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ALTYN TöS – ‘GOLD FETISH’ IN THE MYTH AND RITUALS OF KHAKASES (END OF XIX – MID XX CENTURY) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2016. Issue 1 (11). P. 53-61

The aim article to study the cult of fire at Khakases such material manifestation, as a fetish Altyn tös. To achieve this goal presented the following tasks: the definition of him sacred significance and the role in the worldview and ritual practices of this people, an analysis of its external characteristics and the reveal of variations symbolic of design figuration and consideration of ways to interact with this ritual sacred object. The chronological scope of work covers the end of the XIX – mid XX century. The choice of these time limits is caused, first of all, the state of the source base on the study. Selection temporal boundaries are caused primarily by the status of the database sources on the research topic. The main sources are archival and ethnographic materials. The work is based on compre-hensive, system-historical approach to the study of the past. Research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods – scientific description, the specific historical and relic. In the worldview and ritual practice Khakases considerable attention was given to fetishism. In traditional consciousness, the fire was endowed with protective and patronizing functions. One of the brightest and most revered idols was Altyn tös. He had a high ritual status, and is always located at the place of honor in the home. It was common belief that largely depends on his favor the preservation of people’s health, well-being of their life and success in economic activities. Derived his sacred role in the spiritual life Khakases contributed to the formation of a special ritual system. It included, both individual and extended family acts of worship. Popular idol contributed to the emergence of different variants of its external image. However, a key marker acted brocade fabric.

Keywords: Khakases, tradition, worldview, shamanism, cult, ritual, fetish, tös, Altyn tös

«CULT ATTRIBUTES OF THE GODDESS UMAI IN THE RELIGIOUS-MITHOLOGICAL VIEWS OF THE KHAKASS PEOPLE (END OF XIX – THE SECOND HALF OF XX CENTURY)» // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2016. Issue 3 (13). P. 39-52

The paper aims to characterize religious paraphernalia of Umai and its role in the worldview and ritual practices of Khakass people. To achieve this goal, the following objectives are met: systematization of published and unpublished materials on the issue; classification based on the analysis of similarity and external signs of main constituent elements; review of their inclusion in the ritual practice. The chronological scope of the work covers the period from the end of XIX century to the second half of the XX century. The choice of these time limits is defined by the state of the source base on the study. The main sources are the literary, archival and ethnographic materials. The work is based on a comprehensive, systematic and historical approach to the study of the past. The study uses historical and ethnographic methods – scientific description, a concrete and historical relic. In spiritual life of Khakass, a special place was given to the cult of the goddess Umai. With the cult of the goddess Umai, Khakasses communicated ideas about women's life-affirming the beginning, and at the same time as a mighty god – patron of motherhood, whose sacred power focuses on fertility, birth of children, saving their lives and health, as well as providing them with a happy future. Such a significant role in the religious life of the people contributed to the wide dissemination of its religious paraphernalia. Things endowed with sacred status were diverse. They differed in external form and functional specificity. The ritual purpose of some of them was determined by the child's sex. However, they all had a generalized name, Umai. Of these, particularly identified are those that play the role of amulet, bow and arrow, a spindle, cowrie shells, buttons, navel-kin, etc. In addition, there were also fetishes tös’, anthropomorphic figures made of wood, bark and cloth. To venerate them, a special ritual was developed. It consisted of a prayer to the God of fertility and to the spirit of fire, as well as the offering of sacrifice, ritual food and feeding of the children. Moreover, a fairly common practice was to use not only a fetish, but also talismans, by sprinkling them and smearing with sacrificial meal. During various rites in family shrines, Umai can be employed both individually and collectively. This practice may indicate that in the religious consciousness of Khakasses, fetishes as mascots were equally endowed with a kind of divine energy and beneficial magical properties and often combines the features of each other. Therefore, shamans were involved in their manufacture and endowed them with spiritual power. They also performed the rites, the atoning sacrifice of this powerful goddess, which often prevented the theft of the soul of a child, as well as preventing its premature death. In the course of this rites and magical practices, they will certainly used as sacred objects. In the future, the whole ritual would have been performed either by the woman herself or her older cousin. Specifically important role in the cult of Umai was assigned to a ritual object Hara Umai. This was both a receptacle and the personification of the Black malicious spirit of Umai. In the general system of rituals, this was one of the very important instruments to overcome death and to celebrate life.

Keywords: Khakasses, tradition, worldwiev, shamanism, Umai cult, rituals, charms, fetishes, tös’

BULL AS A SYMBOL OF FERTILITY IN THE TRADITIONAL KHAKAS CULTURE (THE END XIX – MID XX CENTURIES) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2017. Issue 4 (18). P. 64-75

The aim of the work is to reveal the connection of the image of a bull with the idea of fertility in the culture of the Khakas. Proceeding from the goal, the following tasks were set: to analyze the folklore of this people and to introduce into scientific circulation new archival materials on the designated topic; to explore the semantic links of the image of this animal with the religious-mythological views about the life forces and fertility of domestic animals. The chronological scope of the work covers the late XIX – mid XX centuries. The choice of such time limits is caused, first of all, by the state of the source database on the research topic. The work is based on complex, system-historical approach to the study of the past. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods – scientific description, concrete historical analysis, structural-semantic and relict. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) in the Khakas culture the most important place is assigned to cattle. In the Khakas folklore, the image of Kok puga – the Blue Bull became widespread. In the mythopoetic tradition of the people, this horned animal embodied the center of vitality and fertility of livestock. Such a religious-magical attitude extended to the stone statue that personified it. At the same time, the cult practice of the Khakases, aimed at the development of cattle breeding, was not limited to honoring the sacred stone bull. In the world outlook and ritual of the Khakas, other traditional methods aimed at ensuring the well-being of people's economic activities, multiplying the livestock and protecting them, also spread. Among them, one should single out the sacred actions associated with the testicles of males, and various methods of retaining and ensuring the happiness of cattle, including tearing out pieces of wool from certain places of the animal, dedicating yzyh and blood sacrifices to various patron spirits and deities. In all the designated ritual practices, a large role was assigned to cattle and, in particular, bull/ox, a symbol of the masculine principle and strength, fertility, and the successful continuation of the life of the genus.

Keywords: culture of Khakas, bull, Kok puga, cattle breeding, fertility, symbol, myth, rite

VARIANTS OF THE KHAKASS MYTH ABOUT “THE EXTERMINATION OF ARINS BY SNAKES": THE EXPERIENCE OF ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS (LATE 18TH – MIDDLE 20TH CENTURIES)» // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2019. Issue 2 (24). P. 102-109

The purpose of the paper is to characterize the Khakass myth about "The exterminating Arins by snakes". The following objectives for the study were set: to systematize and analyze various variants of this folk story and to introduce into scientific circulation new archival materials on the designated topic; and to identify the historical context of the narrative in question. The chronological scope of the work covers the late 18th through the middle of the 20th centuries. The choice of such time frame is conditioned, first of all, by the state of the source database on the topic. The study is based on an integrated, system-historical approach to the study of the past. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods - scientific description, concrete historical analysis, structural-semantic and relict. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) the myth about “the extermination of Arins by snakes" is a unique product of the oral folk art of the Khakass. With its unusual plot, it aroused deep scientific interest among researchers, beginning in the 18th century and continuing into the 20th century. As a result, its variants were recorded and published. 2) the myth distinguishes two main alternating themes. First, there is a complex of views associated with snakes. In the religiousmythological consciousness of Khakass the image of this reptilian was endowed with sacred features, although in general the attitude towards it was ambiguous. This representative of the reptiles belonged to the category of animal totems, revealing a mystical relationship with certain Khakas genera, in particular the Kachin tribe Yzyr. Secondly, the designated myth brightly illustrates the process of ethnocultural interaction of the designated ethnic communities. In this respect, under the symbolic extermination of Arins by snakes, in our opinion, it is necessary to understand the real historical processes of turkization and assimilation of Ket-speaking groups by Khakas. Thus, the myth in question has the character of a genealogical narrative. In it, in a deeply symbolic form, the historical events that took place in the life of the designated ethnic group were reflected. By concluding marital unions and migration processes, the Arins joined the Khakas people, and became one of the Khakass clans, settled on Khakass territory.

Keywords: history and culture of Khakas, ethnic processes, folklore, myth, symbol, snake, Arins

«SNAKE MOTIVES» IN KHAKAS FOLKLORE // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2020. Issue 1 (27). P. 90-100

Folklore as a phenomenon of folk culture has always been part of the subject area of Ethnography. Ritual poetry, fairy tales, myths cannot be fully explained outside the ethnographic context. In folklore works with the help of ethnographic data can be identified archaic ideas and relics of religious and magical practices that existed in the past. In the article for the first time on the Khakas material the analytical review of the folklore plots connected with a snake is given. It is concluded that in the culture of Khakas the image of the snake was endowed with sacredness. This reptile was elevated to the rank of revered patron spirits. The image of the snake was associated with the views about time and calendar rites. It was closely connected with the cult of natural objects, in particular with the worship of mountains, water and embodied the idea of fertility. Snake, as a representative of the world of chthonic creatures, endowed with great mystical power, was included in the initiation rituals. In the considered folklore materials data on ethnic history and cultural relations of indigenous peoples of southern Siberia are revealed. The snake for some Khakas clans was perceived as a totem. By snake symbolism in folklore was submitted to the process of inter-ethnic interaction Arins with the Khakas people. In the future, due to historical reasons, including inter-ethnic interaction with other peoples, the image of the snake has undergone a significant rethinking and loss of many archaic features. In this connection, in folklore, it is already endowed with mostly negative connotation.

Keywords: Khakas, folk, world, snake, the protector-spirit, ritual

A RAM AS A SYMBOL OF PROSPERITY IN THE TRADITIONAL CULTURE OF THE KHAKAS (LATE 19TH — MID-20TH CENTURIES) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2021. Issue 1 (31). P. 144-152

The purpose of this article is to characterize the image of a ram / sheep in the traditional culture of the Khakas, as an animal that gives a person well-being and prosperity. The chronological framework of the work covers the late 19th — mid-20th centuries. The choice of such time boundaries is due to the state of the source base for the research topic. Leading in the study is the principle of historicism, when any cultural phenomenon is considered in development and taking into account a specific situation. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods: remnants (relic) and semantic analysis. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. in the traditional culture of the Khakas, the ram / sheep and its image occupied an important place. The animal in question was extremely in demand due to its utilitarian and sacred meaning. In practical terms, it was undoubtedly perceived as an important and accessible source of meat food and raw materials for household needs; 2) The presence of a large number of small ruminants along with other domestic animals was the basis of material prosperity and a high social status of a person in society; 3) In folk life, the ram served as a measure of the value of goods and services, was widely used in exchange trade and was a widespread subject of gift exchange processes; 4) The image of a ram was consistently associated with the idea of vitality and fertility; 5) Some rams / sheep were included in the category of sacred domestic animals — yzykh. They acted as living sacrifices to various patron spirits. They believed that they mystically contributed to the well-being of the economy. Yzykh had the status of an inviolable creature and were distinguished by ritual ribbons — chalama; 6) The images of some patron spirits of sheep, to whom the yzykh were dedicated, had their own material image and were called tos. There was a ritual practice in relation to them; 7) The Khakass also gave sacred status to special animals called mal kizik or mal talaan. They usually had the appearance of a lamb and personified the center of happiness and well-being of the entire human economy; 8) In the cult practice of the Khakas, the veneration of a stone statue of a ram khucha tas, the embodiment of the life force of livestock, became widespread.

Keywords: Khakas, traditional culture, rituals, ram, sheep, yzykh, tos, image, symbol, fertility, stone statue

HORSE AND HORSE HARNESS IN THE RITUAL OF THE KHAKASS CHILDREN'S CYCLE (LATE XIX — MID XX CENTURY) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2022. Issue 1 (35). P. 115-123

The purpose of the article is to determine the function of the horse and horse harness in the representations and rituals of the Khakas associated with the children’s cycle. The chronological framework of the work covers the late XIX — mid XX centuries . The choice of such time limits is determined by the state of the source base on the research topic. Ethnographic and folklore materials collected by both pre-revolutionary and modern researchers: I. G. Gmelin, N. F. Katanov, V. Ya. Butanaev, N. S. Teneshev, etc. served as a source base. Folklore materials — excerpts from heroic tales (alyptyg nymakhtar) used in this work presented for the first time in the author's translation in Russian. In the article under consideration, archival ethnographic materials on the indicated problems are also introduced into scientific circulation. Leading in the research is the principle of historicism, when any cultural phenomenon is considered in development and taking into account a specific situation. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods: remnants (relic) and semantic analysis. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) in the traditional culture of the Khakass, the horse and its image occupied an important place. This pet was included in the ritual associated with the children's cycle; 2) In the religious and mythological consciousness of the people, the image of a horse was steadily associated with the idea of vitality and fertility; 3) Not only the image of this ungulate and some parts of its body were endowed with magical protective properties; 4) The sacralization of the horse contributed to the fact that its image in its various manifestations was widely represented in the rituals associated with prenatal, birth and postnatal childhood cycles. An important place in this process was given to individual elements of horse equipment; 5) The horse performed a significant function in the socialization of the child, including in such stages as naming and mastering riding skills.

Keywords: Khakas, traditional culture, folklore, worldview, ritual, horse, harness, the world of childhood, naming

THE HORSE AS A CELESTIAL BEING IN THE RELIGIOUS AND MYTHOLOGICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE KHAKAS (LATE XIX – XX CENTURY) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2022. Issue 2 (36). P. 105-117

The veneration of the horse is one of the bright and widespread phenomena represented in the traditional culture of many peoples engaged in horse breeding. Khakas are no exception. In their minds, this animal was endowed with a positive characteristic, which was due to the involvement of the horse in almost all spheres of human activity. The horse was an indispensable assistant in economic activity and the military sphere, the fastest and most reliable means of transportation, a source of meat and dairy products and various raw materials, etc. At the same time, the respectful attitude was not limited to a purely utilitarian value. The sacralization of the image of а horse was also influenced by the people’s faith in its heavenly nature, which contributed to the formation of a special ritual associated with it. The purpose of this work will be to characterize the horse / horse as a religious and mythological character in the traditional worldview of the Khakas associated with the sky. The chronological framework of the work is limited to the framework of the late XIX – XX centuries. The choice of such time limits is determined by the state of the source base on the research topic. Ethnographic and folklore materials, both published and introduced into scientific circulation, served as a source base. Among folklore sources, heroic tales (alyptyg nymakhtar) are widely used, excerpts from which are presented for the first time in the author’s translation in Russian. Leading in the study is the principle of historicism, when any cultural phenomenon is considered in development taking into account a specific situation. The research methodology is based on historical and ethnographic methods: remnants (relic) and semantic analysis. As a result of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that in the Khakas culture, the horse has a wide semantic field. One of the most striking facets of his image is the perception as a celestial being and the endowment of a high semiotic status. This animal was included in the mytho-ritual complex associated with the idea of heaven and the celestials. Among the diverse manifestations of this phenomenon, one should distinguish such as: the dedication of a horse – yzyh, solar-lunar and astral symbolism of a horse and its fiery nature, identification of images of a horse and a bird, etc.

Keywords: Khakas, traditional culture, worldview, ritual, horse, sky, sun, moon, stars, fire, bird

The horse as a Chthonic Being in Khakass Beliefs and Folklore (late XIX–XX century) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2023. Issue 1 (39). P. 102-117

Since its domestication, the horse has played an important role in human life. It has contributed to making people extremely mobile. By covering great distances relatively quickly, they managed to dominate large areas. People actively involved the horse in economic, military, religious, ceremonial, and other activities. Its importance was so great that it became an obligatory part of funeral rites. Horses were buried with their deceased owners, so they became signposts to the "other world" for them and continued to serve them even after death. Archaic consciousness often attributed the use of a horse as a mount to the inhabitants of the subterranean world of non-human nature. Similar ideological ideas were definitely present among the Khakass. This work aims to characterize the horse as a religious and mythological figure of the Khakass, having a chthonic nature. The work's chronological framework is limited to the late XIX–XX century framework. The source material on the research topic determines the choice of this time frame. Ethnographic and folkloric materials, published and put into scientific circulation, served as a source base. Among the folk sources, the heroic stories (Alyptyg Nymakhtar) are widely used, from which excerpts in the author's translation are presented in Russian for the first time. Guiding the study is the principle of historicism, in which each cultural phenomenon is considered in its development, considering a specific situation. The research methodology uses historical and ethnographic methods: Vestiges (relics), folklore, and semantic analysis. The results of the study suggest that the image of the horse in the Khakass culture was endowed with extensive and diverse symbolism. It was a sacred animal and directly related to traditional ideas about death and the other world. The horse is a signpost to the other world and also an attribute of lower mythological beings. As a chthonic being, it is endowed with a number of specific characteristics: various physical anomalies, polymorphism, size, supernatural abilities, and connection with the element of water.

Keywords: Khakass, traditional worldview, myth, ritual, horse, chthonism, underworld, demon

The Concept of ‘Horse and Human’ in the Traditional Worldview of the Khakas (end of the XIX–XX century) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024. Issue 2 (44). P. 84-93

The Khakas’ traditional way of life and economic activity was connected with horse breeding, which was given an important place. The daily life of the Khakas, the cattle breeders, was inextricably linked to the horse, on which practically their entire life depended – from daily housework to eating. This has contributed to the development of a whole complex of ideas about this domestic animal as the closest living creature to man in the traditional consciousness of the people. In the world view of the Khakas, the horse is not only perceived as an indispensable companion and faithful helper to humans but also as an equal partner in the ‘horse and human’ tandem. This article aims to characterize the concept of ‘horse and human’ in the traditional worldview of the Khakas. The time frame of the work is limited to the late XIX–XX century. The available sources on the research topic determine the choice of this time frame. Ethnographic and folkloristic materials served as the source basis. The study follows the principle of historicism, in which each cultural phenomenon is considered in its development and in the light of a specific historical situation. The research methodology uses historical and ethnographic methods: Remains (relics) and semantic analysis. According to the study results, the author concludes that the positive ideological concept of ‘horse and human’ was among the most important in the Khakas’ traditional culture. This, of course, testifies to the extremely important role that the horse played in the material and spiritual spheres of the life of these people. In the traditional consciousness of the Khakas, the image of this animal is very close to that of man; it is not only understood as a faithful friend and helper of its master but is also endowed with human qualities. The concept of ‘horse and human’ was elaborated in epic works and folk proverbs, sayings, and riddles. In the oral folk art of the Khakas, the images of ‘horse and human’ are inextricably linked. They complement each other and form a whole. In folklore, the ideas about a horse and its owner are manifested through a pictorial parallel. An associative-symbolic comparison is drawn between the behavior of humans and horses. It is noted that the image of this animal is strongly anthropomorphized and is often symbolically identified with humans.

Keywords: Khakas, traditional culture, worldview, the concept of ‘horse and human,’ image, symbol, folklore, socio-normative attitudes