Origin and Escape of the Tuwa people

The light of a candle illuminates our ger. We sit by the warming stove during outdoors with minus 34°C hardly visible ice-crystals whirl by the air.

It must have been hard for your grandparents and parents at that time they have fled from Russia. Has your father reported you about this time?, I ask and hope to hear from Ultsan the history of his people.

“Yes, the old people have often spoken about it. But to understand more around our escape from Russia I must wander a little in the past”, says Ultsan. “With pleasure, we are very interested in the history of your people”, I answer. “Now then you should know that the region my people lived on 13th to the 18th century was controlled by the Mongols. The centre of our country lay approx. 400 kilometers to the west of here on a raised plateau which of the mountain ranges Sajan and Tannu-Ola is enclosed. This is the highest elevation of the Sajan ranges in the southeast of today’s Siberia recumbent massif of the Munku-Sardyk with a height of 3.491 meters. It is a miraculous country where nature presented us with plentiful hunting prey. During the Chinese revolution in 1911 the Manchu dynasty finally broke down, the Mongols seized the chance to explain themselves independently from China. As a result the territory Urjanchai, the region we come from became independence. Already in 1914 the 170 500 square kilometer land part became a Russian protective area and during the Russian civil war of 1918-1920 we people of the Tuwa did use the weakness of the Russians to keep our independence.”

“But, the Tuwinen tripe is not only Tsataan people? There are different ethnic groups living in this region. Is that right?” “That’s right. Half of the people living there are Russians. I have read that the other half of the Tuwinen is Turkish-speaking people with a Tibetan Buddhist religion. However, you have your own language and religion?” „No we speak the same language have only another dialectî. “And an other religion?” “Yes, our religion is Shamanism”, explains the young man. “How does it go on then in the history of the country? I hope you know it till the today’s time?” “Yes, I have read about my people and have heard as said a lot from my father”.

“After our independence in 1920 it became already in 1921 National republic of Tannu Tuva exclaimed. As a result our country got in the influence of Soviet sphere. Catastrophically it became for us only in 1944. Then our republic of Tannu Tuva was assigned to the socialist Soviet republics an autonomous administrative area.” “Why?” “What have the Russians done with you to release the escape of your tribe?”, it interests me. “Since a long time the Russians undertook big strains to make the nomadic tribes established. They did not like people moving uncontrollably by the area. For us, however, the thought to be established was completely against our life style, that is why we withdrew with our reindeers more and more into the forest. When we heard from the fact that we should move in the Second World War for the Russians, about one third of the tripe decided to flee in the south. With war and fight we wanted to have nothing to do. The escape succeeded only if we were as fast as possible, without giving somebody the chance to get to know about our plans, to round up our animals and go. My grandfather left even his younger sister back. At the time of the escape she was at school. Thus the families were separated. Parents left behind their children, brothers their sisters. It was a tragedy. Many of our people also did not want to flee and remained. Thus it came that our people are separated till this day. Even 67 years after our escape nothing has changed. My grandfather, for example, has till his death never seen his sister again.”

“This is a really sad story. Could you not go back after the regime had changed in Russia?”

“So far I know my forefathers knew not at that they had crossed the border to Mongolia. This has happened more or less by mistake. When I ride these days with my reindeers through the mountains I discover at the most unconventional places remains of old camps. My forefathers have hidden with their tepees behind rock projections, in gulches, in mountain slopes and in the thick woods of the taiga.
They were certain to be still on Russian ground. Only when in the 50s the borders were anew measured between Mongolia and Russia, it came consciously to them to be in Mongolia. Therefore the return in their native country had become impossible. They would have had to cross the border once more illegally, without passports and proofs. Unfortunately, the Mongols also did not want to have us. They tried to push us away. Suddenly we were people without country. Only in 1956 the politics changed in Mongolia and my people got the important Mongolian citizenship.”

“Then you people are separate by a border now?” “Yes we are.” “How did it go on then? I mean after you were officially Mongols?” “Under the communist management at that time the place Tsagaan Nuur was founded. Our children were made to go to school there. What the Russians had not created the Mongolian government put into action. They forced us to stop the nomadic live style. Already only thereby because our children had to go to school the parents were not able any more to get out with the reindeers. Only singles of us lived in the taiga and looked after our animals. Therefore our several thousand year-old culture was finished.” “But many of you have returned later again in the taiga and in summer even nearly every Tuwa lives again with the reindeer herd. How did this come?” “This was because of the breakdown of the Soviet Union. There was in Mongolia no more work. Everything has collapsed. There was nothing to eat. We had to starve. As a result many of us have moved again in the forest. In winter live as you see, only few of us here outdoors. The most remain because of their children in Tsagaan Nuur. In summer when the children have their long holidays, we live again as earlier in a big camp. This is a nice sight if at least 17 tepees are united”, tells Ultsan. “Thank you for your story. You people had to go a long suffering way. I hope the future brings you a fantastic time”, I answer. „Now, unfortunately, the times are not very good. As you already know there is a lot in disorder. Most money of the tourists flows into other pockets. Hardly a little bit of it comes to our people. The government earns money with us and advertises in tourist advertising pamphlets with the people of the reindeer nomads, the Tsaatan. They make us promises and break them over and over again. We feel not seldom used and abusedì. “Yes, we have got during the past weeks heard something about it”, I say thoughtfully. “Even, not everything runs as we wish, the today’s time is definitely better than at that old time. My forefathers were desperately poor. During the time of the escape and the years of the hiding they had nothing. There were no clothes. They carried animal coats and our tepees were covered with animal skins and material leftovers. Except meat there was nothing to eat. No vegetables, no sweets, simply nothing.”

“The first foreigners visited us by a helicopter. I tell you, this caused a mess. All reindeers ran in the mountains, followed by the dogs and children. We had all dreadful fear of this noisy flying metal box. It lasts long till the children appeared again. Then the dogs also dared slowly again in the camp, only the reindeers kept themselves hidden. As the foreigners gave sweets to the children the spell had broken. We had never eaten such a thing in our life. It tasted strange, however, wonderfully. As years later the second helicopter landed everybody ran away again.” “In same order?”, I joke. “Yes in same order. However, the strangers gave us again sweets. At this time I have seen the first black person. Thought he has only painted his face. Today I know that this man was an American who visited us. Oh one, at this time we lived not far from the Russian border. These have been really wild times.”