Duchers
Encyclopedia
The Duchers was the Russian name of the people populating the shores of the middle course of the Amur River, approximately from the mouth of the Zeya
down to the mouth of the Ussury, and possibly even somewhat further downstream. Their ethnic identity is not known with certainty, but it is usually assumed that they were a Tungusic people
, related to the Jurchens
and/or the Nanais.
The name of this ethnic group is sometimes also written in English as "Jucher".
) of the Amur Valley at the time of the appearance of the Russian explorers in the region ca. 1650 has been estimated by modern scholars at 14,000.
According to the Russian explorers of the time, the Duchers, as well as the related groups, the Goguls, and their north-western neighbors, the Daurs, were agriculturalists. They grew rye, wheat, barley, millet, oats, peas, and hemp, as well as a number of vegetables. The Duchers had horses and cattle; pigs were a particularly important source of meat. They did some hunting and fishing as well.
According to the 17th-century Cossacks' reports, the Duchers lived in fortified villages with 60 and more houses in each.
The predecessor of the Qing
fortess Aigun
(which was originally located on the left - now Russian - bank of the Amur, opposite to its later location) was a Ducher town, currently known to the archaeologists as the Grodekovo site (Гродековское городище), after the nearby village of Grodekovo. It is located south of the city of Blagoveshchensk
and the fall of the Zeya into the Amur. Yerofey Khabarov
reported the existence of this town (which he called Aytyun (Айтюн)) to the Yakutsk
voivode D. Frantsbekov in 1652. According to the archaeologists, this fortress was first built around the end of the first or beginning of the second millennium CE.
The "tribute" of furs, grain, and livestock, collected (or looted, as the case may be) by the Cossacks from the Daurs and the Duchers was the main economic benefit derived by the Russians from their expansion in the region in the early 1650s, and, in order to deny it to them, the Qing government starting in 1654 resettled the Ducher farmers from the Amur valley to the Sungari
and Hurka
Rivers further south. The Daurs were resettled (to the Nenjiang River Valley) as well. When Onufriy Stepanov
visited the lower Sungari in 1656, he found the Ducher villages deserted.
Archaeologically, the Ducher culture can be identified since the second half of the 13th century (i.e., soon after the destruction of the Jurchen Jin Empire by the Mongols
), being a successor of the earlier culture of the Amur Jurchens.
According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
, today's Nanai, Ulch
, and other Tungusic people of the middle and lower Amur valley have incorporated descendants of the Duchers. The Russian scholar B.P. Polevoy
goes even further, identifying the Duchers (at least, the ones from the Sungari / Ussury mouth area) with the Nanais.
Another, and probably more common, view, expressed e.g. by the Russian archaeologist D.P. Bolotin or Tungusologist A.A. Burykin is that the Duchers were part of the Jurchens. This would imply that after being resettled to the Sungari and the Hurka
they simply merged into the Manchu people.
The etymology of the word "Duchers" (which, besides дючеры and дучеры, had a number of other spelling variants in the 17th-century Russian manuscripts: чючар, джучар, жучер, дючан) is controversial as well. Some researches hold it obvious that it is related to Jurchens' self-name, jušen. Another view, expressed by A.A. Burykin, is that Russian "дючер" (Dyucher) may have come from Manchu
zuche, zuchen, meaning "guards along the river".
Zeya River
Zeya River , 1,242 km long, is a northern tributary of the Amur River. It rises in the Tokiysky Stanovik mountain ridge, a part of the Stanovoy Range. The first Russian to enter the area was Vassili Poyarkov....
down to the mouth of the Ussury, and possibly even somewhat further downstream. Their ethnic identity is not known with certainty, but it is usually assumed that they were a Tungusic people
Tungusic peoples
Tungusic peoples are the peoples who speak Tungusic languages. The word originated in Tunguska, an ill-defined region of Siberia.-Peoples:Tungusic peoples are:*Evenks*Evens*Jurchens *Manchu*Negidals...
, related to the Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
and/or the Nanais.
The name of this ethnic group is sometimes also written in English as "Jucher".
Life of the Duchers
The total number of Duchers (including other related Manchu groups, but not the Daurs or EvenksEvenks
The Evenks are a Tungusic people of Northern Asia. In Russia, the Evenks are recognized as one of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 35,527...
) of the Amur Valley at the time of the appearance of the Russian explorers in the region ca. 1650 has been estimated by modern scholars at 14,000.
According to the Russian explorers of the time, the Duchers, as well as the related groups, the Goguls, and their north-western neighbors, the Daurs, were agriculturalists. They grew rye, wheat, barley, millet, oats, peas, and hemp, as well as a number of vegetables. The Duchers had horses and cattle; pigs were a particularly important source of meat. They did some hunting and fishing as well.
According to the 17th-century Cossacks' reports, the Duchers lived in fortified villages with 60 and more houses in each.
The predecessor of the Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
fortess Aigun
Aigun
Aigun was a historic town of China in northern Manchuria, situated on the right bank of the Amur River, some 30 km south from the central urban area of Heihe .The Chinese name of the town, which literally means "Bright Jade", is a transliteration of the original Manchu Aigun was a historic...
(which was originally located on the left - now Russian - bank of the Amur, opposite to its later location) was a Ducher town, currently known to the archaeologists as the Grodekovo site (Гродековское городище), after the nearby village of Grodekovo. It is located south of the city of Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: -Early history of the region:The early residents of both sides of the Amur in the region of today's Blagoveshchensk were the Daurs and Duchers...
and the fall of the Zeya into the Amur. Yerofey Khabarov
Yerofey Khabarov
Yerofey Pavlovich Khabarov or Svyatitsky Erofej Pavlovič Chabarov , was a Russian entrepreneur and adventurer, best known for his exploring the Amur river region and his attempts to colonize the area for Russia...
reported the existence of this town (which he called Aytyun (Айтюн)) to the Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
voivode D. Frantsbekov in 1652. According to the archaeologists, this fortress was first built around the end of the first or beginning of the second millennium CE.
The "tribute" of furs, grain, and livestock, collected (or looted, as the case may be) by the Cossacks from the Daurs and the Duchers was the main economic benefit derived by the Russians from their expansion in the region in the early 1650s, and, in order to deny it to them, the Qing government starting in 1654 resettled the Ducher farmers from the Amur valley to the Sungari
Songhua River
The Songhua or Sunggari River is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River , flowing about from Changbai Mountains through Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The river drains of land, and has an annual discharge of .As the Second Songhua River, it joins the...
and Hurka
Mudanjiang River
The Mudan River or Mudanjiang River .is a river in Heilongjiang province in China. It is a right tributary of the Sungari River.Its modern Chinese name can be translated as the "Peony River"...
Rivers further south. The Daurs were resettled (to the Nenjiang River Valley) as well. When Onufriy Stepanov
Onufriy Stepanov
Onufriy Stepanov was a Siberian Cossack and explorer of the Amur River. For background see Russian–Manchu border conflicts....
visited the lower Sungari in 1656, he found the Ducher villages deserted.
Who were the Duchers?
The ethnic identification of the Duchers and even the meaning of their name (and whether it was also a self-name) remain controversial.Archaeologically, the Ducher culture can be identified since the second half of the 13th century (i.e., soon after the destruction of the Jurchen Jin Empire by the Mongols
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
), being a successor of the earlier culture of the Amur Jurchens.
According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia is one of the largest and most comprehensive encyclopedias in Russian and in the world, issued by the Soviet state from 1926 to 1990, and again since 2002 .-Editions:There were three editions...
, today's Nanai, Ulch
Ulchs
The Ulch are an indigenous people of the Russian Far East who speak a Tungusic language, Ulch. Over 90% of Ulchis live in Ulchsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia...
, and other Tungusic people of the middle and lower Amur valley have incorporated descendants of the Duchers. The Russian scholar B.P. Polevoy
Boris Petrovich Polevoy
Boris Petrovich Polevoy was a Russian historian known for his work on the history of the Russian Far East. He was honored in Kamchatka for his work on the study of the region's history,...
goes even further, identifying the Duchers (at least, the ones from the Sungari / Ussury mouth area) with the Nanais.
Another, and probably more common, view, expressed e.g. by the Russian archaeologist D.P. Bolotin or Tungusologist A.A. Burykin is that the Duchers were part of the Jurchens. This would imply that after being resettled to the Sungari and the Hurka
Mudanjiang River
The Mudan River or Mudanjiang River .is a river in Heilongjiang province in China. It is a right tributary of the Sungari River.Its modern Chinese name can be translated as the "Peony River"...
they simply merged into the Manchu people.
The etymology of the word "Duchers" (which, besides дючеры and дучеры, had a number of other spelling variants in the 17th-century Russian manuscripts: чючар, джучар, жучер, дючан) is controversial as well. Some researches hold it obvious that it is related to Jurchens' self-name, jušen. Another view, expressed by A.A. Burykin, is that Russian "дючер" (Dyucher) may have come from Manchu
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
zuche, zuchen, meaning "guards along the river".