The History of settlement of the Barguzin Valley
Schematically the settling of the Barguzin Valley can be presened as follows:
The most ancient inhabitants- the Barguts or Khorchida-Mongols
is a large alliance of ancient Mongolian tribes. They latermigrated to InnerMongolia.
This fact is testified by archaelogicalmonuments and finds which serve as the evidence of theiragricultu-ralpractices (traces of ploughed fields and irrigation canals). There are legends of Barguzin Buryat which say that the Barguzin used to be a place where Thengis Khan migrated and the legendary forefatherof Mongols Borto-Chono lived. Ancestors of the Buryat lived in the valleys of rivers the Lena, the Kuda and the Manzurka.
The kins of Buryats of Barguzin valley.
In the Barguzin valley Buryats originating from Ekhirit tribe live.They formed the following kins in Kachug and Kudara: Shono, Borsoy, Tumentay, Hamnay and Buro. The descendants of Emhenet extrama-ritalson of Shono's daugtheralso relate to the kin of Shono.
The descendants of Emhenut are considered to be aliens in regards with the kin of Shono. Attached to Barguzin councilorsteppe Duma the descendants of Shono made up the following kins: Shono I, Shono II, KhangaldarI, KhangaldarII, Abaza and buro. They formed the basic backbone of Barguzin. In the 1861 afterthe Tsagan steppe (in Kabansk district) dissapeared due to seismic processes and the flood that fol-lowed the disastermore than ten families of Kudara buryats migrated to Barguzin (Kurumkan village).
Barguzin Valley was named afteran old tribe of barguts, which are very close to present-day buryats by theirlanguage. Barguts (barguts) lived in the area of Baikal, in the land of Bargudzhin - Tockum, men-tioned by Persian historian Rachid-ad-din in the "Collection of Chronicles". Ethnonym Bargut originates from the word - barga which means a remote place, outskirt with the help of suffix of pluralnumber- ut, so the collective name barga + ut was formed, hence bargut, Barguzin, that is Barguzinians which means "inhabitants of outskirts", "outskirters"
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The joining of Zabaikalje (TransBaikal Region) to Russia
started from the north and the west shortly afterfirst russian soldiers appeared on the shores of the Bai-kal. In1643 the detachment headed by Skorokhodov marched along the shores of Baikaland reached the Barguzin river, where he was killed in the clash with evenks. However, already in 1645-47 the detachments headed by V.Kolesnikov and I.Pokhabov togetherwith industrialmen and traders made peacefulcontacts with buryat and tungus population and mongolprincelings, who were trying to spread theirpoweroverthe
The tribe of Barguzin evenks numbered about a thousand people in the midlle of XVII century and according to the clan structure they were separated into the sub-tribes of limagirs, balikagirs, namegirs, pochegors, kindigirs, chilchagirs, nyakougirs. The limagirs and balikagirs were horse and cattle breeders, the kindigir, chilchagirs bred reindeer. As fornemegirs and pochegors they were horsebreeders.
The njakugirs who used to inhabit the north-eastern shore of the Baikalwere ancestors of the succeding kin of nyamagirs. They were known as hunters, fishermen. They also hunted Baikalseal. The mongolian kin of toungous was formed of buryats of Horinsk origin (from the kin of galzut) who assimilated with the toungous. They came from Mongolia in 1683 and settled in Barguzin steppes.
Shamanism
In the 18th century shamanism prevailed among allthe ethnic groups living on both sides of lake Baikal. At the same time there existed the earliest forms of religion beliefs - worshipping of the Sun, Fire, Water, animals, etc.
The Buryat shamanism had a numberof peculiarities: a notion about the highest deities, a complex system of rites and sacrifice, subdivision of sha-mans into white and black ones, a specific schoolof ordaining into shamans, etc.
The highest deity of the Barguzin Buryats was the Masterof Mount Baragkhan.
fire was presented with smallpieces of meat, drops of milk orspirits. Fire making oruse of smouldering coals was obligatory at allcases of collective orindividualsacrifice. Splashing (serzhem). This rite is as follows: before drinking spirits (orvodka) or"sagaan eden" (a milk product) youshould drop it
=74 on the table oryouslightly touch the drink surface with a ring ormiddle fingers and splash some drink aside upwards. The rite is usually performed before doing something (travelling, hunting, laying the foundation of a house, etc). At present it has lost its religious significance but is observed everywhere among the Buryats, Evenks and Russians as well.
According to the believers the "arshans" (springs) are thought to have the magic influence on people's health and needed to be presented by coins, "khadaks" (ribbons, scarves, pieces of cloth) tied onto trees. Each "arshan" has a place forsacrifice.
Barisa (tabisa). A "barisan" is a place where died shamans ortheirsouls are supposed to stay. It is usual-ly located alongside a road on the village border, at a spring, on a mountain pass orat mountain foot. There is such a place named "Baragkhanskaya" in the Kurumkan region.
Buddhism
The first Barguzin datsan was built in 1818 in the Boro-gollocality. "Gandzhur" in manuscript was kept there. It was bought for840 roubles in 1845. In 1861 it was carried to Tsagan-nur(on the bank of Argada) and a two-storeyed datsan was built there. "Dandzhur" consisting of 225 volumes was bought in 1879. The high-ranking Lamas often visited the Barguzin valley datsans; Nimalan-gegen who was the incarnation of Yamantaki deity visited this locality three times. Agvan Dorzhiev arrived there in 1922. With his consent the datsan was moved to Baragkhan in 1923. With spreading Buddhism there appeared the Tibetan and Mongolian written languages among the Barguzin Buryats. Lama Sultum Arzanov who came from the Tsongoldatsan taught them reading and writing.
Tsyden Soodoyev (1846-1916), the great yogin-lama, the shiretuy of the Barguzin datsan, the recognised reincarnation of Nagardzhun, the Indian philosopherand yogin, was famous throughout the Barguzin val-ley forhis unique abilities, e.g. he could walk on the water, fly up to steep slopes of Barkhan-uuly; Tsyden Soodoyev was the Barguzinerwho visited Mongolia, China, Tibet, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Japan, Ceylon, who knew many languages and wrote scientific works by himself, predicted the appearance of a car, radio, spaceship. He also ordered to keep the tradition of wearing clothes made of sheep wool, to sew blankets, make copperand wooden kitchen utensils because they were practicaland ecological. He was also a mem-berof the Buryat delegation to the coronation of Nikolai the Second.
The places of religious worship in the Barguzin valley - The Barguzin "takhilgan"s.
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Suvo. The evenk and Buryat shaman place of religious worship of the locality master- Suvo - the masterof winds. Here the Lamas built a "bumlhan" and put "obo" underthe rock
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The big shaman praying in honourof the "noyon" Hilgasan and his wife Khilman-khatan were held at the Cape "Svyatoy Nos". The lamas conducted a religious service of sacrifice to Zhamsaran (the god of warto the lamaist masterof Khilman-khushuun)
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Barkhan - Ounderin the Sakhuli locality
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Baragkhan in the Elysum locality
Chistianity
In 1864 not farfrom Barguzin Steppe Duma on the bank of the Ulyun riverthe Barguzin (Ulyun) the Mission was formed. There were students who studied Christianity. The missionary activity play-ed a certain role in strengthening settling and the increased numberof christened led to the necessity of constructing new churches.
The Cathedralof Spass (Preobrazhenye) was opened in Barguzin at the end of May 1834. The priest FeodorSemionov gained a spe-cialpopularity by performing a wedding ceremony fora decembrist MikhailKukhelbekkerdespite the prohibition.
In 1828 the Chitkan village meeting (skhod) passed a decision to construct a two-storey stone church. A peasant Konstantin Kozhevin and his son built the church in 1839.
Archaeological Sights
Barguzin Valley Petroglyphs
129 objects of archaeology, 48 are preserved by the State as monuments of archaeology are known forthe present day. Archaeologicalinvestigations of Barguzin Valley springs its history from the XIXc. In 1861 mining engineerE.A.Lopatin was sent to investigate Vitim Plateau. He explored the riverBarguzin Valley, gathered legends about ancient people - Barguts, found remains of ancient burials. Since 1987 the BaikalArchaeologicalTeam underthe leadership of B.B. Dashibalov has carried out works in the valley.
The territory of Barguzin Valley was populated in the epoch of Neolithic (since IV thousand tillnew era), the grave Argada-IV and numerous stands (Lysaya Gora, Bannaya, Perevoznaya) testify about it. Not numerous cave paintings (Alginsk petroglyphs nearthe village of Suvo, Kladovo nearthe village of Dushe-lan, Gulmakta, Voronkovo), graves Gulmakta and Bayangolhave been saved since the Bronze epoch.
Beginning with the VI century A.D. the territory of the Barguzin Rivervalley was occupied by the Kury-kans who left on this land theirown settlings with the distinctive ceramics, numerous commemorative and burialplaces (nearthe villages of Bodon, Dushelan, Telyatnikovo, Borogol, Kharamodun, Khargana, Tapi-ko, Mogoito and others). Anothertype of archeologicalmonuments -"Bargutskie kanavy" ("The Bargut ditches") (nearthe villages of Ulukchikan, Bodon, Uro) - a remainderof ancient irrigation systems often functioning even at present due to its insufficient investigation is named afterthe legendary tribe -the Barguts.
Economic characteristics of the region
Specialnaturalclimatic features, presence of naturalfodderareas and historically established mode of life (economy) facilitate development of animalhusbandry, mainly cattle breeding and sheep-breeding. Agriculturaland fish produce processing takes place in a numberof food industry enterprises.
The territory of the Barguzin valley possesses rathera high potentialforthe development of commercialhunting and hunting tourism. Enormous areas of nearly bald peak zone, mountain tundra, dark-green and light-green coniferous forests, sparse growth of trees, waterand marshlands are habitat of fur-bearing ani-mals. Main commercialtypes are ungulate - an elk, Manchurian deer, roe deer, musk deer; furbearing - a sable, squirrel, and muskrat. At autumn period sports duck and goose-shooting takes place.
Tourists can be provided with ecologically clean food owing to individualholdings of localinhabitants as wellas free products (fish, products of commercialhunting, mushrooms, berries and others), which can be supplied by both localinhabitants and hunting, forestry and fish - farming enterprises.
Tourism opportunities
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Sailing Round on Chivyrkuisky Bay.It begins in the village of Maksimikha whence the tourists on sailboats go as faras Zmeevaya Bay on hydro-gen sulfide thermalsprings. The tourists willenjoy bathing in the wooden bath and spending the night on board the sailboats. On the following day - a voyage on the sailboat to Krokhalinaya Bay with the intent of resting on the beach and angling, but at night - a return to Zmeevaya Bay. The fourth day is devoted to the cruise on Chivyrkuisky Bay, and the fifth day - to a voyage from Zmeevaya Bay to the Ushkany Islets.The sailing round ends in Маksimikha.
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Waterroute around the Svyatoy Nos (Holy Nose) Peninsula. It includes a visit to the naturalsights of Barguzin and Chivyrkuisky Bays.
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Waterroutes on Chivyrkuisky Bay. During the excursion youwillpossibly meet with unique geologicalmonuments: Bolshoi /Big/ Кyltygеi
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Travelling on foot routes to Zmeyevaya Bay. It goes through the terrain Glinky, then it goes on the mountain pass through the isthmus of Svyatoy Nos (Holy Nose) Peninsula and ends in the coast of Chivyrkuisky Bay on Monakhovo Cape. From here the path goes through the settlements of Katun and Кurbulik to Zmeevaya Bay, where a thermalsource of the same name with the temperature of 45 degrees is found. The source pours out its wateron the surface by severalsprings on land and underwater. The composition of its wateris hydrocarbonate-sulphate-sodium with hydrogen sulphide. It is used by the localpopulation and tourists as a treatment fordiseases of sup-port and motorsystem.
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Traveling on foot routes the village of Barguzin - the Gremyachy Brook - the Bolshoi (Big) Chivyrkuy River- Chivyrkuisky Bay. It begins from the carway on the Gremyachy Brook and gets through the Barguzinsky range along the Gremyachy and Big Chivyrkuy Rivers. Then it goes through a high moutain pass which is in the bald peak layerabove the upperwood border. Crossing the bald peak layerthe route introduces (hikers???) with glacialforms of the relief. One of the most interesting and picturesque places is a circus-amphitheatre in the upperreaches of the rivers. The route is suitable both forsummertravelling on foot and forwinterski tourism. During wintertours a difficulty is presented by a big snow coverand a possibility of avalanches in the bald peak zone and from high rocky riversides of the Bolshoi Chivyrkuy.
Art and Culture
The Barguzin Region
The art and culture of the Barguzin Valley are represented by the variety of traditionalcultures of Buryats, Evenks and Russians. The nationalpeculiarity as wellas the culture syncretism distinguishes folk song and dance ensembles, folk amateur theatres.
Town of Oust-Barguzin
Women's vocalensemble "Rossiyanochka"
Children's folklore ensemble "Vishenka"
Folklore ensemble "Luckshakan"
Village Bayangol
Folklore ensemble "Bayangoloy gurguldainuud"
Russian song Ensemble "Sudarushka"
Vocaland instrument group "Kaskad"
Dance collective (group) of localCulture Centre
"Fantasiya"
Group "Show - Dance"
Theatres
Village of Barguzin Miniature Theatre
Vilage of Bayangol Peoples Theatre
