759-773 p.

Download the article

doi.org: https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2024-9-5.759-773
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/IDVWDB

Abstract. The article examines the contribution of Professor N.I. Vorobyev to the scientific study of complex aspects of the ethnogenesis of the Chuvash people. The scientist is rightfully considered one of the prominent researchers of the problem of the origin of the Chuvash. Being one of the leaders and authors of the first volume of the collective monograph “The Chuvash. Ethnographic research. Part One” (1956), N.I. Vorobyev outlined in it his so-called "autochthonous theory" of the ethnogenesis of the Chuvash, as a people based on Finno-Ugric, but with the Turkic Bulgarian language. The article highlights the scientist's not always unambiguous views on the origin of the Chuvash, as set out by him in publications of 1930, 1950, 1953. It is noted that while many scientists at the beginning of scientific research adhered to the concept of the Finno-Ugric origin of the Chuvash, and subsequently took the position of N.I. Ashmarin, N.I. Vorobyev initially rather inclined to the Bulgarian theory, and only later became an autochthoniste. It is pointed out that one of the weak points in the scientist's interpretation of the issues of ethnogenesis was the ignoring of the factor of their Bulgarian-type language. For N.I. Vorobyev, the main basis for judgments about the origin of the Chuvash was the material and partly spiritual culture, which had a lot in common with the Mari. The article also points to the fact that the scientist did not pay attention to the factor of pagan religion in the ethnic history of the Chuvash. At the same time, it should be noted that in search of the origins of the Chuvash people, he quite widely attracted materials from famous archaeological sites of the Chuvash region. Special attention is paid in the article to the coverage of critical assessments of N.I. Vorobyev’s views by Chuvash historians V.F. Kakhovsky and V.D. Dimitriev.

Keywords: ethnogenesis, Bulgars, Chuvash, Finno-Ugrians, autochthonous and Bulgarian theories, Chuvash region.

For citation: Ivanov V.P. (2024) Ethnogenesis of the Chuvash in the works of N.I. Vorobyev: peculiarities of interpretation. Istoricheskaya etnologiya [Historical Ethnology]. Vol. 9. No. 5: 759–773. https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2024-9-5.759-773 (In Russ.)

REFERENCES

Akhmetyanov R.G. (1981) General lexicon of the spiritual culture of the Middle Volga region peoples. Moscow: Nauka Publ. (In Russ.)
The Chuvash (2017). Moscow: Nauka Publ. (In Russ.)
Dimitriev V.D. (2004) Questions of ethnogenesis, ethnography and cultural history of the Chuvash people. Collection of articles. Cheboksary: Chuvash University Publ. (In Russ.)
Dmitriev V.D. (1984) On the last stages of the ethnogenesis of the Chuvash. In: The Bulgars and the Chuvash. Cheboksary: Chuvash Research Institute of Language, Literature, History and Economics Publ. (In Russ.)
Kakhovsky V.F. (2003) Origin of the Chuvash people. 3rd ed. Cheboksary: Chuvash Book Publ. (In Russ.)
Messaros Gyula (2000). Monuments of the old Chuvash faith. Cheboksary: ChGIGN Publ. (In Russ.)
Nikolskiy N.V. (2004) Collected works in four volumes. Vol. 1. Cheboksary: Chuvash Book Publ. (In Russ.)
Petrov M.P. (Tinekhpi) (1925). About the origin of the Chuvash. Cheboksary. (In Russ.)
The Tatars (2017). 2nd ed. Moscow: Nauka Publ. (In Russ.)
The Chuvash. An ethnographic study (1956). Part one. Cheboksary: Chuvash Book Publ. (In Russ.)
The Chuvash. An ethnographic study (1970). Part two. Cheboksary: Chuvash Book Publ. (In Russ.)
The Chuvash. History and culture. Historical and ethnographic study in two volumes (2009). Vol. 1. Cheboksary: Chuvash Book Publ. (In Russ.)
Tretyakov P.N. (1950) The question of the origin of the Chuvash people in the light of archaeological data. Sovetskaya etnografiya [Soviet ethnography]. No. 3: 44–53. (In Russ.)
Trofimova T.A. (1950) Anthropological materials on the question of the origin of the Chuvash. Sovetskaya etnografiya [Soviet ethnography]. No. 3: 55–65. (In Russ.)
Vorobyev N.I. (1930) Material culture of the Kazan Tatars (An ethnographic study). Vol. 2. Kazan: House of Tatar Culture Publ. (In Russ.)
Vorobyev N.I. (1950) Ethnogenesis of the Chuvash People based on ethnographic data. Sovetskaya etnografiya [Soviet ethnography]. No. 3: 66–78. (In Russ.)
Vorobyev N.I. (1953) The Kazan Tatars: An ethnographic study of the material culture of the pre-October period. Kazan: Tatgosizdat Publ. (In Russ.)
 

About the author: Vitaly P. Ivanov, Doctor Sc. (History), Associate Professor, Chief Research Fellow of the Ethnology Section of the historical direction, Chuvash State Institute of Humanities (29, building 1, Moskovsky Ave., Cheboksary 428015, Russian Federation); https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2097-9905; e-mail: human2000@yandex.ru

Received 23.06.2024 Revised 6.09.2024   Accepted for publication 9.09.2024

Published Online 14.10.2024