On the origin of some Evenki endoethnonyms

The Evenkis are spread over an extremely vast territory, which may be the reason for the existence of at least 7 endoethnonyms. Most ethnonyms mentioned by G. M. Vasilevich (e.g. ilǝ, mata, xundisal) are already obsolete.

Considering the etymology of three Evenki endoethnonyms (ǝwǝnkī, oročēn, and ilǝ) this paper proposes the following conclusions:

1. The word ilǝ ‛1) man; 2) Evenki’ was used by some western Evenki groups. In my opinion, this word was borrowed from Mongolian; initially it meant ‛clear, obvious; perceptible, visible’ (as opposed to the invisible inhabitants of other worlds).

2. S. M. Shirokogorov suggested that the Tungus (Evenki) word oročēn ‛Orochen’ was derived from the Orochen word oro ‛place’ (cf. Written Mongolian orun ‛place in general; territory; dwelling place’). The suffix ‑čēn is used in some Evenki dialects (Transbaikalia and the Amur Region), in Solon, and Orochen (Oroqen). This suffix has the meaning ‛agent noun; an inhabitant of the place indicated in the stem’. The Evenkis of Transbaikalia and the Amur region could interpret the meaning of their endoethnonym as ‛those who practise reindeer breeding’. This interpretation is reasonable because the Evenki word oron means ‛domestic reindeer’.

3. Most Evenkis call themselves ǝwǝnkī and only one group (the Sym river Evenkis) used the ethnonym ǝwǝn (which is very close to the Even endoethnonym). The Solon endoethnonym is əwəŋki. The ethnonym ǝwǝn(kī) was derived from the stem ǝwǝ‑ ‛this place’ (a very similar idea concerning the ethnonym Even was suggested by K. A. Novikova (1960)). The stem ǝwǝ‑ is used in the Evenki words ǝwǝskī ‛hither, this way’ and ǝwgidǝ̄ (from Proto-Evenki *ǝwǝ‑γidǝ̄) ‛this side’. In my view, the segment ‑n‑ was initially a case marker with locative meaning (it is likely that in the Manchu-Tungusic parent language there were three locative markers: *‑lā / ​‑lǝ̄ / ​‑lō, *‑dū, *‑nu). The suffix ‑kī in the ethnonym ǝwǝnkī is also attached to the Evenki word aŋnakī ‛person of alien tribe’. Apparently, the word ǝwǝ‑n (this.place‑LOC) was initially used in collocations like ǝwǝ‑n bi‑sī bǝjǝ‑l ‛people who live here, in this place’ and afterwards it underwent ellipsis (ǝwǝ‑n bi‑sī bǝjǝ‑l > ǝwǝn; ǝwǝn + ‑kī = ǝwǝnkī).