# Second Chui Volost

The Second Chui Volost (Otok of Kebeks, Altan Nuur Urianghai) was a state with partial sovereignty. Most of its territory was inhabited by the Telengits, also known as Altaians-Dvoedans, because they paid taxes to the Russian Empire (before 1721, to the Tsardom of Russia) and the Qing Empire (before 1755, to the Dzungar Khanate). With such dependence, neither Russia nor China participated in the internal policy of the otok, thereby preserving its This otok was ruled by Zaisans from the Ak-Kebek dynasty.

## History

In 1687, during a military campaign, Kebegesh, the son of Kayrakan-Yarynak, came to the territory of the Altai Mountains. The Ak-Kebek dynasty descended from Kebegesh. He created the Telengit otok, which he headed himself. This state was inhabited by people who did not accept Russian citizenship, but recognized their dependence on the Qing Empire.

### Influence of the Qing Empire

During the Third Oirat-Manchurian War on the territory of Altai also began to attack the Qing warriors. Unable to defend themselves, most of the Altaians accepted Russian citizenship, meanwhile, the Zaisan of the Second Chui Volost Yarynak and the Zaisan of the First Chui Volost Telebek began to pay taxes to China. For this, the emperor officially recognized the authority of the Teles in the first otok (in the First Chui Volost), and the Ak-Kebeks in the second, equating each of the two zaisans with an official of the third rank, and later bestowed on each the title of "Ukherida".

### Obligations to Russia and China

In the 1750s, the Second Chui Volost fell into a situation in which the residents of otok had to pay taxes to two states. This situation made it possible to maneuver between the two empires and maintain limited sovereignty.
In favor of the Qing Empire, the Chui Telengites paid annual taxes. In 1757, eight Qing ambassadors arrived in the Second Chui Volost for the first time, who collected yasak at the rate of one sable per person. Later yasak for an adult male was equal to 2 skins of sable and 60 skins of squirrels. Children and the elderly were exempt from paying alman.
Telengits for the Russian Empire were obliged to pay yasak, as well as to protect the property of travelers who studied their region, in rare cases to provide Russian officials with horses. The Dvoedans had no other duties towards Russia. Also, the Russian Empire did not interfere in the management of the Second Chui Volost, which was recorded in the "Charter on the Management of Foreigners" of 1822. Because of this, the Zaisans of The Second Chui Volost had great authority among the Zaisans of the Altai dyuchins and loyal subjects of Russia Altaians.

### Joining the Russian Empire

A turning point in the history of the Second Chui Volost was a visit to Kosh-Agach Tomsk Governor Herman Gustavovich Lerche, which took place in the summer of 1864. The governor agitated local residents about joining Russia. And already January 25 [O.S. 1865] of the year The Second Chui Volost headed by zaisan Chichkan Tesegeshev is part of the Russian Empire.

## Demographics

In 1826, Alexander von Bunge visited the Second Chui Volost, and he noted that the local population is two thousand people. Vasily Radlov, who visited the dvoedants in the 1860s, said that there were from two to three thousand people. The Altai spiritual mission counted two thousand Telengits in the Volost. No one kept statistical records of the population in the Second Chui Volost until the end of the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, the population was 1,645 people.

## Geography

Vasily Radlov wrote that the Telengit nomads began above the confluence of the Yodro River with the Chuya. A large number of Dvoedans roamed the territory of the Kurai steppe. In the Chuya Steppe, they roamed in the northwestern part of it.

### The State border

As Pyotr Chikhachyov wrote, a roughly sketched pile of stones, skulls and horns of wild sheep served as the border between the Dvoedans and Tuvans. All the border guard posts were occupied by Mongol soldiers, who had the only weapon - a bow and arrow, and only some had rough-made guns.

## The system of officials

The system of officials in the Second Chui Volost looked like this:
* Zaisans or Prince is a representative of the House of Ak-Kebek, whose power was passed down from his father. The prince had a servant under his command, Kodichi, who was obliged to follow zaisan everywhere.
* Demichi is responsible for one of the administrative divisions of the volost.
* Boshko
* Kyundi - kept order in the volost.