Southern Siberia, especially the Baikal region, is the historical homeland of the Turks. It was here that their immediate ancestors the Dinlins formed during the Iron Age, who migrated southward during the Hunnu Empire. But many Turks remained in place or later came here.
So, what kind of Turkic peoples live in Siberia?
The first ones that come to mind are the Siberian Tatars. They live in the west of Siberia, mainly in the Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk regions. As a separate people, they were formed in the centuries following the collapse of the Golden Horde in the steppe zone east of the Urals and incorporated both all the previous Turkic population and, in part, the knowledge of other Siberian tribes. Ethnically and linguistically they are closest to the common ancestors of Uzbeks and Kazakhs. Later, Volga-Ural Tatars moved here, leading to a significant merging of the two groups.
The Yakuts are also one of the largest representatives of the Siberian Turks. They have their own republic within Russia — Yakutia. Their ancestors were the Kurykans, a cosmopolitan tribal union that roamed near Lake Baikal in the early High Middle Ages. But because of Mongol expansion this confederation disintegrated. And its proto-Yakut part was forced to migrate northward along the Lena. There they came into contact with the locals (Yakuts are largely descended from Evenks on the female line) and adapted their nomadic economy to the harsh conditions of Eastern Siberia.
The Dolgans are a people of close origin; in fact, they are those Yakuts who did not become Yakuts. They have a much larger Evenki component, but their formation was also influenced by the Enets and even Russians — the so-called Zatundren peasants. They live a bit further north — in general, they are the northernmost Turkic people, unlike most Yakuts, who are reindeer herders. As part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, they have their own district on the territory of Taimyr.
Of course, the Tuvinians are resort southerners compared to them. But their homeland is also considered part of Siberia. This is an ethnos with a complex history of formation, which emerged from a mixture of Turkic, Mongolian and Tungus-Manchurian groups. The remnant of the latter are the Tuvinians-Tojins, the last reindeer herders among this people. The Tuvinians live in Tuva, one of the republics of the Russian Federation.
Khakasses are one of the most direct descendants of the ancient Turks. It is not for nothing that their language belongs to the Old Uigur group of Turkic languages. Thus, their distant ancestors were close to the tribes of the eponymous Kaganate, which replaced the first empire of the Turks. Since this people live on a large territory, several sub-ethnoses are distinguished in their composition, which do not necessarily agree with the fact that they are referred to the Khakasses. Khakasses live in the Republic of Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Krai.
Their neighbors Tofalars are a small people of the Irkutsk region, classified as indigenous people of the Far North, and they live a little further east. Before the Soviet regime they were also called Karagas — “black geese” after the name of one of the largest clans. Originally they were nomads, but under the USSR they were voluntarily and forcibly put on the land. However, they live in isolated regions, transportation to which is mainly by air.
The Kumandins of the Altai Republic and Altai Krai used to be considered a part of the Altai people, but later they were considered separately, being referred to the peoples of the Far North. Probably, their ancestors were various taiga inhabitants of separate origin: nomadic Turks, Samoyedic deer breeders, hunters and fishermen from among the Tungus. Such a conclusion is made that the Kumanda clans are very different from each other, although they live in the same territory.
The Teleuts, who live mainly in the Kemerovo region, also have a similar origin. Earlier they were considered as a sub-ethnos within the Altaians, but then they began to be counted separately and received the status of peoples of the Far North, which gives them some privileges. The same can be said about the Chalkans (Chelkans). Except that they live in the Altai Republic.
The Chulym people are very few, literally a few hundred, and they live in two or three settlements in the Tomsk region and Krasnoyarsk Krai. Unlike other Siberian Turks, they have been practicing farming and breeding cattle since ancient times. Among other relatives the closest to them are the Khakasses.
The majority of Shorians live in the Kemerovo region and a smaller part in Khakassia. In terms of language and culture they are close to Altaians, Chulymians, and Khakassians. Before the arrival of the Russians, they were traditionally engaged in ironwork and were known as the Kuznetsk Tatars. But then they could not withstand competition with newcomers and began to live by agriculture and hunting.
Also, we should not forget that Kazakhs and Bashkirs can also be referred to the Siberian Turkic peoples, because part of their traditional area of residence is located in the Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and other regions.