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MOSKALS OR ORDINARY UKRAINIANS: THE QUESTION OF IDENTITY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF IMMIGRANTS OF KURSK IN KAMENSKY DISTRICT, THE ALTAI TERRITORY // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2015. Issue 3 (9). P. 97-102

Many Siberian scientists are of great interest to the problem of determining the ethnic affiliation of such groups of the Russian population as “moskals” and “Ukrainians”. Under these ethnonyms in ethnographic literature was understood Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian population. A number of researchers came to the conclusion that the ethnonym “Ukrainians” can be used, not only in relation to the Siberian Ukrainians, but also Russians, natives of the southern Russian villages living on response with Ukrainians and allocated to the special language features of culture. The ethnonym “Katsap” was probably used in relation to the Russian immigrants from the southern Russian provinces. The article presents a brief overview of the data obtained in 2013 as a result of historical and ethnographic expedition to Kamensky district of the Altai Territory. The descendants of immigrants of Kursk, defining their ethnicity called themselves “ordinary Ukrainians”, noting the great similarity in the material and spiritual culture of Ukrainians. Descendants of Russian old residents and migrants from other southern provinces called them the “moskals”. The main attention is paid to differential factors and markers that distinguish a group of descendants of immigrants of Kursk from Russian and Ukrainian (language, eating habits).

Keywords: Altai, Russian, moskals, Ukrainians, ethnicity, identity