Migration processes in the Upper Amur region of Evenki in the «mirror» toponymy

Studying the culture of the Evenk, young ethnographer David Andersen asked them about the routes of their migrations, which are answered on the "old men went everywhere". Place names emerge and develop according to the main historical processes. The formation of place names is closely linked with the evolution of social and economic development of the region, so that the roots of many names go back to ancient times. On the territory of the Upper Amur region for many centuries have changed historical conditions, there were complex social processes - the movement and displacement of peoples and tribes, having different linguistic culture. In this long-term joint "drift" of different cultures were formed toponymy. In addition, each ethnic group emerged, acquiring and retaining the old place names in the language of their predecessors, while at the same time to make a new toponyms in their own language. As a result of this process in the Amur region formed a complex toponymy: geographical stratification of the names of various linguistic origins (Evenki, Turkic, Buryat and Russian). Relatively ancient geographical names that have the greatest distribution in the region are above the Evenk origin of place names. The problem of resettlement of the Evenks and Evens in East Siberia (Amur region, Transbaikalia) is rather complicated in ethnogenetic studies. Resettlement of the northern group Manchu (ancestors of the Evenks and Evens) from the Baikal region, Transbaikalia and Eastern Mongolia in the north-east direction in the Upper Amur region and then started after the appearance of Paleo in the Far East. Determine the same traditional migration routes archaeological methods is difficult for various reasons (nomadic way of life, and the investigation is a large area, low level of material culture, etc.). Therefore, the optimal method for studying the migration process will be toponymic analysis. Top of the outcome of the Tungus of Trans-Baikal and the Amur region to the north belongs to the XII - XIII centuries beginning. During this period, has already formed a separate linguistic traditions of ethnic groups of the Tungus. Geographic names appeared at that time an important part of the lexicon and just "attached" to the individual physical and geographical features, and subsequently transferred the first researchers to chart basis. It "marks on the map" Amur make it possible to determine the migration routes through the "Western Gate" and the foothills of the ridge in the upper Stanovoy Amur region and further to the north-east of the Far East. Designated locations of individual groups of place-fixing in significant areas (to avoid the complete depletion of biological resources) exist on the map Amur so far. A migration routes are fixed in place names orientation at various levels.

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