Matvei Nikolaevich Khangalov

Born 1858, in the ulus (Tatar settlement) of Zakulei, now in Nukutskii Raion, Ust’-Orda Buriat Autonomous Okrug (formerly Ust’-Orda National Okrug), Irkutsk Oblast; died Feb. 17, 1918, in the ulus of Bil’chir, now in Bokhan Raion. Ust’-Orda Buriat Autonomous Okrug, Irkutsk Oblast. Buriat democrat, educator, ethnographer, and folklorist.

Khangalov graduated from a teacher-training seminary in Irkutsk in 1876; he worked as a schoolteacher for 42 years and was simultaneously engaged in extensive research work. He studied the Buriats’ economy, legal customs, family life, folklore, language, and beliefs. He also investigated archaeological remains in the Buriat region.