Customs and traditions of the Yakuts. Tokarev S.L.

Customs and religion of the Yakuts

primary cell social order The Yakuts have long been a separate family (kergep or yal), consisting of a husband, wife and children, but often with the inclusion of other relatives living together. Married sons were usually allocated to a special household. The family was monogamous, but not so long ago, at the beginning of the 19th century, polygamy existed among the wealthy part of the population, although the number of wives usually did not exceed two or three. Wives in such cases often lived apart, each running their own household; The Yakuts explained this custom by the convenience of caring for livestock distributed among several wives.

Marriage was preceded, sometimes for a long time, by matchmaking. The remnants of exogamy (known from the documents of the 17th century) have been preserved: until modern times, they tried to take a wife in a foreign clan, and the rich, not limited to this, looked for brides, if possible, in someone else's place and even ulus. Having looked out for the bride, the groom, or his parents, sent their relatives as matchmakers. The latter, with special ceremonies and conditional language, persuaded the bride's parents about their consent and about the size of the kalym (halyym, or suluu). The consent of the bride herself in the old days was not asked at all. Kalym consisted of cattle, but its size varied greatly: from 1-2 to many tens of heads; the composition of kalym always included the meat of slaughtered cattle. At the end of the XIX century. the desire to transfer kalym to money intensified. Part of the kalym (kurum) was intended for treats during the wedding feast (in the documents of the 17th century, the word “kurum” sometimes means kalym in general). The payment of the bride price was considered obligatory, and the girl considered it dishonorable to marry without it. Relatives, sometimes even distant relatives, helped the groom in obtaining bride price: this was an old view of the wedding as a tribal affair. The relatives of the bride also participated in the distribution of the received bride price. For his part, the groom received a dowry (enne) for the bride - partly also in cattle and meat, but more in clothing and utensils; the value of the dowry was on average half the value of the kalym.

In the wedding ceremonies themselves, the clan also played an important role. Many guests, relatives of the bride and groom, neighbors, etc. participated in ancient weddings. The celebrations lasted for several days and consisted of plentiful treats, various rituals, entertainment - games and dances of youth, etc. Neither the groom nor the bride not only did not occupy a central place in all these festivities, but almost did not participate in them.

Like wedding rites, the terminology of kinship also retains traces of earlier forms of marriage. The name of the son - wol - actually means "boy", "young man"; daughters - kyys - "girl", "girl"; father - ada (literally "senior"); the wife is oyoh, but in some places the wife is simply called dakhtar (“woman”), emehsin (“old woman”), etc.; husband - er; older brother - ubai (bai), younger - ini / older sister - ediy (agas), younger - balys. The last 4 terms also serve to designate some uncles and aunts, nephews and nieces and other relatives. In general, the Yakut kinship system is close to the kinship designation systems of a number of Turkic peoples.

The position of women in the family and in public life was underestimated. The husband - the head of the family - enjoyed despotic power, and the wife could not even complain about ill-treatment, which was a fairly common occurrence, if not from the side of the husband, then from the side of his relatives. A powerless and defenseless alien woman, who got into a new family, was burdened with hard work.

The position of the elderly, decrepit and unable to work, was also difficult. They were little cared for, poorly fed and clothed, sometimes even reduced to begging.

The situation of children, despite the love of the Yakuts for children noted by many observers, was also unenviable. The birth rate among the Yakuts was very high; in most families, from 5 to 10 children were born, often up to 20 or even more. However, due to the difficult living conditions, poor nutrition and care, infant mortality was also very high. In addition to their own children, many families, especially those with few children, often had adopted children, who were often simply bought from the poor.

Newborns were washed by the fire of a small fire and rubbed with cream; the last operation was performed and later quite often. The mother nursed the child for a long time, sometimes up to 4-5 years, but along with this, the child also received a horn with cow's milk. The Yakut cradle is an oblong box made of thin bent boards, where the wrapped child was placed, tied with straps, and left like that for a long time without taking it out; the cradle is equipped with a chute for urine drainage.

Growing children usually crawled on the dirt floor along with the animals, half-naked or completely naked, left to their own devices, and care for them was often limited to tying a long belt to a post so that the child would not fall into the fire. From an early age, the children of the poor were gradually accustomed to work, doing the work that was feasible for them: gathering brushwood in the forest, caring for small livestock, etc.: girls were taught to needlework and household chores. Toyon children received the best care, they were pampered and unlived.

The children had few toys. These were usually home-made, made by parents, and sometimes by the children themselves, wooden animal figurines, small bows and arrows, small houses and various utensils, for girls - dolls and their small suits, blankets, pillows, etc. The games of Yakut children are simple and rather monotonous . Characterized by the absence of noisy mass games; in general, the children of the Yakut poor usually grew up quiet, inactive.

Religion

Even in the second half of the XVIII century. most ofYakuts was baptized, and in the X] X century. all Yakuts were already considered Orthodox. Although the transition to Orthodoxy was caused for the most part by material motives (various benefits and handouts for those being baptized), the new religion gradually entered everyday life. In the yurt, in the red corner, icons hung, the Yakuts wore crosses (large silver pectoral crosses for women are curious), went to church, many of them, especially the toyons, were zealous Christians. This is understandable, since Christianity, much better than shamanism, was adapted to satisfy the class interests of the rich. For all that, however, the old, pre-Christian religion did not disappear at all: the old beliefs, although somewhat modified by the influence of Christian ideas, continued to stubbornly hold on, the shamans - the servants of the old cult - still enjoyed authority, although they were forced to more or less hide their activities from the tsarist administration and the clergy. Shamanism and the animistic beliefs associated with it turned out to be perhaps the most stable part of the old Yakut religion.

Shamanism of the Yakuts was closest to the Tungus type. The Yakut shaman tambourine (wide-rimmed, oval) did not differ in any way from the Tungus, the costume was also of the Tungus type, with the exception that the Yakut shamans performed kamla with their heads uncovered. The similarity concerns not only this external side, but also more significant features of shamanic beliefs and rituals.

The Yakut shaman (oyuun) was considered a professional servant of the spirits. According to the Yakut ideas, anyone whom the spirits choose to serve themselves could become a shaman; but usually shamans came from the same surnames: “in a family where a shaman once showed up, he is no longer translated,” the Yakuts said. In addition to male shamans, there were also female shamans (udadan), who were considered even more powerful. A sign of readiness for the shamanic profession was usually a nervous illness, which was considered evidence of the "choice" of a person by the spirits; this was followed by a period of study under the guidance of an old shaman, and finally a public initiation rite.

It was believed that the spirit that chose the shaman became his patron spirit (emeget). They believed that this was the soul of one of the deceased great shamans. His image in the form of a copper flat human figure was sewn along with other pendants on the chest of the shaman's costume; this image was also called emeget. The patron spirit gave the shaman power and knowledge: "The shaman sees and hears only through his emeget." In addition to the latter, each shaman had his own animal counterpart (ye-kyyl - "mother-beast") in the form of an invisible eagle, stallion, bull, bear, etc. Finally, in addition to these personal spirits, each shaman during the ritual entered into communication with a number of other spirits in animal or human form. Different categories of these spirits, one way or another connected with the activities of the shaman, had certain names.

The most important and numerous group of spirits were the abaans (or abaas), devouring spirits, whose action was attributed to various diseases. Treatment by a shaman of a patient in the view of the believing Yakuts consisted in finding out exactly which abaas caused the disease, to fight with them, or to make a sacrifice to them, to expel them from the patient. Abaas live, according to shamanistic ideas, with their own tribes and clans, with their own economy, partly in the “upper”, partly in the “lower” world, as well as in the “middle” world, on earth.

Horses were sacrificed to those living in the "upper" world, and cattle were sacrificed in the "lower" world. Uvr were also close to abaasy - evil spirits, for the most part small, representing the souls of those who died prematurely and violent death people, as well as the souls of dead shamans and shamans, sorcerers, etc. This yuer was also credited with the ability to cause people illness; but they live in the "middle" world (on and around the earth). Ideas about yuyor are very close to Russian old beliefs about "unclean" or "mortgaged" dead. The assistants of the shaman during the ritual, helping him to do various tricks, were considered small spirits of the kalena.

Of the great deities of the shamanic pantheon, the mighty and formidable Uluu-Toyon, the head of the spirits of the upper world, the patron of shamans, stood in the first place. “He created a shaman and taught him to deal with all these troubles; he gave people fire." Living in the upper world (on the western side of the third sky), Uluu-Toyon can also descend to earth, incarnating in large animals: a bear, an elk, a bull, a black stallion. Below Uluu-Toyon there are other more or less powerful deities of the shamanic pantheon, each of which had its own name and epithet, its place of residence and its specialty: abaasy, the creator of everything harmful and unpleasant, Aan Arbatyy Toyon (or Arkhah-Toyon) - causing consumption, etc.

The presence of images of great deities in the shamanic pantheon of the Yakuts distinguishes Yakut shamanism from Tungusic (the Tungus did not have a developed belief in great gods) and puts it close to the shamanism of the Altai-Sayan peoples: in general, this is a feature of a later stage in the development of shamanism.

The main functions of shamans were to "treat" sick people and animals, as well as to "prevent" all sorts of misfortunes. The methods of their activities were reduced to ritual (with singing, dancing, beating a tambourine, etc.), usually at night, during which the shaman drove himself into a frenzy and, according to the Yakuts, his soul flew to the spirits or these latter entered the body of the shaman; by way of the ritual, the shaman defeated and drove out hostile spirits, learned from the spirits about the necessary sacrifices and made them, etc. Along the way, during the ritual, the shaman acted as a fortuneteller, answering various questions from those present, and also performed various tricks that were supposed to increase authority shaman and fear of him.

For his services, the shaman received, especially in the event of a successful ritual, a certain fee: its value ranged from 1 p. up to 25 r. and more; moreover, the shaman always received treats and ate sacrificial meat, and sometimes took some of it home. Although the shamans usually had their own household, sometimes a considerable one, the payment for the ritual was a significant income item for them. Particularly difficult for the population was the requirement of shamans to make bloody sacrifices.

With almost the same superstitious fear as shamans, they sometimes treated blacksmiths, especially hereditary ones, to whom various mysterious abilities were attributed. The blacksmith was considered partly related to the shaman: "the blacksmith and the shaman from the same nest." Blacksmiths could heal, give advice, and even predict. The blacksmith forged iron pendants for the shaman's costume, and this alone inspired fear of him. The blacksmith had a special power over the spirits, because, according to the Yakuts, the spirits are afraid of the sound of iron and the noise of bellows.

In addition to shamanism, the Yakuts had another cult: fishing. The main deity of this cult is Bai-Bayanai, a forest spirit and patron of hunting and fishing. According to some ideas, there were 11 Bayanaev brothers. They gave good luck in fishing, and therefore the hunter turned to them with an invocation before fishing, and after a successful fishing, he sacrificed part of the prey to them, throwing pieces of fat into the fire or smearing blood on wooden battens - images of Bayanay.

Apparently, the idea of ​​ichchi, the “owners” of various objects, was connected with the fishing economy. The Yakuts believed that all animals, trees, various natural phenomena have ichchi, as well as some household items, such as a knife, an ax. These ichchi are neither good nor evil in and of themselves. In order to appease the "masters" of mountains, cliffs, rivers, forests, etc., the Yakuts in dangerous places, on passes, crossings, etc., brought them small sacrifices in the form of pieces of meat, butter and other food, as well as rags of cloth, etc. The veneration of certain animals adjoined the same cult. A special superstitious reverence was enjoyed by the bear, which was avoided to be called by name, they were afraid to kill and considered a werewolf sorcerer. They also revered the eagle, whose name was toyon kyyl (“lord beast”), crow, falcon and some other birds and animals.

All these beliefs date back to the ancient fishing economy of the Yakuts. The pastoral economy also gave rise to its own circle of ideas and rituals. This is the cult of the deities of fertility, which is weaker than other beliefs, preserved until modern times and therefore less known. It was to this circle of ideas that, obviously, belonged the belief in aiyy - beneficent beings, deities - givers of various blessings. The residence of the aiyy was supposed to be in the east.

The first place among these bright spirits belonged to Urun-Aiyy-Toyon (“white master creator”), he lived in the eighth heaven, was kind and did not interfere in the affairs of people, therefore, his cult, it seems, did not exist. The image of Aiyy-Toyon, however, was strongly mixed with the features christian god. According to some beliefs, Aar-Toyon, an inhabitant of the ninth heaven, stood even higher than Aiyy-Toyon. Below them followed a large number of other bright deities, more or less active and bringing various benefits. The most important figure of them was the female deity Aiyykyt (Aiyysyt), the giver of fertility, the patroness of women in childbirth, who gave children to mothers. In honor of Aiyysyt, a sacrifice was made during childbirth, and since it was believed that after childbirth the goddess stays in the house for 3 days, then after three days a special female ceremony was held (men were not allowed to attend it) of seeing off Aiyysyt.

The main honoring of the bright deities - the patrons of fertility was in the old days the koumiss holiday - ykyakh. Such holidays were held in the spring and in the middle of summer, when there was a lot of milk; they settled in the open air, in the meadow, with a large gathering of people; The main moment of Ysyakh was the solemn libation of koumiss in honor of the bright deities, prayers to these deities, the solemn drinking of koumiss from special large wooden goblets (choroon). After that, a feast was arranged, then various games, wrestling, etc. main role At these holidays, in the past, servants of bright deities, the so-called aiyy-oyuuna (in Russian, “white shamans”), played, which, however, have long since disappeared among the Yakuts in connection with the decline of this entire cult. At the end of the XIX century. only legends have survived about white shamans.

In these cults of both beneficent and formidable deities, the once military aristocracy, the toyons, played a role; the latter were usually organizers and Ysyakhs. In their legendary genealogies, the Toyons often derived their surnames from one or another of the great and powerful deities.

The ancient Ysyakhs also contained elements of a tribal cult: according to legend, in the old days they were arranged according to childbirth. The Yakuts also preserved other remnants of the tribal cult, but also only in the form of weak traces. So, they retained elements of totemism, noted even in the literature of the 18th century. (Stralenberg). Each clan once had its patron in the form of an animal; such totems of the clans were a raven, a swan, a falcon, an eagle, a squirrel, an ermine, a white-lipped stallion, etc. Members of this clan not only did not kill or eat their patron, but did not even call them by name.

The veneration of fire, preserved among the Yakuts, is also connected with the remnants of the tribal cult. Fire, according to the beliefs of the Yakuts, is the purest element, and it was forbidden to desecrate and insult it. Before starting any meal, in the old days they threw pieces of food into the fire, splashed milk, koumiss, etc. into it. All this was considered a sacrifice to the owner of the fire (Wat-ichchite). The latter was sometimes presented not in singular, but in the form of 7 brothers. They didn't take pictures. The cult of ancestors among the Yakuts was poorly represented. Of the dead, shamans and various prominent people, whose spirits (yuyor) were afraid for some reason.

There are three versions about the origin of the Yakuts. The authors of the first and oldest of them were the so-called pre-Russian Yakuts. According to her, the Yakuts are the fundamental principle of all mankind, for the northern Adam and Eve (Er Sogotokh Elley with his wife) are the very first people on planet Earth, from whom the entire human race arose. The original man Er Sogotokh Elley is a celestial. He, descending to earth, married one of the two daughters of the earthling Omogoya. And in order to leave Ellyai and his wife as the only ancestors of the human race, in the legend, Omoga and his wife and their second daughter are deliberately killed. Bearing in mind the heavenly origin of Ellyay, the Yakuts still call themselves "aiyy aima5a", i.e. demigods. This opinion could not have arisen in a vacuum. It obviously comes from the knowledge of Deering Yuryakh and the idea of ​​the role of the Deering-Dyuktai primary center in the emergence of mankind in the northern hemisphere.

Second opinion on origin

Yakuts comes again from the Yakuts themselves - only the post-Russian period. All

Yakuts, without exception, are considered descended from Tygyn - a man of times

the arrival of the Russians. In all the genealogical tables compiled by anyone,

the table is headed by one Tygyn, sometimes with a nod towards Ellyai. Wherein

it is noteworthy that mayaat Badaayy is mentioned as the father of Tygyn, and in

his sons include Tungus and Lamut (Labynkha Syuryuk). The same mayaat of Badaayi

to this day is listed as the ancestor of the Kobyai Yakuts.

Like Manas and Dzhangar, Tygyn

here consciously exhibited as bodily, accurately chronologized and

personified creator and organizer of the Yakut people. At the same time, the entire

the pre-Russian period is called the "non-Yakut period", i.e. "kyrgyz

uete", which literally means "the age of bloody strife".

The people vividly illustrate it with legends about independent strife, no one

subordinate heads of sovereign clans - booturs and khosuuns. These genera are Tygyn

Yakuts consider them not Yakuts, not Tungus, not Lamuts, i.e. devoid of ethnic

accessories. Hence the non-ethnos term "kyrgys uete". Term

this one completely crosses out the ethnicity of all the clans of Yakutia before Russian

time, calling them "the simplest fighters."

And this thought is alive

illustrated with characteristic stories. What are boot tours like Legoy worth?

borogonian. Neither the tribe nor the genus of the Legoi was recognized. Legoevism was typical

for the entire pre-Russian "Kyrgys" Yakutia, when ethnicless pugnacious

roosters - booturs and khosuuns for the sake of their personal ambitions hindered the process

attempts to form ethnic groups. Therefore, none of the legends about khosuuns and

booturs in all of Yakutia nothing is mentioned about their ethnic group and appear only

the names of the booturs and the name of the genus. Attempts to ethnonymize "Kyrgyz" here

to nothing. This would be violence against the traditions and conceit of a multi-ethnic

folklore of the region. The ethnicity of the legends about the Khosuuns and Booturs is universal

a feature of pre-Russian folklore throughout Yakutia. So the dating

the emergence of the Yakuts by some kind, sucked out of the finger by 11-15-16 centuries - nothing

other than violence against the self-conceit of the Yakuts of Tygynovsky and post-Tygynovsky

time, up to 1917. In their opinion, the date of birth of the Yakut people is clear and

exact - this is the arrival of Russian Cossacks and service people in Yakutia.

Why was this date considered decisive?

it's easy to understand. The impetus for consolidation by ethnic groups was given precisely by the appearance

Russian factor. Without such a factor, it is impossible to explain the formation in

peoples of sovereign families. On the other hand, as we move east, for

convenience of management throughout Siberia in a purely administrative way ethnic groups and peoples

established a royal government. The documents even mention the

principles of creating ethnic groups and peoples of Siberia: language, main occupation ...

Such ethnic groups as the Yukagirs, Chukchi, Chuvans were also created using the method of artificial

administration. All this perfectly took into account the popular opinion of the Yakuts

Tygynov and post-Tygynov time.

became illiterate explorers of the 17th century. They suggested that the Yakuts might

are Horde Tatars. This is a folk fortune-telling, having got to the West, already in

by the power of instructions, Thus, relying on other people's rumors, arose in the far West

the basis of the future version of the supposedly "southern" Tatar origin of the Yakuts.

A completely illiterate mass of Yakuts, not knowing about it, until Soviet power continued

to repeat about their origin from Tygyn and Ellyai. True, the missionaries managed

turn the celestial Ellyay into a Tatar. By the end of the 19th century. and at the beginning of the 20th century. version about

Tatar origin of the Yakuts reached such a dead end that they threw her out, and

forever stopped searching in the south for sites suitable for the "ancestral home"

Yakuts, then, to turn the version around, the Tatars went to be replaced by anyone: and

Turks, and Hunno-Ugrs, and Samoyeds, and Tungus Yuch Khoro Khans from Ust-Kuta...

All these innovations were happily picked up by today's Yakut intelligentsia.

The ethnos is sick, and this disease

began due to the loss of the feeding qualities of the Yakut language. Moreover, the language

itself fragmented into urban and rural languages, the language of folklore and semi-Russified

Yakuts, literary language. Bilingual parents began to teach their children only

Russian, accelerating the Russification of the Yakuts. Against this background, in the soul of a Yakut intellectual

a shame for one's ethnic group, hidden from all, appeared, It is because of this shame - to be

Yakut - the people began to strenuously impersonate anyone in the past. not sick

such a disease, the pre-Soviet Yakuts, however, proudly called themselves

Yakuts, descendants of their own ancestors.

In the heat of the moment, of course, my

tribesmen will begin to deny in unison that they have an inner shame for their

past ethnicity. However, when they cool down, they will understand that the ethnic group is sick, like itself

human. This disease is at an early stage. Therefore, if desired

she can be cured. And if he becomes stubborn, then one should remember that many

of the ethnic groups that have gone into oblivion in the past died due to the flight of the ashamed

"Youth of Yakutia". -

S.I. Nikolaev - Somo5otto / Memories,

articles/literary experience/Yakutsk/2007

Yakuts(among the local population, the pronunciation is common - Yakuts, self-name - Sakha; Yakut. Sakhalar; also Yakut. uraaghai sakhalar units Sakha) - Turkic people, the indigenous population of Yakutia. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of languages. There are many Mongolisms (about 30% of words of Mongolian origin), there are also about 10% of words unknown origin, at a later time Russisms joined. About 94% of the Yakuts genetically belong to the N1c1 haplogroup, which historically spoke the Uralic languages ​​and is now mainly represented by the Finno-Ugric peoples. The common ancestor of all Yakut N1c1 lived 1300 years ago.

According to the results of the 2002 census, 443.9 thousand Yakuts lived in Russia, mainly in Yakutia, as well as in the Irkutsk, Magadan regions, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories. The Yakuts are the most numerous (approximately 45% of the population) people in Yakutia (the second largest are Russians, approximately 41%).

Story

Most scientists believe that in the VIII-XII centuries AD. e. The Yakuts migrated in several waves from the region of Lake Baikal under the pressure of other peoples to the basin of the Lena, Aldan and Vilyui, where they partially assimilated and partially displaced the Evenks and Yukaghirs who lived here earlier. The Yakuts were traditionally engaged in cattle breeding (Yakut cow), having gained a unique experience in breeding cattle in a sharply continental climate in the northern latitudes, horse breeding (Yakut horse), fishing, hunting, developed trade, blacksmithing and military affairs.

According to Yakut legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts floated down the Lena on rafts with livestock, household goods and people until they found the Tuymaada valley - suitable for raising cattle. Now this place is modern Yakutsk. According to the same legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts were headed by two leaders Elley Bootur and Omogoi Baai.

According to archaeological and ethnographic data, the Yakuts were formed as a result of the absorption of the local tribes of the middle reaches of the Lena by the southern Turkic-speaking settlers. It is believed that the last wave of the southern ancestors of the Yakuts penetrated the Middle Lena in the XIV-XV centuries. Racially, the Yakuts belong to the Central Asian anthropological type of the North Asian race. Compared with other Turkic-speaking peoples of Siberia, they are characterized by the strongest manifestation of the Mongoloid complex, the final formation of which took place in the middle of the second millennium of our era already on the Lena.

It is assumed that some groups of Yakuts, for example, reindeer herders of the northwest, arose relatively recently as a result of mixing of individual groups of Evenks with Yakuts, immigrants from the central regions of Yakutia. In the process of resettlement in Eastern Siberia, the Yakuts mastered the basins of the northern rivers Anabar, Olenka, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma. The Yakuts modified the reindeer husbandry of the Tungus, created the Tungus-Yakut type of draft reindeer husbandry.

The inclusion of the Yakuts into the Russian state in the 1620-1630s accelerated their socio-economic and cultural development. In the XVII-XIX centuries, the main occupation of the Yakuts was cattle breeding (breeding of cattle and horses), from the second half of XIX century, a significant part began to engage in agriculture; hunting and fishing played a secondary role. The main type of dwelling was a log booth (yurt), in summer - a collapsible urasa. Clothes were made from hides and furs. In the second half of the 18th century, most of the Yakuts were converted to Christianity, but shamanism was also preserved.

Under Russian influence, Christian onomastics spread among the Yakuts, almost completely replacing the pre-Christian Yakut names.

Nikolai Chernyshevsky, who was in Yakutia for 12 years in exile in Vilyuisk, wrote about the Yakuts: “People, both kind and not stupid, may even be more talented than Europeans ...” “In general, people here are kind, almost all honest: some, for all their dark savagery, positive noble people."

Culture and life

AT traditional economy and the material culture of the Yakuts has many features similar to the culture of the pastoralists of Central Asia. On the Middle Lena, a model of the economy of the Yakuts has developed, combining cattle breeding and extensive types of crafts (fishing and hunting) and their material culture, adapted to the climate of Eastern Siberia. In the north of Yakutia, a unique type of draft reindeer breeding is widespread.

Passed down from generation to generation by storytellers ancient epic olonkho (Yakut. olohoho) is included in the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage List.

Of the musical instruments, the most famous is the khomus, the Yakut version of the jew's harp.

Other well-known original cultural phenomenon is the so-called. Yakut knife

Religion

In the life of the Yakuts, religion played a leading role. The Yakuts consider themselves children of the good spirit aiyy, they believe that they can become spirits. In general, the Yakut from the very conception is surrounded by spirits and gods, on which he is dependent. Almost all Yakuts have an idea of ​​the pantheon of gods. An obligatory rite is the feeding of the spirit of fire on solemn occasions or in the bosom of nature. Sacred places, mountains, trees, rivers are revered. Blessings (algys) are often real prayers. Every year the Yakuts celebrate the religious holiday "Ysyakh", while hunting or fishing they feed "Bayanai" - the god of hunting and good luck, put on "Serge" at significant events, feed the fire, honor sacred places, respect "algys", listen to "Olonkho" and the sound "Khomus". A. E. Kulakovsky believed that the Yakut religion was harmonious and complete, far from "idolatry and shamanism." He noticed that "priests, servants of the White and Black deities are incorrectly called shamans." The Christianization of the indigenous inhabitants of the Lena Territory - the Yakuts, Evenks, Evens, Yukagirs, Chukchi, Dolgans - began already in the first half of the 17th century.

Sakhalyars

Sakhalyar (Yakut. baahynai) - mestizo, a descendant of a mixed marriage of a Yakut / Yakut and a representative / representative of any other ethnic group. The word should not be confused with Sahal a R - plural from the self-name of the Yakuts, Sakha.

Notable Yakuts

Historical figures:

• Elley Bootur is the legendary leader and progenitor of the Yakuts.
• Omogoy Baai is the legendary leader and progenitor of the Yakuts.

Heroes Soviet Union:

• Fedor Okhlopkov - Hero of the Soviet Union, sniper of the 234th Infantry Regiment.
• Ivan Kulbertinov - sniper of the 23rd Separate Ski Brigade, 7th Guards Airborne Regiment, one of the most successful snipers of World War II (487 people).
• Alexei Mironov - sniper of the 247th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 84th Guards Rifle Division of the 16th - 11th Guards Army of the Western Front, Guard Sgt.
• Fedor Popov - Hero of the Soviet Union, shooter of the 467th Infantry Regiment (81st Division, 61st Army, Central Front).

Political figures:

• Mikhail Nikolaev - 1st President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (December 20, 1991 - January 21, 2002).
• Egor Borisov - President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (since May 31, 2010).

Scientists and artists:

• Suorun Omolloon is a Yakut writer.
• Platon Oyunsky - Yakut writer.
• Alampa - Sofronov Anempodist Ivanovich - Yakut poet, playwright, prose writer, one of the founders of Yakut literature.
• Semyon Novgorodov - Yakut politician and linguist, creator of the Yakut alphabet.
• Toburokov Petr Nikolaevich (yak. Bүөtүr Toburuokap) - folk poet Yakutia. Member of the Great Patriotic War. Member of the SP of the USSR since 1957.

Wikipedia materials used

Yakutia, the Republic of Sakha is a small, remote and rather cold region of the Russian Federation. That's all that, as a rule, the vast majority of the population of our country knows about this area. Meanwhile, the Yakuts are amazing people.

Briefly about the region

A few centuries ago, the Yakutsk district, the predecessor of the modern region, was located on the territory of modern Yakutia. The current Republic of Sakha was formed in April 1922 - at first as the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1990, it was transformed into the Yakut-Sakha SSR, and it received its modern name a year later.

Yakutia is part of the Far East federal district and covers an area of ​​more than three million square kilometers. At the same time, the population of the entire district barely reaches a million. The main city of Yakutia is Yakutsk, which grew out of the Yakut prison on the right bank of the Lena. One of the features of the region is that two state languages ​​officially coexist on its territory - Russian and Sakha.

Where did the Yakuts come from

There are legends about the origin of the Yakuts. One of them, for example, claims that this people is the fundamental principle of all mankind, since Adam and Eve, from whom all people on Earth descended, were northerners. Another version speaks of the existence in antiquity of a certain Tygyn, from whom the Yakuts allegedly originate. There is also an opinion that the Yakuts are the Tatar tribes of the times of the Horde, that they are the descendants of the ancient Europeans, that the Evenks are genetically close to them and many, many others. Nevertheless, archaeologists' research revealed that people began to live on the territory of the future Yakutia already in the Paleolithic times. In the first millennium of our era, the ancestors of the Evenks and Evens came here, the Turkic-speaking tribes continued to populate the area of ​​the region until the fifteenth century. According to historians, the Yakuts were formed as a result of a mixture of Turkic-speaking and local tribes. Also in the blood of the Yakuts there may be genes of alien Tungus.

Features of the Yakuts

In appearance, the Yakut is easy to recognize. They tend to have an oval face with a broad forehead, slightly slanted eyelids, and large, black eyes. The mouth is also large, the enamel of the teeth is yellowish, the nose is usually humped, but it can also be straight. The color of the skin gives off a grayish yellow or is swarthy. The hair is black, coarse, not curly. Growth is usually small. Yakuts have a rather high life expectancy.

This nation has a well-developed hearing, vision, on the contrary, is not very good. They do not differ in speed of movement, everything is done slowly. There are no super-strong athletes among the Yakuts either. The nation is highly productive. Since ancient times, horse breeding, cattle breeding, fishing, and fur hunting have been considered their main occupations. The Yakuts also processed wood, dressed skins, sewed carpets, clothes, blankets.

Religion occupies a huge place in the life of the Yakuts. Now they are Orthodox, but since ancient times their life has been closely connected with shamanism (in some places this has remained to this day).

Yakut dwelling

Since the ancestors of the Yakuts were nomadic people, the current Sakhalars (this is their self-name) live in yurts (of course, not all, this does not apply to the inhabitants of cities). Their settlements are a collection of several houses. The dwelling of the Yakuts differs from the Mongolian yurts in that it is built from round logs, and not from felt. In this case, only small trees are used. Cutting high, large for them is a sin - this is one of the traditions and customs of the Yakuts.

The roof is made cone-shaped, and the door is located from the east. In addition, Yakut yurts have many small windows, along which there are a variety of sunbeds - low and high, wide and narrow, fenced off from each other so that small rooms are obtained. The highest sunbed is intended for the owner, the lowest is located near the entrance to the house.

As a rule, yurts are placed in the lowlands so that they are not blown by the wind. Often houses are made collapsible - if the tribe leads a nomadic lifestyle. The choice of a place to build a dwelling is very important for the Yakuts - it should bring happiness.

National Costume

The Yakut costume directly depends on temperature conditions - the climate in the Republic of Sakha is not hot, which is why clothes are often sewn using horse or cow skin (and not just fabric). For winter attire, fur is taken.

The costume itself is a caftan with wide sleeves and a belt, combined with leather pants and fur socks. In addition, Yakuts wear fabric shirts, belted with a belt. The material, in addition to fur and leather, is used the most diverse - and silk, and cloth, and rovduga. In ancient times, suede suits were often sewn. Festive costume more flared down, with puff sleeves and turn-down collars.

Yakut wedding

A wedding among the Yakuts is a special phenomenon. There is an ancient sacred tradition, according to which the parents of a baby, almost from the very moment of birth, must find her a future life partner. They choose a boy and for many years observe his life, character, habits, demeanor - after all, it is very important not to make a mistake in the game for your daughter. As a rule, first of all they pay attention to those boys whose fathers have good health, strong, hardy, able to work with their hands - make yurts, get food and so on. This means that such a man will transfer all his skills and abilities to his son. Otherwise, the boy is not considered as a potential "groom". Some parents of daughters manage to choose a future husband for their baby quickly, for some this process takes quite a long time.

Matchmaking also refers to the traditions and customs of the Yakuts and goes as follows. The girl is forbidden to leave the house on this day, and the parents go to the house of the candidate for her hand and heart. They do not talk with the guy himself, but with his parents, painting them in colors all the virtues of their daughter - here it is very important to try to make the future daughter-in-law like them in absentia. If the guy’s parents don’t mind, then they call the size of the bride price - before, bride money was given in deer (this is still preserved in some places), now it is money. When the parents shake hands, solemn preparations for the wedding begin. The mother prepares the girl for the ceremony. She must also give her daughter a dowry, which certainly includes richly decorated outfits - this shows that the bride is not from the poor.

The wedding attire of the Yakuts used to be sewn only from natural materials, now it is not so necessary. Only one thing matters: dazzling White color, it means purity and innocence. Also, the dress must have a tight belt.

The time of the wedding is chosen by the girl. At first, the bride and groom are in different yurts. The shaman (instead of him there may be the father of the bride or the mother of the groom) fumigates them with birch bark smoke - it is believed that this cleanses the newlyweds from various slanders and everything bad. Only after this rite are they allowed to see each other and make a traditional circle around their future home (important: until this moment, the bride and groom do not meet eye to eye, there must always be someone next to them). Then they are declared legal husband and wife and a meal begins, during which the girl must have amulets - they protect the newly-made family from evil and disease. Traditional dishes at the Yakut wedding are venison, beef, fish, foal. From drinks - koumiss and wine.

Before the wedding, Yakut girls can walk with their heads uncovered; after getting married, the young wife must henceforth hide her hair from everyone except her husband.

Yakut art

Yakut songs are also special. First of all, we are talking about olonkho - local epic folklore, which is considered to be a type of poetry. It is performed like an opera. This is the oldest type of Yakut art, which is now considered a UNESCO heritage.

Olonkho can be of any size - the maximum reached thirty-six thousand (!) Lines. They include all the traditional legends and legends of the Yakuts. Not everyone can perform Yakut songs - for this it is necessary to have an oratorical gift and the ability to improvise, as well as be able to give your voice different intonations and colors. Olonkho is recited without interruption - up to seven nights in a row, so the performer must also have a good memory (however, this is a hallmark of all Yakuts).

The Yakuts also have their own national musical instrument. It looks like a jew's harp, some consider it just a variety of a jew's harp. This instrument is called khomus. The art of the Yakuts also includes throat singing, for which they are very famous.

Traditions and customs

Some traditions and customs of the Yakuts have long remained unchanged. So, even today they greatly revere nature, believing that it is alive. They believe in the existence of good and evil spirits and that nature helps to fight the latter. So, for example, lightning, thunder, thunderstorm, according to their beliefs, pursue evil spirits. The wind also has its own spirits - they guard peace on earth. The Yakuts especially revere water, they bring offerings to it - boats made of birch bark. Do not put anything sharp into the water - it can injure her. Fire among the Yakuts is considered the patron saint of the hearth, before it was not extinguished, but moving from place to place, they took it with them in special pots. The Yakuts pay special respect to the spirit of the forest, which helps them in their hunting. The sacred animal for this people is the bear, whose claws they wear as amulets and talismans.

Their numerous holidays are closely connected with the traditions and customs of the Yakuts. For example, Ysyakh, which takes place at the beginning of summer. it family holiday, symbolizing the friendship of peoples, it is considered the most important among the Yakuts. Its other name is “Kumiss Feast”. At its end, it is imperative to perform a special round dance in honor of the sun - in this way the luminary is thanked for the warmth.

Blood feud also belongs to the traditions and customs of the Yakuts. There are also many birth rituals. And at death, you need to call one of the youth to yourself and leave all your connections to him - tell him both about friends and enemies.

1. Yakutia is the only region in our country where three time zones operate at once (the difference with Moscow is 6, 7 and 8 hours).
2. Almost half of the territory of Yakutia is located beyond the Arctic Circle.
3. Yakutia has the first place in the Russian Federation in terms of the total amount of reserves of all natural resources.
4. In addition to the two state languages, the Evenki, Even, Dolgan and Yukaghir dialects are widespread in the Republic of Sakha.
5. Yakuts do not grow body hair.
6. Almost every Yakut family has special national knives with an asymmetrical blade.
7. The Yakut legend says that the stone Sat, which is taken from the stomachs of birds and animals, is considered magical, but it will lose its power if a woman looks at it.
8. Sakhalar is the self-name of the Yakuts, and Sakhalyar is a person born from the marriage of a Yakut and a European.

This is not all the features and customs of the Yakuts. Such interesting nation you need to study long and carefully in order to fully imbue their spirit, - however, like any other nationality on Earth.

  population- 381,922 people (as of 2001).
  Language – Turkic group Altaic family of languages.
  resettlement- The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Self-name - Sakha. According to the territory of settlement, they are divided into Amga-Lena (between the Lena, Nizhny Aldan and Amga rivers, as well as on the left bank of the Lena), Vilyui (in the basin of the Vilyuya river), Olekma (in the basin of the Olekma river) and northern (in the tundra zone , basins of the rivers Anabar, Olenek, Kolyma, Yana and Indigirka).

The dialects are combined into the central, Vilyui, northwestern and Taimyr groups. 65% of Yakuts speak Russian and another 6% consider it their native language. In 1858, at the initiative of the scientist and missionary I.E. Veniaminov published the first "Concise grammar of the Yakut language".

Both the local Tungus-speaking tribes and the Turko-Mongols who came from the Baikal region, who settled in Siberia in the 10th-13th centuries, participated in the formation of the people. and assimilated with the local population. The ethnos was finally formed at the end of the 16th century. By that time Yakuts subdivided into 35-40 exogamous "tribes". The largest numbered up to 2-5 thousand people. The tribes were divided into tribal groups - "paternal clans" (aga-usa) and smaller "maternal clans" (iye-usa). Frequent tribal wars, popularly known as the events of kyrgys yuiete - "the age of battles, battles", made military training for boys necessary. By the age of 18, it ended with an initiatory rite with the participation of a shaman, who “infused” the spirit of war (ilbis) into the young man.

The traditional culture is most fully represented among the Amga-Lena and Vilyui Yakuts. The northern ones are closer to the Evenks and Yukaghirs, the Olekminskys have a very noticeable influence of the Russians.

In the 17th century Yakuts were called "horse people"

The traditional occupation is the breeding of cattle and horses. Were bred special breeds these animals, adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the North: hardy and unpretentious, but unproductive (they were milked only in summer). In Russian sources of the XVII century. The Yakuts were called "horse people". The men took care of the horses, the women took care of the cows. In summer, cattle were kept on pasture, in winter - in stables. Haymaking was practiced even before the arrival of the Russians. Animals occupied a separate place in the culture of the Yakuts; special rituals are dedicated to them. A special place was given to the image of a horse, even its burials are known along with a person.

They hunted elk, wild deer, bear, wild boar, fur-bearing animals - fox, arctic fox, sable, squirrel, ermine, muskrat, marten, wolverine - and other animals. At the same time, very specific techniques were used, for example, hunting with a bull (when the hunter sneaked up on the prey, hiding behind the bull that he drove in front of him), horse chasing along the trail, sometimes with dogs. They hunted with a bow and arrows, a spear, and from the 17th century. - with firearms. They used notches, fences, hunting pits, snares, traps, crossbows, graze.

Fishing played a special role in the economy. For the Yakuts, who did not have livestock, fishing was the main economic activity. Documents from the 17th century the word balysyt - "fisherman" was used in the meaning of "poor". Sturgeon, whitefish, muksun, white salmon, whitefish, grayling, tugun were caught on the rivers, minnow, crucian carp, pike and other fish were mined on the lakes. Fishing tools were tops, muzzles, nets, horsehair nets; big fish were beaten sharp. In the autumn they organized collective fishing with a seine, the prey was divided equally. In winter they were engaged in ice fishing.

The spread of agriculture (especially in the Amga and Olekminsky districts) was facilitated by Russian exiled settlers. They grew special varieties of wheat, rye and barley, which had time to ripen in a short and hot summer. Horticultural crops were also cultivated.

According to the lunisolar calendar, the year (syll) began in May and was divided into 12 months, 30 days each: January - tokhsunnu - "ninth", February - olunnu - "tenth", March - kulun tutar - "month of feeding foals" , April - muus is obsolete - “the month of ice drift”, May - yam yya - “the month of milking cows”, June - bes yya - “the month of harvesting pine sapwood”, July - from yya - “the month of haymaking”, August - atyrdah yya - “ month of haystacking”, September - farce yya - “month of migration from summer camps to winter roads”, October - altynni - “sixth”, November - setinny - “seventh”, December - ahsynny - “eighth”.

Of the crafts, blacksmithing, jewelry, woodworking, birch bark, bone, leather, fur, and the manufacture of molded ceramics were developed. Crockery was made from leather, cords were woven and twisted from horse hair, with which they embroidered. Iron was smelted in cheese-blowing forges, women's jewelry, horse harness, and cult objects were made from gold, silver and copper (by melting down Russian coins).

The Yakuts lived in seasonal settlements. Winter yurts of 1-3 were located nearby, summer ones (up to 10 yurts) - near pastures.

In the winter dwelling (kypynny die - farce) lived from September to April. It had sloping walls made of thin logs on a log frame and a low sloping gable roof. The walls were plastered with clay and manure, the roof over the log flooring was covered with bark and earth. From the 18th century polygonal log yurts with a pyramidal roof spread. The entrance was arranged in the eastern wall, the windows - in the southern and western, the roof was oriented from north to south. In the northeast corner, to the right of the entrance, a chuval-type hearth was installed, along the walls - plank bunks. The Nara was considered honorary, going from the middle of the southern wall to the western corner. Together with the adjoining part of the western nara, it formed an honorable corner. Further to the "north" was the owner's place. The bunks to the left of the entrance were intended for young men and workers, to the right, by the hearth, for women. A table and stools were placed in the front corner, chests and various boxes made up another setting. On the north side, a barn was attached to the yurt. The entrance to it was behind the hearth. In front of the door to the yurt, a canopy or canopy was built. The dwelling was surrounded by a low mound, often with a fence. A hitching post (serge), decorated with rich carvings, was installed near the yurt. From the second half of XVIII in. for the winter they began to build Russian huts with a stove.

The summer dwelling (urasa), in which they lived from May to August, was a cylindrical-conical structure made of poles with a birch bark roof. In the north, turf-covered frame buildings of the type of the Evenk golomo (holuman) were known. Barns (ampaar), glaciers (buluus), cellars for storing dairy products (tar iine), smoking dugouts, mills were built in the villages. At some distance from the summer dwelling, a barn for calves was set up and sheds were built.

They traveled mainly on horseback, transporting goods in packs. In winter, they went on skis lined with horse skins, rode sledges with runners made of wood with a rhizome, which had a natural curvature; later - on a sleigh like Russian wood, which was usually harnessed to bulls. The northern Yakuts used reindeer straight-dust sleds. On the water they rafted on rafts, dugout boats, shuttles, birch bark boats.

They ate milk, meat of wild animals, horse meat, beef, venison, fish, edible plants. Most often they boiled meat, fried liver, prepared zrazy, offal stew, soup with brisket, crucian fish soup (sobo mine), stuffed crucian carp, caviar pancakes, stroganina. The fish was also frozen and fermented for the winter in pits. Dairy dishes - koumiss from mare's milk, milk foam, whipped cream, curdled milk, butter. Cream was harvested for the winter, freezing in large birch bark vats with the addition of berries, roots, and bones. Soup (salamat), flatbreads (leppiesketė), pancakes (baakhyla), etc. were prepared from flour. Mushrooms, berries, meadow and coastal onions, wild garlic, sarana roots, bearberry, pine and larch sapwood were collected. Vegetables have long been known in the Olekminsky district.

Traditional wooden utensils - bowls, spoons, whorls, whisks for whipping cream, birch bark boxes for berries, butter, bulk products, etc. Carved wooden goblets for koumiss (chorony) played an important role in the ceremonies at the Ysyakh holiday and were of two types - on a conical pallet and on three legs in the form of horse hooves.

The Yakuts are characterized by small families. Until the 19th century there was polygamy, and the wives often lived separately, each ran her own household. Marriage was entered into between the ages of 16 and 25, it was concluded by matchmaking with the payment of bride price. Among the poor, runaway marriages, with the kidnapping of the bride, working off for the wife were common. There were levirates and sororates.

There were customs of blood feud (often replaced by a ransom), hospitality, and the exchange of gifts. The aristocracy - the toyons - stood out. They ruled the clan with the help of the elders, acted as military leaders. Toyons owned large herds (up to several hundred heads), had slaves, they and their households lived in separate yurts. There were customs to give cattle to the poor for grazing, to feed for the winter, to transfer impoverished families and orphans to the dependents of a rich relative (kumalanism), to trade in children, and later to hire workers. Livestock was private property, and hunting, pasture land and hayfields were communal.

Birthing rites were associated with the cult of the fertility goddess Aiyy-Syt, the patroness of children. According to legend, she lives on the eastern side of the sky and gives the newborn a soul. Childbirth took place in the left half of the yurt, on the floor. The place of birth was fenced off with a curtain. In the summer they gave birth in the barn, sometimes (during haymaking) - in the field. The midwife helped the woman in labor. On the fortieth day after giving birth, the woman went to church, where she performed the church rite of purification. The child was baptized and given the name of a stranger who first entered the house after birth. This man himself could give a name to the newborn. Some names were associated with the circumstances of the birth of the baby: Saiynngy - "summer", Bulumdyu - "foundling", i.e. born out of wedlock. There were amulets: Bere (“wolf”), which scares away evil spirits, Kusagan (“bad”) - evil spirits do not pay attention to him, as well as names of an evaluative nature, for example, Kyrynaas (“ermine”), i.e. fast, mobile.

In ancient times, the Yakuts buried the dead by air, and from the 18th century. they began to bury them in the ground, laying their heads to the west. The dead were dressed in the best clothes, hung with decorations, weapons and tools, stocks of meat and dairy food were placed in the grave. Horse burials are known.

According to the ideas of the ancient Yakuts, the Upper World was inhabited by Yuryung Aiyy Toyon (White Creator God) - the supreme deity, Ieikhsit - the patroness and intercessor of the human race, Aiyy-Syt - the goddess of fertility and childbearing, Kyun Dzhesegey Toyon - the god of horses and other gods. In the Middle World, along with people, lived Baai Bayanay - the spirit of the forest, Aan Alakhchin khotun - the goddess of the earth, Khatan Temieriie - the spirit of fire and other spirits. They had to be appeased with the help of sacrifices. The lower world is the abode of terrible monsters.

Shamans were divided into white and black. The former served the celestials with various offerings, spells, led the Ysyakh holiday. The second was to fight evil spirits that caused natural disasters, loss of livestock, diseases. The right to become a shaman was inherited. The initiation was accompanied by a complex ceremony. Each shaman had a patron spirit (emeget), whose image in the form of a copper plaque was sewn onto the chest of clothes, and an animal-double (iye-kyyl - "mother-beast"). Shaman tambourines (dyurgyur) - oval, with a wide rim - are similar to Evenk ones.

Healers (otosuts) had a specialization: some were engaged in bloodletting, others - in massage or bone-cutting, treated eye diseases, women's diseases, etc.

National clothing consists of a single-breasted caftan sleep (in winter - fur, in summer - from cow or horse skin with wool inside, for the rich - from fabric), which was sewn from four wedges with additional wedges at the waist and wide sleeves gathered at the shoulders, short leather pants (syaya), leather leggings (sotoro) and fur socks (keenche). Later, fabric shirts with a turn-down collar appeared. Men girded themselves with a belt, the rich - with silver and copper plaques. Women's wedding coats (sangyah) - length to the heels, expanding downwards, on a yoke, with sewn-in sleeves and a fur shawl collar - were decorated with wide stripes of red and green cloth, braid, silver details, plaques, beads, fringe. They were valued very dearly and were inherited. A women's wedding headdress (diabacca) made of sable or beaver fur looked like a cap with a high top made of red or black cloth, velvet or brocade, thickly trimmed with beads, a braid, and certainly with a large silver heart-shaped plaque above the forehead. Ancient headdresses are decorated with a plume of bird feathers. Women's clothing the belt, chest, back, neck ornaments, silver, often gold engraved earrings, bracelets, braids and rings were complemented. For winter, high boots were made of deer or horse skins with fur outside, for summer - boots made of suede with tops covered with cloth, for women - with appliqué.

In Yakut folklore, the central place is occupied by heroic epic olonkho, which is considered the main type of poetry, and by the nature of the performing arts - the basis of folk opera. The leading theme of the olonkho is the story of the ancient ancestor heroes, inhabitants of the Middle World, who feel themselves part of the mighty aiyy aimaga tribe, created and guarded by the aiyy deities. Olonkhosuts are the creators and keepers of the oral tradition of epic performing arts. According to beliefs, they possessed a divine gift. These people have always been surrounded by honor, enjoyed great respect.

Among the northern Yakuts, the term olonkho combines the heroic epic and fairy tales about animals, magical, everyday. The plots and images of everyday fairy tales are built on the basis of everyday life, reflect the moral ideals of the people. Their characters are rich and poor, merchants and beggars, priests and thieves, smart and foolish. Historical traditions- Oral chronicle of the people.

Deep and diverse in content are small genres of folklore: proverbs, sayings, riddles, peculiar tongue twisters (chabyrgakh).

There are cult, ritual, non-ritual and lyrical songs: road songs, which were performed on horseback, travel songs on horseback, entertainment ditty songs; “night”, “plaintive”, etc. At all family and tribal holidays, songs-hymns sounded - large-scale poems with ballad plots of mythological, legendary and historical content.

The shamans sang solo on behalf of the guardian spirits who had inhabited them.

The main musical instrument khomus is an arc metal harp with a large round loop. According to tradition, it was played mainly by women, articulating (“pronouncing”) speech statements or well-known melodies.

The most common dance among the Yakuts is the osuokhay, accompanied by a choral song to the tune of an improviser. It is performed by any number of participants, sometimes up to 200 or more people gather in a circle. The organizers of the dance are most often men. In the song, as if accompanying fun, they sing of the awakening of nature, meeting with the sun, the joy of work, the relationship of people in society, family, certain significant events.

Russian socio-economic transformations in the 90s. led to an outflow of the population from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), especially from industrial and northern uluses, where mining enterprises are concentrated. The search for work, the desire of young people to get an education make people move to cities. Most Yakuts work in state farms, agricultural cooperatives specializing in animal husbandry and vegetable growing. In the north of the republic, the main traditional activities: reindeer breeding, fishing, hunting, enterprises for the processing of agricultural products and the collection of wild plants appeared.

Since 1992, the activities of communities have been improved, a unified system for the purchase of meat, fish, furs has been created, a sales market has been formed, etc. Handicraft processing of wood, fur, leather, artistic woodcarving and mammoth ivory, the manufacture of toys, as well as horsehair weaving are developing.

The education system is developing. The book publishing house "Bichik" publishes textbooks, manuals on the Yakut and Russian languages ​​and literature. A network of higher educational institutions and scientific institutions emerged. The Institute of Problems of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is headed by Academician V. Robbek, has gained worldwide fame.

Renaissance national culture contribute professional theaters, museums, graduate School music, the boys' choir of the national fund "Bargary" ("Revival"). The New Names program is designed to support young musicians, artists, scientists, artists and sportsmen.

Honored artists, artists and artists A. Munkhalov, N. Zasimov, E. Stepanova, N. Chigireva, T. Tishina, S. Osipov and others, writers and poets I. Gogolev, D. Sivtsev, N. Kharlampyeva, M. Dyachkovsky (Kelbe).

The newspapers “Kyym” and “Sakha Sire” are published in the Yakut language, as well as the magazine “Cholbon” (“ polar Star”) and about 80% of the programs of the national broadcaster. The company "Gevan" ("Zarya") prepares television and radio programs in the languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of the North living in the territory of the republic.

Revival of traditions, preservation and development cultural heritage people are promoted by public organizations and associations - the Center for the Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, the republican movement "Two Thousand Good Deeds in 2000", the International Children's Fund "Children of Sakha - Asia". The interests of the indigenous peoples of the North are defended by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North of Yakutia.

encyclopedia article
"The Arctic is my home"

Publication date: 03/16/2019

BOOKS ABOUT THE YAKUTS

Alekseev E.E. Musical culture // Yakut. owls. lit. and art. Yakutsk, 1964.
Alekseev N.A. Traditional religious beliefs Yakuts in the XIX - early XX century. Novosibirsk, 1975.
Arkhipov N.D. Ancient cultures of Yakutia. Yakutsk, 1989.
Bravina R.I. The funeral rite of the Yakuts (XVII-XIX centuries). Yakutsk, 1996.
Gurvich I.S. The culture of the northern Yakut reindeer herders. M., 1977.
Zykov F.M. Settlements, dwellings and outbuildings of the Yakuts (XIX - early XX century). Novosibirsk, 1986.
Konstantinov I.V. The origin of the Yakut people and its culture // Yakutia and its neighbors in antiquity. Yakutsk, 1975.
Makarov D.S. Folk wisdom: knowledge and ideas. Yakutsk, 1983.
Safronov F.G., Ivanov V.F. Yakut writing. Yakutsk, 1992.
Sleptsov P.A. Traditional family rituals among the Yakuts. Yakutsk, 1989.
Tokarev S.A. Essays on the history of the Yakut people. M., 1940.
Yakovlev V.F. Horse-drawn serge. Yakutsk, 1992.