Tuva Turks call themselves as "Tıva". They do not like the word of "Tuva" because the Russians use this word. There are various views about the origin of Tuvas. It is a widespread conviction among today's Tuvas that the word of "Tuva" has been rooted from "Toba-Topa"s that established a big state in the north of China. The Sinology Doctor, W. Eberhand, carried out the most comprehensive studies about the State of "Topa" and their culture. "Tabgaç people are called as "Toba" in the Chinese references. These people are not Chinese, in other worlds, they constitute a foreign tribe". As a matter of fact, one of the two Tavgaç words in DLT was explained with the phrase of "A troop of Turks". In the same article, Eberhard states that the State of "Toba" was composed of 119 tribes that consisted of the mixture of the Turkish and the Mongol people. Today, we know that the word known as "Tuva" (according to them, "Tıva") has been used in the written references and resources since the 19th century. Apart from this word, it was expressed with the words of Soyon, Soyot, Uranhay, Uryanhay, and Tuba. In fact, all of these concepts can be accepted as the name of a higher identity of Tuvas. Nowadays, the people of the republic known under this common name know that they came from various tribes and clans. These clans have reached today from various Uighur, Khirgiz, and Turkmen tribes and started to use the word of "Tıva" as a common name for them. Some of these tribes and clans are as follows: Bay-kara, Çoodu, Deleg (Telengit), Doñgak, Hertek, İrgit, Kırgıs, Küjuget, Maadı, Oorjak, Oyun, Sat, Salçak (Selçuk!), Sayan, Tumat, Toju, Todut; Uygur, Balıkçı, Kuskun, Höyük, Homuşku, Monguş, Ondar, Hovalıg, Hoyug, Sang, Oy-ondar, Kara-ondar, Darhat (Tarkat).
We have observed that various nations or tribes dominated the lands in which today's Tuva Turks have lived during the history. The domination of Huns in the centuries of B.C.III-D.C.II, İskits in the centuries of II-V, Kokturks in the centuries of V.-VIII., Uighur Turks in the centuries of VIII-XVI, Yenisey Khirghiz people in the centuries of XI-XIII that are the ancestors of Hakas and Khirghiz people of today, Mongols in the centuries of XIII.-XVI, Altin Khans-Chungar people in the centuries of XVII-XVIII. The same region was under the domination of Manchuria in the years of 1717-1911. One of the most significant events of Tuva history that have reached today living in the imagination of the people had taken place between the years of 1883-1885.
During this periof, most of Tuva heroes that had rebelled against the imperialism of Manchuria (China) were caught in a short period and then executed. The remaining sixty people had taken to the hills and continued their struggle against the superior army of the empire for a period of two years. Finally a big force of army was sent for them. They were squeezed in the place known as "Süt Höl" today and they were caught and subjected to severe torture. Their heads were cut off and put on poles in the viaducts that were accepted as holy places in the culture of Tuva. This event is just like the reappearance of the rebellion of Kürşat and his forty friends even after centuries. The history of these sixty heroes -Tuvas have called them as "Adnan Durgunnar" (Sixty Fugitives) or "Aldan Maadır" (Sixty Braves)- still preserves its vigour in both the imagination of the people and the historical resources of today.
In the region that was partially under the domination of Russians between the years of 1914-1921, the struggles for power between the Tsarist Russia and the Bolsheviks were observed between the years of 1917-1921. "Tıva Arat Respublika (Tuva People's Republic) was established on the date of 14th August in the year of 1921 and the first constitution of Tuva was accepted. The 1st article of the Constitution was stated as "Tuva shall act independently in respect of its internal affairs and consult to Russia in respect of its foreign affairs". The Small Republic of Tuva that maintained its independency until the year of 1944 has been the second Turkish Republic following the Republic of Turkey that remained independent for a long time in the 20th century. Pursuant to the declaration of Republic, Sodnam Balçır was elected as the president of the state.
In these years, we see that the Soviet Union tried to predominate Tuva in order to take it under its dominance through various means. Undoubtedly, the most important means that they used was the training of the youth in the direction of the communist ideology firstly in Mongolia since the communism had entered into Mongolia officially in the middle of the 1920's and then in Tuva. These young people trained in that direction were appointed as teachers in the schools that were newly opened in their countries and they became influential authorities in the administrative ranks in a short period.
At the end of 1930's, we observe that the administration of the country were totally in the hands of the advocates of the communist ideology. When Tar was established in the year of 1921, the government of the Soviet Union had sent a message of celebration stating that "Russia does not consider the region of Uryanhay (Tuva) under the government of workers-farmers as its own lands and will not bear such an approach towards it in the future". But the government of the Soviet Union changed the conditions in favour of its own interests after 23 years and accepted the "desire for the mandate of the Great Soviet State" taken by the Government of Tuva on the date of 17th August 1944 as a favour! According to this resolution taken on the date of 11th October 1944, the independent Tar has become a " Soviet Autonomous Region". Salçak who had mostly tried for the confederation with the Soviet Union was assigned as the ruler of the Autonomous Region of Toka.
Tuva took the title of the "Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" on the date of the 10th October 1961. Upon the collapse of the Soviets in the year of 1991, Tuva took the title of "Republic of Tuva" on the date of 28th August. Şerig-ool Oorjak was the first president elected by public. In the elections carried out in December 1993, 28 members among 32 members of parliament elected for Tuva Assembly were nominates with the roots of Tuva. Kaadır-ool Biçeldey who was an expert of Tuva language was elected as the chairman of the parliament. The new constitution was accepted in Tuva on the date f 21st October 1993. 1st article of this new constitution states that "Republic of Tuva is a democratic state within the structure of the Russian Federation. As per the public referendum of all Tuva people, Republic of Tuva reserves the right to modify the Federation agreement, the right to self-government and the right to separate the country from the Russian Federation".