Betyuns-wolves: structure, settlement and totemic representations of the wolf clans of Yakutia in the 1632-1917's

The subject of the study is the generic composition, places of settlement and totemic representations of the Betyunsky clans of Yakutia. The purpose of the study is to study the ethnic history and the formation of the Betyun people as a tribal group. The following tasks have been solved within the framework of the study: 1) to determine the history of the settlement of the Betyun people; 2) to consider the features of the tribal structure; 3) to identify totemic representations, their plot orientation and changes; 4) to characterize the economic structure. The source base is based on previously published, but also on a significant number of unpublished archival sources. Folklore material made it possible to systematize genealogical information and totemic representations. Cartographic material was used to clarify the issue of the settlement area. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, dialectics and objectivity. The method of source analysis made it possible to establish the information potential of the identified documents, to assess and use them. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that, based on the involvement of a wide range of sources, an attempt has been made to reconstruct the ancestral composition, places of settlement and totemic representations of the Betyun people. The results of the study will help to organize information about the process of division and separation from indigenous tribes and clans and the formation of new administrative-territorial units among the Betyunsky Yakuts. Based on the results of the work, it was concluded that further research is necessary due to the presence of a large number of unpublished documents. The research materials can be used in the process of teaching historical disciplines, developing textbooks, conducting separate and generalizing studies on the history of Yakutia.

Yakutia, Namsky ulus, Amginsky ulus, betyuns, yakuts, nasleg, clans, administrative-territorial structure, totemism, review of documents