44
GUIDE TO THE GREAT SIBERIAN RAILWAY.
PI. 52. Altayans on the river Katun (phot by prof. Sap6zhnikov).
The Ostiaks, scattered throughout the north of Siberia between 57° and
73° of N. latitude, dwell partly on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, in the Nor-
thern Ural, and partly within the area lying between the Irtysh and Ob.
comprising the swampy and wooded wastes of the Vasiugansk tundra (pi.
60, 63). It has not yet been
ascertained what part they
played in history, but it
has been proved that they
came from the south of
Siberia. This tribe possess-
es a beautiful epos bear-
ing some analogy to the
Scandinavian sagas. They
number approximately
30,000. Tha greater part of
the Ostiaks, inhabiting the
forest zone, get their live-
lihood by hunting, fishing
and collecting cedar-nuts.
Like the Voguls, they only
nominally belong to the
orthodox religion, being virtually Shamanists. A number of them, dwelling
in the polar tundra zone, pass their lives in tending their reindeer, and have
become very much assimilated to the Samoyeds. Some of the Ostiaks in close
connexion with the permanent Russian population of Northern Siberia, are thor-
oughly russified and profess the orthodox religion.
The  Mongolian  stock   is  represented  by  the  Teleut  and Telengut, the
Buriat, Samoyed, Manchurian, Tungus and Giliak tribes.
The Teleuts inhabit the Altai plateau
in the Tomsk, Kuznetsk and Biisk districts:
they number about 20,000 (pi. 53, 54), and
are nomads devoted to cattle-breeding
and hunting. They have a Mongolian type
and belong to the Buddhist religion.
The Telenguts, wandering along the
valleys of the Altai rivers, the Chiiya, Chu-
lishman and others, are also known as
Uriankhaets and Kalmyks, and are split
into many different insignificant tribes
under such names as Akshishtym, Eliut,
Oirat etc.
The Buriats,  whose  number is about
290,000,   form the  main population of the
Transbaikal  and  Irkutsk government (pi.
64). They are engaged partly in agriculture,
but principally in cattle-breeding,   and  are  either  Buddhists or Lamaists.
The Manchurians, belonging to the permanent native population of the
Amur territory, practise agriculture. With regard to their habits and religion,
they have a great likeness to the Chinese, although they seem to be less
civilised than their Korean neighbours. Their number is given as about 3,000.
The Samoyed. inhabit the extreme north of Siberia; their camps are scattered
PI. 53. Teleuts on the Altai.