The Tubalar are an ethnic group native to the Altai Republic in Russia. According to the 2010 census, there were 1,965 Tubalars in Russia.The villages with the highest population of Tubalars are Artybash, Iogach, Novotroitsk, Tuloi, Tondoshka, Kebezen, Ust-Pyzha, Biyka, Yailu, Chuyka, Torochak, Paspaul, Salganda, Karakoksha, Tunzha, Krasnoselskoye, Uskuch, Uimen, and Karasuk. The sacred tree of Tubalars is the cedar, a symbol of the power, beauty and courage of taiga.