The Taz
The intensive migration from China to Russia’s Far East began in the second
half of the 19th century. It was mostly men who then married local women from
among the indigenous Udege, Nanai, and Oroch peoples. Thus a new ethnic group
emerged —the Taz. In 1960-70s, when the conflict between the USSR and China
escalated, a reversed process took place—a campaign forcing the Chinese out of
the USSR unfolded. Even though officially the Taz people were not oppressed,
according to the data from the 2010 census, their population in Primorsky Krai
was only 200 people. Along with the Chinese immigrants themselves, everything related to them was
repressed as well. The Taz language, which emerged as a mix of Chinese, Udege,
and Nanai, was banned. Erasing the language meant also erasing the culture of
the people, as it is through language that experience, values, folklore,
tradition, and the worldview are passed down to next generations. It turned out
that most of the Taz lived in the village of Mikhailovka–420 kilometers from
Vladivostok, where they were moved back in 1938.
Nowadays, the population of Taz is hardly more than several dozen people.
The contemporary world with its mobility, blurred borders, and total
globalization does not help preserve the culture either. As the Taz do not
receive any assistance from the government, they are losing their uniqueness.
Talking about the Taz language, its last native speakers say: “I understand but
can’t say anything.” For this photoshoot, they wrote down those words and phrases
that they still remember.