Article

Name: On the issue of the genre classification of the Khakass ritual benevolence

Authors: Valentina V. Mindibekova

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract:

This paper examines the classification and systematization of the Khakass genre of good wishes and their functions in the system of traditional Khakass ritual practices. The under-researched nature of good wishes, notwithstanding their widespread prevalence and distinctive qualities, highlights the significance of the study. It was believed that good wishes could improve one’s life and well-being, reflecting a faith in the power of language. Modern society is exhibiting a renewed interest in traditional culture, particularly the expression of good wishes, which are increasingly sought in diverse life contexts. Ritual poetry belongs to the insufficiently studied genres of Khakass folklore. The study aim is to systematize the good wishes of the Khakass people and identify the characteristics of their functioning in the system of cult, calendar, and family rituals. The structure and linguistic features of Khakass good wishes are analyzed to determine their place within the established genre framework. Consideration is given to the semantic content of good wishes performed during the ritual. While a significant amount of material was compiled between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the study of Khakass rituals remains an area of limited scholarly investigation within the framework of traditional Khakass cultural practices. This investigation centers on the ritual poetry samples found within the archives of N. F. Katanov. We suggest a novel approach to defining the genre features of good wishes and their subsequent thematic classification.

Keywords: Khakass folklore, ritual poetry, ritual benevolence, cult rituals, calendar rituals, family rituals

Bibliography:

Alekseev N. A. Rannie formy religii tyurkoyazychnykh narodov Sibiri [Early forms of religion of the Turkic speaking peoples of Siberia]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, 1980, 318 p.

Alekseev N. A. Traditsionnye religioznye verovaniya tyurkoyazychnykh narodov Sibiri [Traditional religious beliefs of the Turkic-speaking peoples of Siberia]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, 1992, 233 p.

Butanaev V. Ya., Butanaeva I. I. Khakasskiy istoricheskiy fol’klor [Khakass historical folklore]. Abakan, KhSU, 2001, 148 p.

Butanaev V. Ya. Proiskhozhdenie khakasskikh rodov i family [The origin of Khakass families and surnames]. Abakan, 1994, 93 p.

Butanaev V. Ya. Traditsionnyy shamanizm Khongoraya [Traditional shamanism of Hongorai]. Abakan, KhSU, 2006, 254 p.

Butanaev V. Ya., Vernik A. A., Ulturgashev A. A. Narodnye prazdniki Khakasii: Ucheb. posobie [Folk festivals of Khakassia: Textbook]. Abakan, 1999, 58 p.

Chertykova M. D. Blagopozhelaniya kak yazykovoe otrazhenie traditsionnykh tsennostey khakasov: metodologiya issledovaniy [Benevolence as a linguistic reflection of traditional Khakas values: research methodology]. Epic Studies. 2024, no. 3 (35), pp. 15–29.

Dyrenkova N. P. Kul’t ognya u altaytsev i teleut [The cult of fire among the Altaians and Teleuts]. In: Sbornik muzeya antropologii i etnografii [Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography]. Leningrad, 1927, vol. 6, pp. 63–78.

Dyrenkova N. P. Shorskiy fol’klor [Shor folklore]. Moscow, Leningrad, AN SSSR, 1940, 448 p.

Efimova L. S. Algys sakha (yakutov) v svete fol’klornykh traditsiy tyurko-mongol’skikh narodov Sibiri: klassifikatsiya, obshchaya kharakteristika [The benevolence of the Sakha (Yakuts) in the light of folklore traditions of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples of Siberia: classification, general characteristics]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, 2013, 178 p.

Katanov N. F. Shamanskie pesnopeniya sibirskikh tyurkov: zapisi 1878-1892 godov [Shamanic chants of the Siberian Turks: records of 1878–1892]. A. Prelovsky (Poetic transl.), V. Ya. Butanaev (Introd. art., Sci. ed. of texts, Comm.). Moscow, LitExpress, 1996, 192 p.

Katash S. S. Mify i legendy Gornogo Altaya [Benevolence – as an ancient genre of Altai folklore]. Gorno-Altaysk, Alt. kn. izd., 1978, 112 р.

Khakas chonnyn ulukunneri po nauchnomu proektu “Godovoy tsikl khakasskogo kalendarya” [Autochthonous holidays of the Khakass people according to the scientific project “Annual cycle of the Khakass calendar”]. A. A. Burnakov, E. S. Torokova (Comps.). Abakan, Khak. kn. izd. im. V. M. Torosov, 2023, 32 p.

Kuular Ch. Ch. Algysh-yөreelder [Best wishes]. In: Tyva ulustuŋ aas chogaaly [Oral folklore of the Tuvan people]. Kyzyl, TyvNҮCh, 1976, pp. 132–141.

Maynagashev S. D. Zhertvoprinoshenie Nebu u bel’tirov [Sacrifice to the Sky at the Beltir]. In: Sbornik muzeya antropologii i etnografii imeni Petra Velikogo pri Imperatorskoy akademii nauk [Collection of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the Imperial Academy of Sciences]. Petrograd, 1916, vol. 3, pp. 93–102.

Mindibekova V. V. Mifologicheskaya osnova obryadovykh blagopozhelaniy khakasov [The mythological basis of the ritual benevolence of the Khakas]. Epic Studies. 2023, no. 2, pp. 67–75.

Mindibekova V. V. Zhanr blagopozhelaniy algys v kontekste semeynoy obryadnosti khakasov [Genre of the algys good wishes in the context of Khakass family rituals]. Sibirskii Filologicheskii Zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Philology]. 2024, no. 3 (30), pp. 112–124. DOI 10.17223/1813 7083/88/7

Obryadnost’ v traditsionnoi kul’ture altaitsev: Kollektivnaya monografiya [Ritual in the traditional culture of the Altaians. Collective monograph]. Gorno-Altaysk, NII altaistiki im. S. S. Surazakova, 2019, 704 p.

Oynotkinova N. R. Kalendarnye obryady i prazdniki altaytsev i teleutov: klassifikatsiya i obshchaya kharakteristika [Calendar rites and holidays of the Altaians and Teleuts: classification and general characteristics]. Sibirskii Filologicheskii Zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Philology]. 2022, no. 3, pp. 153–165. DOI 10.17223/1813 7083/87/13

Oynotkinova N. R. Zhanrovye osobennosti pesen i blagopozhelaniy v svadebnoy obryadnosti altaytsev [Poetics of songs and good wishes in the wedding ceremony of the Altai people]. Sibirskii Filologicheskii Zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Philology]. 2024, no 2. pp. 151–163. DOI 10.17223/18137083/87/13

Ukachina K. E., Yamaev E. E. Altay alkyshtar [Altai benevolence]. Gorno-Altaysk, Ak-Chechek, 1993, 144 p.

Yusha Zh. M. Obryadovaya poeziya tuvintsev: Struktura i semantika [Ritual poetry of Tuvan: structure and semantics]. Novosibirsk, Apel’sin, 2009, 160 p.