THE HISTORY OF THE CHUVASH PEOPLE IN ETHNOGRAPHIC FACTS

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the spirited discussion on the vexed question of the historical ancestors of the Chuvash people. Some researchers consider the ancestors of modern Chuvash as Bulgars, others as Savirs (Suvars). The aim of the presented study is to demonstrate the substrate parallels of modern Chuvash with the Savirs (Suvars) in lieu of the ethnographic facts. The author uses a comparative-historical methodology to prove that the main historical and ethnographic references of the Chuvash are traced back to the traditions of the Caucasian peoples. The Savirs worshiped the deity of lightning Quar. In 922 those who disagreed with the religious reforms of the first ruler (emir) of Volga Bulgaria Almush Elteber moved to the right bank of the Volga River. From this time, the rise of the ethnic self-identity of the Suvars intensifies.