Ethnopolitical, Socio-Demographic, and Linguistic Landscape of Indigenous Peoples in The Tyumen Region of the Russian Federation: A Case Study of the Siberian Tatars

Abstract

Sociolinguistic research has addressed issues related to bilingual and multilingual education in the post-Soviet period of the Russian Federation, particularly the issue of preserving the Siberian Tatar language. The study aimed to examine the stance of the Russian government on the indigenous peoples of Siberia, including the Siberian Turkic peoples from the Tyumen region. The underlying question was whether these people should be considered a distinct ethnic group and recognize the existence of a distinct Siberian Tatar language, or the language of the Siberian Tatars should be recognized only as a dialect of the Tatar language, despite differences. Adopting a mixed method research approach to analyze the ethnopolitical, socio-demographic, and linguistic situation of the Tyumen Region, this study used a historical and case based explorative research technique. The sample comprised the Tatar population, mainly schoolchildren, parents, teachers, leaders of educational institutions, and employees of district and city public education departments.  The study found out that the Siberian Tatar language was facing the risk of extinction and required taking collective action to preserve this language. It was also confronting substantial challenges stemming from urbanization, the predominance of the Russian language, and insufficient support. It is important to document the language and its dialects to keep it alive. Regional and federal authorities should initiate legislative frameworks to design policies to safeguard the Siberian Tatars as a unique Indigenous community, and to conserve the folklore, music, and rituals of Siberian Tatar cultural heritage.