_-_Volga_Boatmen_(1870-1873).jpg)
Aburlak (Russian:бурла́к,IPA:[bʊrˈlak]) was a river boat orbarge puller in theRussian Empire. It was a seasonal occupation.[1]
Burlaks as an occupation appeared inRussia at the end of 16th century and beginning of the 17th century. With the expansion of freight-hauling, the number of burlaks increased. With the proliferation ofsteamships, the demand in burlaks diminished and they basically disappeared by the end of the 19th century.[1]
There wereseasonal burlaks, who worked from spring to autumn, andtemporary burlaks, who worked occasionally. Burlaks did not work in winter, when most Russian rivers were frozen over.
The main areas of the burlaks' trade in theRussian Empire were theVolga river, fromMoscow toAstrakhan, theWhite Sea route (Belomor'e), fromMoscow toArkhangelsk, and theDnieper river, inUkraine.[citation needed]
Most burlaks were landless or poor peasants fromSimbirsk,Saratov,Samara,Yaroslavl,Kostroma,Vladimir,Ryazan,Tambov andPenza areas.[citation needed]
Burlaks joined up in anartel (typically from four to six, sometimes ten to forty, and occasionally up 150 people) mainly in winter, despite that at this time clients paid the lowest price, because in winter burlaks were often otherwise unemployed. The final payments were in autumn, after finishing work.[citation needed]
With the coming of theIndustrial Revolution, the number of burlaks declined: at the beginning of the nineteenth century about 600,000 burlaks worked on theVolga andOka rivers; in the middle of nineteenth century, 150,000, and by the beginning of the twentieth burlaks had all but disappeared.[citation needed]
The burlak has been a subject of Russian songs and artwork (Burlaks on the Volga byIlya Repin).
Dubinushka is a well-known traditionalwork song of burlaks, popularized byFeodor Chaliapin.
