Russian movement beyond the Urals: ethno-cultural transformations of the ethnos in the XVII-XIX centuries

The article observes the ethnic processes and ethnic status of Russians on the eve and during the colonization of the territory beyond the Urals by them. It is concluded that also in the European territory of Russia, due to its vastness, diversity of natural zones and regional features of culture and occupation of the Russian ethnos, in the Russian ethnos the processes of formation of ethnographic groups -sub-ethnoses of the Russian ethnos (Cossacks, Pomors, Old Believers) - took place. During the development of the Siberian space, ethnic processes among Russians intensified even more and went on continuously in different combinations, depending on the climatic conditions, the heterogeneity of the Siberian society. A consequence of these processes was the prolonged ethnogenesis of Russians beyond the Urals, which manifested itself in the formation of microgroups of the Russian ethnos. These microgroups in the second half of the 19th century were called sub-ethnos of Russian Siberians (old-term residents). The formation of this sub-ethnos did not lead to the formation of cultural and economic homogeneous community (“Kamenshchiks” -Bukhtarman, Karyms, Kamchadals, Siberian Cossacks, etc). The reason was the vastness of the territory of the resettlement of Russians in Siberia. This territory had a variety of climatic zones and geographical landscapes. Also the reason was the weakness of communication links between Russian cities and fortress, the communication with heterogeneous aboriginal population of Siberia and therefore the inclusion of heterogeneous elements in culture. In the 17-18th centuries the main factor in the formation of the sub-ethnos of “Russian Siberians” was Russian-aboriginal marriages, which is explained mainly by the “masculine” character of the early stage of the development of Siberia. The formation of the sub-ethnos was “focal”, concentrating around Russian settlements in Siberia, between which were preserved vast territories inhabited by aboriginal population. The expansion of agricultural colonization of Siberia in the second half of the 18th century, the intensification of communication between Russians and aboriginal population in everyday life had a strong influence to the processes of acculturation. Part of the aboriginal population gradually began to use the Russian language and to adopt Russian culture and some people changed their class status. By the end of the 19th century a significant part of the aboriginal population of the steppe zone of Siberia had already been so russified that became a part of Russian peasantry of the steppe Siberia. The consequence of the large-scale colonization of northern Eurasia by Russians was the presence in their composition of various sub-ethnoses with specific cultural features. One of sub-ethnos is “Russian Siberians” which are also not homogeneous. It should be noted that for them (at least for the most part of them) belonging to the Russian ethnos not to their sub-ethnos was more important. This fact proves the existence of one Russian identity which has various sub-ethnic levels. These sub-ethnic levels add variety and “mosaic structure” to Russian culture, ensure its viability and huge potential for adaptation to a different natural environment and to various cultural, social and economic innovations.

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