ON THE ISSUE OF MORDOVIA BELYAK

Abstract

The question of under-investigated, but very important for understanding of Mordovian ethnos history, notion of Mordovia belyak is studied. The historiography of this question is researched. Basing on the analysis of documents of XVI-XVII centuries the variants of the term use are considered. Its possible meanings are considered. Unlike the existing opinion about belyak as “principality” of tataric aristocracy it is suggested that the notion “belyak” appeared among Finnish ethnos including those of Mordovians at the result of Turkic (Kipchak) borrowings at the stage of clans decay for denotement of inner-ethnic group separating and also the territory which this group took and where it ran its economic activity. The organization of belyak in Mordovians was primary form of spaces reclaiming and was conditioned by the specifics of economic activity. Sharing the definite regions of forest by the inhabitants of one belyak predetermined the further functioning of belyak as tax unit. Namely as the tax units, belyaks were included in feud of tatarian noblemen in XV-XVI centuries. The full transition of Mordva to farming as a basic type of economic activity belyak had lost its meaning and had disappeared by the end of XVII century.