The fur trade of the Khakass in the 19th - first half of the 20th century
Authors: Kyrzhinakov A. A. 
Published: October 2024

Fur trade played an important role in the life of the taiga Khakass. Furs were one of the equivalents of barter, they were paid yasak until the second half of the 19th century. The relevance is determined by the fact that this topic was not previously the subject of special research. The purpose is a comprehensive description of the Khakass fur trade in the 19th - first half of the 20th century. The source base was the author's field materials, museum, archival, folklore materials. The novelty of the work is the introduction into scientific circulation of field ethnographic material and photographs from the personal archive of the author, collected during the expeditionary research of the Khakass aals during the 2003-2010s, as well as a number of archival materials. An integrated approach, descriptive, typological and comparative-historical methods are used in methodological termsn integrated approach, descriptive, typological and comparative-historical methods are used in methodological terms. Furs of sable, otter and beaver's fur were considered valuable in the traditional Khakass society. The fishery was divided into two seasons. The first one started with the first snows in October and lasted until the fall of deep snow, until the end of December. The second was from January to March. In the first season of fur trade, animals were mainly extracted by active hunting methods. In the 19th century firearms began to be practiced, gradually replaced the bow and arrows. A hunting dog played an important role in gun hunting. In the second season, the extraction of fur-bearing animals was practiced by passive hunting methods: crossbow, circan, dies, kulems, snares, iron traps. In the comparative historical analysis of the hunting of fur-bearing animals of the Khakass with the fur trade of the Shortsy, Tuvinians, common elements in the methods of fur extraction, organization and tools of fishing, equipment of hunters were revealed. They, like the Khakass hunters, practiced the extraction of fur-bearing animals by means of passive forms of hunting: hair loops, a die, a hook, a crossbow, iron traps, a net. They hunted with a bow and arrow, rifle hunting with a dog was common. According to the form of organization, hunters were united in an artel. There were local differences among the Turkic hunters. Fur hunting among the Khakass and Tuvinians is characterized by a walking-equestrian type, among the Shortsy it was on foot. The Tuvinians made firearms and ammunition for it themselves. Hunting ammunition was separate for everyone, but food was shared and fed from one pot. If the artel of artisans consisted of eight people, then they lived in two temporary dwellings - odag. One of them was the base where was the head of the artel and his members. He supervised the entire hunting artel, he also ensured the safety and observance of taiga customs and rituals during fishing. Vehicles are characterized by on foot-horse type. In the deep snow they went on skis, and provisions were delivered on hunting sleds. A hunting cult was developed among the hunters. Each extracted sable was celebrated with a feast of “toy”, and the extracted three hundredth squirrel was also celebrated. They performed a rite of sprinkling with Khakass kvass, the spirits of the masters of the mountains, as well as a rite of feeding the goddess of fire. According to the hunters, the spirits-masters of the mountains were the masters of wild animals, so that they were benevolent, they gave their cattle, i.e., there was luck in the fishery, they were revered. For the purpose of honoring mountain spirits, the haiji storyteller was also taken to the fishery. According to taiga laws, all hunting prey was divided equally among them and the storyteller, regardless of age and contribution to the fishery. In the first half of the 20th century fur trade gradually fades into the background and began to play a secondary role in the life of the taiga Khakass.