BRIEF HISTORY OF OIRATS

The Kalmyks are the European branch of the Oirats whose ancient grazing lands are now located in Kazakhstan, Russia , southern Siberia ), Mongolia  and China.

In the early 1600's, many of the Oirats  left their homeland, Djungaria, which is now part of the Xinjiang region of China,  and migrated to the Southern Volga region .

In 1771, the majority of the Oirat decided to move back to Djungaria , but only a few survived the long journey. Those who stayed in Russia became known as the Kalmyk, which means "to remain."

The ancient forebearers of the Oirats included the Keraits, Naimans, Merkits and the original Oirats, all Turco-Mongol tribes that roamed western Inner Asia prior to their conquest by Chingis Khan.

Writing System

Zaya Pandita, (1599 - 1662)  a prominent  Oirat lama  and translator , belonging to the Khoshuud tribe, devised a script called Todo Bichig (clear script).

He studied and practiced Buddhadharma in Tibet and returned to Oirat lands in 1639. He taught Tibetan Buddhism to the Oirats and Mongols (Khalkha). In 1645 he visited Kalmyk  Oirats on the Volga River

The Todo Bichig script, which is based on the classical vertical Mongol script, phonetically captured the Oirat language. In the later part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, todo bichig fell into disuse until the Kalmyks abandoned it in 1923 and introduced the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. But soon afterwards, around 1930, Kalmyk language scholars introduced a modified Latin alphabet, which did not last long.

THE   TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE

A number of Kalmyk in rural areas are herdsmen who raise cattle, sheep, goats, and a few camels. They are generally known for their love of fine horses and horse racing.

Many Kalmyk have continued to live as nomads, and their lifestyle is one of seasonal migrations. Their dwellings are portable tents called gers or yurts, made of felt on lattice frames.

The Kalmyk traditionally lived in extended family units. Today, there is a growing tendency toward nuclear families.

The typical Kalmyk dress includes velvet hats, loose fitted coats, and heavily padded long pants. They often shave their heads, except for one small area in the back that is reserved for a pony-tail.

Oral historic poetry is an important part of Kalmyk culture. It is traditionally recited by a poet, accompanied by a two-stringed lute called a dombr. Favorite pastimes include storytelling and singing. At social gatherings, the Kalmyk enjoy drinking kumiss (fermented mare's milk).

Nowadays Location

The Kalmyks live primarily in the Republic of KALMYKIA , a federal subject of the Russian Federation . Kalmykia is located in the southeast European part of Russia, between the Volga and the Don Rivers. The southeast border of Kalmykia is the Caspian Sea .

Religion

The Kalmyks are the only inhabitants of Europe whose national religion is Buddhism . They embraced Buddhism in the early part of the 17th century and belong to the Tibetan Buddhism doctrine .  The religion is derived from the Indian Mahayana form of Buddhism.  Prior to their conversion, the Kalmyks practiced mongolian form of shamanism .

Historically, Kalmyk clergy received their training either on the steppe or in Tibet. The pupils who received their religious training on the steppe joined Kalmyk monasteries, which were active centers of learning. Many of these monasteries operated out of felt tents, which accompanied the Kalmyk tribes as they migrated. The Oirats maintained tent monasteries throughout present-day eastern Kazakhstan and along the migratory route they took across southern Siberia to the Volga.

The Oirats also built stone monasteries in the regions of eastern Kazakhstan. For instance, the remains of stone Buddhist monasteries have been found at Almalik and at Kyzyl-Kent . In addition, there was a great Buddhist monastery in Semipalatinsk , which derives its name from that seven-halled Buddhist temple. Further, remains of Buddhist monasteries have been found at Ablaiket near Ust Kamenogorsk and at Talgar, near Almaty, and at Sumbe in the Narynkol region, bordering China.

Upon completion of training, Kalmyk clergy dispensed not only spiritual guidance but also medical advice. As clergyman, the Kalmyk lamas enjoyed great political clout among the nobility and held a strong influence over the general tribal population. For many commoners, the only path to literacy and prestige was to join the Kalmyk monastic system.

As a matter of policy, the Russian Royal government and the Russian Orthodox Church sought to gradually absorb and convert any subject of another creed or nationality. The aim of the policy was to eliminate foreign influence and to firmly entrench newly annexed areas. The baptized indigenous population would then become loyal to the Russian empire and would agree to be governed by Russian officials.

The Kalmyks migrated to territory annexed by the Tsarist government and were subject to this policy as long as they remained in this territory. At first, the policies contributed to the conversion of the Kalmyk nobility. One of the earliest converts were the children of Donduk-Ombo, the sixth Khan of the Kalmyks who reigned between 1737 and 1741, and his  wife . Another important convert was Baksaday-Dorji, the grandson of Ayuka Khan who adopted the Christian name, Peter Taishin. Each conversion was motivated by political ambition to become the Kalmyk Khan. Kalmyk Tayishis, by contrast, were given salaries and towns and settlements were established for them and their ulus (Khodarkovsky, 1992:39).

Like the Tsarist government, the Communist regime was aware of the influence the Kalmyk clergy held over the general population. In the 1920s and the 1930s, the Soviet government implemented policies to eliminate religion through control and suppression. Towards that end, Kalmyk khuruls (temples) and monasteries were destroyed and property confiscated; the clergy and many believers were harassed, killed, or sent to labor camps; religious artifacts and books were destroyed; and young men were prohibited from religious training.

By 1940 all Kalmyk Buddhist temples were either closed or destroyed and the clergy systematically oppressed. Dr. Loewenthal writes that the policies were so thoroughly enforced the Kalmyk clergy and Buddhism were not mentioned in the work by B. Dzhimbinov, "Sovetskaia Kalmykiia," published in 1940. In 1944, the Soviet government exiled all Kalmyks not fighting in the Soviet army to Central Asia and Siberia, accusing them of collaborating with the German Army. Upon rehabilitation in 1957, the Kalmyks were permitted to return home from exile, but all attempts by them to restore their religion and to build a temple failed.

By the 1980s, the Soviet campaign against religion was so successful that a majority of the Kalmyks had never received any formal spiritual guidance. By the late 1980s, however, the Soviet government reversed course and implemented policies favoring the liberalization of religion. As a result, the first Buddhist community was organized in 1988. By 1995, there were 21 Buddhist temples