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Peoples of Russia
Khakas
The Khakas are a Turkic people in Russia.
Language
The Khakas language belongs to the Turkic group of the Altai family and has four main dialects: Kacha, Sagay, Kyzyl and Shor (close to the Shor language).
Ethnic groups
The Khakas are divided into four ethnic groups: Sagay (Sa Ay), Kacha (Haash, Haas), Kyzyl (Khyzyl), Koybaly (Khoybal). The absolute majority call themselves Khakas.
Dispersion
The majority of the Khakas live in the Republic of Khakassia; they also live in the Krasnoyarsk territory and in Tuva.
Traditional occupations
The main occupation is the semi-nomadic cattle breeding. The Khakas raised horses, large cattle and sheep. An important role in the Khakas household economy belonged to hunting. Manual agriculture was widespread only in sub-boreal regions. In spring and early summer, women and children went to pick edible roots of adder’s tongue and yellow daylily. The dried roots were ground on hand-mills, out of the flour milk porridge was made, scones were baked, etc. They curried skins, rolled felt, worked in weaving and twisting lassoes, etc. In some regions, ore was mined and iron was melted.
Food
The diet of the Khakas includes soups (ugre) and broths (mun) with cooked meat, including grits soup (charba ugre) and barley soup (kbche ugre). Blood sausage (khan-sol) is considered to be a festive dish. The main drink was ayran, made from sour cow milk. Ayran was distilled into milk vodka (ayran aragazy).
