The Buryats are one of the main indigenous groups here in Siberia. Closely related to their Mongolian neighbours, local Buryats are renowned for their hospitality and generosity. Their musical and other cultural traditions are quite rich, and often reflect a deeply spiritual nature.
There are two main "tribes" of Buryats in our region: Western Buryats, who live throughout Irkutsk province; and their Eastern counterparts, who settled down to form the Republic of Buryatia. The religion and culture of the Western group mostly centered around shamanism. The Eastern Buryats, on the other hand, have been adherents to the Tibetan branch of Buddhism.
The word "Buryat" is a Mongolian word derived from the root "bulyat" meaning hunter or a man of the forest. The Buryats have lived in this region for many centuries. They have branches around Baikal, as well as further east, in the Chita region of Russia. They even extend into the Hulun-Buir District that is located within Inner Mongolia, in the People's Republic of China. In all there are about 690,000 Buryats living in northern Asia.