Self-identification of the Kumandins of the city of Biysk

The article addresses to the characteristic of the self-identification of the Kumandins, the residents of Biysk. The research is based on the data of a sociological survey and the author’s field materials. It is shown that Kumandins clearly identify themselves and their parents as the Kumandin people with rare exceptions. They distinguish themselves from the Altaians on the basis of culture, language, and other features. The Kumandin residents of Gorno-Altaisk also distinguish themselves from the Altaians. Several interviewees noted the commonality of the area of residence, background, appearance, but not origin, culture, and language. The interviewees believe that Kumandins themselves are united by anthropological features, customs and traditions, historical past, language, native land and nature, and culture. At the same time, Kumandins consider the language as the most important factor in preserving the ethnic community. Due to a complex of reasons, ethnoconsolidating factors are being leveled at present. Anyway, the interest in the national history and culture remains. In particular, almost a third of the respondents (mostly representatives of the older generation) retain the memory of the seoks. It is assumed that the efforts of Kumandinian public organizations (in particular, the Altai regional public organization "Association of the Kumandins of Altai") will create conditions for the preservation of culture, customs and traditions in a modified form with respect to modern realities within the framework of ethnic holidays. Integration of the urban Kumandin residents into Russian society under conditions of dispersed pattern of settlement causes the loss of knowledge about the native culture, the spread of interethnic marriages and a neutral attitude towards such families, the reduction of the language environment to the level of interfamily communication and the leveling of language competencies.