Mishars

The Mishar Tatars (endonyms: мишәрләр, мишәр татарлары, mişärlär, mişär tatarları) form a subgroup of the Volga Tatars, indigenous to Mordovia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and Chuvashia in the Russian Federation. They also live in the Penza, Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, and Saratov Oblasts of Russia and as an immigrant minority in Estonia, Latvia, and Finland (Mishar Tatars comprise the majority of Finnish Tatars and Tatars living in other Nordic and Baltic countries). The Mishar Tatar dialect is one of the two Volga Tatar dialects.

History

Friar Julian describes Eastern Hungarians he found in Bashkiria in 1235. They spoke to him Hungarian and their language remained mutually intelligible.
Some scientists of the 19th and 20th centuries, based on equivalency of the Turkic ethnonym Madjar (variants: Majgar, Mojar, Mishar, Mochar) with the Hungarian self-name Magyar, associated them with Hungarian speaking Magyars and came to a conclusion that Turkic-speaking Mishars were formed by a Turkization of those Hungarians who remained in the region after their main part left to the West in the 8th century. The shift ''magyar>mozhar'' is natural for Hungarian phonology and this form of the ethnonym was in use until they shifted to Tatar in 15-16th centuries. The existence of the ethnic toponyms ''mozhar, madjar'' to the east of Carpathian region proves this. The presence of early medieval Hungarian culture is attested by archeological findings in Volga-Ural region. The influence of Hungarian language resulted in forming definite conjugation in Mordvinic languages which is found only in Ugric languages. Medieval Hungarian loans are found in Volga Bulgarian and Mordvinic languages.

DNA Studies

Recent population genetic analysis shows that medieval Hungarian Conqueror elite is positioned among Turkic groups, Bashkirs and Volga Tatars, which, according to the study, is "in agreement with contemporary historical accounts which denominated the Conquerors as ''Turks''".

Other Theories

The origin of the Mishar Tatars remained a point of controversy for years. According to UCLA Center for Near East Studies, Mishar Tatars are believed to be descendants of Kipchaks or the Bulgars of Volga Bulgaria.
Similarly, other researchers of the late 19th century (like Vel’yaminov-Zernov, 1863: 30–31) assumed that they are descendants of Cuman- Kipchak tribes who mixed with the Burtas, a tribe of uncertain origin, in the Middle Oka River area and Finno-Ugric Meshchera. This unfounded theory, in its uttermost case, has led to claims that the origin of Mishar Tatars of Mishar Yurt are Meshchera, a Mordvinic languages-speaking Moksha Mordvins of Mukhsha Ulus who allegedly came under Tatar influence and adopted the language and the Sunni Muslim religion. W. W. Radloff, A. F. Mojarovskiy and S. P. Tolstov supported this view and tried to develop this theory further (Muhamedova, 1972: 12). Zekiyev (p. 75) explains, that if this theory proves to be true, there must be clear traces of Mordvinic or other Finno-Ugric elements among the Tatars, but there are none. It is therefore stated that it is not possible that the old Mordvinic Meshchera ancestors of Erzya and Moksha became turkized. G. Ahmarov (1903: 69) agrees that the Meshchera could not have adopted the Tatar language.M. Z. Zekiye
Mişerler, Başkurtlar ve dilleri / Mishers, Bashkirs and their languages
. In ''Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi'' 73–86

According to Ercan Alkaya, the Mishars originated from the amalgation of the Bulgars, Finno-Ugric, and Magyar tribes of Old Kipchak nation, but opposes the Mordvin view.

Culture

The Mishar Tatars conversion to Islam was a gradual process that began during the time of Volga Bulgaria and crystallized during the period of the Golden Horde.

The Mishar Tatars were and are still somewhat today a rural people and tend to live in villages and settlements that are inhabited exclusively by other Mishar Tatars.

See also

*Eastern Hungarians
* Friar Julian

References

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Ethnic groups in Russia
Volga Tatars
Finnish Tatars