The 16th- and 17th-century sources in relation to different groups of Mordovian population (both Moksha and Erzya) often used the term belyak . However, it was not possible to make a precise definition of the term due to the peculiarities of its use. Even in the 19th century, some researchers argued that belyaks were the steads of the Tatar princes and murzas. Yet the analysis of the records of the Temnikov and Kadom Writ Houses pertaining to wild-honey farming led A. Geraklitov to the conclusion that the belyaks in the first place were directly related to beekeeping and could not be territorial administrative units headed by Tatar feudal lords. Nevertheless, the information accumulated to date allows us to return to the discussion of the term belyak and, in particular, to the issue of the links between the belyaks and the Tatar princes.
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