P. 177:
During the first half of the seventeenth century, the original Evenks moved east and spread along several tributaries of the upper and middle Amur river.  Qing documents referred to them as Solonbu and Kamnikan/Khamnigan.  At that time the Evenks already were in frequent contact with Manchus with whom they exchanged furs for cloth, silk and iron goods.  Some Evenks who already lived a settled life and practiced small-scale herding began to wear Manchu dress.

In 1633-34 the Manchus adopted the Ming name Solonbu for the Evenks, and in 1639-40 they forced the Evenks into the eight-banner system.  Soon thereafter the Qing government prodded the Evenks to settle down in the Nonni river region, specifically along the banks of the Gan, Nuomin, Arun, Jiqin, Yalu, and Nemor rivers, where some of the Evenks took up herding and farming.  In 1732 more than 1,000 Evenk officers and soldiers in the Butha region and their relatives were dispatched to Hulunbuir to guard the frontier where they gradually developed into  the present-day population of the Evenk Autonomous banner.  The Evenks evidently acquitted themselves rather well as border guards there so that, along with the Daurs and Oroqens, more Evenk banner troops were sent to many other border assignments, especially in the North east and the far-away Northwest

p.82-83

During this period the Manchus were locked in struggle with the Solons.

General Samshika, who had won distinction in the struggle against other Amur tribes, was sent against the Solon chief Bomboguoer in December 1638.  This must have been a not very successful campaign.  The Solons resisted staunchly.

For the Manchus, the war against Bamboguoer acquired growing significance.  In December 1639, Abahai sent another large force against him.  This force penetrated deep into Solon territory, reaching the river Humar (Kumara).

In May 1640, the Manchus launched several assaults and after a blody seige captured four fortresses - Duochen, Asajin, Yakesa, and Duojin -- taking many prisoners and a large number of cattle, horses, and pelts.

Although they suffered heavy losses, the Solons went on resisting.  However, the Manchu numerical and armaments superiority made itself felt.  Individual Solons began going over to the side of the enemy.  In July 1640, for instance, 337 families of that tribe joined the Manchus.  These were immediately resettled in the Mongolian steppe aimak of Guoerluos.  Enough new settlers arrived to form eight niurhus.

In August 1640 Abahai sent the general Xiteku against Bomboguoer.  The latter fled to Mongolia, but Xiteku caught up with him in the vicinity of Qiluotai, capturing his baggage train, wives and children.  Another 1,470 Solons went over to the Manchus in June 1641.

In parallel, the Manchus warred against the Huerha tribe. 

p.85
For the Manchus the campaigns against the Solons were the most arduous, and they were extremely costly to both sides in terms of casualties.  All the Manchus got from the Solons after these long wars was the payment of a "tribute", but this hardly compensated for the gifts that had to be made.  No Manchu viceroy or governor was ever appointed to the Solon lands.  Up until 1684 the Manchus built no populated localities or fortifications on these lands.  Only a small number of Solons were  enlisted into the Manchu banner forces.  Later, when the Manchus began the conquest of China they ceased all contacts with the Solons (with the exception of irregular receipt of "tribute" and the giving of givts in exchange).  There is no information in sources about the life of the Solons following their nominal subjugation by the Manchus.

Are these pictures taken from Hulunbeir plains in Inner Mongol? Thats where they live right?

For those who are unaware, the Solons are now re-classified as the Evenki, 鄂温克(Ewenke), which is a broad definition.  To put things in perspective.. all Solons are Evenki, but not all Evenks are Solon.

There's been some issues over ethnic classifications as the Evenks are a broad group, over 30,000 in China, and another 30,000 in Russia.  The area they inhabit ranges from the northern half of Heilongjiang, all the way to the Arctic fringes in Siberia and the Russian Far East.  Many of these groups don't have much linguistical intelligibility with each other, and for some, major cultural differences (the Solons for example are very Mongol influenced while the others are similar to paleo-siberians).

Within China, another group, the Oroqen are pretty close with the two main Evenk groups (Solon & Khamnigan), but yet received their own recognized nationality.  As to why, no one really knows, or at least there's no documented reasoning behind all of this.  During the late Qing era, the Daurs were mistakingly called Solons as well.

But from what I recall, most Tungus ethnicities usually name themselves after, or refer to something very local for a name..  such as a mountain, river, etc.  As a result, you got alot of various groups if you were to follow such a type of designation, which is why I think many governments tried to adopt a more broader definition.

Alot of people do wonder why the PRC made the Oroqen a seperate "nationality" when they are much closer to the Ewenke (in language, culture and life style), than the Solons are.

Man, it's time to dust off those old Russian textbooks, huh.

Yeah, what was up with the Even was the next question, did Even and Evenk appear at about the same time?

And what's going on with Oroqen (isn't this just a nativization of a Chinese term?), Oroch, Orok and Ulch? There's no official recognition of groups like the Nivkh and the Negidal in the PRC but I wouldn't know if they don't exist here or if they fall into some other official ethnic barrel.

Extremely unofficially, Chinese has the term 鞑子 Dazi, which is like a corruption of the term 'Tartar' and started out as an insult and today is less than pleasant sounding. The later Hezhe (or potentially anybody else) were referred to as 鱼皮鞑子 'Fish skin (wearing) Tartars.'

Leading to the last question for now, regarding the Gold/i, which I've seen is supposed to have referred to the Nanai/Hezhe/Hejen (on Sakhalin?) but has this word fallen out of use recently, and what's the argument for all these terms being used for the 'same' people?

Also, is 'Khamnigan' used to refer to more than one language?

These people should not be occupied by the white Russians.

They are the same race as us Chinese.

I think the Chinese should migrate up to Siberia and help these people.

These people should not be occupied by the white Russians.  They are the same race as us Chinese.  I think the Chinese should migrate up to Siberia and help these people.  The rulers of Yakutia and Tuva actually welcome the Chinese presence and say that intermarriage helps strengthen their people (I guess they direct this remark at Russians).

1655-1675 the effect of the Manchu Empire upon Yakutia

At the same time that Tygyn was conquering the tribes of Yakutia, Manchuria, on his south-eastern borders was also expanding once more under its leader Aisin-Gioro Nurhachi.

In 1644, the Manchu occupied Beijing and founded the Qing dynasty which was to be the last Imperial dynasty of China, with Manchurian ruler Aisin-Gioro Fulin as Emperor of China.

The Tungus-Manchurian tribes and clans in Siberia, now could claim the protection of an overlord more powerful in that part of the world than the Russians, with large well equipped armies (Jesuits had helped update their guns) guarding their borders. Sakha and even Cossacks also escaped to Manchurian territory to escape Russian rule.

By 1670 Manchurian sovereignty had been reinstated over the Lamuts (Evens) on the Pacific coast around Okhotsk (Yakutia's east corner). And also collected tribute from Lamut clans on the Maya river who had been subjected to the Russians. Yakuts were encouraged to move south where Manchu armies had cleared out the Russian troops and mercenaries.

The Cossacks were independent mercenaries employed by the Russian government. In 1655 local Cossacks in Yakutia rebelled against the Russian officials at Yakutsk. They banded together and swore an oath to be free of their Russian oppressors.

Having had enough of Yakutia, they planned to emigrate south to a better climate. They raided warehouses in Yakutsk and pirated boats. Some three hundred of them with their (mostly Yakut) wives and children under their ataman Sorokin, set off down the rivers until they reached the Amur region in Manchurian territory where they settled in Albazin.

A Tungus tribe whose leader was called "Petrushka-Olyeni" by the Russians (Reindeer-Pete) escaped from the Lena where they had lived, fighting and killing Cossacks to get away to Dahuria a Manchurian province which Russia claimed.

The Albazin Cossacks found them and extorted tribute from Reindeer Pete of fifty sable skins. Reindeer Pete appealed to Beijing and was supported by Chinese governors in the region as they and others also molested by Albazin were Chinese subjects. Several complaint s about the behaviour of Cossacks on the Manchurian frontiers were sent to Beijing. The Russians and Cossacks were called bandits.

Fifty Sakha (Yakut) men (referred to by the Russian ambassador as deserters) escaped from Yakutsk with their wives and children. The governor sent a boyarson with Cossacks in pursuit of them. When they caught up with them, there was a fight. Many of the Cossacks were wounded and the Yakuts escaped. They settled amongst the Birars, a Tungus tribe tributary to the Manchus, but who were also exploited for tribute by Albazin.

Two of the Sakha leaders were taken by Manchu government officials to Beijing to the Emperor's Court. Their clothes were thought unusual, in the "German" fashion. (The traditional Yakut coat did look much like 17th century European dress). The Sakha representatives said that they had been sent by the Yakut princes to the Manchurian Emperor to offer their subjection to their rule, as the Russians oppressed them grievously, exacting tribute beyond their skill to furnish. Officials escorted them back to their companions and new Manchurian home.

The Russian government was furious at these defections by people who found the - not notably tolerant Manchu government preferable to Russian rule. The threat was immense. The Russian Empire stood to lose most of its eastern territory and with it a possible overland passage to America, access to the Pacific and above all friendly relations and profitable trade with China. They kept a close check on all defectors.

A report in 1670 from the Russian ambassador in Beijing, Milovanov stated "And after that came to the same Embassy compound a traitor, by race a Crim-Tatar Anashka Urusmanov who had belonged to the former voevoda (governor) of the Lena Dmitriev Fransbekov, but had fled from Dahuria from the Amur river into China some years back...And in the Chinese capital they saw a traitor a Russian, who had belonged to the Lena boyarson Thedorov Pushchin, Takhomka by name who had fled from Dahuria from Niki fort Cherigov in former years. And those traitors Anashko and Takhomka have taken wives unto themselves in the Chinese capital; and they follow the Chinese customs and receive food from the Bogdikhan (Manchu Emperor) and they dwell in houses of their own."

The Tsar sent a new ambassador to Beijing, Sparthary. Sparthary's Chinese interpreter was so useless he had him flogged. He then relied on Ferdinand Verbiest, the Jesuit astronomer from what is now Belgium, who in 1670 impressed the young Kangxi emperor by defeating the Chinese Muslim astronomer Yang Guang Xian who had written a book against the Jesuits, in a challenge held at court.

Sparthary requested that Kangxi hand over the Yakut refugees. But Kangxi refused. The traffic had not been all one way. The Tungus Solon Prince Gantimur had crossed the border into the Russian side. Kangxi refused to hand over the Yakuts except in exchange for Gantimur. It was stalemate.

In a letter to the Tsar, Kangxi also said "Now I am told that the people called Sakha belong to the Russian jurisdiction...but whether truly or not I cannot say." The Yakuts remained in Manchuria but they were not able to persuade the Emperor to send his troops as far north as Yakutsk to help them expel the Russians from their country.

These people should not be occupied by the white Russians. They are the same race as us Chinese. I think the Chinese should migrate up to Siberia and help these people. The rulers of Yakutia and Tuva actually welcome the Chinese presence and say that intermarriage helps strengthen their people (I guess they direct this remark at Russians).

Just a unrelated question.

If say Sakha republic decides to secede from the federation would it succed or would russia respond with force.

I got this from a yakut site.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/heather.hobden1/Yakutia16c.htm