a different nationality for many centuries was censured, thanks to this endogamy, this people probably survived. The wife was chosen by the father of the family, only the mother could challenge the choice, but, as a rule, this rarely happened. In fairness. It is worth noting the fact that there was no totalitarianism in the families, and therefore the decision on marriage was taken only by mutual agreement. Today, of course, Chulym people marry anyone, but ethnic marriages are still common.
