Editing Buryats (section)

==Culture and traditions==
[[File:Irkutsk (?) - 2 men (Mongols?) carrying load on pole between their shoulders; large church in background LCCN2004708111.tif|thumb|left|Two men of Buryatia carrying load on pole between their shoulders]]
[[File:Buryat yurt in the Ethnographic Museum in Ulan Ude, Russia.jpg|thumb|Traditional wooden hut of Buryatia]]
[[File:Buryatdress.jpg|thumb|upright|Traditional Buryat dress]]

===Relationship with nature===
The Buryat national tradition is ecological by origin in that the religious and mythological ideas of the Buryat people have been based on a theology of nature. The environment has traditionally been deeply respected by Buryats due to the nomadic way of life and religious culture. The harsh climatic conditions of the region have in turn created a fragile balance between humans, society and the environment itself. This has led to a delicate approach to nature, oriented not towards its conquest but rather towards a harmonious interaction and equal partnership with it. A synthesis of [[Buddhism]] and traditional beliefs that formed a system of ecological traditions has thus constituted a major attribute of Buryat eco-culture.<ref>[http://www.unspecial.org/2013/01/buryatia-a-symbol-of-eurasia-in-the-heartland-of-baikal Esuna Dugarova. Buryatia – a symbol of Eurasia in the heartland of Baikal.] [[UN Special (magazine)]]</ref>

===Kinship and marriage===
Prior to the arrival of the Russians, Buryats lived in semi-nomadic groups scattered across the [[steppe]]s. Kinship was immensely important in Buryat society, both in spiritual and social terms. All Buryats traced their lineage to a single mythical individual, with the particular ancestor varying based upon geographical region.<ref name=":03">{{cite journal |last1=Krader |first1=Lawrence |title=Buryat Religion and Society |journal=Southwestern Journal of Anthropology |date=October 1954 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=322–351 |doi=10.1086/soutjanth.10.3.3629134 |s2cid=130687667}}</ref> Kinship also determined proximity, as neighbours were nearly always related.<ref name=":03"/> Groups of relatives that inhabited the same grazing land organized themselves into clans based on genealogy. While coalitions between clans did occur, they were infrequent and often relied on looser interpretations of kinship and relations.<ref name=":03"/>

Marriage was arranged by the family, at times occurring as early as one to two years old.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Newyear |first1=Tristra |title='Our Primitive Customs' and 'Lord Kalym': The Evolving Buryat Discourse on Bride Price, 1880–1930 |journal=Inner Asia |date=2009 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=5–22 |doi=10.1163/000000009793066596 |jstor=23614933}}</ref> A unique aspect of traditional Buryat marriage was the ''[[kalym]]'', an exchange that combined both [[Bride price|bride wealth]] and a [[dowry]].<ref name=":1" /> ''Kalym'' involved a husband exchanging an agreed number of head of cattle for his bride, while the bride's family would provide dowry in the form of a yurt and other essential household goods.<ref name=":1" /> If a husband did not have enough cattle, a period of [[bride service]] would be arranged. Polygamy was permitted, however only men of extreme wealth could afford the price of multiple wives. Marriage ceremonies involved rituals such as the bride stoking the fire in the grooms tent with three pieces of fat, and sprinkling fat upon the clothing of the groom's father.<ref name=":03"/>

The arrival of the Russians saw drastic changes to the way ''kalym'' system worked. Money became a significant part of the exchange. Over time, the price of a bride significantly increased to the point where "in the 1890s, bride price involved '400 to 600 rubles' in addition to 86–107 head of livestock, when 70 years earlier only the wealthiest Western Buryats gave 100 heads (of cattle)."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sobranie sochinenii, torn I & II [Collected Works, vols. 1 & 2]|last=Khangalov|first=M.|year=1958|location=Ulan-Ude |publisher=Buriatskoe knizhnoe izdatel'stvo (Бурятское книжное изд-во) |oclc=12559746 |pages=57}}</ref> As the situation worsened, many men engaged in multi-year work contracts with wealthy herd-owners under the promise their employer would aid them in gaining a wife.<ref name=":1" /> Later on, the ''kalym'' system fell out of favour, and was replaced by marriages arrangements based upon courtship and romantic feelings.

===Religion===
{{seealso|Buddhism in Buryatia}}

Religion today in the Republic of Buryatia is primarily divided between Russian Orthodoxy, Buddhism, and irreligious.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012|title=Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia|url=http://sreda.org/en/arena|website=Sreda}}</ref> Shamanism has undergone a revival in rural areas since Soviet repression, however it is still small. Those involved practise either [[Yellow shamanism]], [[Black shamanism]], or a mixture of the two.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shimamura |first=Ippei (島村一平) |author-link=Ippei Shimamura |year=2014 |title=The roots seekers: Shamanism and ethnicity among the Mongol Buriats |edition=English |location=Yokohama, Kanazawa, Japan |publisher=Shumpusha Publishing |isbn=9784861103971 |oclc=873448431}}</ref> Similarly, Buddhism has seen a revival among the Buryats. Construction of monasteries, training of monks, and the increasing piety of the Buryats has seen growth.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Norwicka|first1=Ewa|last2=Połeć|first2=Wojciech|date=2019|title=Religious Diversity for the Sake of Ethnic Unity? : Shamanism and Buddhism in Creating Buryat ethnic Identity|journal=[[Polish Sociological Review]]|issue=206|pages=237–247|via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>

==== Shamanism (Tengrism) ====
[[File:Khagdaev 02.jpg|thumb|Buryat [[shaman]] of [[Olkhon Island|Olkhon]], Lake Baikal]]

Buryats traditionally practised [[shamanism]], also called [[Tengrism]], with a focus on worship of nature. A core concept of Buryat shamanism is the "triple division" of the physical and spiritual world.<ref name="Quijada">{{cite journal |surname1=Quijada |given1=Jastine B.|surname2=Graber |given2=Kathryn E. |surname3=Stephen |given3=Eric |title=Finding "Their Own": Revitalizing Buryat Culture Through Shamanic Practices in Ulan-Ude |journal=Problems of Post-Communism |year=2015 |volume=62 |issue=5 |pages=258–72 |doi= 10.1080/10758216.2015.1057040 |s2cid=143106014 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10758216.2015.1057040}}</ref><ref name=":03"/> There are three divisions within the spirit world: the ''[[Tengri|tengeri]]'', the ''[[bōxoldoy]]'', and lower spirits.<ref name=":03"/> These spirits are the supreme rulers of mankind, the spirits of commoners, and the spirits of slaves respectively. In parallel to this is the concept that man is divided into three parts: the body (''beye''), the "breath and life" of a man, and the soul.<ref name=":03"/> The soul is further divided into three parts: first, second, and third. The first soul is contained within the entirety of the physical skeleton, and that damage to it damages the soul. Rituals involving the sacrifice of animals involve great care not to damage the bones, lest the deity receiving the offering reject it.<ref name=":03"/> The second soul is believed to have the power to leave the body, transform into other beings, and is stored in the organs. The third soul is similar to the second, differing only in that its passing marks the end of one's life.<ref name=":03"/>

The number three and multiples of it are deeply sacred to the Buryat. Examples of this [[numerology]] include three major yearly sacrifices, shamans prolonging the lives of the sick by three or nine years, the total number of ''tengeri'' being 99, and countless other examples.

Shamans are divided into two classes: "great" shamans of [[Arctic region]]s and "little" shamans from the [[taiga]]. Shamans often are associated with nervous disorders, and in some cases are prone to seizure.<ref name=":03"/> Shamans can also be divided into [[Sagaan Ubgen|"White" shamans]] that summon good spirits and "Black" shamans that summon malicious ones. Yellow shamanism refers to shamanistic practices that have been heavily influenced by Buddhism. Shamans exist to heal, especially in regards to psychological illnesses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Coming Together:Buryat and Mongolian Healers Meet in Post-Soviet Reality|url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/coming-togetherburyat-and-mongolian-healers-meet-post|access-date=2019-04-19|website=www.culturalsurvival.org|date=26 March 2010 }}</ref> Buryat shamanism is not necessarily hereditary, and other members of the kinship-group can receive the calling (however, shamans do keep records of their lineage, and a descendant is preferred).<ref name=":03" /> Shamans could both control and be controlled by spirits.

There are variations in belief between different traditional groups, so there is no consensus on beliefs and practices. For example, Western Buryats along the [[Kuda river]] believe in reincarnation of the third soul, likely a result of their exposure to Buddhism.

==== Buddhism ====
[[File:Dacan Iwołgiński 4.jpg|thumb|[[Ivolginsky Datsan]] is a monastery complex consisting of seven [[Buddhist temple]]s]]

A majority of the Buryats are followers of [[Buddhism in Russia|Buddhism]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name="HR"/> The Buryats converted to [[Tibetan Buddhism]] in the early eighteenth century under the influence of Tibetan and Mongolian [[Missionary|missionaries]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name="HR"/>

==== Other religions ====
A small minority of Buryats are converts to [[Christianity]]. The earliest [[Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] mission was established in [[Irkutsk Oblast|Irkutsk]] in 1731. Some Buryats converted to Christianity for material incentives while others were forcefully converted.<ref name=":2" /> Despite its presence in the area, Christianity is not perceived as a "Buryat" religion.<ref name=":4" />

===Subsistence===
Traditionally, the Buryats were semi-nomadic [[Pastoralism|pastoralists]]. Buryat nomads tended [[Herding|herds]] of [[cattle]], [[sheep]], [[goat]]s, and [[Bactrian camel|camels]].<ref name=":03"/> Buryats also relied greatly on local resources to supplement their diets. Following colonization by Russia, pastoralism was gradually replaced by agriculture. The Buryat of today are largely agrarian but most in rural areas still focus on raising [[livestock]] as their main way of surviving.

The Buryats located in Siberia are still largely focused on raising livestock due to the shortness of the growing season. They focus on the raising of dairy cattle and the growing of berries to sustain most of their diet. There are also some communities that farm various types of trees and cash crops such as wheat and rye.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=http://jsbednet.com/vol-2-no-3-4-december-2014-abstract-7-jsbed|title=Family Farming in Russian Regions, Small-Scale Agriculture and Food Supporting Russia's Food Self-Sufficiency : Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development|website=jsbednet.com|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=2019-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223134308/http://jsbednet.com/vol-2-no-3-4-december-2014-abstract-7-jsbed|url-status=dead}}</ref> On the slopes of the [[Sayan Mountains|Sayan]] and [[Altai Mountains|Altai]] Mountains, there are communities whose way of life is breeding [[reindeer]].<ref name=":03"/>

Mongolian Buryats are farmers as well but are typically semi-settled. They build sheds and fences to keep livestock contained and use hay as their main source of food for the livestock.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hürelbaatar |first1=A. |title=An Introduction to the History and Religion of the Buryat Mongols of Shinehen in China |journal=Inner Asia |date=2000 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=73–116 |doi=10.1163/146481700793647931 |jstor=23615472 }}</ref> However, the Buryats located in Buryatia are more focused on the agriculture aspect of farming and not the livestock raising aspect.

=== Traditional medicine ===
Buryat healing practices incorporates folk shamanic traditions and Tibeto-Mongolian medicine. Before the adoption of Buddhism, the Buryats relied on shamanic rituals to stop or cure pain and illness which was said to be caused by evil spirits. With the conversion to Tibetan Buddhism, Buryats incorporated [[Traditional Tibetan medicine|Tibetan medical practices]] to their healing practices. Medical schools were soon established and Buryats studying in these schools learned about medical and prescription techniques. Training in treatment and diagnostics was also given in these schools. Buryats soon contributed to expanding the Tibeto-Mongolian medical literature.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Bolsokhoyeva|first=Natalia|date=2007|title=Tibetan Medical Schools of the Aga Area (Chita Region)|url=https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/asme/3/2/article-p334_12.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515204954/https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/asme/3/2/article-p334_12.pdf |archive-date=2021-05-15 }}</ref>

[[Buryat medicine|Traditional Buryat medicine]] emphasises the use of mineral and thermal springs for healing. A balanced diet (of meat, [[offal]], plants and herbs) and proper nutrition were recommended to cure illness. The use of herbs for medical purposes was minimal because of the lack of vegetation in the [[Semideserts|semi-deserts]] and [[dry steppe]]s. However, Buryat healers were considered skilled in healing wounds, treating head trauma, midwifery and [[Bonesetter|bone-setting]]. In the modern age, some practices derived from Buryat [[folk medicine]] have been incorporated into contemporary settings.<ref name=":3" />

===Cuisine===
[[File:Буузы.JPG |thumb|[[Buuz]], a steamed meat dumpling, is probably the most iconic dish of [[Buryat cuisine]]]]

[[Buryat cuisine]] is very similar to [[Mongolian cuisine]] and share many dishes like [[buuz]] and [[khuushuur]]. Dairy products are an important part of the cuisine, and traditional dishes are often hearty and simple. Most main courses are usually meat based, but fish like [[omul]] is common especially around [[Lake Baikal]].