Altai people

Altai people represent Altai language family, and are autochthon population of Altai Republic, Altai territory, Kemerovo region (total number is more then 70 000 people). In the past Turick-speaking peoples living in mountain Altai and partially in Kuznetsky Alatau were called Altai people. There are ethnographic groups of northern and southern Altai people. Northern Altai people include Shorts, Tubalars, Chelkants, Kumandints; southern Altai people include Altai-Kizhi, Telenguits, Teles, Teleuts. Altai-Kizhi, or Altai people proper had a semi-nomad way of living. The main traditional activity was distant cattle-breeding, mainly, horse breeding combined with hunting (riding hunting with falcons was widespread), hoe agriculture (after becoming settled).

The main type of dwelling was thick-felt or pole yourt of conical form, the last was covered with birch bark pieces or wood bark. The carcass of thick-felt yourt consisted of extensible wooden gratings. There also existed wooden yourts. Russian type buildings appeared in XIX century.

The cut of men and women’s shirts was of tunic type. They wore trousers of Turkic traditional cut with shirts. Every-day trousers were made of canvas, daba, work trousers were made of suede and leather. Outer clothing was a robe chokpen’, in winter it was fur coat ton. An obligatory married women’s outer clothing was sleeveless jacket chiguedek. They used a cap of fox or lynx pads as a head-dress.

Altai people had adornments for plait, ear, neck, belt and arms. Ends of plaits were decorated with mother-of-pearl, copper, glass, corn buttons, kauri shells, beads. Women used bought ear-rings as ear adornments, they wore several threads of beads on neck. The women’s belt had special adornments peldush of copper figured pendant with threads of beads, and trunk keys attached to their ends. They had copper, silver, more rarely, gold rings on their hands.

Altai people combined traditional religions (reverence of tribe cults, shamanism) with Burkhanism, Christianity and Islam.

Repositories:

Time and place of exhibits acquisition: 1986, village Nizhnyaya Talda of Karakolsky Village Soviet of Onguday region.

Description: the smallest collection. It represents a child boot of cut, traditional for autochthon Sayano-Altai population; it had soft solidly cut sole, vamp made of one piece of leather, and sewed top.

Author of the collection: Lomteva À. (1986).

Dating: end of XIX – beginning of ÕÕ centuries.

Date of the material receiving: 1986.

Document: certificate ¹ 85á.

In the exposition: objects of this collection are not represented.

The material of this collection was not used for scientific work.