An Anthropology of the Besermyan

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of origins of the Besermyan according to physical anthropological data. The author compares fi eld materials on family composition, ethnic identity, and native languages of the Besermyan, Udmurt, and Tatar. The anthropological similarity of the three neighbor groups is substantial; however, the Besermyan and Chepets Tatar manifest in a number of aspects a noticeable advance toward Turkic peoples of the Middle Volga region. The Besermyan are part of the pre-Slavic population of the Volga-Kama area. The research results do not rule out a possibility of the presence of a Bulgarian component in the shaping of the Besermyan, which is anthropologically associated with southern Europoids.