Adoption institution among Bashkirs in the past (based on folklore and written sources)

The following paper discusses the institution of adoption among Bashkirs in the past based on folklore and written sources. This topic is not sufficiently studied in historiography. There are not many sources on it. The main sources here are the traditions, legends, genealogical trees of Bashkir. In these sources information about the adoption of young children (Kalmyks, Nogais, Kazakhs, etc.) by Bashkirs has been preserved. All these sources in most respects reflect the realities of the 16^th – 18^th centuries. In general, they help understand the views of Bashkirs on the adoption of other peoples’ children. The analysis of the sources allowed us to conclude that orphans, abandoned, captured, etc. children among Bashkirs were considered as being marked with a divine sign. Adopted children would become full members of the Bashkir community. It is assumed that the institution of adoption was widespread enough before the Bashkirs joined the Russian state. Materials confirm that the adoption was associated with the custom of obtaining the fruit of a noble person. Adoption was one of the ways to incorporate other ethnic groups in the Bashkir people. The historical roots of the institution of adoption needs a further study.