Dolgans

A Dolgan man

Dolgans (Russian: долганы; self-designation: долган, тыа-кихи, саха) are a Turkic people, who mostly inhabit Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The 2010 Census counted 7,885 Dolgans. This number includes 5,517 in former Taymyr Autonomous Okrug. There are 26 Dolgans in Ukraine, four of whom speak Dolgan (2001 Ukrainian Census).

Dolgans speak the Dolgan language.[1] Some believe that it is a dialect of Yakut language. Dolgan identity emerged in the 19th – early 20th century, when some of the Evenks, Yakuts, Enets, and the so-called Tundra peasants migrated to the region away from the Lena River and Olenyok River. Originally, the Dolgans were nomadic reindeer breeders and hunters. They were eventually forced to settle and form kolkhozes during the Soviet times, engaging in reindeer breeding, hunting, fishing, dairy farming as well as market gardening. In 1983, one author said, "Dolgans enjoy full Soviet citizenship. They are found in all occupations, though the majority are peasants and collective farm workers. Their standard of housing is comparable to that of other national groups in the Soviet Union."[2]

Most Dolgans practice old shamanistic beliefs, however, some are influenced with Orthodox Christianity.

Notable Dolgans

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hickey, Raymond (14 May 2012). The Handbook of Language Contact. John Wiley & Sons. p. 728. ISBN 978-1-4443-1816-6. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Akiner, Shirin (1983). Islamic Peoples of the Soviet Union: (with an Appendix on the Non-Muslim Turkic Peoples of the Soviet Union). Kegan Paul International. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-7103-0025-6. Retrieved 26 August 2012.