URAANGKHAI-SAKHALAR: REFLECTIONS ON THE ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME

Abstract

The subject of the article is a geographical name Uryankhai, the former name of the province where Tuvans live now, the historical ethnonym uraangkhai, and folklore name of the Sakha people uraangkhai-sakhalar. For many years, the meaning and linguistic identity of the naming Uraangkhai have been discussed in the literature; the spatial distribution and ethnicity of those referred to as uraangkhai or similar names have never had an unambiguous interpretation. At the same time, the certainty of the geographical territory named Uryankhai within its boundaries, the linguistic affiliation of the toponymical ethnonym uraangkhai and its probable etymology are extremely important for learning the historical geography of southern Siberia, for studying the ethnic composition of its territory and its linguistic landscape in the historical perspective. Giving an overview of the most important literature on the issue and relying on similarly sounding names, the author relates the toponym Uryankhai with the place name Urengoi, associated with the area of distribution of Samoyedic languages in the Ob River basin, shows that such a name has the status of a geographic appellative, and not a specific name of a geographic object, and explains it from the Nenets language as varyo-ng-hoi ‘the mountain with thawed patches’. It is clear that the object with the same name defies individual identification, but it is understandable as the name of a geographical province, whose territory is inhabited by Tuvans, who were called uryangkhai for a long time. In the light of the established origin of the toponym Uryankhai, the folk naming Uraangkhai-Sakha, on the one hand, historically connects Sakha (Yakut) people with the more southern territories, in particular, with the territory East Tuva; on the other hand, the name Uraangkhai-Sakha fits in the model of naming territorial groups of Sakha people according to the characteristics of the area where they live. In the Yakut Olonkho, naming uraangkhai always correlates with the people bearing the standard traditional Turkic culture. Mentioning of uraangkhai in the Evenki epic texts reflect, without a doubt, the influence of the Yakut folklore, hence, the identification of uraangkhai with the Evenki, as suggested by some researchers, is unconvincing.

Acknowledgments: The study was prepared within the framework of the RFFR, project No. 18-412-140013 p_a “The Epic Heritage of the Arctic (Northern) Yakuts in the Context of Ethnic History (the Problem of Interaction and Mutual Influence)”.

References

1. Efremov N. N. Starinnoe nazvanie jakutov bylo uraangkaj… [The ancient name of Yakuts was Uriankhai…]. In: Ilin [Ilin]. 2001, No. 3-4 [Web resource]. URL: http://ilin-yakutsk.narod.ru/2001-34/12.htm (accessed March 11, 2019).
2. Ksenofontov G. V. Uraangkhaj-sahalar [Uraangkhay-sakhalar]. T. 1. Irkutsk, 1937. 2-e izd., kn. 1-2. Yakutsk, Nac. izd-vo Respubliki Sakha (Jakutija). Book 1, 416 p. Book 2, 416 p.
3. Vajjnshtejjn S. I. Mir kochevnikov Centra Azii [The world of nomads of Central Asia]. Moscow, Nauka publishers, 1991, 296 p.
4. Vajjnshtejjn S. I. Tuvincy-todzhincy. Istoriko-etnograficheskie ocherki [Tuva-Todzhins. Historical and ethnographic essays]. Moscow, Izd-vo vost. lit-ry, 1961, 218 p.
5. Seroshevskij V. L. Jakuty. Opyt etnografichevskogo issledovanija[Yakuts. Ethnographic research experience]. Moscow, Assoc. “Ros. polit. encikl.”, 1993, 736 p.
6. Ushnickij V. V. Urjankhajcy: po sledam odnogo plemeni v Central'noj Azii [Uryanhayans: in the footsteps of one tribe in Central Asia]. In: Nauka i obrazovanije [Science and education]. 2008, No. 3, pp. 72-77.
7. Ushnickij V. V. Problema proiskhozhdenija etnonima urjankhajj[Problem of origin of the ethnonym Uriangkhai]. In: Gumanitarnye nauki v Sibiri [Humanities in Siberia]. 2010, No. 1, pp. 96-99.
8. Ushnickij V. V. Naselenie Bajkal'skogo regiona v epohu srednevekov'ja (k probleme etnogeneza sakha) [Population of Baikal region at the time of Middle ages (to the problem of the ethnogenesis of Sakha]. Yakutsk, Izd-vo IGIiPMNS SO RAN, 173 p.
9. Uranhajcy kak tungusskij element s kultom zmei [Web resource]. URL: https://merkit.livejournal.com/1079.html(accessed December 29, 2018).
10. Akhinzhanov S. M. Kypchaki v istorii srednevekovogo Kazakhstana [Kypchaks in the history of medieval Kazakhstan]. Almaty, Gylym, 1995, 296 p.
11. Ushnickij V. V. Tatary Central'noj Azii i problema proishozhdenija naroda uraangkhaj-sakha [The Tatars of Central Asia and the problem of the origin of the people of Uraanghai Sakha]. In: Severo-Vostochnyj gumanitarnyj vestnik[North-Eastern humanitarian herald]. 2017, No. 3 (20), pp. 30-36.
12. Narodnaya molva oshibaetsya v znachenii slova “uryanhaj”[Web resource]. URL: http://fedpress.ru/expertsovet/expert_mnenie/narodnaya-molva-oshibaetsya-v-znachenii-slova-uryankhai (accessed January 21, 2019).
13. Spafarij N. G. Puteshestvie cherez Sibir' ot Tobol'ska do Nerchinska i granic Kitaja russkogo poslannika Nikolaja Spafarija v 1675 godu. Dorozhnyjj dnevnik Spafarija [Journey through Siberia from Tobolsk to Nerchinsk and the borders of China by the Russian envoy Nikolai Spafari in 1675. The travel diary of Spafaria]. Vved. i primech. Ju. V. Arsen'eva. Saint Petersburg, Typography of V. Kirshbaum, 1882, 214 p.
14. Khomich L. V. Nenecko-russkij slovar' [Nenets-Russian Dictionary]. Leningrad, Uchpedgiz, 1954, 122 p.
15. Ageeva R. A. Kakogo my rodu-plemeni? Narody Rossii: imena i sud'by. Slovar'-spravochnik [What clan-tribe are we? Peoples of Russia: names and fates. Consise Dictionary]. Moscow, Academia Publ., 2000, 424 p.
16. Lhagvasuren Ichinhorloo. Altajskie urjanhajcy. Istoriko-etnograficheskie ocherki (konec XIX – nachalo XX v.) [Altai Uryankhaians. Historical and ethnographic essays (late XIX – early XX century.)]. Translated from Mongolian by M. V. Mongush. Ulan-Ude, Izd-vo BNC SO RAN, 2013, 178 p.
17. Levi K. G., Zadonina N. V., Berdnikova N. E., Voronin V. I., Glyzin A. V., Jazev S. A., Baasandzhav B., Ninzhbadgar S., Balzhinnjam B., Buddo V. Ju. Sovremennaja geodinamika i geliogeodinamika. Kn. 2. 500-letnjaja istoriya anomalnyh yavlenij v prirode i sociume Sibiri i Mongolii [Modern geodynamics and heliogeodynamics. Book 2. 500-year-old History of anomalous phenomena in the nature and society of Siberia and Mongolia]. Irkutsk, Irkutsk State technical University Publishers, 2003, 383 p.
18. Burykin A. A., Sharina S. I. Srednevekovye migracii narodov Srednej i Vostochnoj Sibiri: poiski prichin i analiz posledstvij[Medieval Migration of the Peoples of Middle and Eastern Siberia: Search for Causes and Analysis of Consequences]. In: Velikie evrazijskie migracii: materialy Mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferencii (11-14 oktjabrja 2016 g.) [Great Eurasian migrations. Materials of the International Scientific Conference (October 11-14, 2016)]. Elista, Kalmyk University Publishers, 2016, pp. 133-139.
19. Stroptivyj Kulun Kullustuur: jakutskoe olonkho [Obstinate Kulun Kulustuur: Yakut Olonkho]. Moscow, Nauka, Glav. red. vostochnoj lit-ry, 1985, 605 p.
20. Jakutskij geroicheskij epos “Moguchij Er Sogotokh” [Yakut heroic epic “The mighty Er Sogotokh”]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, Sibirskaja izdatel'skaja firma RAN, 1996, 440 p.
21. Njurgun Bootur Stremitel'nyj [Nyurgun Bootur the Swift]. Yakutsk, Gosizdat JaASSR, 1947, 407 p.
22. Jakutskij fol'klor [Yakut Folklore]. Teksty i per. A. A. Popova, vstup. stat'ja akad. A. N. Samojlovicha. Moscow, Leningrad, Sov. pisatel', 1936, 319 p.
23. Predanija, legendy i mify sakha (jakutov) [Stories, legends and myths of Sakha (Yakuts)]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, Sibirskaja izdatel'skaja firma RAN, 1995, 400 p.
24. 24. Ergis G. U. Istoricheskie predanija i rasskazy jakutov[Historical legends and stories of the Yakuts]. G. U. Ergis. In 2 parts. Part 1. Moscow, Leningrad, Izd-vo AN SSSR, 1960, 322 p.
25. Vasilevich G. M. Urankai-evenki [Urankai-Evenkis]. In: Doklady po etnografii VGO [Reports on ethnography of AGC]. Leningrad, Vsesoyuznoe geograficheskoe obshhestvo, 1966, pp. 56-93.
26. Evenkijskie geroicheskie skazanija [Evenki heroic tellings]. Sost. A. N. Myreeva. Novosibirsk, Nauka, Sib. otd-nie, 1990, 392 p.
27. Obrjadovaja poezija i pesni evenkov [Ritual poetry and songs of the Evenki]. Sost. G. I. Varlamova, Ju. I. Shejkin. Otv. red. T. E. Andreeva. Novosibirsk, Geo, 2014, 488 p.
28. Vasilevich G. M. Istoricheskij fol'klor evenkov. Skazanija i predanija [Historical folklore of the Evenki. Tales and legends]. Moscow, Leningrad, Nauka, 1966, 400 p.
29. Levin G. G. O proishozhdenii yakutskogo yazyka v enografocheskih i lingvisticheskih trudah issledovatelej XVII-XIX vv. [On the origin of the yakut language in ethnographic and ligvistic works of researchers XVII-XIX centuries]. In: Uchenye zapiski. Elektronnyj nauchnyj zhurnal Kurskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Scientific papers. Electronic Scientific Journal of Kursk State University]. 2010, No. 4 (16), pp. 149-154 [Web resource]. URL: http://www.scientific-notes.ru/pdf/017-18.pdf (accessed November 16, 2018).
30. Popova G. S. Fakty iz teksta olonho N. A. Abramova – Kynat “N'urgun Bege” [Facts from the text of olonkho N. A. Abramov – Kynat “Nyurgun Bege”]. In: Vestnik Severo-Vostochnogo federal'nogo universiteta imeni M. K. Ammosova: Serija Eposovedenie [Vestnik of Notrh-Eastern Federal university: Series Epic studies]. 2016, No. 1 (01), pp. 91-98 [Web resource]. URL: http://epossvfu.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Попова-ГС.pdf(accessed March 14, 2019).