The old-settler village of Koshkul: an ethnoconfessional history

This research was implemented as part of a long-term project aimed at preparation of a series of publications devoted to the history and culture of the multi-ethnic community of the Novosibirsk region in the process of its formation and development. The program is supported by the Ministry of Regional Policy of the Novosibirsk Region and is implemented on the basis of interaction with municipal museums, archives and local history structures. The content of the works is determined by archival and expeditionary ethnographic practices. The focus of research in 2022 was the old-settler village of Koshkul (Troitsky Village Council of the Chistoozerny district of the Novosibirsk region) founded in 1700. On the example of the history of the village of the 18th-21th сenturies, the mechanisms of formation and transformation of local ethno-confessional communities of Western Siberia have been defined. The phenomenon of «chaldons» is considered. Based on a systematic approach and the methods of oral history, an analysis of the composition of the old-timer population of the studied region is undertaken. The study has shown that the old-time community was complex and multicomponent initially. «Chaldons» in Koshkul denoted representatives of a community with an old-time basis and a multi-ethnic composition formed by the migrations of the 18th-19th centuries. The quasi-ethnonym «chaldons» was a form of presentation of local identity, which did not exclude ethnic, regional and national identity. One of the factors of the formation of local self-consciousness was the competition over resources (free lands), the participants of which were initially old-timers - chaldons, kerzhaks (old believers), later - Russian immigrants. The integration of Siberian rural communities into the regional, imperial administrative infrastructure and the sphere of influence of the Russian Orthodox Church during the 19th century leveled local identity. The history of the 20th century actualized ethnic and national values. Koshkul experienced periods of prosperity and decline throughout its history. At present, it is a small village with a population of just over 100 people, and centuries-old history of adapting to changing conditions.