Buryat

The Buryats are a Mongolic ethnic group native to Siberia, primarily in the Russian Republic of Buryatia around Lake Baikal. They also live in parts of Irkutsk Oblast and across the border in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China. They speak the Buryat language, a Mongolic tongue closely related to Mongolian, and use Russian as a lingua franca. The Buryats constitute one of the largest indigenous groups in Siberia.

Buryat is part of the Mongolic language family and includes several dialects. It is taught in schools in Buryatia and used in traditional and cultural contexts, while Russian is widely spoken. The language is written in a Cyrillic-based script adapted for Buryat.

Historically, Buryats have inhabited the Baikal region since medieval times. They were part of the broader Mongol state system and later came under the Russian Empire in the 17th century. In the Soviet period, the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established in 1923, later renamed the Buryat ASSR, and in 1990 it became the Republic of Buryatia within the Russian Federation. The capital is Ulan-Ude.

Culture centers on a combination of nomadic and settled practices. Buddhism, especially Tibetan Lamaist traditions, plays a major role, with institutions such as the Ivolginsky Datsan near Ulan-Ude. Shamanism persists among some communities, and traditional music, dance, and crafts like felt-making remain important. Festivals such as Tsagaan Sar are observed in line with broader Mongolic traditions.

Demographically, hundreds of thousands of Buryats live in Russia; smaller populations exist in Mongolia and China. They contribute to the regional and cultural diversity of Siberia and Northeast Asia.