Economic and Cultural Traditions of Kumandins of Piedmont Altai in Nikolai Sherr's Works

Abstract

The paper outlines some aspects of economic and cultural traditions of Kumandins who are one of indigenous people of Russia that is referred with North Altaians who fall under Turkic ethnic and linguistic community. The author of the article by using ethnographic writings made by Nukolai Sherr (1867–?), a Russian political deportee and a researcher, describes basic elements of Kumandins of the 19th and 20th century, such as dwelling, food, clothes, names peculiarities of farming, gathering, cattle breeding, hunting, and highlights the next specifics of Kumandins' economic culture: dominance of harvesting, weak farming. On Nikolai Sherr's notice, Russian settlers had a big effect of development of Kumandins' economic traditions.