Introduction. The article deals with the juan (chapter) 42 of the Qing source “Qinding Huangyu Xiyu tuzhi” written in the second half of the 18th century and devoted to the weapons and banners of the Muslim population (Huibu) of the former Dzungar state. The chapter has not been previously translated into European languages and has not been the object of a special study either. The purpose of the research is to examine and introduce this new data for scholarly attention and further inquiry. Results. The compilation of the document was initiated by Emperor Qianlong after the territory of the Dzungar state was annexed to the Qing Empire. A group of Qing officials and of European specialists was sent to explore the newly acquired lands. The work in Dzungaria was largely carried out in 1756–1757, while the study of East Turkestan was completed in the spring of 1759. The work on the text itself began the same year to continue for about 23 years (1759–1782). Manchu military leaders who participated in the war in Central Asia took part in the compilation of the document, too. The chapter under study describes three types of bladed weapons of the Muslim population in the region (kılıç, selem, hançer), spear (naiza), ax (aibalta), bow (yay), arrows (ok), quiver (saadak), chain mail (sauyt), plate armor (kuyak), quilted soft armor (olbog), mirror armor (char-ayna), helmet (duulga), and plate belt (beldemchi). Special attention was given to such parts of military suits as quilted liners of helmets and upper trousers (shalbars). Also, two types of battle banners are described in detail, such a salam, the small banner of beys and tug, a big banner. Each item is supplied with a description and the transcription of its original name. In some cases, the material used for their manufacture and typical sizes are indicated. Conclusions. The data of the written source under study compared with authentic samples of weapons and pertaining visual materials has shown that the Qing officials described the weapons and banners of the region with high degree of reliability. Some of this information is unique and can be found in no other sources of the period. The authors pointed out correlations between the original names of the weapons and armor with their constructive features, which opens new avenues for further research of the written works and epics of the Turkic population of Central Asia.

The aim of the present study is to examine the report “On controversial issues in the history of Buryat-Mongolia” made by V. F. Akhanianov at the Institute of History of the Communist Academy. Its focusis on thequestions raised during the discussions in Verkhneudinsk in July 1934 that Akhanianov’s report deals with. The source for the study is the transcript of the report, dated September 7, 1934,that is kept in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Results. The scholarpresented his criticisms of some participants’ opinions but, also, his own views of the issues on the agenda, such as feudalism in the historical context of Buryat-Mongolia, the Russian Empire’s colonial policy, Prussian or American ways of development, forms of exploitation that existed before 1917, October Revolution and Civil War in Buryat-Mongolia, and land reform. Also, the report includes a significant number of ideological statements, which was typical of public speeches in the mid-1930s. The report shows Akhanianov’s expertise in the history of Buryat-Mongolia and his genuine interest in restoring historical justice in the assessment of individual stages in the Republic’s development. In terms of the studies of the historical past of Buryatia, of relevance is also the discussion of the report that followed and the speaker’s concluding remarks. Conclusion.The material presented in the paper contributes to the database in the field of research and is of interest for further studies. 

Introduction. The article deals with the 1725 assassination of Nitar-Dorji, a significant political event in the Kalmyk Khanate’s history that so far has not been investigated in detail. The article aims at introducing new archival material devoted to the period of Kalmyk Khan Tseren-Donduk’ rule (1724–1735). The database of the research is formed of the material kept in the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia, fonds I-36. In particular, ”Zhurnal po kalmytskim delam” (A Journal of Kalmyk Affairs) includes reports and messages of A. P. Volynsky, the Astrakhan governor, under the title ”Quarrels and Feuds that took place between Kalmyk owners”. Results. Nitar-Dorji’s anti-Russian actions, such as beating of the translator V. Bakunin, threats to assassinate Volynsly, his plans to escape to Kuban, etc. were the reasons that provoked his murder. Conclusion. Its organization involved participants at every level, while the act itself was seen as the least harmful method of solving the political crisis in the Kalmyk Khanate. Nitar-Dorji’s assassination was initiated by the Kalmyk side, while the Astrakhan governor was not wholly against his arrest. Dosang advocated the ”neutralization” of his rebellious younger brother, because the taishi himself was seeking to repair his relations with the Russian government and with Tseren-Donduk’s party who insisted on using military power to solve the conflict between the Kalmyk taishi.

Introduction. The article concentrates on the religious policy of the Russian Empire in the Early Modern Time. For the first time in historiography, a study was carried out concerning the activities of Catholic missionaries in relation to the Kalmyk Khanate, the attempts of the Capuchin Order to establish contacts with the Kalmyk Khan Donduk-Dashi. Materials and methods. The study is based on mostly unpublished materials from the political and diplomatic correspondence of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs and the legislation of the first half of the 1760s, characterizing the methods and territorial scope of the missionaries activity, in particular, their penetration into the Kalmyk steppe. The methodology of the study has been determined by the structural and functional approach to the system of state bodies of Russia. In combination with this approach, a historical-genetic method was used, which is optimal for the study of changes in the power system of the Russian Empire from the beginning of the 18th century through the first half of the 1760s. Results. The section demonstrates the reasons for the aspiration of the Capuchin Order to the North Caucasus and the place of the Kalmyk Khanate in missionary plans, describes the standard epoch-specific missionary techniques for influencing the non-Catholic population. It has been determined that the Capuchins, relying on the support of Austrian diplomacy, bypassed the formal restrictions on missionary activity in the studied region, which could not but cause religious friction. The activity of Russian institutions to resolve differences of this kind is traced, the difficulties encountered by the authorities in the capital and especially at the local level in connection with the need for an appropriate settlement are shown. At the same time, it is emphasized that the specific interests of secular and spiritual bodies in such cases did not coincide, which had a long-standing and stable character in the south. The dynamics of the attitude of the Russian authorities towards missionaries in the Russian south is outlined. If under the conditions of the “Austrian system” — orientation towards the Austrian court, which had been in Russian diplomacy since the times of Peter the Great and under Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, their position was favorable, then after the accession of Catherine II and the crisis in Russian-Austrian relations, the possibilities of missionaries in the North Caucasus and the Kalmyk steppes were significantly limited. The author states that in the process of settling religious tensions, the Russian authorities in the early 1760s faced a weak legal framework both in relation to non-Orthodox religions and in general. The solution to the problem was outlined with the accession of Catherine II and in connection with the empress’s policy in the spheres of religion and law.

The aim of the present article is to introduce the new data on the history of ethnographic studies of Mongolian peoples. In 2018–2019, Mongolian Studies published abstracts from the diary of the ethnographical team of the Soviet-Mongolian Complex Expedition for Historical-Cultural Studies; the publications deal with the year 1969, the first season of the Expeditions’ work in Mongolia. The 2020 article in Mongolian Studies includes the materials of the diary that deal with the next field season in Mongolia in 1970. This article continues the series of ethnographical diary publications, focusing on meetings with scholars from different countries in Ulan-Bator and the Expedition’s work in the central aimaks of Mongolia.

Introduction. This article under takes a study of the clan name Shoshoolog (Šošōlog) in the context of ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Mongolic and Turkic peoples of Inner Asia and Siberia. New historical and ethnographical data, including the evidence of ethnonymics as a part of the ethnic history of the Mongolic and Turkic peoples of the region will contribute to the knowledge of the migration and settlement history of the Shoshoolog people. The study aims at examining the etymology of the term šošōloγ, the area where it wasspread and theways of itsspread. Data and methods. The authors have taken into account written documents, ethnographical and folklore sources that contained references to the ethnonym in question. The written sources of the period between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, mainly in Russian, such as Cossacks’ otpiski (reports), and, more recent, travel and census reports, contain various forms of the ethnonym, often incorrectly spelled but still of interest as evidence pointing at the settlement areas of the ethnic group, as well as a source for linguistic speculation. The ethnographical sources include references to the ethnic group in question based on the legends and sagas shedding light on the people’s origin and settlement patterns both in the Baikal area and in Mongolia. The folklore texts written down by N. N. Poppe, S. P. Baldaev, etc. Include the stories of the Shoshoolog as a Buryat clan with a strong Shamanic background, as well as various forms of the ethnonym. Granted the available knowledge of the historical patterns in the language evolution, the orthographical forms of the ethnonym contained in different records were used as the data for further phonetical reconstructions and localizations of the ethnonym’s phonetic shape in terms of chronological and geographical dimensions. This data, alongside other material on the ethnonymics and onomastics of Mongolic and Turkic peoples, contributes to the linguistic part of the database in the field. Conclusions. A comparative analysis of ethnonymic evidence contained in a variety of sources examined resulted in phonetic reconstructions of the ethnonym under study to finally shed new light on its etymology, as well as to project further developments of its phonetic shape. 

The aim of this article is to analyze traditional somatic ideas of the Turkic-Mongolians of Inner Asia that they formed as a part of their “theories” on the origin of the world and man. Data and methods. An important part of the studies of man as a social and biological being is the investigation of the human body conceptualizations of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples. When explored, the ideas that traditional societies had on the human body and its constituent parts, such as organs, muscles, and blood may give an important clue to understanding traditional medicine methods, attitudes towards the body, and the body potentialities. In this respect, one cannot overestimate the relevance of the nomads’ folklore texts dealing with the origin of the world and man as a research source. A variety of such stories relating how man was made of clay, wood, metal, bone, and stone may shed light on the invention and development of new materials by man, as well as on the technologies they used for their processing. The study is based on a comparative historical method that helps to identify commonalities characteristic of the Turkic-Mongolian world in understanding the human body; as well as the method of cultural and historical reconstruction, which gives an insight into the logic of archaic views. Conclusions. In the somatic conceptualizations of the Turkic-Mongolians, the key and stable correspondences of the natural and the human are such series as bone – wood, flesh – clay/earth /stone form. The associations of the human body and its parts with metals manifest to a lesser degree. The processes of maturing and aging of the human body were conceptualized by traditional societies in terms of both natural and cultural phenomena, such as the life cycles of a tree and ceramics making of raw/soft clay hardened in the process of its firing. 

Introduction. The article is devoted to the Kalmyk narratives of their travel to Siberia, with a focus on the language of trauma characteristic of the narratives. Aim: The article indicates that their difficult road to Siberia was close to liminal crossing practices, resulting in a change in the status of travelers. Methods. In terms of methodological guidance, the article draws on the works of A. van Gennep, V. Turner, and T. Tsivyan. Of relevance was also the concept of the language of trauma discussed in the monograph “To Draw a Camp” (Guchinova, 2016). The research sources are the author’s field materials collected for the project “Everyone Has Their Own Siberia” (some of them published) and the stories about Siberia from a collection of memoirs on Kalmyk deportation. Results. It was on their way to Siberia in the cattle wagons that the people, deprived of even primitive comfort and convenience and stripped of their rights, realized a change of their status: they were no longer citizens but special resettlers. The stories about the road to Siberia remain in the collective memory of the Kalmyks as theirworst experience during the years of repression (1943–1956). Hence, of special significance is the language of trauma with its plotlines, and vocabulary that renders the people’s memory.

Introduction. The article deals with street youth gangs in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. In the process of their development, such organized criminal groups have transformed into a special subculture with its own hierarchies, spheres of influence, lifestyles, language, and practices. The author aims to show the development of this phenomenon as a subculture in the youth milieu, describing the norms of behavior, values, and life orientations of members of particular gangs operating in Elista. Data and methods. The main research sources are field materials collected by the author by way of interviewing members of such informal groups. The analysis involved the structural-functional method, participatory observation method, method of content-analysis and interviewing. Results. There is a history to the growth of modern informal groupings in the town: in fact, they proliferated during the period of restoration of the Kalmyk ASSR with its center in Elista. Under new conditions, within urban environment informal street gangs were formed on the principle of shared territories, which was in fact the most typical kind of such groupings in the country at large. For the younger generation, the street served as a space of masculine brotherly unity based on bodily practices, as well as on similar ideas, views, and concepts. In the period between 2000 and 2010, some of the informal units represented qualitatively new forms of organized criminal youth groupings; these were characterized by dominance practices, power relations, and age hierarchy. Although the youth (patsan) companies were not part of the criminal thieves’ subculture, they maintained to a degree this connection and found ways for organized criminal activity.

Introduction. In the modern Buryat society, the knowledge of one’s own history, roots, culture, and language is becoming increasingly important. There is also a growing interest in genealogical research as many have started to search for data about their ancestors and their family trees in various archives. To illustrate, one may mention an increasing number of requests made for materials on the lineage and pedigrees of Buryats kept in the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the RAS. The aims of the present article are, firstly, to add to the data on the Khargana clan of Khori Buryats and, secondly, to investigate the background of Galsan-Zhinba Dylgirov (1816–1872?), an outstanding Buryat religious enlightener of the nineteenth century. The research is based on textological, comparative-historical and historical-biographical methods. Data. The article draws on the evidence contained in Dylgirov’s autobiography written in Tibetan in 1864-1872 and xylographed in the Tsugol Datsan. Dylgirov’s lineage is cited in the first chapter of the book and could be read only by few of those who were literate in Tibetan. Results. The lineage goes back to eight generations, including Dylgirov himself, and covers over 150 years. The origin of the family associates with the ancestor known as Shonoguleg who lived at the turn of the eighteenth century. Of particular interest are also legends and stories that supplement the family history. The examination of the lineage sheds light on the origin of the ethnonym Baatarzhan, a branch of the Khargana clan. Also, the family history contains new data on the Buryat self-governing administration before the first third of the nineteenth century. Clearly, the data of Dylgirov’s autobiography may be useful for further genealogical research.

Introduction. The article examines historical sources dealing with Lama Zodbo-Arakba Samtanov, the Head Lama of Buddhists of the Kalmyk steppe in 1873–1886, in terms of interaction between the Russian state administration and Kalmyk Buddhists. Data and methods. The research is based on historical-descriptive and comparative methods of historical analysis. Its focus is on the archive documents, including the memorandum of 21 January 1880 directed by the Head Lama of Kalmyk Buddhists Zodbo-Arakba Samtanov to the Minister of State Property A. A. Liven and the 1886 article ”Smert´poslednego lamy” (Death of the Last Lama) in the local newspaper Astrakhanskii spravochnyi listok. Results. This paper has examined the historical sources pertaining to Lama Samtanov’s biography. Of particular interest for the research was the evidence of his participation in the interdepartment discussions on a number of urgent issues of the second half of the nineteenth century, such as the staff of Kalmyk Buddhist monasteries being reduced and the traditional Buddhist education of Kalmyks being restricted. Also, the article focuses on the description of the ritual of Lama’s cremation that took place on 14 December 1886. Conclusions. The second half of the nineteenth century saw a more active interaction between the Buddhists of the Kalmyk steppe and Russian state ministeries and departments dealing with Kalmyk affairs. The Kalmyk senior lamas participated in a dialogue with Russian officials in an effort to defend their system of Buddhist monasteries and the traditional rules and customs of the local Buddhists. Lama Samtanov’s memorandum is a vivid example of interaction between Kalmyk Buddhists and the administration of the Russian Empire. The article ”Death of the Last Lama” in Astrakhanskii spravochnyi listok that describes the ritual of Lama’s cremation is not only a valuable source but also the evidence that shows some of the local journalists’ positive attitudes towards the Buddhist monasteries’ role in the life of Kalmyks in the late nineteenth century. 

Introduction. An urgent issue of Mongolian studies today is the role of Russian-Mongolian diplomatic relations in promoting the statehood of Mongolia in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The revolutionalry movement in Inner Asia, in particular, and the social-political history of modern Mongolia, in general, are closely associated with the efforts of Russian diplomacy and, especially, with a number of diplomats who greatly contributed to the promotion of Mongolian direction of the Russian politics in the East. The aim of the present article is the study of the activities of Russian diplomats, namely I. Ya. Korostovets, the Plenipotentiary of the Imperial Russian Government in Mongolia, and O. I. Makstenek, the Representative of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR in Mongolia. Accordingly, the research has been conducted along the following lines: i) history of the issue, ii) examination of 1912 Russian-Mongolian agreement, iii) description of the events in Outer Mongolia between 1917 and 1920, and iv) analysis of Makstenek’s report as a source on the history of Mongolian Revolution of 1921 and the Soviet-Chinese relations. Conclusions.Both Korostovets, on behalf of the Russian Imperial Government, and Makstenek, on behalf of the RSFSR, played a significant role in establishing the regional system of international relations in the Baikal region. The 1912 Russian-Mongolian Agreement, which was in fact the result of Korostovets’ efforts, was instrumental in promoting Mongolia as a subject of international law and in initiating the movement of Mongolians to their de facto and de jure independence from China. Makstenek’s report shows much effort the Soviet diplomat took in preparing the Mongolian Revolution of 1921. Besides receiving and delegating Mongolian revolutionaries to Soviet Russia, taking an active part in preparations to the First Congress of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party and in the formation of military detachments of Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Army, Makstenek conducted negotiations with the Chinese authorities in Urga and Maimachen, i.e. in fact initiated the diplomatic proceedings designed to prepare the presence of Soviet troops in Mongolia.

Introduction. The present review article is devoted to written Mongolian collections from repositories in different regions of Russia, which were formed thanks to the selfless work of brilliant Orientalists. At present, there is an urgent need in systematization, analysis, search for information, and distant access to archival records and written sources, which will give researchers more opportunities for distant work with sources. Accordingly, perspectives of using information technologies will fascilitate the coordination and wider cooperation, as well as greater openness in the academic environment, the urgency of which is quite obvious. It is the right moment, too, because, first of all, the data on written sources is still scattered in a variety of publications; secondly, 2018 saw the launch of a grandiose project ”World Heritage of Mongolians”, which is primarily designed to create a uniform inventory of historical-documentary heritage of Mongolian peoples.  The project plans include the publication of twenty volumes to present collections of written monuments dispersed in various countries of the world: Russia, Japan, China, the USA, France, Denmark, Hungary, etc. Three volumes will be devoted to Mongolian sources from Russian repositories. The purpose of the present article is to give an overview of the repositories of the documentary heritage of the Mongolian peoples in different regions of Russia. Results. The largest collections of Mongolian written sources are stored in St Petersburg (Scientific Library of St Petersburg University, Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, State Museum for the History of Religion, National Library of Russia), in Buryatia (Center for Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the RAS; V. A. Obruchev Kyakhta Museum for Local Studies), in Tyva (Aldan-Maadyr National Museum of the Republic of Tyva, Scientific Archive of the Tyva Institute for Studies in the Humanities and Applied Socio-Economics), in the Republic of Tatarstan (National Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan), and in Kalmykia (Scientific Archive of the Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia, N.N. Pal´mov Kalmyk Museum of Local Studies); these comprise representative collections, including rare and unique monuments of Mongolian written literature. Some of these collections have been studied to a degree, but there are still many to be introduced into scientific circulation. That is why it is of urgent importance to represent written Mongolian sources, their significant part kept in Russian repositories. Further work on identifying and describing the documentary heritage of the Mongolian peoples will contribute to our knowledge of the field that still needs to be investigated.

Introduction. This paper introduces the authentic text of ”Gesr bogdyn tusk tuuji” (The Saga of Geser-bogdo) for the academic community. It was written down in Malye Derbety, Maloderbety raion, Kalmyk ASSR in 1982 by the present author; its performer was Sharlda Dordzhievich Dordzhiev (1893–1984), Baga khurul shabiner, uimguilmyd. The original text is supplemented by Russian translation made by the author of the publication and a short biography of the performer. Also, the article includes a brief description of the sample, focusing on the specifics of recording and of keeping the field notes. The article aims at introducing new material, such as the authentic text ”The Saga of Geser-bogdo”, its Russian translation, and the performer’s biographical data. Data and methods. The research is based on the manuscript from the author’s private archive; the Kalmyk text of eleven pages is written down on paper (A4, yellow paper). There are also additional materials, such as the interviews with Dordzhiev’s relatives and villagers. Results. ”The Saga of Geser-bogdo” is devoted to an interesting story of Geser-bogdo’s mission, i. e. the protagonist’s efforts to free the Earth (Middle World) from cold, as well as demons personified as Andzhlula and his wife. The narrative is based on two microstories: i) an unsuccessful attempt to getrid of cold on the Earth with the help of Khurmusta Tengri and ii) the victory over Andzhlula and his wife with the help of Sandzhi, the protagonist’s brother from heavens. The analysis shows that, in terms of its structure and content, ”The Saga of Geser-bogdo” includes a number of important segments, which are parallel to other Geser’s epic narratives. The manuscript is of relevance for studies of the Kalmyk oral tradition of Geser sagas. Conclusions. ”The Saga of Geser-bogdo”, performed by Dordzhiev in 1982, indicates that oral retellings of Geser sagas were widely circulated in Kalmykia. Also, the data pertaining to the storyteller’s life and art shows the popularity of the epic narratives in the Kalmyk milieu at the time the recording was made (late 20th c.). The epic sample maybe of interest to folklorists and epic scholars for their comparative and textological studies, as well as for the studies of storytelling tradition and of the linguistic aspect of popular oral art.