Chuvash- people of Turkic origin living in both Chuvashia, where its main population is, and beyond its borders.
Regarding the etymology of the name Chuvash there are eight hypotheses. It is assumed that the self-name Chăvash goes back directly to the ethnonym of a part of the “Bulgar-speaking” Turks: *čōš → čowaš/čuwaš → čovaš/čuvaš. In particular, the name of the Savir tribe (“Suvar”, “Suvaz” or “Suas”), mentioned by Arab authors of the 10th century. (ibn-Fadlan), is supposed to be considered the source of the ethnonym chăvash - “Chuvash”: the name is considered simply a Turkic adaptation of the name of the Bulgarian “Suvar”. According to an alternative theory, chăvash is a derivative of the Turkic jăvaš - “friendly, meek”, as opposed to şarmăs - “warlike”. The name of the ethnic group among neighboring peoples also goes back to the self-name of the Chuvash. The Tatars and Mordovians-Moksha call the Chuvash “chuash”, the Mordovian-Erzya - “chuvazh”, the Bashkirs and Kazakhs - “syuash”, the mountain Mari - “suasla mari” - “a person in the Suvazian (Tatar) way.” In Russian sources, the ethnonym “Chavash” first appears in 1508.

From an anthropological point of view, most Chuvash belong to the Caucasoid type with a certain degree of Mongoloidity. Judging by the research materials, Mongoloid features dominate in 10.3% of the Chuvash, and about 3.5% of them are relatively pure Mongoloids, 63.5% belong to mixed Mongoloid-European types with a predominance of Caucasoid features, 21.1% represent various Caucasian types are both dark-colored and light-haired and light-eyed, and 5.1% are sublaponoid types, with weakly expressed Mongoloid characteristics.
From a genetic point of view Chuvash are also an example of a mixed race - 18% of them carry the Slavic haplogroup R1a1, another 18% - the Finno-Ugric N, and 12% - the Western European R1b. 6% have the Jewish haplogroup J, most likely from the Khazars. The relative majority - 24% - bears haplogroup I, characteristic of northern Europe.
The Chuvash language is a descendant of the language of the Volga Bulgars and the only living language of the Bulgar group. It is not mutually intelligible with other Turkic languages. for example, it is replaced by х, ы by e, and з by х, as a result the word “girl”, which sounds like kyz in all Turkic languages, sounds like хер in Chuvash.

Chuvash are divided into two ethnic groups: the upper (Viryal) and the lower (Anatri). They speak different dialects of the Chuvash language and in the past differed somewhat in their way of life and material culture. Now these differences, which continued to persist especially persistently in women's clothing, are becoming more and more smoothed out every year. The Viryals occupy predominantly the northern and northwestern parts of the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Anatris occupy the southeastern part. At the junction of the settlement territory of the upper and lower Chuvash, a small group of middle lower Chuvash (anatenchi) lives. They speak the dialect of the upper Chuvash, and in clothing they are close to the lower Chuvash.

In the past, each group of Chuvash was divided into subgroups according to their everyday characteristics, but their differences have now been largely erased. Only among the lower Chuvash the so-called steppe subgroup (Khirti), living in the southeastern part of the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, is distinguished by some originality; In the life of the Khirti, there are many features that bring them closer to the Tatars, next to whom they live.
. The self-name of the Chuvash, according to one version, goes back to the name of one of the tribes related to the Bulgars - Suvar, or Suvaz, Suas. Mentioned in Russian sources since 1508.
At the end of 1546, the Chuvash and mountain Mari rebels against the authorities of Kazan called on Russia for help. In 1547, Russian troops ousted the Tatars from the territory of Chuvashia. In the summer of 1551, during the founding of the Sviyazhsk fortress by the Russians at the confluence of the Sviyaga and the Volga, the Chuvash of the mountain side became part of the Russian state. In 1552-1557, the Chuvash, who lived on the meadow side, also became the subjects of the Russian Tsar. By the middle of the 18th century Chuvash were mostly converted to Christianity. Part of the Chuvash who lived outside Chuvash and, having converted to Islam, became a Tatar. In 1917 Chuvash received autonomy: AO since 1920, ASSR since 1925, Chuvash SSR since 1990, Chuvash Republic since 1992.
Main traditional occupation Chuvash– agriculture, in ancient times – slash-and-burn, until the beginning of the 20th century – three-field farming. The main grain crops were rye, spelt, oats, barley; wheat, buckwheat, and peas were sown less frequently. From industrial crops Chuvash They cultivated flax and hemp. Hop growing was developed. Livestock farming (sheep, cows, pigs, horses) was poorly developed due to a lack of forage land. For a long time Chuvash were engaged in beekeeping. Wood carving (utensils, especially beer ladles, furniture, gate posts, cornices and platbands of houses), pottery, weaving, embroidery, patterned weaving (red-white and multi-color patterns), sewing with beads and coins, handicrafts - mainly woodworking: wheelwork, cooperage, carpentry, also rope and matting production; There were carpenters, tailors and other artels, and small shipbuilding enterprises arose at the beginning of the 20th century.
Main types of settlements Chuvash– villages and hamlets (yal). The earliest types of settlement are riverine and ravine, the layouts are cumulus-cluster (in the northern and central regions) and linear (in the south). In the north, the village is typically divided into ends (kasas), usually inhabited by related families. The street layout has been spreading since the 2nd half of the 19th century. From the 2nd half of the 19th century, dwellings of the Central Russian type appeared.

House Chuvash decorated with polychrome painting, saw-cut carvings, applied decorations, the so-called “Russian” gates with a gable roof on 3-4 pillars - bas-relief carvings, later painting. There is an ancient log building - a log building (originally without a ceiling or windows, with an open hearth), serving as a summer kitchen. Cellars (nukhrep) and baths (muncha) are common.

Men have Chuvash They wore a canvas shirt (kepe) and trousers (yem). The basis of traditional clothing for women is a tunic-shaped shirt-kepe; for Viryal and Anat Enchi, it is made of thin white linen with abundant embroidery, narrow, and worn slouchily; Anatri, until the mid-19th - early 20th centuries, wore white shirts flared at the bottom, later - from a motley pattern with two or three gathers of fabric of a different color. Shirts were worn with an apron, the Viryal had it with a bib, decorated with embroidery and appliqué, the Anatri had no bib, and was made of red checkered fabric. Women's festive headdress - a toweled canvas surpan, over which the Anatri and Anat Enchi wore a cap in the shape of a truncated cone, with earmuffs fastened under the chin, and a long blade at the back (khushpu); Viryal fastened an embroidered strip of fabric on the crown of the head (masmak) with surpan. A girl's headdress is a helmet-shaped cap (tukhya). Tukhya and khushpu were richly decorated with beads, beads, and silver coins. Dudes They also wore scarves, preferably white or light colors. Women's jewelry - back, waist, chest, neck, shoulder slings, rings. The lower Chuvash are characterized by a sling (tevet) - a strip of fabric covered with coins, worn over the left shoulder under the right hand; for the upper Chuvash - a woven belt with large tassels with strips of red, covered with embroidery and appliqué, and bead pendants. Outerwear is a canvas caftan (shupar), in the fall - a cloth undercoat (sakhman), in winter - a fitted sheepskin coat (kerek). Traditional shoes are bast sandals and leather boots. The Viryal wore bast shoes with black cloth onuchs, the Anatri wore white woolen (knitted or made of cloth) stockings. Men wore onuchi and foot wraps in winter, women - all year round. Men's traditional clothes used only in wedding ceremonies or folklore performances.
In traditional food Chuvash plant products predominate. Soups (yashka, shurpe), stews with dumplings, cabbage soup with seasonings made from cultivated and wild greens - hogweed, hogweed, nettle, etc., porridge (spelt, buckwheat, millet, lentil), oatmeal, boiled potatoes, jelly from oatmeal and pea flour, rye bread (khura sakar), pies with cereals, cabbage, berries (kukal), flatbreads, cheesecakes with potatoes or cottage cheese (puremech). Less often they prepared khupla - a large round pie with meat or fish filling. Dairy products - turah - sour milk, uiran - churning, chakat - curd cheese. Meat (beef, lamb, pork, among the lower Chuvash - horse meat) was a relatively rare food: seasonal (when slaughtering livestock) and festive. They prepared shartan - a sausage made from a sheep's stomach stuffed with meat and lard; tultarmash - boiled sausage stuffed with cereal, minced meat or blood. They made mash from honey, and beer (sara) from rye or barley malt. Kvass and tea were common in areas of contact with the Tatars and Russians.

Rural community Chuvash could unite residents of one or several settlements with a common land plot. There were nationally mixed communities, mainly Chuvash-Russian and Chuvash-Russian-Tatar. Forms of kinship and neighborly mutual assistance (nime) were preserved. Family ties were steadily preserved, especially within one end of the village. There was a custom of sororate. After the Christianization of the Chuvash, the custom of polygamy and levirate gradually disappeared. Undivided families were already rare in the 18th century. The main type of family in the 2nd half of the 19th century was the small family. The husband was the main owner of family property, the wife owned her dowry, independently managed income from poultry farming (eggs), livestock farming (dairy products) and weaving (canvas), and in the event of the death of her husband, she became the head of the family. The daughter had the right of inheritance along with her brothers. In economic interests, the early marriage of a son and the relatively late marriage of a daughter were encouraged, and therefore the bride was often several years older than the groom. The tradition of the minority, characteristic of the Turkic peoples, is preserved, when younger son stays with his parents and inherits their property.

Grassroots Chuvash of the Kazan province, 1869.

Modern Chuvash beliefs combine elements of Orthodoxy and paganism. In some areas of the Volga and Urals regions, villages have been preserved Chuvash-pagans. Chuvash they revered fire, water, sun, earth, believed in good gods and spirits led by the supreme god Cult Tur (later identified with the Christian God) and in evil creatures led by Shuitan. They revered household spirits - the “master of the house” (khertsurt) and the “master of the yard” (karta-puse). Each family kept home fetishes - dolls, twigs, etc. Among evil spirits Chuvash they especially feared and revered the kiremet (the cult of which continues to this day). Calendar holidays included the winter holiday of asking for a good offspring of livestock, the holiday of honoring the sun (Maslenitsa), a multi-day spring holiday sacrifices to the sun, the god of Tours and ancestors (which then coincided with Orthodox Easter), the spring plowing holiday (akatuy), the summer holiday of remembrance of the dead. After sowing, sacrifices were carried out, a ritual of causing rain, accompanied by bathing in a pond and dousing with water; upon completion of harvesting grain, prayers were made to the guardian spirit of the barn, etc. Young people organized festivities with round dances in the spring and summer, and gatherings in winter. The main elements of the traditional wedding (the groom's train, a feast in the bride's house, her taking away, a feast in the groom's house, dowry, etc.), maternity (cutting the umbilical cord of a boy on an ax handle, a girl - on a riser or the bottom of a spinning wheel, feeding a baby, now - lubricating the tongue and lips with honey and oil, transferring it under the protection of the guardian spirit of the hearth, etc.) and funeral and memorial rites. Chuvash-pagans buried their dead in wooden logs or coffins with their heads to the west, placed household items and tools with the deceased, and placed a temporary monument on the grave - wooden post(for men - oak, for women - linden), in the fall, during general commemorations in the month of Yupa Uyih (“month of the pillar”), a permanent anthropomorphic monument was built from wood or stone (Yupa). His removal to the cemetery was accompanied by rituals simulating burial. At the wake, funeral songs were sung, bonfires were lit, and sacrifices were made.

The most developed genre of folklore is songs: youth, recruit, drinking, funeral, wedding, labor, lyrical, as well as historical songs. Musical instruments - bagpipes, bubble, duda, harp, drum, and later - accordion and violin. Legends, fairy tales and tales are widespread. Chuvash, like many other peoples with ancient culture, in the distant past they used a kind of writing, which developed in the form of runic writing, widespread in the pre-Bulgar and Bulgar periods of history.
There were 35 (36) characters in the Chuvash runic letter, which coincides with the number of letters of the ancient classical runic letter. By location and quantity, style, phonetic meanings, due to the presence of a literary form, the signs of Chuvash monuments are included in common system runic writing of the eastern type, which includes the writings of Central Asia, Orkhon, Yenisei, North Caucasus, Black Sea region, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Arabic writing was widespread in Volga Bulgaria. In the 18th century, writing was created based on Russian graphics of 1769 (Old Chuvash writing). Novochuvash writing and literature were created in the 1870s. The Chuvash national culture is being formed.

The Chuvash people are quite numerous; more than 1.4 million people live in Russia alone. Most occupy the territory of the Republic of Chuvashia, the capital of which is the city of Cheboksary. There are representatives of the nationality in other regions of Russia, as well as abroad. Hundreds of thousands of people each live in Bashkiria, Tatarstan and the Ulyanovsk region, and a little less in the Siberian territories. The appearance of the Chuvash causes a lot of controversy among scientists and geneticists about the origin of this people.

Story

It is believed that the ancestors of the Chuvash were the Bulgars - tribes of Turks who lived from the 4th century. in the territory modern Urals and in the Black Sea region. The appearance of the Chuvash speaks of their kinship with the ethnic groups of Altai, Central Asia and China. In the 14th century, Volga Bulgaria ceased to exist, the people moved to the Volga, to the forests near the Sura, Kama, and Sviyaga rivers. At first there was a clear division into several ethnic subgroups, but over time it smoothed out. The name “Chuvash” has been found in Russian-language texts since the beginning of the 16th century, it was then that the places where these people lived became part of Russia. Its origin is also associated with the existing Bulgaria. Perhaps it came from the nomadic tribes of the Suvars, who later merged with the Bulgars. Scholars were divided in their explanation of what the word meant: a person's name, a geographical name, or something else.

Ethnic groups

The Chuvash people settled along the banks of the Volga. The ethnic groups living in the upper reaches were called Viryal or Turi. Now the descendants of these people live in the western part of Chuvashia. Those who settled in the center (anat enchi) are located in the middle of the region, and those who settled in the lower reaches (anatari) occupied the south of the territory. Over time, the differences between subethnic groups have become less noticeable; now they are the people of one republic, people often move and communicate with each other. In the past, the way of life of the lower and upper Chuvashes was very different: they built their homes, dressed, and organized their lives differently. Based on some archaeological finds, it is possible to determine which ethnic group an item belonged to.

Today, there are 21 districts in the Chuvash Republic, and 9 cities. In addition to the capital, Alatyr, Novocheboksarsk, and Kanash are among the largest.

External features

Surprisingly, only 10 percent of all representatives of the people have a Mongoloid component that dominates their appearance. Geneticists claim that the race is mixed. It belongs predominantly to the Caucasian type, which can be seen from the characteristic features of the Chuvash appearance. Among the representatives you can find people with brown hair and light-colored eyes. There are also individuals with more pronounced Mongoloid characteristics. Geneticists have calculated that the majority of Chuvash have a group of haplotypes similar to that characteristic of residents of countries in northern Europe.

Among other features of the appearance of the Chuvash, it is worth noting short or average height, coarse hair, more dark color eyes than Europeans. Naturally curly hair is a rare phenomenon. Representatives of the people often have epicanthus, a special fold at the corners of the eyes, characteristic of Mongoloid faces. The nose is usually short in shape.

Chuvash language

The language remained from the Bulgars, but differs significantly from other Turkic languages. It is still used in the republic and in surrounding areas.

There are several dialects in the Chuvash language. The Turi living in the upper reaches of the Sura, according to researchers, are “okai”. The ethnic subspecies anatari placed greater emphasis on the letter “u”. However, clear distinctive features on this moment are missing. The modern language in Chuvashia is rather close to that used by the Turi ethnic group. It has cases, but lacks the category of animation, as well as the gender of nouns.

Until the 10th century, the runic alphabet was used. After reforms it was replaced by Arabic symbols. And since the 18th century - Cyrillic. Today the language continues to “live” on the Internet; even a separate section of Wikipedia has appeared, translated into the Chuvash language.

Traditional activities

The people were engaged in agriculture, growing rye, barley and spelt (a type of wheat). Sometimes peas were sown in the fields. Since ancient times, the Chuvash raised bees and ate honey. Chuvash women were engaged in weaving and weaving. Patterns with a combination of red and white flowers on fabric.

But other bright shades were also common. The men carved, cut dishes and furniture from wood, and decorated their homes with platbands and cornices. Matting production was developed. And since the beginning of the last century, Chuvashia began to seriously engage in the construction of ships, and several specialized enterprises were created. The appearance of the indigenous Chuvash is somewhat different from the appearance of modern representatives of the nationality. Many live in mixed families, marry with Russians, Tatars, and some even move abroad or to Siberia.

Suits

The appearance of the Chuvash is associated with their traditional types clothes. Women wore tunics embroidered with patterns. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the lower Chuvash women have been wearing colorful shirts with ruffles from different fabrics. There was an embroidered apron on the front. For jewelry, Anatari girls wore tevet - a strip of fabric trimmed with coins. They wore special caps on their heads, shaped like a helmet.

Men's trousers were called yem. In the cold season, the Chuvash wore foot wraps. As for footwear, leather boots were considered traditional. There were special outfits worn for the holidays.

Women decorated their clothes with beads and wore rings. Bast sandals were also often used for footwear.

Original culture

Many songs and fairy tales, elements of folklore remain from the Chuvash culture. It was customary for the people to play instruments on holidays: the bubble, the harp, the drums. Subsequently, a violin and an accordion appeared, and new drinking songs began to be composed. Since ancient times, there have been various legends, which were partly related to the beliefs of the people. Before the annexation of the territories of Chuvashia to Russia, the population was pagan. They believed in different deities, spiritualized natural phenomena and objects. At certain times, sacrifices were made as a sign of gratitude or for the sake of a good harvest. The main deity among other deities was considered the god of Heaven - Tur (otherwise - Torah). The Chuvash deeply revered the memory of their ancestors. The rituals of remembrance were strictly observed. Columns made of trees of a certain species were usually installed on the graves. Linden trees were placed for deceased women, and oak trees for men. Subsequently, most of the population accepted the Orthodox faith. Many customs have changed, some have been lost or forgotten over time.

Holidays

Like other peoples of Russia, Chuvashia had its own holidays. Among them is Akatui, celebrated in late spring - early summer. It is dedicated to agriculture, the beginning preparatory work to sowing. The duration of the celebration is a week, during which time special rituals are performed. Relatives go to visit each other, treat themselves to cheese and a variety of other dishes, and pre-brew beer from drinks. Everyone sings a song about sowing together - a kind of hymn, then they pray for a long time to the god of Tours, asking him for a good harvest, the health of family members and profit. Fortune telling is common during the holiday. Children threw an egg into the field and watched whether it broke or remained intact.

Another Chuvash holiday was associated with the veneration of the sun. There were separate days of remembrance of the dead. Agricultural rituals were also common when people caused rain or, conversely, wished it to stop. Large feasts with games and entertainment were held for the wedding.

Dwellings

The Chuvash settled near rivers in small settlements called yalas. The settlement plan depended on the specific place of residence. On the south side, houses were lined up. And in the center and north, a nesting type of layout was used. Each family settled in a certain area of ​​the village. Relatives lived nearby, in neighboring houses. Already in the 19th century, wooden buildings similar to Russian rural houses began to appear. The Chuvash decorated them with patterns, carvings, and sometimes paintings. As a summer kitchen, a special building (la) was used, made of logs, without a roof or windows. Inside there was an open hearth on which they cooked food. Baths were often built near houses; they were called munches.

Other features of life

Until Christianity became the dominant religion in Chuvashia, polygamy existed in the territory. The custom of levirate also disappeared: the widow was no longer obliged to marry the relatives of her deceased husband. The number of family members was significantly reduced: now it included only spouses and their children. The wives took care of all the household chores, counting and sorting food. The responsibility of weaving was also placed on their shoulders.

According to the existing custom, sons were married early. On the contrary, they tried to marry off daughters later, which is why wives were often older than husbands in marriages. The youngest son in the family was appointed heir to the house and property. But girls also had the right to receive an inheritance.

The settlements could have mixed communities: for example, Russian-Chuvash or Tatar-Chuvash. In appearance, the Chuvash did not differ strikingly from representatives of other nationalities, therefore they all coexisted quite peacefully.

Food

Due to the fact that livestock farming in the region was poorly developed, plants were mainly consumed as food. The main dishes of the Chuvash were porridge (spelt or lentil), potatoes (in later centuries), vegetable and herb soups. The traditional baked bread was called hura sakar and was baked with rye flour. This was considered a woman's responsibility. Sweets were also common: cheesecakes with cottage cheese, sweet flatbreads, berry pies.

Another traditional dish is khulla. This was the name of a circle-shaped pie; fish or meat was used as filling. The Chuvash were preparing different types of sausages for the winter: with blood, stuffed with cereals. Shartan was the name of a type of sausage made from a sheep's stomach. Basically, meat was consumed only on holidays. As for drinks, the Chuvash brewed special beer. The resulting honey was used to make mash. And later they began to drink kvass or tea, which were borrowed from the Russians. The Chuvash from the lower reaches drank kumys more often.

For sacrifices they used poultry that was bred at home, as well as horse meat. On some special holidays, a rooster was slaughtered: for example, when a new family member was born. From chicken eggs Even then they made scrambled eggs and omelettes. These dishes are eaten to this day, and not only by the Chuvash.

Famous representatives of the people

Among those who have characteristic appearance Famous personalities also met Chuvash people.

Vasily Chapaev, a future famous commander, was born near Cheboksary. His childhood was spent in a poor peasant family in the village of Budaika. Another famous Chuvash is the poet and writer Mikhail Sespel. He wrote books in his native language and was at the same time a public figure in the republic. His name was translated into Russian as “Mikhail”, but in Chuvash it sounded Mishshi. Several monuments and museums were created in memory of the poet.

A native of the republic is also V.L. Smirnov, a unique personality, an athlete who became the absolute world champion in helicopter sports. He trained in Novosibirsk and repeatedly confirmed his title. There are also famous artists among the Chuvash: A.A. Coquel received an academic education and painted many stunning works in charcoal. He spent most of his life in Kharkov, where he taught and developed art education. A popular artist, actor and TV presenter was also born in Chuvashia

At different times, scientists put forward various theories of the origin of the Chuvash - either from the Khazars (A. A. Fuks, P. Hunfalvi), then from the Burtas (A. F. Rittich, V., A. Sboev), then from the Huns (V. V. . Bartold), then from the Finno-Ugric peoples (N.M. Karamzin, I.A. Firsov), then from the ancient Avars (M.G. Khudyakov), then from the Volga Bulgarians (V.N. Tatishchev, N.I. Ashmarin, 3. Gombots), then from the Sumerians (N. Ya. Marr), etc. In total, they come down to the following concepts:

1) the basis of the Chuvash people (ethnic group) is the local Finno-Ugric (Mari) population, which experienced strong cultural and especially linguistic influence from the alien Turkic-speaking Bulgarian-Suvar tribes;

2) as an ethnic group, the Chuvash were formed mainly on the basis of the pre-Bulgarian Turks, who supposedly penetrated in large numbers into the Middle Volga region until the 6th century. n. e., that is, before the Bulgarians and Suvars appeared here;

3) The so-called Kazan school. Some Kazan researchers are searching for evidence of the hypothesis about the beginning of the formation of the Chuvash ethnic group on the basis of Turkic-speaking tribes that allegedly penetrated the region in the 2nd-3rd centuries. n. e. She claimed that the ancestors of the Chuvash appeared earlier than the Volga Bulgarians.

The first of these concepts (the “autochthonous theory”) did not stand up to criticism and is now not supported by anyone, since its supporters ignored the role of the Turkic-speaking tribes - one of the main ethnic components of the Chuvash - and in their research were limited to the territory of the Chuvash Territory and later stages ethnic history.

As for the second concept, it began to be actively developed only in the last twenty years. A number of prominent scientists (R. G. Kuzeev, V. A. Ivanov, etc.) attribute the time of mass penetration of the Turks into the Volga-Ural region to last centuries I millennium AD e. and they connect this precisely with the migration of Bulgarian tribes from the North Caucasus and the Azov region. At the same time, one of the convincing evidence of the late migration of the Turks to the Middle Volga region is the weak and unclear identification of ethnic groups among the newcomer Turks in comparison with the neighboring Finno-Ugric peoples. The ethnic differentiation of the Chuvash, Tatars, Bashkirs - that is, those peoples whose history was closely connected with the Volga Bulgarians - into independent nationalities ended relatively late, only in the 13th-16th centuries.

The question arises, what exactly is the Bulgarian heritage of the Chuvash? The most fundamental argument is language, for Chuvash is the only surviving language of the Bulgarian branch. It differs from all other Turkic languages ​​in that the sound “z” in them in the Chuvash language corresponds to the sound “r” (so-called rhotacism), and the sound “sh” corresponds to the sound “l” (lambdaism). Rhotacism and lambdaism are also characteristic of the Bulgarian language. For example, Chuv. kher "girl" - common Turkic. kyz; Chuv. khel "winter" - common Turkic. - shoo, etc.

In the development of the Bulgarian theory of the origin of the Chuvash, a huge role was played by the discovery of Chuvash words in the texts of the Volga-Bulgarian tombstone inscriptions of the 13th-16th centuries, made in the 19th century. Kazan researcher X. Feyzkhanov, and the discovery of elements of the Chuvash type language in the ancient Slavic-Bulgarian source - “The Name Book of the Bulgarian Princes”. The similarity of the economy, life and culture of the Chuvash and Bulgarians is also evidenced by numerous archaeological studies. The first ones inherited from their rural ancestors the types of dwellings, the layout of the estate, the location of the house inside the estate with a blank wall facing the street, rope ornaments for decorating gate posts, etc. According to experts, white women's clothing, headdresses (tukhya, hushpu, surban), jewelry (belt, braids), which were common among the Chuvash until recently, were common among the Bulgarians, including the Danube. In the pre-Christian religion of the Chuvash, constituting the most important part of the ethnic specificity of spiritual culture, Old Bulgarian pagan cults were traditionally and persistently preserved, containing some features of Zoroastrianism - the religion of the ancient ethnic groups of Iran and Central Asia.

The concept of Bulgarian-Chuvash ethnic continuity is believed to be supported by further development and concretization in modern research on archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, folklore and art of the peoples of the region. To date, significant material has been accumulated and partially published characterizing the main stages of ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Chuvash people. Of great value are the works of V. F. Kakhovsky, V. D. Dimitriev, M. F. Fedotov and A. A. Trofimov, in which, unlike some other works, the problems of Chuvash history, culture and language are considered taking into account many factors . IN last decades major studies by Chuvash scientists have appeared on various aspects of the traditional culture of the people, economic activities, social and family life, features folk knowledge and philosophy, artistic creativity, modern social and ethnic processes.

The ancestors of the Bulgarian tribes, like all Turks, came from Central Asia. On this vast territory since the 3rd millennium BC. e. The ancient ancestors of the Turkic-speaking peoples, the Huns, were widely settled. In the neighborhood there were also Mongolian, Tungus-Manchu, Finno-Ugric, and Indo-European tribes, who in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. e. were conquered by the Huns. The Huns were under strong linguistic and cultural influence from China. Some scholars consider the Chuvash language of Unity to be a remnant of the language of the ancient Huns. Closer ethnic group from which the Bulgarians came, the Oguro-Onogurs are considered to have lived along the northern ostrogans of the Tien Shan and in the upper reaches of the Irtysh. The area of ​​formation of sabirs (suvars) also lay in the regions of the Irtysh. The time of stay of the ancestors of the Bulgarian and Suvar tribes in Central Asia was imprinted so clearly that it is no less reflected in the culture, especially the language of the Chuvash. The Chuvash have a number of strong parallels with the Turkic peoples of Altai and Southern Siberia, in particular the Khakass, Uighurs, Shors, Tuvinians, and Altaians. It manifests itself in the common elements of utensils, housing, ornaments, etc. In addition, the main elements of the ancient religion of the Sayan-Altai Turks are manifested in the complex of the pagan cult of the Chuvash. The Chuvash language has preserved the most ancient words used in the era of weak isolation of the Turkic and Mongolian languages.

Chuvash ( self-name - chăvash, chăvashsem) - the fifth largest people in Russia. According to the 2010 census, 1 million 435 thousand Chuvash live in the country. Their origin, history and peculiar language are considered very ancient.

According to scientists, the roots of this people are found in the ancient ethnic groups of Altai, China, and Central Asia. The closest ancestors of the Chuvash are considered to be the Bulgars, whose tribes inhabited a vast territory from the Black Sea region to the Urals. After the defeat of the Volga Bulgaria state (14th century) and the fall of Kazan, part of the Chuvash settled in the forest regions between the Sura, Sviyaga, Volga and Kama rivers, mixing there with Finno-Ugric tribes.

The Chuvash are divided into two main sub-ethnic groups according to the course of the Volga: riding (Viryal, Turi) in the west and north-west of Chuvashia, grassroots(anatari) - in the south, besides them in the center of the republic there is a group middle grassroots (anat enchi). In the past, these groups differed in their way of life and material culture. Now the differences are becoming more and more smoothed out.

The self-name of the Chuvash, according to one version, directly goes back to the ethnonym of a part of the “Bulgar-speaking” Turks: *čōš → čowaš/čuwaš → čovaš/čuvaš. In particular, the name of the Savir tribe ("Suvar", "Suvaz" or "Suas"), mentioned by Arab authors of the 10th century (Ibn Fadlan), is considered by many researchers to be a Turkic adaptation of the Bulgarian name "Suvar".

In Russian sources, the ethnonym “Chuvash” first appears in 1508. In the 16th century, the Chuvash became part of Russia, and at the beginning of the 20th century they received autonomy: since 1920, the Autonomous Region, since 1925 - the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Since 1991 - the Republic of Chuvashia as part of the Russian Federation. The capital of the republic is Cheboksary.

Where do the Chuvash live and what language do they speak?

The bulk of the Chuvash (814.5 thousand people, 67.7% of the region’s population) live in the Chuvash Republic. It is located in the east of the East European Plain, mainly on the right bank of the Volga, between its tributaries Sura and Sviyaga. In the west the republic borders with Nizhny Novgorod region, in the north - with the Republic of Mari El, in the east - with Tatarstan, in the south - with the Ulyanovsk region, in the southwest - with the Republic of Mordovia. Chuvashia is part of the Volga Federal District.

Outside the republic, a significant part of the Chuvash live compactly in Tatarstan(116.3 thousand people), Bashkortostan(107.5 thousand), Ulyanovskaya(95 thousand people) and Samara(84.1 thousand) regions, in Siberia. A small part is outside the Russian Federation,

The Chuvash language belongs to Bulgarian group of the Turkic language family and represents the only living language of this group. In the Chuvash language, there is a high ("pointing") and a lower ("pointing") dialect. On the basis of the latter, a literary language was formed. The earliest was the Turkic runic alphabet, replaced in the X-XV centuries. Arabic, and in 1769-1871 - Russian Cyrillic, to which special characters were then added.

Features of the appearance of the Chuvash

From an anthropological point of view, most Chuvash belong to the Caucasoid type with a certain degree of Mongoloidity. Judging by research materials, Mongoloid features dominate in 10.3% of the Chuvash. Moreover, about 3.5% of them are relatively pure Mongoloids, 63.5% belong to mixed Mongoloid-European types with a predominance of Caucasoid features, 21.1% represent various Caucasoid types, both dark-colored and fair-haired and light-eyed, and 5.1 % belong to the sublaponoid type, with weakly expressed Mongoloid characteristics.

From a genetic point of view, the Chuvash are also an example of a mixed race - 18% of them carry the Slavic haplogroup R1a1, another 18% carry the Finno-Ugric N, and 12% carry the Western European R1b. 6% have the Jewish haplogroup J, most likely from the Khazars. The relative majority - 24% - bears haplogroup I, characteristic of northern Europe.

Elena Zaitseva

The Chuvash folk religion refers to the pre-Orthodox Chuvash faith. But there is no clear understanding of this faith. Just as the Chuvash people are not homogeneous, the Chuvash pre-Orthodox religion is also heterogeneous. Some Chuvash believed in Thor and still do. This is a monotheistic faith. There is only one Torah, but in the Torah belief there is Keremet. Keremet- This is a relic of the pagan religion. The same pagan relic in the Christian world as the celebration of the New Year and Maslenitsa. Among the Chuvash, keremet was not a god, but an image of evil and dark forces, to whom sacrifices were made so that they would not touch people. Keremet when literally translated it means “faith in (god) Ker.” Ker (name of god) to have (faith, dream).

Perhaps some believe in Tengrism; what it is is not entirely clear. Tengriism, in Chuvash tanker, actually means ten(faith) ker(name of god), i.e. “faith in the god Ker.”

There was also a pagan religion with many gods. Moreover, each settlement and city had its own main god. Villages, cities, and peoples were named after these gods. Chuvash - sounds Chuvash Syavash (Sav-As literally means “aces (god) Sav”), Bulgars - in Chuvash pulhar ( pulekh-ar- literally means “people (of God) pulekh”), Rus - Re-as(literally means “aces (god) Ra”), etc. In the Chuvash language, in myths, there are references to pagan gods - Anu, Ada, Ker, Savni, Syatra, Merdek, Tora, Ur, Asladi, Sav, Puleh and others. pagan gods identical with the gods ancient Greece, Babylonia or Rus'. For example, the Chuvash god Anu (Babylonian -Anu), Chuv. Ada (Babylon. - Adad), Chuv. Torah (Babylon. - Ishtor (Ash-Torah), Chuv. Merdek (Babylon. Merdek), Chuv. Savni (Babylon. Savni), Chuv. Sav (Greek Zeus -Sav- as, Russian Savushka).

Many names of rivers, cities and villages are named after gods. For example, the Adal (Volga) River ( Ada-ilu means the god of Hell), the river Syaval (Civil) ( Sav –ilu- god Sav), river Savaka (Sviyaga) ( Sav-aka- meadows of the god Sav), the village of Morkash (Morgaushi) ( Merdek-ash- god Merdek), city of Shupashkar (Cheboksary) ( Shup-ash-kar- the city of the god Shup), the village of Syatrakassi (street (of the god) Syatra) and much more. All Chuvash life is permeated with relics of pagan religious culture. Today we do not think about religious culture, and religion in life modern man does not take first place. But to understand ourselves, we must understand the people's religion, and this is impossible without restoring the history of the people. In my small homeland (the village of Tuppai Esmele, Mariinsky Posad district), Orthodoxy was forcibly adopted in the mid-18th century, which led to a decrease in the village population by 40%. The Chuvash have always been adherents of their antiquity and did not accept the forced imposition of another culture and religion.

An examination of folk religion shows a layering of three types of religions:

• Monotheistic belief in the god Thor.
• An ancient pagan faith with many gods - Sav, Ker, Anu, Ada, Pulekh.
• Monotheistic faith Tengrinism is a belief in the god Tenker, nothing more than a belief in the god Ker, which is possibly the result of the development of a pagan religion with its transformation into a monotheistic one with the god Ker.

IN different parts In Chuvashia and the Russian Federation there are relics of these types of religion, respectively, rituals differ and there is cultural diversity. Moreover, this diversity is also accompanied by linguistic diversity. Thus, there is evidence to suggest that this diversity is due to the influence of different cultures or peoples. But as historical analysis has shown, this assumption is incorrect. In fact, such diversity is due to the fact that only one culture, one people, but different tribes of this people, who went through different historical paths, participated in the ethnogenesis of the Chuvash people.

The ancestors of the Chuvash are the Amorites, the biblical people, three or four waves of Amorite migration to different eras settled on the middle Volga, going through different historical paths of development. To understand the history of the Chuvash, it is necessary to trace the history of the Amorites from the 40th century BC. to 10th century AD In the 40th century BC. our ancestors, the Amorites, lived in the territory of western Syria, from there, for almost 5 thousand years, the Amorites settled throughout the world, spreading their pagan faith and culture, which was the most progressive at that time. The Amorite language is considered a dead language. Until the beginning of AD. On the vast Eurasian continent, two main religions dominated - Celto-Druid and pagan. The bearers of the first were the Celts, the bearers of the second were the Amorites. The border of the spread of these religions ran through Central Europe - the Druids dominated to the West, and the pagans to the East, all the way to the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Modern Chuvash culture and language are the result of thousands of years of history of the Amorite people, whose descendants are the Chuvash people. The history of the Chuvash is very complex and varied. There are many hypotheses and theories of the origin of the Chuvash, which at first glance are contradictory. All historians agree that the ancestors of the Chuvash were Savirs (Suvaz, Suvars). Many historical documents speak about this people, but geographically they are located in all parts of the Eurasian continent - from the Barents Sea to the Indian Ocean, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. Modern Russian spelling the name of the Chuvash people, and the self-name of the people is Syavash, which consists of two parts Sav and Ash. The first part denotes the name of the god, the second part denotes the type of people - the Ases. (You can read in detail about the aces in the Scandinavian epic). In the Chuvash language the sound is often With is replaced by w. Thus, the Chuvash always considered themselves subjects of the god Sav, or the Chuvash can be called Sav aces. Often these myths mentioned words that were not used in everyday life. Coming home, I asked my father the meaning of these words and why they are not used now. For example, rotatkan, as the father explained, this is an old Chuvash word for squirrel; in the modern Chuvash language the word paksha is used. Spanekappi was originally from the Chuvash from the Mari Trans-Volga region, where ancient Chuvash words and pagan myths were probably preserved. For example, the ancient Chuvash word meshkene, means slave, also not found in modern language, but was used in ancient Babylon and is also an Amorite word. I did not come across this word in conversation, but heard it only from the lips of Spanecappi.

Spanekappi told myths about a world tree with two peaks, an owl sits on one peak, an eagle sits on the other, how there is a sacred spring at the roots of this tree, running along the branches rotatkan, and gnaws the leaves pumpkin. The top of the tree touches the sky. (In our village on Cape Tanomash there is such a tree, a sacred spring flows at the roots.) God lives in the sky Anu, people, animals live on the earth, and reptiles live underground. This myth is very similar to the Scandinavian epic. It's also called a squirrel rotatkan. World tree - ash ikktorsil, if translated from the Chuvash language, this literally means two-vertex.

Spanecappi told me about the hero Chemen, and as I grew up I started looking for historical prototype hero Chemen and came to the conclusion that this was the commander Semen, in whose honor the city of Semender was named.

Spanecappi told about a hero (I don’t remember his name), who performed feats, traveled to the underworld, where he fought and defeated various monsters, traveled to the heavenly world to the gods and competed with them. I remembered all these myths several decades later, when I read about the exploits of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamian mythology, they were so similar.

But I always had a question to which I could not find an answer, why the Chuvash do not have a full-fledged pagan epic. Studying historical material and reflection led me to the conclusion that this is the result of the complex history of the people. The tales, myths and legends that Spanecappi told us as a child were much richer than those recorded and printed in books. But these myths are characteristic only of the Chuvash of the Mari Trans-Volga region, who differed from the rest of the Chuvash, both in mythology, language, and in appearance - fair-haired and tall.

Attempts to understand, reflection and study of historical material allowed me to come to certain conclusions, which I want to present here.

The modern Chuvash language contains a large number of Turkic words from the Bulgarian language. In the Chuvash language, there are often two parallel words that have the same meaning - one from Turkic, the other from ancient Chuvash. For example, the word potato is denoted by two words - sier ulmi (Chuv) and paranka (Turks), cemetery - syava (Chuv) and masar (Turks). Appearance large quantity Turkic words are due to the fact that when the Bulgars accepted Islam, part of the Bulgars refused to accept Islam and remained in the old religion, and mixed with the pagan Chuvash.

Many researchers classify the Chuvash language as a Turkic language. language group, I don't agree with this. If the Chuvash language is purified from the Bulgar component, then we will get the ancient Chuvash language, which turns out to be an Amorite language.

Here I want to give my point of view about the history of the Chuvash, which begins in the 40th century BC. In the 40th century BC. The ancestors of the Chuvash Amorites lived in the territory of modern western Syria. (Remember the mention of frescoes in Syria). From the 40th century BC. Amorite tribes begin to intensively settle throughout the world. There is information about the migration of the Amorites in the 40th century BC. to the west, to northern Africa, where they, together with the Luwian tribes, participated in the formation of the first Egyptian kingdoms.

In the 30th century BC. the following Amorian tribes called Carians(the main god of the Ker tribe) invaded the Mediterranean, settled the Mediterranean islands, part of the Balkan Peninsula and the Etruscan tribe (Ada-ar-as - means the people of the god Hell) - part of modern Italy. There are common elements of the culture of the Etruscans and the Caucasian Savirs. For example, the Etruscans have a ritual battle of warriors (gladiators) over the grave of the deceased, and the Savirs have a ritual battle of relatives with swords over the deceased.

In the 16th century BC. next Amorite tribe Thorians(who are called the Northern Greek tribe, the main god is Thor) invaded the north of the Balkan Peninsula. All these tribes, together with the Indo-European tribes (Pelasgians, Achaeans), participated in the creation of the Cretan, Greek and Roman civilizations with pagan religion and culture. Scientists are still struggling with the solution to Cretan writing. Last year, Americans came to the conclusion that Cretan writing is a variety of Greek. But in fact it is one of the varieties of Amorite writing and is written in the Amorite language.

Between the 30th and 28th centuries BC. The Amorite tribes migrated east, passed through Mesopotamia without stopping, where there was a strong Sumerian state, moved further east and reached northwestern China. Arriving in the Tufyan depression, they created the civilization of the Turfyan chamois (Turkhan Sier) and settled Tibet. These same Amorites captured the entire territory of China, created the first Chinese state and the first royal dynasty in China, ruled for about 700 years, but were then overthrown. The Amorites who arrived differed in appearance from the Chinese - tall, fair-haired. Subsequently, the Chinese, having come to power, decided to crowd out memories of the rule of the aliens from their memory; it was decided to destroy all references to the rule of the Amorites. Already in later times in the 14th century BC. The Amorites were forced to leave the Turfian depression. Due to tectonic movements (new mountain building), the appearance of northwestern China changed, and the depressions were flooded. The Amorites migrated to the north - to Siberia, to the West - to Altai, and to the south. Centuries later, after the cessation of tectonic movements, the Amorites again populated northwestern China and, already at the beginning of our era, came to Europe as part of an alliance of tribes called the Huns, the main role in this alliance was occupied by the Savirs. The Huns brought faith - Tengrism, which is the development of the pagan religion of the Amorites and its transformation into a monotheistic one, where there was one god Tenker (Tenker - from Chuvash means god Ker). Only part of the Savirs settled in the middle Volga, where the Amorites of the first wave of migration, who came from Mesopotamia, already lived; part went to Western Europe.

In the 20th century BC. a more powerful flow of Amorite migration was again directed to the east. Under the pressure of this migration, the weakened Sumerian-Akkadian state fell. Arriving in Mesopotamia, the Amorites created their own state with Babylon as its capital. Before the arrival of the Amorites, there was only a small village on the site of Babylon. But the Amorites did not destroy the Sumerian-Akkadian cultural heritage, as a result of the synthesis of the Sumerian-Acadian and Amorite cultures, a new one emerged - the Babylonian culture. The first Amorite kings took Akkadian names for themselves. Only the fifth Amorite king took the Amorite name - Hamurappi, which is translated from Chuvash as “elder of our people.” Writing and correspondence were conducted in Akkadian, a language related to Amorite. Therefore, practically no documents in the Amorite language have survived. The modern Chuvash language and culture have a lot in common with the Amorite culture and the language of Babylonia from the 20th to the 10th centuries BC. In the 10th century BC. The Amorites were driven out of Mesopotamia by the more warlike Aramean tribes. The departure of the Amorites from Mesopotamia was associated with a change in the culture and economic structure of this region, a change in diet, etc. For example, the Amorites brewed beer, with their departure brewing was replaced by winemaking.

The Amorites went north - they populated the territory of the Caucasus and further to the north of the European Plain and to the east - the Iranian Plateau. On European plain The Amorites are mentioned by Herodotus (5th century BC) under the name Sauromats (sav-ar-emet), which literally translated from Chuvash means “the people who believe in (the god) Sav.” Emet in the Chuvash language means dream, faith. It was the Sauromats, from my point of view, who made up the first wave of migrants, our ancestors, who settled on the Volga. The Sauromatians were pagans; the Sauromatians settled over a vast Eurasian territory. It was they who brought to the Eurasian territory the names of rivers, mountains, and places, the meaning of which is now unclear. But they are understandable from the Amorite language. Moscow (Me-as-kekeek – from Amorite “homeland of the Ases (god) Me, kevek -homeland)”, Dnieper (te en-eper – “road of the country (god) Te”, eper - road), Oder, Vistula, Tsivil, Sviyaga, etc. The Amorite name is Kremlin (Ker-am-el from Amorean “sacred land (of god) Ker”), the Slavic name of the fortress is Detinets. The Chuvash of the Mari Trans-Volga region, who are different from the rest of the Chuvash, may not have mixed with the Amorites of the later migration to the Volga (Huns and Savirs) from other regions.

It is with this stream of Amorite migrants (Sauromats) that paganism is associated in the Chuvash culture, but it was forced out of life by the Amorites of later and numerous migration streams. Therefore, I learned Chuvash pagan mythology only from the lips of Spanecappi, who was from the Chuvash Mari Trans-Volga region, where the influence of later Amorite migrants had no effect.

The next wave of Amorite migrants who came to the Volga were the Huns, some of whom settled in the territory of related tribes, brought Tengrism, and some went west. For example, a tribe called the Suevi, led by the leader Cheges, went west and settled in the south of France and Spain; the Suevi later participated in the ethnogenesis of the French and Spaniards. It was they who brought the name Sivilya (Sav-il, means the god Sav).

The next wave of Amorite migration was the resettlement of the Savirs, who lived in the northern Caucasus. Many people identify the Caucasian Savirs as the Hunnic Savirs, but they probably settled in the Caucasus when forced out of Mesopotamia back in the 10th century BC. By the time of the resettlement, the Savirs had already abandoned the pagan religion and adopted Christianity. The Savir princess Chechek (flower) became the wife of the Byzantine emperor Isaurian V, adopted Christianity and the name Irina. Later, after the death of the emperor, she became empress and actively took part in the canonization of Orthodoxy. In the Caucasus (Chuvash name Aramazi), the Savirs converted to Christianity in 682. The adoption of Christianity was forced, the king of all Savir Elteber (in Chuvash this title sounded yaltyvar, literally from Chuvsh means “to carry out customs”) Alp Ilitver cut down sacred trees and groves, destroyed idols, executed all the priests, and made crosses from the wood of sacred trees. But the Savirs did not want to convert to Christianity. The disunited Savirs, with the adoption of a new religion, could not resist the Arab invasion after 24 goals in 706. Before the adoption of Christianity, the Savirs were a very warlike people, constantly participating in wars with the Arabs and Persians and emerging victorious. The basis of the belligerence and courage of the Savirs was their religion, according to which the Savirs were not afraid of death, only warriors who died in battle with enemies went to heaven in the divine country. With the adoption of Christianity, the psychology and ideology of the people changed. A similar process occurred with the Norwegians and Swedes (Vikings) after the adoption of Christianity.

The Arabs marched through the country of the Savirs with sword and fire, destroying everything, especially destroying the Christian faith. The Savirs were forced to go north, settling from the Dnieper to the Volga and further to the Aral Sea. And within a decade, these Savirs created a new state - Great Khazaria, which occupied the territory of settlement of the Caucasian Savirs, Hunnic Savirs and their allies (Magyars). In the 9th century, a military coup took place in Khazaria, the military and the Jews came to power, state religion became Judaism. After this, the state of Khazaria became an alien and hostile state for the Savirs, and Civil War. The Oguzes were called in to maintain power. Without the support of the population, Khazaria did not exist for long.

The invasion of the Arabs led to the Savirs moving away from the pagan religion due to the destruction of the priests who were in charge of the customs, but the new Christian religion did not have time to gain a foothold among the people and took the form of a monotheistic religion of faith in the Torah. The last wave of migration was the most numerous. The resettlement of the Savirs from the Caucasus (from the Aramazi Mountains - translated from Chuvash as - “land (am) of the people (ar) ases (az)”) is spoken of in myths. In the myth, the Chuvash hastily left their place of residence along the Azamat Bridge, which rested at one end on the Aramazi Mountains and the other on the Volga banks. The Savirs, having migrated with their still unsettled religion, forgot about Christ, but moved away from the pagan religion. Therefore, the Chuvash have practically no full-fledged pagan mythology. The pagan myths told by Spanecappi were probably introduced by the Amorites of the first wave of migration (Sauromatians), and were preserved only in inaccessible areas, such as the Mari Trans-Volga region.

As a result of the mixing of three streams of descendants of the Amorites and synthesis, they received the pre-Orthodox faith of the Chuvash. As a result of the synthesis of three waves of migration of the descendants of the Amorites (Sauromatians, Savirs, Huns), we have a variety of language, differences in appearance, and culture. The predominance of the last wave of migration over others led to the fact that paganism and Tengrism were practically forced out. Savirs from the Caucasus migrated not only to the Volga, a large group migrated and settled on the vast territory of modern Kyiv, Kharkov, Bryansk, Kursk regions, where they created their own cities and principalities (for example, the principality of Novgorod of Siversky). They, together with the Slavs, participated in the ethnogenesis of Russians and Ukrainians. Back in the 17th century AD, they were mentioned under the name of stellate sturgeon. The Russian cities of Tmutarakan, Belaya Vezha (translated literally from Chuvash as “the land of (god) Bel”), Novgorod Siversky were Savir cities.

There was another wave of Amorite migration, at the turn of two eras. This wave may not have led to the settlement of the Amorites on the Volga. The Amorites went far to the north of the European continent - to the north of Russia and to Scandinavia under the name Svear, partly from Scandinavia they were forced out by the Germanic tribes of the Goths, who crossed to the continental part of Europe in the 3rd century AD. created the state of Germanrich, which later fell under the onslaught of the Huns (Savirs). The Svears with the remaining Germanic tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Swedes and Norwegians, and the Svears on the European territory of Russia, together with the Finno-Ugrians and Slavs, participated in the ethnogenesis of the Russian people of the north, in the formation Novgorod Principality. The Chuvash call the Russians “roslo”, which literally means “mountain aces” (along the upper reaches of the Volga), and the Chuvash call themselves “aces”, believers of the god Sav. It was the participation of the Savirs in the ethnogenesis of the Russian people that brought many Chuvash words into the Russian language - top (Russian) - vir (Chuv.), lepota (Russian) - lep (Chuv.), pervy (Russian) - perre (Chuv.) , table (Russian) - setel (Chuv.), cat (Russian) - sash (Chuv.), city (Russian) - map (Chuv.), cell (Russian) - keel (Chuv.), bull ( Russian) - upkor (Chuv.), edge (Russian) - upashka (Chuv.), honey mushroom (Russian) - uplyanka (Chuv.), thief (Russian) - voro (Chuv.), prey (Russian) ) - tuposh (Chuv.), cabbage (Russian) - kuposta (Chuv.), father (Russian) - atte (Chuv.), kush (Russian) - kushar (Chuv.), etc.

It is necessary to note the invasion of the Amorites from the Iranian plateau into India. This invasion occurred in the 16th-15th century BC. The invasion may have taken place in conjunction with Indo-European peoples and is referred to in history as the Aryan Invasion. With the arrival of the Amorites, the weakened Harappan state fell and the newcomers created their own state. The Amorites brought a new religion and culture to India. In the Mahabharata there is an early mention of the Savirs together with the Sindhis. IN ancient times the territory of the Sinds was known as Sovira. In the ancient Vedas there are many words similar to Chuvash, but modified. (For example, how the name of the city Shupashkar was modified in the Russian spelling of Cheboksary). The sacred pillar is called yupa, among the Chuvash it is also called yupa. The fifth book of the Vedas about biography is Puran (Puran from Chuvash - life), the book of the Vedas Atharva about treatment from Chuvash means (Ut - horvi, from Chuvash - protection of the body), another book of the Vedas is Yajur (yat-sor - earthly name).