Transformation of Relations in the Chuvash Family
The paper is based on the results of the expedition organized in 2017 to the Chuvash village of Egorkino ( Якурккел , Nurlat district, Republic of Tatarstan). The village is located in the south of the Republic, near the border with the Samara region, and was founded by the Upper Chuvash in the early 18th century. Most villagers are unbaptized Chuvash people. Currently, many of them are, however, Orthodox Christians. A small proportion of the population is made by Russians. The villagers speak the Lower Chuvash dialect. The institution of marriage in the traditional society and its modern transformation have been assessed by the live contacts with the villagers. Other sources have been used during the analysis to confirm the obtained conclusions: the materials of the expedition to the Ural region; conversations with Chuvash people from Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region; data of the scientific archive of the Chuvash State Institute of Humanities; other publications. It has been suggested that the transformation of the marriage institution was caused by the devaluation of the economic and social influence of the family.