Adaptation strategies of the Kalmyks in the second half of the 19th century: the processes of transition to a semi-settled economy

Abstract

The article highlights the issues of Kalmyks overcoming the consequences of the destruction of the nomadic system after the liquidation of the Kalmyk Khanate in 1771, which caused the massive ruin of Kalmyk nomadic families. In the 19th century, the policy of the Russian administration was aimed at the sedenterization of the Kalmyks, as well as the resettlement of peasants from the provinces of the Central Chernozem region to the Kalmyk steppe, which made it impossible for the traditional pastoral life support system of the Kalmyks to function due to the reduction of pasture territories. Since the second half of the XIX century. The Kalmyk population began to apply new adaptive strategies for survival, which led to the development of measures to adapt cattle breeding to the adverse conditions of “land famine”. The essence of this innovative strategy was the transition to semi-nomadic cattle breeding, depending on geographical and ethnocultural factors. The main measures to intensify cattle breeding among the Kalmyks were the construction of hydraulic structures for the extraction of groundwater on the routes of nomads, the construction of shelters for livestock, as well as hay harvesting in winter areas. Among other things, the above-mentioned adaptation strategy made it impossible for large ethnic groups to roam together and led to their fragmentation into smaller ones in order to be able to roam in small tribal groups in a small territory within their ulus. At the same time, all the innovations that occurred in Kalmyk cattle breeding during the second half of the XIX century. as part of the adaptation strategy, although they helped the Kalmyk people survive, they could not ensure its stable development. This semisedentary form of cattle breeding turned out to be vulnerable to any natural disasters in conditions of constant lack of water supply and lack of access to hayfields

Keywords

• history of kalmykia
• xix century
• cattle breeding
• traditional farming
• adaptation strategies
• semi-sedentary farming