The most common endonym of the Chulym people (the Chulym Turki) is tadar/tadar kizhi (common, in addition to the Chulyms, to the Shors and partially to the Altaians and the Khakass); Other variants include ös kizhi, us kizhi, chulym kizhi, pistin kizhi (“our people”, “the locals”). The total number according to the census of 2002 is 656 persons; according to the census of 2010, 355.
The main area of residence of the Chulym people are the Pervomaisky, Asinovsky, Zyryansky, Teguldetsky districts of the Tomsk area; also the Tyukhtetsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In all these areas, the agriculture and/or forestry play a major economic role. The basis of the economy of the Pervomaisky district is timber industry. Sand, chalk, clay and mineral paints are mined there, as well. The prevalent industries of the Asinovsky district are timber industry ( “Lesnoye Prichulymye” and “A-les”), woodworking, plywood production. A feed mill, a municipal dairy plant and a meat processing plant are also located there.
In general, the traditional worldview of the Chulyms was close to one of their closest relatives, the Turki of southern Siberia. In brief extant descriptions of their religious beliefs (very few had survived, unfortunately, by the time the systematic ethnographic research began), we find references to the fact that the supreme deity was Ulgen (or Kudai, a name common to the Turki of southern Siberia and borrowed from the Iranian *xwadāy, “God”, “Lord”); his antagonist, the master of the underworld of the dead, was Erlik.