Gurans () are a Slavo- Mongolic

ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

subgroup In group theory, a branch of mathematics, a subset of a group G is a subgroup of G if the members of that subset form a group with respect to the group operation in G. Formally, given a group (mathematics), group under a binary operation ...

, mainly from Transbaikalia, that formed as a result of mixed marriages between

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

and

Buryats The Buryats are a Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia who speak the Buryat language. They are one of the two largest indigenous groups in Siberia, the other being the Yakuts. The majority of the Buryats today live in their ti ...

(and other indigenous ethnic groups).

Etymology

The term ''Guran'' has reportedly been in use since the 18th century.Гуран
''Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia'', "Этногенез и резистентность", In: ''Народы Забайкалья: возрождение и развитие'', Chita, 1997. *''Quote:'' "Забайкалье является уникальным регионом, в котором прослеживаются эти процессы �ибридизации Чётко определены временные интервалы миграционных потоков русских, которые вступали в браки с аборигенами, результатом чего явилось рождение нового этноса гуранов" Vernacularly, the term used to refer to a cossack hunter, later it was a nickname of Transbaikal cossacks. The word ''gurohn'' (''гуро́хн'') means "buck of Siberian roe deer" in Buryat, borrowed into the local Russian vernacular as ''guran'' (''гурaн''). The term, most likely applied to the locals is derived from hats made of guran skin with antlers.РУССКИЙ ЯЗЫК В ПОЛИЭТНИЧЕСКОМ ЗАБАЙКАЛЬЕ: ДИНАМИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ
(monograph, several authors), Kazan, 2019, , pp. 157, 158, 295, ''Quote:'' "А казаков так звали — гуранами, потому что они, когда на охоту соберутся, одеваются, как козёл, чтобы дичь не спугнуть." Sometimes, it was also used as a nickname for people with mixed backgrounds from Transbaikalia in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. In modern times the term is associated with the general population of Transbaikalia of local ancestry and metonymically refers to Transbaikalia as a whole.

History

Some researchers, such as , consider Gurans to be a new emerged ethnic group, whose members have a specific culture. Russians, living in the same territory with the indigenous population, often assimilated with them, gradually acquired some anthropological features, borrowed elements of life and culture of these peoples. But, even though they found themselves in new conditions in close contact with other ethnic groups, they did not lose their language. Preserving their cultural appearances in the process of adaptation, they developed new features of the economy, life and culture. In turn, the Russians, having brought and spread among the local population their own skills and techniques, contributed to various developments. Thus, a certain type of local population was gradually formed on the territory of Transbaikalia. Professor Tsybikov in his work ''Ethnogenesis and Resistance'' states: ''"In their development, ethnic groups are constantly subject to the process of interpenetration, the consequence of which is either the disappearance of an ethnic group or the formation of a new one. Transbaikalia is a unique region in which this processes can be traced. The time intervals of migration flows of Russians who intermarried with the indigenous populations are clearly defined, resulting in the birth of a new ethnic group, the Gurans."''

Debate

Not all researchers agree that the Gurans form an ethnic group. The ''Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia'' does not mention the Gurans as a separate ethnic group, but rather "a certain type of local population based on the Buryat, Evenki and mainly Russian ethnic groups." Very often, ''Guran'' is also used as a synonym for the term ''Transbaikalian'', instead of a separate ethnic group, with the question of them being an own ethnicity still being open.

Etymology

History

Debate

References

Further reading