Indigenous peoples of the southern Urals. Bashkir ethnic group

From the series “About our “small” homeland”

The Middle Urals, especially its southwestern regions, are interesting from an ethnographic point of view because they are multinational. The Mari occupy a special place: firstly, they represent the Finno-Ugric people here; secondly, they were the second, after the Bashkirs and Tatars, (and in some cases the first), to settle several centuries ago on the vast expanses of the ancient Ufa plateau.

The Finno-Ugric group unites 16 peoples, more than 26 million in total; Among them, the Mari occupy sixth place.

The very name of this people is “Mari”, which means “man; man", of global significance: this word has the same meaning in Indian, French, Latin, Persian.

In ancient times, Finno-Ugric tribes lived from the Trans-Urals to the Baltic, as evidenced by numerous geographical names.

The ancient homeland of the Mari - the Middle Volga region - is the banks of the Volga, between the Vetluga and Vyatka rivers: they lived here more than 1,500 years ago, and the burials say: their distant ancestors chose this region 6,000 years ago.

The Mari belong to Caucasian race, but they show some signs of Mongoloidity, they are classified as Subural anthropological type. The core of what was formed in the 1st. thousand AD in the Volga-Vyatka interfluve of the ancient Mari ethnic group there were Finno-Ugric tribes. In the 10th. century, the Mari were first mentioned in a Khazar document as “ts-r-mis”. Ugric scholars believe that among the ancient Mari tribes there was a tribe “Chere”, which paid tribute to the Khazar Khagan (king) Joseph tribute, and based on the two tribes “Merya” and “ Chere" (mis) the Mari people arose, although until 1918 this people bore the colonial name "Cheremis".

In one of the first Russian chronicles, “The Tale of Bygone Years” (12th century), Nestor wrote: “On Beloozero they sit all, and on Lake Rostov they measure, and on Lake Kleshchina they measure. And along Otse Rets, where the Murom flows into the Volga, and the Cheremis its tongue...”

“Then there were about 200 clans, united in 16 tribes, which were governed by councils of elders. Once every 10 years, a council of all tribes met. The remaining tribes created alliances” - from the book. "Urals and Mari"; auto S. Nikitin p. 19

Regarding the translation of the name of the Cheremis tribe, there is different points view: it is warlike, and eastern, and forest, and swamp, and from the “cher(e), Sar” tribe.

“May your Lord send His mercy upon you and arrange your affairs for you with His blessing.” (From the Koran)

There is a group of peoples called Finno-Ugric. Once they occupied a vast territory from the Baltic to Western Siberia, from the North to most of Central Russia, also covering the Volga region and the Urals. There are 25 million Finno-Ugric people in the world, among them the Mari take sixth place - about 750 thousand, of which about 25-27 thousand in our region.

In unenlightened circles it is generally accepted that the Mari before 1917 were a dark and ignorant people. There is some truth in this: before Soviet power Out of 100 Mari, 18 men and 2 women knew a basic literacy, but this was not the fault of the people, but its misfortune, the source of which was the policy of the Moscow government, which brought the Finno-Ugric Volga region to a shameful state - in bast shoes and with trachoma.

The Mari, as an oppressed nation, even in these conditions, preserved their culture, traditions, their literacy: they had their own tamgas, which had been preserved since time immemorial, they knew the counting and value of money, they had unique symbolism, especially in embroidery (Mari embroidery is an ancient pictographic letter! ), in wood carving, many knew the language of the neighboring people; by those standards, they were literate people from among the village elders and volost clerks.

It is impossible not to say that much was done in the education of the Mari people even before 1917, and all this thanks to the reforms after 1861 during the reign of Alexander I. In those years, important fundamental and substantive documents were published: Regulations “On Primary Public Schools”, according to which provided for the opening of one-class schools with a 3-year period of study, and in 1910 4-year schools began to open; Regulations “On Primary Public Schools” of 1874, allowing the opening of 2-year schools with a 3-year period of study, i.e. in the 1st and 2nd grades we studied for a total of 6 years; in addition, since 1867 it was allowed to teach children in their native language.

In 1913, the All-Russian Congress of Public Education Workers was held; There was also a Mari delegation that supported the idea of ​​​​creating national schools.

Along with secular schools, the Orthodox Church actively participated in educational matters: for example, in Krasnoufimsky district, parochial schools began to open in 1884 (under this regime, we observe, contrary to the Yeltsin Constitution, the merger state power and church hierarchy - fraternization of top officials, active construction of new parishes with a shortage of places in preschool institutions and reduction of schools and teacher personnel, the introduction of a religious subject in school curriculum, the omnipresence of the church - it is in military units and prisons, the Academy of Sciences and the space agency, in schools and even... in Antarctica).

We often hear “original Uralians”, “native Krasnoufimets”, etc., although we know that the same Tatars, Russians, Maris, Udmurts have been living in the southwest of the region for several hundred years. Were these lands inhabited before the arrival of these peoples? There were - and these indigenous people were the Voguls, as the Mansi were called during the period Russian Empire, when, along with the titular nation - the Great Russians - there were secondary peoples, the so-called “foreigners”.

On geographical map In the Urals, the names of rivers and settlements with the same name “Vogulka” are still preserved: from the Efron-Brockhaus encyclopedia “Vogulka” - several rivers in Krasnoufimsky district, the left tributary of the Sylva River; in Cherdynsky district - the left tributary of the Elovka River; in the Yekaterinburg district at the dacha of the Verkhne-Tagil plant; in Verkhoturye district - flows down from the tops of the Denezhkin Stone.

Mansi (Voguls) are a people of the Finno-Ugric group of languages; their language is close to the Khanty (Ostyaks) and Hungarians. No other nation has acquired such fame in science due to their close relationship with the Hungarians. Once in ancient times they inhabited the territory to the north of the Yaik River (Ural), and were later forced out by warlike nomadic tribes.

Nestor wrote about the Voguls in “The Tale of Bygone Years”: “Yugra is a people who speak incomprehensibly and live next to the Samoyeds in the northern countries.” The ancestors of the Mansi (Voguls) were then called Yugra, and the Nenets were called Samoyed.

Second mention in written sources about Mansi dates back to 1396, when Novgorodians began to make military campaigns in Perm the Great.

Russian expansion met active resistance: in 1465, the Vogul princes Asyka and his son Yumshan made a campaign to the banks of the Vychegda; in the same year, the punitive expedition of Ustyuzhanin Vasily Skryaba was organized by Tsar Ivan III; in 1483, the same devastation came with the regiments of the governor Feodor of Kursk - Cherny and Saltyk Travin; in 1499 under the leadership of Semyon Kurbsky, Pyotr Ushakov, Vasily Zabolotsky-Brazhnik. In 1581, the Voguls attacked the Stroganov cities, and in 1582 they approached Cherdyn; active pockets of resistance were suppressed in the 17th century.

At the same time, the Christianization of the Voguls was going on; they were first baptized in 1714, again in 1732, and later even in 1751.

Since the time of the “pacification” of the indigenous inhabitants of the Urals - the Mansi, they were brought into a state of yasak and were subordinate to the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty: “they paid one yasak to the treasury in foxes (2 pieces), in return for which they were allowed to use arable and hay lands, as well as forests, they they hunted without any special payment to the treasury; exempted from conscription duty."

About the origin of the Bashkirs

The Turkic-speaking group unites several dozen languages. The region of their distribution is vast - from Yakutia to the banks of the Volga, from the Caucasus to the Pamirs.

In the Urals, this linguistic group is represented by the Bashkirs and Tatars, who have their own state entities, although in reality there are hundreds of thousands of their fellow tribesmen outside the borders of these republics (which will become a “sore spot” in the event of aggravation of interethnic relations).

Let's talk about the Bashkirs. The word “Bashkirs” in Arab-Persian sources is given in the form “bashkard, bashgard, bajgard.” The Bashkirs themselves call themselves “Bashkorts”.

There are two points of view on the origin of the ethnonym “Bashkirs”. “Bash” is a head, “kurt” is a lot of insects (for example, bees). Perhaps this interpretation originated in ancient times, when people were engaged in beekeeping. “Bashka-Yurt” is a separate tribe that united disparate Bashkir tribes.

The Bashkirs are not the indigenous inhabitants of the Urals, their ancient fellow tribesmen came here from the distant East. According to legend, this happened over 16-17 generations (note, reader, taken from sources of 1888-91), that is, 1100 years ago from today. Arab sources say that in the 8th century, seven tribes (Magyar, Nyek, Kurt-Dyarmat, Eney, Kese, Kir, Tarya) entered into an alliance in the country of Etelgaze, and then moved to the West. Many researchers consider Altai to be the ancient homeland of the Bashkirs. A. Masudi, a writer of the early 10th century, speaking about the European Bashkirs, mentions a tribe of this people living in Asia, that is, remaining in their homeland. Researchers say that numerous Bashkir tribes mixed during their advance to the Urals with other tribes: with the Kyrgyz-Kaisaks, Volga Bulgars, Nogais, Huns, Ugro-Finns, Voguls and Ostyaks.

Bashkirs are usually divided into mountain and steppe tribes, who in turn were divided into even smaller tribes. The Bashkirs adopted Islam relatively recently: this happened under Uzbek Khan in 1313-1326.

Mansi are the people who make up the indigenous population. These are Finno-Ugric people, they are direct descendants of the Hungarians (belong to Ugric group: Hungarians, Mansi, Khanty).

Initially, the Mansi people lived in the Urals and its western slopes, but the Komi and Russians forced them out into the Trans-Urals in the 11th-14th centuries. Most early contacts with the Russians, primarily with the Novgorodians, date back to the 11th century. With the annexation of Siberia to To the Russian state at the end of the 16th century, Russian colonization intensified, and already at the end of the 17th century the number of Russians exceeded the number of the indigenous population. The Mansi were gradually forced out to the north and east, partially assimilated, and in the 18th century they were formally converted to Christianity. On ethnic formation The Mansi were influenced by various peoples. IN scientific literature The Mansi people together with the Khanty people are united under the common name Ob Ugrians.

IN Sverdlovsk region Mansi live in forest settlements - yurts, in which there are from one to 8 families. The most famous of them: Yurta Anyamova (Treskolye village), Yurta Bakhtiyarova, Yurta Pakina (village of Poma), Yurta Samindalova (village of Suevatpaul), Yurta Kurikova, etc. The rest of the Ivdel Mansi live dispersed in the villages of Vizhay (now burned down), Burmantovo, Khorpiya , on the territory of the city of Ivdel, as well as in the village of Umsha (see photo).

Mansi dwelling, Treskolye village

Preparation of birch bark

Nyankur - oven for baking bread

Labaz, or Sumyakh for storing food

Sumyakh of the Pakin family, Poma River. From the archive of the research expedition "Mansi - Forest People" of the travel company "Team of Adventurers"

This film was shot based on materials from the expedition "Mansi - Forest People" of the Adventure Seekers Team (Ekaterinburg). Authors - Vladislav Petrov and Alexey Slepukhin with great love talk about the difficult life of Mansi in the ever-changing modern world.

There is no consensus among scientists about the exact time of formation of the Mansi people in the Urals. It is believed that the Mansi and their related Khanty arose from the merger of the ancient Ugric people and indigenous Ural tribes about three thousand years ago. The Ugrians inhabiting the south of Western Siberia and the north of Kazakhstan, due to climate change on earth, were forced to migrate north and further to the northwest, to the area of ​​modern Hungary, Kuban, and the Black Sea region. Over several millennia, tribes of Ugric herders came to the Urals and mixed with the indigenous tribes of hunters and fishermen.

The ancient people were divided into two groups, the so-called phratries. One was made up of the Ugric newcomers "Mos phratry", the other - the Ural aborigines "Por phratry". According to a custom that has survived to this day, marriages should be concluded between people from different phratries. There was a constant mixing of people to prevent the extinction of the nation. Each phratry was personified by its own idol-beast. Por's ancestor was a bear, and Mos was the Kaltash woman, manifesting herself in the form of a goose, butterfly, and hare. We have received information about the veneration of ancestral animals and the prohibition of hunting them. Judging by the archaeological finds, which will be discussed below, the Mansi people actively participated in hostilities along with neighboring peoples and knew tactics. They also distinguished the classes of princes (voevoda), heroes, and warriors. All this is reflected in folklore. Each phratry has had its own central place of worship for a long time, one of which is the sanctuary on the Lyapin River. People from many Pauls along Sosva, Lyapin, and Ob gathered there.

One of the most ancient sanctuaries that has survived to this day is the Written Stone on Vishera. It functioned for a long time- 5-6 thousand years in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Middle Ages. On almost vertical cliffs, hunters painted images of spirits and gods with ocher. Nearby, on numerous natural “shelves,” offerings were placed: silver plates, copper plaques, flint tools. Archaeologists suggest that part of the ancient map of the Urals is encrypted in the drawings. By the way, scientists suggest that many names of rivers and mountains (for example, Vishera, Lozva) are pre-Mansi, that is, they have much more ancient roots than is commonly believed.

In the Chanwen (Vogul) cave, located near the village of Vsevolodo-Vilva in Perm region, traces of the presence of Voguls were discovered. According to local historians, the cave was a temple (pagan sanctuary) of the Mansi, where ritual ceremonies were held. In the cave, bear skulls with traces of blows from stone axes and spears, shards of ceramic vessels, bone and iron arrowheads, bronze plaques of the Perm animal style with an image of a moose man standing on a lizard, silver and bronze jewelry were found.

The Mansi language belongs to the Ob-Ugric group of the Ural (according to another classification - Ural-Yukaghir) language family. Dialects: Sosvinsky, Upper Lozvinsky, Tavdinsky, Odin-Kondinsky, Pelymsky, Vagilsky, Middle Lozvinsky, Lower Lozvinsky. Mansi writing has existed since 1931. Russian word"mammoth" presumably comes from the Mansi "mang ont" - "earth horn". Through Russian, this Mansi word entered most European languages ​​(in English: Mammoth).

Sources: 12, 13 and 14 photos taken from the series “Suivatpaul, spring 1958”, belong to the family of Yuri Mikhailovich Krivonosov, the most famous Soviet photographer. He worked for many years at the magazine "Soviet Photo".

Websites: ilya-abramov-84.livejournal.com, mustagclub.ru, www.adventurteam.ru

Peoples of the Urals The Urals are known as a multinational region with rich culture based on ancient traditions. Not only Russians live here (who began to actively populate the Urals since the 17th century), but also Bashkirs, Tatars, Komi, Mansi, Nenets, Mari, Chuvash, Mordovians and others. The appearance of man in the Urals The first man appeared in the Urals approximately 100 thousand years ago. It is possible that this happened before, but there are no finds associated with more early period, scientists do not yet have at their disposal. The oldest Paleolithic site primitive man was discovered in the area of ​​Lake Karabalykty, near the village of Tashbulatovo, Abzelilovsky district, Republic of Bashkortostan. Archaeologists O.N. Bader and V.A. Oborin, famous researchers of the Urals, claim that the Proto-Urals were ordinary Neanderthals. It has been established that people moved to this territory from Central Asia. For example, in Uzbekistan, a complete skeleton of a Neanderthal boy was found, whose life span coincided with the first exploration of the Urals. Anthropologists recreated the appearance of a Neanderthal, which was taken as the appearance of the Urals during the settlement of this territory. Ancient people were not able to survive alone. Danger awaited them at every step, and the capricious nature of the Urals every now and then showed its obstinate disposition. Only mutual assistance and caring for each other helped primitive man to survive. The main activity of the tribes was the search for food, so absolutely everyone was involved, including children. Hunting, fishing, and gathering are the main ways to obtain food. A successful hunt meant a lot to the entire tribe, so people sought to appease nature with the help of complex rituals. Rituals were performed before the image of certain animals. Evidence of this is the preserved rock paintings, including a unique monument - the Shulgan-tash cave, located on the banks of the Belaya (Agidel) River in the Burzyansky district of Bashkortostan. Inside, the cave looks like an amazing palace with huge halls connected by wide corridors. The total length of the first floor is 290 m. The second floor is 20 m above the first and stretches 500 m in length. The corridors lead to a mountain lake. It is on the walls of the second floor that unique drawings of primitive man, created using ocher, have been preserved. Figures of mammoths, horses and rhinoceroses are depicted here. The pictures indicate that the artist saw all this fauna in close proximity. The drawings of the Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash) were created about 12-14 thousand years ago. Similar images available in Spain and France. Indigenous peoples of the Urals Voguls - Russian Hungarians Original Uralian - who is he? For example, Bashkirs, Tatars and Mari live in this region just a few centuries. However, even before the arrival of these nations given land was inhabited. The indigenous people were the Mansi, called Voguls before the revolution. On the map of the Urals you can now find rivers and settlements called “Vogulka”. Mansi belong to the Finno-Ugric people language group. Their dialect is related to the Khanty (Ostyaks) and Hungarians. Ancient times given people inhabited the territory north of the Yaik River (Ural), but later they were forced out by warlike nomadic tribes. Vogulov was even mentioned by Nestor in his “Tale of Bygone Years”, where they are called “Yugra”. The Voguls actively resisted Russian expansion. Foci of active resistance were suppressed in the 17th century. At the same time, the Christianization of the Voguls took place. The first baptism occurred in 1714, the second - in 1732, and later - in 1751. After the conquest of the indigenous inhabitants of the Urals, the Mansi were obliged to pay taxes - yasak - submitting to the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. They had to pay the treasury one tribute in two foxes, for which they were allowed to use arable and hay lands, as well as forests. They were exempted from conscription until 1874. From 1835 they had to pay a poll tax, and later perform zemstvo duties. The Voguls were divided into nomadic and sedentary tribes. The first had canonical plagues in the summer, and spent the winter either in huts or in yurts with a fireplace equipped there. The sedentary people built rectangular huts from logs with an earthen floor and a flat roof covered with chopped logs and birch bark. Mansi The main activity of the Mansi was hunting. They lived mainly on what they got with bows and arrows. The most desirable prey was considered to be elk, from whose skin national clothing was made. The Voguls tried their hand at cattle breeding, but practically did not recognize arable farming. When the factory owners became the new owners of the Urals, the indigenous population had to engage in logging and burning coal. A hunting dog played an important role in the life of any Vogul, without which, like without an ax, no man would leave the house. Forced conversion to Christianity did not force this people to abandon ancient pagan rituals. Idols were installed in secluded places, sacrifices were still made to them. The Mansi are a small people, which includes 5 groups isolated from each other according to their habitat: Verkhoturye (Lozvinskaya), Cherdynskaya (Visherskaya), Kungurskaya (Chusovskaya), Krasnoufimskaya (Klenovsko-Bisertskaya), Irbitskaya. With the arrival of the Russians, the Voguls largely adopted their orders and customs. Mixed marriages began to form. Living together in villages with Russians did not prevent the Voguls from preserving ancient activities, such as hunting. Today there are fewer and fewer Mansi left. At the same time, only a couple of dozen people live according to old traditions. Youth is looking for better life and doesn't even know the language. In search of income, young Mansi tend to go to the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug to get an education and earn money. Komi (Zyryans) This people lived in the taiga zone. The main occupation was hunting fur-bearing animals and fishing. The first mention of the Zyryans is found in a scroll dating back to the 11th century. Starting from the 13th century, tribes were obliged to pay tribute to Novgorod. In 1478, the Komi territory became part of Russia. The capital of the Komi Republic - Syktyvkar - was founded in 1586 as the Ust-Sysolsk churchyard. Komi-Zyrians Komi-Permyaks Komi-Permyaks living in the Perm region appeared towards the end of the first millennium. Since the 12th century, Novgorodians entered this territory, engaged in the exchange and trade of furs. In the 15th century, the Permians formed their own principality, which was soon annexed to Moscow. Bashkirs Mentions of the Bashkirs are found in chronicles starting from the 10th century. They were engaged in nomadic cattle breeding, fishing, hunting, and beekeeping. In the 10th century they were annexed to the Volga Bulgaria and during the same period Islam penetrated there. In 1229, Bashkiria was attacked by the Mongol-Tatars. In 1236, this territory became the inheritance of Khan Batu's brother. When the Golden Horde disintegrated, one part of Bashkiria went to the Nogai Horde, the other to the Kazan Khanate, and the third to the Siberian Khanate. In 1557, Bashkiria became part of Russia. In the 17th century, Russians began to actively come to Bashkiria, among whom were peasants, artisans, and traders. The Bashkirs began to lead a sedentary lifestyle. The annexation of the Bashkir lands to Russia caused repeated uprisings of the indigenous inhabitants. Each time, pockets of resistance were brutally suppressed by the tsarist troops. In the Pugachev uprising (1773-1775), the Bashkirs accepted the most Active participation. During this period, the national hero of Bashkiria Salavat Yulaev became famous. As punishment for the Yaik Cossacks who took part in the riot, the Yaik River received the name Ural. The development of these places accelerated significantly with the advent of the Samara-Zlatoust railway, which was built from 1885 to 1890 and passed through central regions Russia. An important point in the history of Bashkiria was the discovery of the first oil well, thanks to which the republic became one of the major oil regions of Russia. Bashkiria received powerful economic potential in 1941, when more than 90 large enterprises were relocated here from the west of Russia. The capital of Bashkiria is Ufa. Mari The Mari or Cheremis are a Finno-Ugric people. Settled in Bashkiria, Tatarstan, Udmurtia. There are Mari villages in the Sverdlovsk region. They were first mentioned in the 6th century by the Gothic historian Jordan. The Tatars called these people “cheremysh,” which meant “obstacle.” Before the revolution began in 1917, the Mari were usually called Cheremis or Cheremis, but then given word was considered offensive and removed from use. Now this name is returning again, especially in the scientific world. Nagaibaki There are several versions of the origin of this nation. According to one of them, they may be descendants of Naiman warriors, Turks who were Christians. Nagaibaks are representatives ethnographic group baptized Tatars of the Volga-Ural region. This is indigenous small people RF. Nagaibak Cossacks took part in all large-scale battles of the 18th century. They live in the Chelyabinsk region. Tatars Tatars are the second largest people in the Urals (after the Russians). Most Tatars live in Bashkiria (about 1 million). There are many completely Tatar villages in the Urals. The Agafurovs The Agafurovs were in the past one of the most famous merchants of the Urals among the Tatars. The culture of the peoples of the Urals The culture of the peoples of the Urals is quite unique and original. Until the Urals ceded to Russia, many local peoples did not have their own written language. However, over time, these same peoples knew not only their own language, but also Russian. The amazing legends of the peoples of the Urals are full of bright, mysterious plots. As a rule, the action is associated with caves and mountains, various treasures. It is impossible not to mention the unsurpassed skill and imagination folk craftsmen. The products of craftsmen made from Ural minerals are widely known. They can be seen in leading museums in Russia. The region is also famous for wood and bone carvings. Wooden roofs traditional houses, laid without the use of nails, are decorated with carved “skates” or “hens”. Among the Komi, it is customary to place wooden figures of birds on separate poles near the house. There is such a thing as “Perm animal style”. Just look at the ancient figurines of mythical creatures cast in bronze, found during excavations. Kasli casting is also famous. These are amazing in their sophistication creations made of cast iron. Masters created the most beautiful candelabra, figurines, sculptures and Jewelry. This direction has gained credibility in the European market. A strong tradition is the desire to have your own family and love for children. For example, the Bashkirs, like other peoples of the Urals, revere their elders, so the main members of families are grandparents. Descendants know by heart the names of the ancestors of seven generations.

Paleolithic

At the end early paleolithic 300 - 100 thousand years ago the settlement of the Urals began. There are two main paths of this movement:

1) From Central Asia

2) From East -European Plain, also Crimea and Transcaucasia.

In 1939, archaeologist M.V. Talitsky discovered a Neanderthal site near the Cave Log on the right bank of the Chusovaya River. Approximate age sites - 75 thousand years.

Such sites are also known ancient man in the Urals like the Deaf Grotto and Elniki-2 in Perm region. The Bogdanovka site, dating back 200 thousand years ago, was discovered in the Southern Urals!

The Neanderthal man of the Paleolithic era was an excellent hunter, knew how to make fire artificially, build primitive dwellings, and make clothes from animal skins. He had human speech and intelligence. He was slightly below average height modern man. Some are bright pronounced features his face - sloping forehead, protruding brow ridges, red hair color. The Neanderthal ate the meat of hunted animals and ate the fruits of plants.

Late Paleolithic

In the middle of the last Vyuri-Valdai glaciation (40 - 30 thousand years ago), a Cro-Magnon man already of a modern type. The Urals began to be populated quite densely. Now people occupied not only caves, but also built shelters outside them. These were hut-type dwellings made of branches or poles, covered with skins. For long stays, semi-dugouts with a fireplace inside were built. The objects of hunting were no longer mammoths, but smaller animals - bear, deer, elk, roe deer, wild boar, etc. Fishing appeared. Agriculture had not yet appeared.

Mesolithic

In the Urals, a climate regime close to the modern one is established, and modern flora and fauna are formed. The influx of tribes to the Urals increased. In its natural geographic areas and zones, linguistic tribal communities began to take shape, which laid the foundation for the future peoples of the Urals. The way of life of the Mesolithic tribes of the Urals can be represented by the way of life of the Indians of North America. The economy remained a hunting-fishing-gathering economy (6 thousand - early 3 thousand BC).

Neolithic

Archaeological sites are represented by sites, settlements, stone processing workshops, and rock paintings. The region's population is growing. There is a concentration of settlements on the banks of rivers and lakes. There were no sudden natural changes. Mining is a special branch. Workshops for splitting stones were found near flint and jasper outcrops. The Neolithic is the time of polished tools and wooden products (skis, sleighs, boats). Pottery became an important occupation. The first dishes were semi-ovoid or shell-shaped. The surface was covered with patterns consisting of straight and wavy lines, triangles.

Chalcolithic era

The economy is becoming more specialized. Residents of the Southern Urals are actively involved in cattle breeding. Products made of native copper were found at Eneolithic sites. In the Southern Urals, a large metallurgical center was taking shape by those standards.

The art of this period is represented by ornaments on ceramics, rock paintings. Images of birds and animals and humans appeared.

Bronze Age

II millennium BC-VIII century. BC e. The time of the dominance of bronze. Ore mining, crushing, and enrichment were carried out at the Tash-Kazgan, Nikolskaya, and Kargaly deposits.

IN last decades More than 20 monuments of the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC were discovered in the Southern Urals. with a circular layout, the most famous of which are Arkaim and the Sintashta settlement. Archaeologists call these monuments “the country of cities.”

Arkaim is a settlement with an area of ​​about 20 thousand m2. The outer circle includes 40 dwellings. They had wells, hearths, and storage pits. Remains of metallurgical production were found (for this period of very large production). The inhabitants of such proto-cities can be considered metallurgists, cattle breeders, farmers and warriors. The settlement has 4 entrances, oriented according to parts of the world. The system of ditches and walls was a complex and beautiful composition. Of course, Arkaim was built according to a well-thought-out plan (which was unusual for that time). It is clear that in the Bronze Age there was a high, interesting culture, the development of which was interrupted for unknown reasons. Today Arkaim is a protected land: protected and fenced, although further excavations are planned.

Iron Age. Formation of the peoples of the Urals. (3rd century AD - beginning of the 2nd millennium AD)

The Great Migration of Peoples is the numerous movements of tribes in the 1st millennium AD, which began with the migration of the Goths from Scandinavia to the Crimea and groups of Xiongnu tribes from South-Eastern Kazakhstan. The reason for this movement could be the drainage of the steppes. It was the Xiongnu, moving through the steppes of the Southern Urals, who mixed here with the local population of Sarmatians and Sargatians, and from the 3rd century they were known as the Huns. Chelyabinsk archaeologists discovered a Hun burial ground in the river basin. Karaganki. The advance of the nomadic steppe tribes drew the forest-steppe and forest tribes of the Trans-Urals and Cis-Urals into its orbit. The formation of the Bashkir ethnic group and the spread of the Turkic language in the Southern Urals are associated with these processes.

People lived in log houses with cellars. They were engaged in shifting farming (they cut down the forest, burned it, and sown barley, peas, oats, and wheat on the ashes). They raised cows, horses, and poultry. Exploring numerous settlements, we learn that iron smelting and metalworking are becoming an important activity. The center for iron smelting in the Kama region was the Oputyatskoe settlement. The main production team was the family. The tribal nobility and military leaders stand out noticeably.

Beginning of the 2nd millennium AD - time of formation modern peoples Ural. The ancestors of the Bashkirs are formed in the steppes of the Aral Sea region and regions of Central Asia, and then move into the steppes and forest-steppes. The ancestors of the Udmurts are formed in the area between the Volga and Kama rivers.