Ethnic identity of the Mongolian Tuvans

The Mongolian Tuvans (about 3,000 people) as an ethnic minority deserves special attention from the standpoint of relationship between the state and ethnic minorities, the civil and ethnic identities, the national majority and ethnic minorities and the preservation of their identity among the people (Kazakhs, Mongols) who are the overwhelming majority. The research reviews the ethnic identity of the Mongolian Tuvans who have different ethnic history, origins, traditional forms of economy, and the Tuvan language dialects. Nevertheless, they identify themselves as the Tuvans. The study defines the degree of the Tuvan ethnic and state identity, the relations between the Tuvans and other peoples in the region under review, the language situation in the Tuvan group.