Tofalar

Tofalars (Тофалары, тофа (tofa) in Russian; formerly known as карагасы, or Karagas), or the "Tofa people", are a Turkic people in the Irkutsk Oblast in Russia.  Their origins, Tofa language, and culture are close to those of the eastern Tuvans-Todzhins.  Before the 1917 October Revolution, the Tofalars used to be engaged in nomadic, living in the taiga; they engaged in reindeer husbandry and hunting.  The Tofalars were resettled by the Soviet government by 1932.  Young Tofalars learned Russian at new Soviet-built schools, while cultural traditions such as hunting and shamanism were discouraged or prohibited.  According to the 2010 census, there were 762 Tofalars in Russia (2,828 in 1926, 476 in 1959, 570 in 1970, 576 in 1979, 722 in 1989 and 837 in 2002). 

History 
The Tofalars originated from the result of Turkic, Mongol, Yeniseian, and Samoyedic peoples intermingling.  The original home of the Tofalars was on the slopes of the Sayan Mountains but they moved to their present location during the 17th century.  They currently reside in Nizhneudinsky District within Irkutsk Oblast. 

Culture 
The Tofalars used to be nomadic.  Their economy included raising reindeer, trapping, and hunting.  Shamanism was vastly important to traditional Tofalar culture and spirituality.  Most Tofalars are now settled. 

External links

 The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire
 The Tof People, the Smallest Ethnic Group in the World

References

Category:Turkic peoples of Asia
Category:Ethnic groups in Russia
Category:Indigenous peoples of North Asia
Category:Tuvans
Category:Indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East
Category:Indigenous peoples in the Arctic