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Ethnic Diversity Among the Early Doukhobors
by
Jonathan J. Kalmakoff
Pushkin,
the 19th century Russian poet once wrote, 'Turkic blood flows in all
Russian veins'. It has also been said, 'Scratch a Russian and you'll
find a Tatar'. While many present-day Doukhobors may find it difficult
to believe, it would appear that not all early Doukhobors were ethnic Russians.
As the following commentary by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff suggests, a number of different ethnic groups may have contributed to, and enriched,
our Doukhobor heritage.
At
its peak, the Russian Empire covered vast expanses of geographic territory
and encompassed many different ethnic groups, including Ukrainians, Poles,
Cossacks, Finns, Lapps, Lithuanians, Estonians, Mordvinians, Magyars, Turks,
Tatars, Meshcheryaks, Bashkirs, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Bulgars, Mongols, Kalmyks,
Buriats, Germans, Swedes, Jews and Gypies to name just a few. Throughout
history, Russians interbred with all of these ethnic groups. As these ethnic
groups assimilated and became citizens of the Russian Empire, they adopted
Russian names, dress, religion and language.
Many
Doukhobor surnames, formed in the 17th and 18th centuries, reflect the
wide ethnic diversity of the Russian Empire:
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The Kalmykov
surname is derived from kalmyk, the name of a nomadic Mongol tribe.
The surname Kasahov is derived from the term kasag, the Old
Russian name for the Circassians, a north Caucasian people. The Mordovin surname
is derived from mordva, the name of an indigenous tribe of people in
Russia. The Polyakov surname
is derived from the term polyak, meaning Pole. The surname Novokshonov is derived from the term novokreschony meaning "newly-baptised"
or "newly-converted". This term was given to those who accepted the Russian
Orthodox faith, specifically non-Christians and non-Russians such as Turks,
Tatars, Mordvins, etc.
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Several
Doukhobor surnames are formed from terms borrowed from the Turkish language.
These include: Argatov, Babaev, Balabanov, Baturin, Bulanov, Chekmarev,
Chuchmaev, Chuval'deev, Kurbatov, Makhortov, Saburlev, Sadkov, Zibarev
and others. While these surnames do not necessarily indicate Turkish family
origins, they reveal Turkic cultural and linguistic influences at the time
of their formation.
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Several Doukhobor surnames are formed from Mordvinian
personal names. These include: Kinyakin, Kitaev, Kochatov, Kunavin, Kuchaev
and Varakin.
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A number
of Doukhobor surnames are clearly Ukrainian in form or derivation. These include: Arishchenkov (Arishchenko),
Atamanenko, Barovsky (Oborovsky), Baturin (Baturinsky), Bokovoy, Bondarev, Borisenkov (Borisenko),
Butsky, Cherkashev, Chernov (Chernoy), Chernenkov (Chernenko),
Chubenko, Chutsenko, Chutsky, Dimovsky, Dyachenko, Eroshchenko, Gontarenkov (Gontarenko),
Khokhlin, Kobzenko, Kolbasov (Kolbasa),
Kolesnik, Kovalev, Krikunov (Krikun), Lavrenchenkov (Lavrenchko), Leshchenko,
Levadniy, Matveyenko, Miroshnikov,
Nagornov (Nagorniy),
Petrenko, Pogozhev (Pogozhiy), Planidin (Planida), Plokhov (Plokhiy),
Prokopenko, Remez (Remezov), Reznikov, Rudenko, Rybin (Ryban), Rybalkin, Savenkov (Savenko),
Savitskov (Savitsky), Sereda, Shtuchnov (Shtuchniy), Skibov (Skibeiko), Skripnichenko,
Skripnikov (Skripnik), Sorokin (Soroka), Svetlishnov (Svetlichniy),
Tertishnikov, Vanzhov (Vanzha), Vasilenkov (Vasilenko), Yaroshenko, Yashchenkov (Yashchenko),
Yarovenko, Zapasnoy, Zheltenkov (Zheltenko), Zlotov
(Zloty), Zubenkov (Zubenko).
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Several
Doukhobor surnames identify Cossack roots: The Kazakov surname is
derived from the term kazak, meaning "Cossack". The Esaulov
surname is derived from the term esaul, meaning a Cossack "calvary
commander". The Sotnikov surname is derived from the term sotnik,
meaning a Cossack commander of a hundred men.
In the
early 1800's, Doukhobors from across the Russian Empire settled together
in Tavria (Tauride) province. Russian archival records confirm that a significant
minority of these settlers were of Ukrainian, Cossack and Mordvinian origin:
Ukrainians from Ekaterinoslav, Sloboda-Ukraine (Kharkov), Poltava, Kherson
and Tavria provinces; Cossacks from Sloboda-Ukraine (Kharkov), the Kuban
and the Don; and Mordvins from Tambov and Penza provinces.
Doukhobor
oral tradition supports the view that individuals of non-Russian ethnic
origin settled amongst the Doukhobors at Milky Waters, Tavria province.
In his book, Toil and Peaceful Life: History of Doukhobors Unmasked,
author Semeon F. Reibin recounts how the Verigin family descended from
Tatar princes. In his book, Stories from Doukhobor History, folk
historian Eli Popoff discusses Doukhobor families of Finnish or Mordvinian
ancestry who retained their native language and customs for generations
after joining the Doukhobor movement. Popoff also discusses individuals
of Mongol ancestry who settled among the Doukhobors.
After
the Doukhobors were exiled to the Caucasus mountain region in the 1840's,
many learned to speak the native Turkic, Georgian, Armenian and Azeri tongues
of their mountain neighbours. There is no evidence to suggest the Doukhobors
intermarried with the native Caucasian peoples during this period, however
they definitely interacted with them on a daily basis.
In
the late 1890's following the "Burning of Arms", close to 100 Doukhobor
military personnel were exiled from the Caucasus to the Yakutsk district
of Siberia for refusing to bear arms. A handful of these young men married
local women of Siberian (Tagut) ancestry before they rejoined their families
in Canada in 1905.
Without
a doubt, the vast majority of Doukhobors are of Slavic Russian ethnic origin.
However there is no such thing as a "pure-bred" nationality. A number of
different ethnic groups may have contributed to, and enriched, our Doukhobor
gene-pool. There are many old photographs of dark-complexioned Doukhobors,
taken at the turn of the last century, that suggest some of us aren't as
"Russian" as we'd like to believe.
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