This is the 6921st most frequent Russian word.
алтая
"Алтая" is the genitive case of "Алтай," referring to the Altai region or mountains in Russia.
'Алтая' is used to denote the geographic location/name 'Altai' in genitive case, referring to the Altai mountains.
Наша следующая поездка будет к горам Алтая.
Our next trip will be to the Altai mountains.
'Алтая' functions here as a possessive in genitive case to show that the folklore belongs to the Altai peoples or region.
Мы изучаем фольклор народов Алтая.
We study the folklore of the Altai peoples.
'Алтая' is in genitive case to indicate the culture specific to the Altai region.