If we summarize the above facts and conclusions, four different waves of the Northern Tungus may be distinguished.
First Wave. It occurred before the Xth century and brought via the Amur River to the lower course of this river, also to the Ussuri and perhaps Sungari rivers basins, not very numerous groups of the Northern Tungus (probably reindeer-breeders) who partly mixed up with the local population, mostly Palaeasiatics; the Goldi who spread by small groups beside the Giliaks or, maybe, some other Palasasiatic groups and Southern Tungus (Moho? Muki? Yih-leu? Sushen?); [90] Solon who occupied the mountainous region of the Manchunan Plateau later took a very active part in all changes which occurred in Western Manchuria; the Xamnagan and their kinsmen at present living in Transbaikalia probably descended directly from the Lena Basin and, abandoning the reindeer and adopting the Mongol complex, fell under a strong Mongol influence; the Udehe, as the most advanced group in the south participating in this wave, went directly southwards where they met Koreans and Chinese who later compelled them to remigrate northwards. Only the Solon and a part of the Transbaikalian Tungus (not reindeer breeders!) semi-mongolized (that of Urulga, Mankova and some others) call themselves evenki, while the others either have no names at all, using regional designations, or adopt the names given by their neighbours, which is quite natural, owing to a partial loss of their mother tongue.
Second Wave. It occurred about the XIIth century and brought the reindeer-breeders to the territory left by the first wave of the Northern Tungus making of them neighbours of the latter along with the Paleasiatic groups who cut them into various groups; the Negidals, Orochi, who formerly were reindeer-breeders, Oroki (of Sakhalin) who are still reindeer-breeders; in Transbaikalia this wave has probably left the Reindeer Tungus in the Barguzin District (the Vitim Plateau) which is the best region for the reindeer breeding; nugal belonged possibly to the same wave and occupied North Western Manchuria [91]. As far as I know only the Tungus of Barguzin call themselves evenki [92].
Third Wave. It probably occurred in the XVIIth century after Manchus depopulated the Amur River valley [93]. It brought the Kumarcen, Birarcen, Khingan and perhaps Nerchinsk Reindeer Tungus, also other small groups living on the eastern slope of the Great Khingan Mountains (Garicen, Jalcen, Nauncen, etc.) who have all preserved the name evenki, but those living in Mongolia and Manchuria have lost the reindeer; owing to this movement nugal left Manchuria for Eastern Transbaikalia either mixing up with the new-comers, or disappearing altogether [94] and some clans of the Reindeer Tungus living in the vicinity of the Baikal Lake went eastwards [95] also the Chinese migration resulted in a secondary back movement of the Udehe and Birarcen, [96] and those living in the vicinity of Goldi — to the upper course of the Amur River.
Fourth Wave. It began in the XIXth century and is still going on. It brought the Reindeer Tungus from the Amur Government to the Manchurian Plateau and the Reindeer Tungus of the Yakutsk Government to the Amur Government and continued to spread eastward as far as Sakhalin. All these groups call themselves evenki. It also brought with it the Yakuts who are living on the Reindeer Tungus. Thus this wave seems to be the last wave exhausting the stock of the Northern Tungus living southward from Yakuts. But the Northern Tungus migrations perhaps will not stop altogether because there are some other Northern Tungus groups in Siberia who in certain condition may continue their migrations.
Hoping to deal elsewhere with the problem of the Northern Tungus migrations in other parts of Siberia (Western and Northern Tungus area) and believing that sinologues in the meantime will trace the history of the Southern Tungus living in Manchuria, as Dr. B. Laufer promises, I return to the pro-Tungus. According to my hypothesis, after withdrawing from Northern China the pro-Tungus spread northward and eastward and their last detachment stopped at the mountainous region of Manchuria, the best water ways and territory being occupied by Paleasiatic groups (the ancestors of Giliaks, Koreans?, perhaps Ainu). Little by little they mixed up with the local population and entered into a close contact with the ancestors of the Mongols and Turks. Being surrounded by alien groups they lost their former ethnographical complex, simplified the complex morphology of their language, [97] and probably adapted the mode of life of aborigines. At last they came into contact with the Chinese complex, forming the Southern Branch of the Tungus. Their spreading northward seems to be very slow and its beginning probably ought to be supposed not earlier than the decline of Paleasiatic influence occurred, i.e., after the Xth century. At that time they met with the first wave of the Northern Tungus (the ancestors of the Goldi, Udehe, etc.) who were already influenced by the Paleasiatic groups in the valley of the Amur River, perhaps Ussuri and Sungari rivers. The cultural superiority (the Chinese complex) facilitated them to take this group that brought further the Southern Tungus influence under their control. They also met with the Giliaks and Ainu. They were already prepared for taking their part in the complex known under the name of Manchus. The latter pursued the policy of swallowing all Northern Tungus groups which had already lost their reindeer and were compelled to adopt the Manchu language and the whole complex. Thus the final conclusion is that the Goldi were originally a Northern Tungus group, perhaps reindeer-breeders, calling themselves evenki. At present they bear layers of various ethnical and historical origin, being thickly covered with the all destroying Chinese and Russian influences.
[90] As I have pointed out the ethnical, relationship of these groups is not clear at all. I hope that sooner or later a detailed archaeo-logical survey will help us in establishing the relationship between Southern Tungus and, maybe, pro-Tungus, and on the other hand Paleasiatics who occupied Manchuria previous to the Tungus, but without these evidences, we are confined to hypotheses. Etymology of names does not help us very much because the names are transmitted by the Chinese who employed phonetic transcription and translation as well, yet we do not know from which language these names were transcribed and translated. In the present paper I have shown how difficult the establishing of the origin and meaning of names is and how many misunderstandings have originated from collision of various groups and lacking of good knowledge of facts. So for instance, the etymology of the name Moho (moxo) from muke — in Man. water, maintained by several writers e.g., by Professor A. Grebenscikov (Study of the History of Amurland after the archaeological Data, in Selection of Jubilee of the Vladiv. Sect, of the Priam. Br. of the Russ. Geogr. Soc, Vladivostok, 1916) does not seem to be very sure, muke being a form increased by the suffix he (and probably late one) from mu, sometimes used in the sense of «river», though in Tungus «river,» bira, has also a direct meaning in Manehu. However, L. Adam (Grammaire de la langue tongouse, in Revue de Lingl. et Phil. Comp. Vol. VI, 2-3, 1873) supposes the word mu «water» to derive from muh and mug. He takes in witness mugda «liquid» of Urul. dialect (Castren) which is mu+gda, where gda is, of course, a suffix forming some adjectives (e.g., gugda «high», bagda «white», etc.). In Manehu ke is also a very common suffix of nouns (cf. J. Zaxarov, The Grammar of the Manchu Language, St. Petersburg, 1879, p. 70, -muke). Yet in all Tungus dialects except a doubtful case of Lamut (Klaproth) muh, where this h seems to be of a recent origin (as generally in some dialects of Yakutsk Gov., —the increase of words, at the beginning and at the end, by h) the water is mu; in the Southern Tungus it is also mu (including the ancestors of the Manchus Nui-che: according to Schmidt mu and according to Grube muh, i.e., mu). Moreover, the Manehu language possesses a good word for «big river», like the Amur and Sungari rivers, ula (wula Man. Sp.). The meaning of the word moxo (n) in Manehu: the end, limit, border, etc., may perhaps give a more close approximation, as we know for instance, ur'anxaj, etc., but I do not intend to propose this etymology for we do not know if this word was known in the same meaning to the early ancestors of the Manchus and which phonetic alteration, if any, occurred since that time. Yet the etymology of the name I-lou, proposed by the same author, from jeru (Man.)—den, haunt, cavern, etc., is also somewhat artificial, for it is really little probable that a people (not all, of course,) living temporarily in caverns would qualify themselves as » troglodites », or yet more improbable «cavern », etc. (Back)
[91] Some of them probably after having lost the reindeer settled among other groups in the valley of the Amur River. Their tombs are met with on the Manchurian Plateau. (Back)
[92] However, it ought to be pointed out that this name perhaps is also known among other groups, but owing to an inadequate investigation it could not be established among Negidals, Oroki, Orochi. The latter are, according to Professor Schmidt (I quote a letter from him), of Paleasiatic Origin. (Back)
[93] This measure was undertaken owing to the Russian invasion, which was a new factor in ethnical movements in Far Eastern Asia. However, the Manchus also needed men for assuring their control of China. (Back)
[94] The Nerchinsk dialect (the Reindeer Tungus) shows some lexicological and morphological differences from the Barguzin and Manchurian Reindeer Tungus. Although nugal according to the Tungus folk-memory were a reindeer group, it is very probable that a part of them had already lost their reindeer and were living in the midst of «Djurjit»as cattle-breeders and agriculturists, i.e., just like some Tungus groups are living among Buriats and Russians in Transbaikalia. It is also possible that the migration of Gantimur from Manchuria may be ethnically connected with the nugal migration. I want to point out that the Tungus of Gantimur called themselves evenki (Castren), but they were not so styled by the Northern Tungus of the other groups because the latter pretend to be evenki themselves, though the ethnographical and linguistical differences are essential. During my investigations in Siberia and Manchuria I sometimes felt very great difficulty in establishing the names by which different groups style themselves. So, I have found that two evenki groups being different in customs or dialects or mode of life never call one another evenki, but use some nickname or an alien designation, — murcen (possessing horse), orocen (possessing reindeer), ulcari (having a plait), tonus (Yakut and Russians), kilin (Chinese), kumarcen, gancen, etc. However, it is beyond any doubt that this name — evenki — is most intimately connected with the Northern Tungus possessing the reindeer complex and others. As shown, this peculiarity of using the names was a source of many misunderstandings among writers. Though the borrowing of the name «Tungus » by Russians from the Yakuts is a well known fact, J. D en y (op, cit.) again reproduces the old theory of «tongouze» from the supposed to be Tungus word donki, which means » men.» In so far as I know such a word does not exist in any Tungus dialect, where «man» is bojo (and its derivations!), while the word donki, if it existed, might designate entirely different nations. (Back)
[95] This movement perhaps originated under the pressure of the Reindeer Tungus of Barguzin, i.e., somewhat earlier; the group (near Baikal Lake) giving its surplus for this movement is different from the Barguzin Tungus and perhaps belongs to the first wave or some intermediary sub-wave. (Back)
[97] It is also probable that the Tungus borrowed many words from the population, if there was any at that time, in the depth of Siberia or perhaps they invented new terms in the style of their original tongue for phenomena characteristic of the new environment, also adopted or discovered the reindeer-breeding. (Back)