Mishari

an ethnic group of Tatars. They call themselves Tatars. They live along the right and left banks of the Middle Volga, mainly in the Tatar ASSR, and to a lesser extent in the Bashkir ASSR, where they were previously known as the Meshcheriaki. They speak a Tatar dialect. Their origins are unclear. Most scholars are inclined to view them as the turkicized Meshchera. Their culture is virtually indistinguishable from that of the other Tatars.