Teleoples

The Teleuts are a Turkic people of around 3,000 members who settle in the Kemerovo region in southern Siberia . Politically, the ethnic group belongs to the indigenous peoples of the Russian north who are represented by the umbrella organization RAIPON .

Traditionally, the Teleuts were cattle breeders and skilled at blacksmithing. They practiced a shamanistic religion that experienced a certain renaissance after the end of the Soviet Union.

The territory of the Teleuts has been badly damaged by mining activities, and their settlements are largely surrounded by open-cast mining sites. Their language and their survival as a distinct ethnic group are considered endangered.

It is not certain whether the ancient people of the Tiele or Tölös were the ancestors of today's Teleuts.

Web links

• Official website of the Teleutic Association (Russian)
• Teleuts and Telengites Report from the radio station "Voice of Russia"