Kalmyk dancers from the Soviet-era ensemble Tulpan in the city of Elista, Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR
The state folk ensemble Tulpan was formed in 1937 in order to promote traditional Kalmyk music during the Soviet Unions - Korenizatsiia ("Indigenization") policy time period. During this point of Soviet history, the state sought to eliminate Russian political and cultural domination in regions where ethnic Russians were not a majority, in order to promote representation of Indigenous groups, and counter what they deemed as ethnic-Russian chauvinism and counter-revolutionary ("bourgeoise") nationalism among ethnic minorities. This policy was enacted in Ukraine, Central Asia, Moldova, the Baltics, southern Caucasus, and within Russia itself; including Kalmykia.
Korenizatsiia led to the establishment of the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within Russia for the Kalmyk people, who are a Mongolic ethnic group from the steppes of European Russia.
During the interwar period, when Stalin was the leader of the USSR, Korenizatsiia was mostly abandoned. When the Nazis invaded Russia, including Kalmykia, around 5000 Kalmyks ended up collaborating with them in the Nazi-affiliated Kalmykian Cavalry Corps. This led to Kalmyks being deemed as enemies of the people, and to their collective deportation to Siberia and abolishment of the Kalmyk ASSR, despite the fact that 23k Kalmyks fought for the Red Army against the Nazis. In the 1950's Kalmyks were allowed to return to Kalmykia and the Kalmyk ASSR was reestablished.
