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
|