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KhakasThe Khakas, a Turkic people, live in Russia, in the republic of Khakassia in the southern Siberia. They speak the Khakas language, which belongs to the family of Turkic languages. Overview The Khakas people account for only about 12% of the total population of the republic (78,500 as of 1989 Census). In Russia, the Khakas are also known under other names, used mostly in historic contexts: Minusinsk Tatars (Russian: минуси́нские тата́ры), Abakan Tatars (абака́нские тата́ры), and Yenisei Turks. Traditional economy The Khakas people traditionally practiced nomadic herding, agriculture, hunting, and fishing. The Beltir people specialized in handicraft as well. Herding sheep and cattle is still common, although the republic became more industrialized over time. History In the 17th century, the Khakas formed Khakassia in the middle of the lands of Yenisei Kirghiz, who at the time were vassals of a Mongolian ruler. The Russians arrived shortly after the Kirghiz left, and an inflow of Russian agragian settlers began. In the 1820s, gold mines started to be developed around Minusinsk, which became a regional industrial center. During the 19th century, many Khakas accepted the Russian ways of life and were converted to Russian Orthodox Christianity. Shamanism, however, is also common. During the Revolution of 1905, a movement towards autonomy developed. When Soviets came to power in 1923, the Khakas National District was established, and various ethnic groups (Beltir, Sagai, Kachin, Koibal, and Kyzyl) were artificially "combined" into one—the Khakas. The National District was reorganized into Khakas Autonomous Oblast, a part of Krasnoyarsk Krai, in 1930. The republic of Khakassia in its present form was established in 1992. See also: Music of Khakassia
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