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ABOUT THE GENERAL STAGES OF ETHNOGENESIS BASED ON GAMING CULTURE OF THE PEOPLES OF VOLGA AND URAL REGIONS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2018. Issue 4 (22). P. 105-116

The article contains the comparative analysis of gaming motives of the Russian, Komi, Mari, Udmurt, Mordovian and Karelian people and the as Bashkir, Tatar and Khanty ethnos. The consideration is based on the game "Bear-grandma" and the children's rhymes. The game "Bear-grandma" shows the commonality of the plot and the game songs in the Udmurt, Komi, Khanty, Bashkir and is evidence of a common substrate, rooted in the culture of Western Siberian Ugric peoples of the first Millennium A.D., who lived in the middle and upper reaches of the Ob river; recorded versions of a similar game in Mari and Russian explained ethno-cultural contacts. The comparison of the materials of children's readers allows us to conclude that they are genetically related, demonstrating the calculation of the text. It is hypothesized that "children's zaum" brought to us the oldest words of prayer and conspiracy, preserved at the beginning and end of the text. These materials allow us to assert that the game folklore and gaming culture widespread in the borders of specific areal.

Keywords: rhymes, gaming culture, semantics, ritual, ethno-cultural contacts of the peoples of Volga and Ural regions

ALCHIKS AND BONES: ANCIENT EURASIAN GAME // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2020. Issue 4 (30). P. 161-175

In the culture of the peoples of Eurasia, there is a game of alchiki, also known as a game of dice, dice, etc. The purpose of the article is to study the geography of the distribution of dice games and its comparative analysis. The research materials were historical and ethnographic works, folklore collections, materials of painting and sculpture were used. Two methods of work were used — comparative-comparative and historical-geographical. To carry out a comparative analysis, the concept of a game plot is introduced — an element that forms the structure of a game and a sequence of rules for conducting. Game plot is a universal concept, and we make it a unit for comparing elements of culture. The historical-geographical approach identifies geographical boundaries. The game equipment consisted of the joint bones of small animals. The agreed number of dice was put on the game, the players knocked them out with the main dice — the bat. The bones that fell on the «right» side were taken by the winner. The earliest archaeological evidence goes back to the third millennium BC (Ur dynasty). The dice game was known throughout Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from the Kola Peninsula to Asia Minor. One episode recorded in North America. The game was extremely popular among the pastoralists of Eurasia, as well as in the Caucasus; in Central Asia, children and adult men took part in it. The exclusively masculine character of the game and the punishment for losing allow us to assert the origin of the game from the ritual. It has been hypothesized that such a game plot could have appeared from a rite that appeared during the period of animal domestication. Recordings of the game among peoples living at a distance from the Eurasian belt of the steppes and not directly related to sheep breeding — allow us to trace possible contacts in antiquity, to the development of modern territories of settlement.

Keywords: game, game plot, dice game, mapping, semantics, ethnocultural relations

Eco Toys in Bashkir Culture // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024. Issue 2 (44). P. 113-123

Toys have long been the subject of ethnographic research. Among the toys, balls, bats, dolls, and random toys made of natural materials stand out. They are rarely mentioned in the scientific literature. The article, based exclusively on the field material of the author’s team, is devoted to the study of these types of toys among Bashkir children, i.e., play objects that return to the natural environment after play. The study aims to reveal an unexplored aspect of the problem and show the stability of random toys (or eco-toys) as an element of play culture. These toys are classified according to their material of origin: stones, wood, clay, and plant toys made of grass, flowers, and fruit. The classification of games is based on gender and age: boys’ games, girls’ games, and general games. A historiographical overview of the literature on the games of Bashkir children leads to the conclusion that Bashkir toys have hardly been researched and that the subject of random toys has not been dealt with at all. The authors found that the objects in question are characterized by simplicity of manufacture, the games are quick, and the play objects return to the natural environment. Nevertheless, such games are of great importance as they help to develop children’s dexterity, accuracy, and observation skills; they familiarize them with the properties of objects and the world around them; they have an educational value as the child learns through play to recognize plants, materials, their properties and the possibility of their use in everyday life. All games and eco-games reflect the traditional occupations and way of life of the Bashkir people - animal husbandry, hunting, and gathering. In the child’s imagination, the surrounding world, the reality of life, and everyday life are represented by wood, clay, flowers, herbs, and stones. Examples of the oldest hunting and gathering techniques can sometimes be seen in this type of toy – a sling, whistles, slingshots, and plants for decoration. Even today, the toy has not lost its significance and retains its niche in modern children’s culture.

Keywords: toys, eco-toys, play, games, play culture, Bashkirs, whistles, dolls, sling, plants, flowers