Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-25
kALMUCkS ARE A
DYING RACE, IS
PEOPLE 8 CLAIM
Out of 100000 Only About
100000 Survive and
the Remainder Cannot
Lonq Survive, Is Belief.
BY W. HOWARD RAMSEY,


Asrakhan, sept. 24.-"The Kali
mucks are a dying race" This
statement l heard repeated again
and again this summer as travel
ed along the lower reaches Of the
Volga and visited the villages on
the steppes of southeastern Rus
STA.
A school teacher in Astrakhan,
a man Of intelligence and apparent
cultureS informed me that already
half of the Kalmucks had been
wiped out and that the remainder
could not long survive. Accord
ing to his figures there were only
about 100000 of them left of the
100000 who roamed the steppes
and lived in patriarchal simplici-
ty, with their cattle and herds of
sheep and goats, moving from place
10 place as the old pastures became
poorer.
While these figures are doubtless
inaccurate, in view of the fact that
the official census of the Kalmucks
in Russia, in 1897, showed only
$4,000, there is no doubt that the
past few weeks have sadly reduced
the tribes and that their economic
life has been as seriously affected
as that Of any of the numerous
races inhabiting the old Russian
empire.
The Kalmucks are and always
have been since history first re-
cords their appearance in Europe,
a cattle raising and nomadic peo-
pie. OF Mongolian origin, they
brought to Russia their own relig-
ion, the Buddhist, and in the few
places where they have formed
permanent settlements Buddhist
temples are still their places of
worship.
Before the war" my Astrakhan
friend informed me, "a Kalmuck
who owned a thousand head Of cat
tie, a hundred horses and five
thousand sheep, was counted
poor KalmucK. There were many
who numbered their flocks and
herds by the tens of thousands, but
those days have gone by.
Their herds now are reduced TO
less than ten per cent of their for
mer numbers. A number of causes
have operated to bring about this
result. Many horses were requisi-
toned for the army during the war
and many OF their cattle were
slaughtered to furnish meat for the
army. The natural increase was
not sufficient to offset the loss.
"Then followed years of banditry
and famine. The Kalmucks in gem
eral do not cultivate the soil. They
buy the little flour they consume.
Meat is their principal food.
Drought left their herds thin and
many cattle persisted. Locusts raw
aged the steppes last year and re-
duced the available pasturage.
Kalmucks who might have claim
ed the title of cattle kings have
seen their Visible fortunes melt
away Theif riches, like those of
the patriarchs of old, were not
reckoned in shekels of gold but
in head of cattle. Their herds
were their pride.
Felt tents with earthen floors
and an opening in the roof for the
smoke to escape were their dwell
ing places, but they covered the
walls and the floors with rich ORR
entail carpets. For other luxuries
they cared not. They were content
to spend little and their chief sat
isfaction in life seemed to be to |
watch the increase of their herds. |
"They spoke their own language |
and observed their own customs. |
They were monogamus people |
and their women, who are comely, |
were noted for their chastity.
Their flocks furnished them cloth
ing, their beverage was kumyss
distilled from fermented milk, eth
err of mares or camels. They rails
ed no fowls but were clever in de-
yising snares for the birds which
abound in the region of the steppes.
Dried birds could be seen in every
hut, suspended from poles support
ing the ceiling, also dried frogs
which were considered an especial
delicacy.
"They were nominally under the
government of Russia and ac-
knowledged their fealty by paying
a nominal annual tax to Moscow,
based upon the number of huts in
each camp or village. But they
had their own chiefs, some of
whom held office hereditarily
while others were elected for life.
THE steppes were free land and
their herds graZed at will over the
vast unfenced areas, which in nor
NAL years offered abundant and
1T a.