Tungus peoples
The term Tungusian peoples is a collective term for peoples, ethnic groups and population groups whose ancestors used Tungusic languages . While some ethnic groups still speak these languages to this day, well over 90% of the population of Tungus origin use Chinese and other languages (Mongolian, Russian). The total number of people who identify themselves as members of the Tungus peoples is about 11 million, but more than 10 million of them are Manchu , almost all of whom speak Chinese and not Manchurian . Except for over 40,000 in Russia ( Siberia ) and fewer than 2,000 in Mongolia , most of them live in the People's Republic of China .
Modern peoples and ethnic groups
Belonging to a people in Russia, Mongolia and China now often follows political-administrative definitions that date back to the 20th century. The identity, linguistic relationship and the settlement area of the individual groups (e.g. on the Russian or Chinese side) played an important role for the delimitation.
The following Tungus "small peoples (peoples) of the north" are registered in Russia :
- Evenks (sometimes in older German-language literature: Tungus )
- Ewenen (sometimes in older German-language literature: Lamuten )
- Nanaier (in older German-language literature sometimes: Golden / Goldi , fish skin Tatars )
- Negatives
- Oroken
- Oroch
- Udehe (also: Udeghe )
- Ultschen (also: Ultschi )
The following nationalities exist in China :
- Evenks
- Manchu (also: Manju )
- Hezhen (corresponds to the Nanai in Russia)
- Oroqen
- Xibe (also: Sibe , Sibo )
An Evenk population group also lives in Mongolia. In addition, the origin of some ethnic groups of today's Mongols (Tsaatan) can be traced back to Tungus-speaking reindeer nomads.
Historically significant peoples and political confederations
The peoples of importance in Eurasian and Chinese history were generally polyethnic and multilingual.
The Jurchen (Dschurdschen) were a Tungusian confederation . They ruled over large parts of northern China from 1114 to 1234 with the Jin Dynasty . Their language was written and official.
Tungus equestrian peoples, sometimes also called Tatars and not identical with the Tatars of Russia and the Mongolian tribe of the same name , remained a political factor in Manchuria throughout the Middle Ages .
In the early modern period, the rise of the Manchu (Manju) took place, who ruled over all of China with the Qing Dynasty from 1644 to 1911.
Family relationships
According to a widespread, but largely outdated linguistic hypothesis ( Altaic languages ), the Tungus peoples are linguistically related to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia as well as to East Asians and Mongolian and Siberian peoples , plus a genetic relationship and cultural similarities.
It is believed that the Avars (or part of them) of the Avar Khaganate in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe were of Tungus origin and were slowly assimilated by the Germanic and Slavic majority population.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Meghan Rosen: DNA points to millennia of stability in East Asian hunter-fisher population . In: Science News . February 22, 2017 ( sciencenews.org [accessed March 18, 2017]).
- ↑ E. Helimski: The language (s) of the Avars: The Manchu-Tungusian alternative. In: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Manchu-Tungus Studies. Vol. II, 2004, pp. 59-72.