“Turk in language, Finno-Ugric people in appearance”: on ethno-cultural discourse of northern Altaians in Altai Republic

The article is concerned with the problem of ethnic identity formation of the northern Altaians (Tubalars, Chelkans, Kumandins). The authors also deal with the process of “Finno-Ugric” identity actualization in Northern groups as different from southern Altaians with the focus on the role executed by the revival movement of ethnic leaders and the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the Altai Republic. The attempt to assert the “Finnish style” is based on the records of the first travelers, post-Soviet scientific collections, and Internet sites devoted to the northern group. Ethnic “otherness” is supported by the peculiar composition of the Seok-kin system and by appurtenance to the Uralic anthropological type and dialect. The latter two elements were a result of the Finno-Samoyed influence. Small numbers, losing their traditional culture in its basic features and the ever growing number of mixed marriages contribute to the process of ethnic decomposition. Ethnic and cultural discourse has unfolded the policy of collective identity development for Altaic Turkic groups. This community, traditional at its core, has long taken the path of inevitable modernization and Europeanization as Russification by learning ethnically neutral values and standards of behavior. Complexity of the inter-group relations indicates a need for common revival strategy against the background of the ethnic and cultural discourse.