Traditions of one of the Khmao peoples. Inspection of the museum exposition

Linguists believe that the representatives of this Siberian people are the closest relatives of the Hungarians, while they do not forgive insults, like the Sicilians, their families could have been at enmity with each other for centuries, like the Montagues and the Capulets, they practiced bigamy, like Muslims.

Their men dressed up for acting in women's clothing, as artists of the Shakespearean Globe Theater, they played the seven-string harp and 26 more varieties plucked instruments, like the ancient Greeks, while the Russians played the balalaika, and besides, they still drink fresh blood, like one notorious Romanian prince.
And all this is about the Khanty, who call themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek, which means "people", or by the names of rivers, for example: Kondikhou ï - that is, "people of Konda".

Siberian Ugrians
The Russians called the Khanty "Ostyaks". Perhaps this is a distorted As-jah - "the people of the Ob". Samoyeds (now Nenets)
The Khanty were called "yaran" or "yargan", which is consonant with the Irtysh-Khanty word "yara", which means "alien".
Historians believe that in the VI-V millennium BC the ancestors of the Khanty lived in the forest and forest-steppe zone of the Urals and Western Siberia, and then the militant southerners-nomads pushed them to the north of Siberia.
In the XII century, the Turks came to the Ob - the progenitors Siberian Tatars. Later, the entire Irtysh was conquered by them, but the Khanty managed to maintain independence from the Siberian Khanate. So by the time the West Siberian lands were annexed to Russia at the end of the 16th century, the Khanty formed separate principalities united in a military-political union.
The Russians began to create volosts on the territory of the Khanty principalities, where peasants from the European part of the country began to actively move in the 17th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were about 7,800 Khanty in Siberia, by the end of the nineteenth century their number was 16 thousand people, and according to the last census of the population Russian Federation- almost 31 thousand. And in total in the world today there are approximately 32 thousand representatives of this people. Since this indigenous people of Russia has long lived in the taiga in the north of Western Siberia along the banks of the Ob and Irtysh, as well as their tributaries (not without reason they are also called the Ob Ugrians), it is not surprising that traditional occupation Khanty - river fishing.

Bear, he is the Khanty Prometheus
And of course, the Khanty are excellent hunters, in the old days they hunted fur-bearing animals, as well as elk and bear, and only two centuries ago they took up reindeer herding in the forest. For many centuries they lived by fishing and gathering.
Livestock and vegetable growing began to develop among the Khanty, who live in the southern regions and along the Ob, only from the 19th century.
Therefore, among the Khanty, the cult of worshiping the spirits of trees and totem animals flourished, the most important of which was the bear.
According to the beliefs of the Khanty, the first woman in the world was born from a bear, and the Great Bear bestowed fire on people.
However, the worship of the "master of the taiga" did not in the least prevent the Khanty from hunting him. On the contrary, to get a bear was considered a great success and a duty to arrange for fellow villagers big celebration.
If the hunter-hunt managed to fill up the bear, the whole village rejoiced for four days, and if the bear, then a day longer. Judging by the fact that each Khanty family kept more than one bear skin, bear hunting was a common thing for this people.
Skinning a bear is a separate ritual. They flayed his skin for all to see. The head of a male bear was left untouched and put on its front paws, silver coins were placed on its nose, and a muzzle specially made of birch bark was put on its mouth. The bear's head was decorated with a women's scarf and beads.
The bear holiday was necessarily accompanied by bear meat delicacies, ritual songs, dances and comic performances. Interestingly, only men could fool around on this holiday. If they acted out scenes about women, they changed into women's clothes.

Nikolai Ugodnik, aka Num-Torum
The Khanty also had other sacred animals. For example, otters and beavers were revered by them as exclusively sacred animals, the true purpose of which is known only to shamans. And, for example, the elk was considered a symbol of prosperity and strength.
The beliefs of the Khanty forbade them to settle near the places inhabited by animals, hunt young or pregnant animals, and make noise in the forest for no reason. In addition, they weaved a net of such a size that the young of the fish could slip out through sufficiently large cells.
The Khanty sacrificed their first prey or catch to their wooden idols.
Naturally, like many pagans, the Khanty especially revered shamans and obeyed them in everything. And even after they have officially adopted Orthodoxy, in some surprising way they manage to mix it with animism and zoomorphism.

For example, Russian travelers more than once watched with amazement how the Khanty smeared the lips of the saints depicted on the icons with the blood of sacrificial animals, and also noticed that the Ob Ugrians stubbornly confused Nicholas the Pleasant with the pagan supreme god, whose name was Num-Torum, and the Mother of God with the goddess of the earth Caltas-equa.

This is explained by the fact that the Khanty did not easily succumb to Christianization.

Grandmother is a wagtail, grandfather is a beaver
Until the 18th century, the Khanty were dominated by large paternal and fraternal families, who considered birds or animals to be their ancestors (one family "came" from a beaver, the other from a "wagtail" ...). If the elder brother died, the younger took his widow as his wife and adopted all his children. In addition, Khanty reindeer herders could take a young wife to help their old wife.
The Hunts did not consider premarital sex to be something reprehensible. On the contrary, a young woman who already has bastard how the bride was valued more: after all, she proved that she was able to give birth to healthy children.
But in order to overcome infertility, the Khanty went to any lengths, even adultery.

The wife was allowed to try to get pregnant not from her husband, but from another man. Husband - take a second, prolific, wife.

At the same time, the Khanty believed that difficult childbirth convicts the wife of infidelity. Allegedly, the gods punish a walking woman in this way, and a decent woman would give birth quickly and easily.
The Khanty had a strong tradition of blood feud since ancient times. Some families have been at enmity with one another for many generations. Especially if this enmity began with a murder.
By the way, the Khanty avenged their dead relatives not only to people, but also to animals. If the hunter was bullied by a bear, then his closest relative was obliged to find the killer and execute him. In this case, no one arranged any bear festival, the corpse of the killer bear was supposed to be simply burned - so that other clubfoot would be disrespectful.

Happiness onion
Like other peoples of the Far North, the Khanty enjoy eating reindeer entrails. They do not disdain the contents of deer stomachs. Yes, what kind of "disdain" is there! They prepare a delicacy called "kanyga" from what is left in the deer's stomach, a dish considered very healthy. In fact, this is either a semi-digested reindeer moss (in winter), or lichens, shrubs and mushrooms seasoned with deer gastric juice (in summer).
And of course, the Khanty drink the blood of a freshly slaughtered deer, and also immediately split the deer legs and eat out the bone marrow from there, because centuries-old experience convinced them that raw meat perfectly compensates for vitamin deficiency, strengthens the immune system and warms in severe frost.
From fish, the Khanty most often cooked stew, but they could also eat it raw.
The women of this nation are excellent needlewomen. They deftly sew clothes and shoes from reindeer fur, suede and colored cloth, richly decorating all this with beaded embroidery. traditional ornaments The Khanty have much in common with their traditional beliefs and are called, for example, “hare ears”, “birch branches”, “sable footprint”, “deer antlers”, “pike teeth”…
The most important male symbol for the Khanty was a hunting bow, which served not only as a hunting tool, but also as a talisman. With the help of a bow, fortunetelling was used to predict the future.

Women were forbidden to touch the prey, which was pierced by an arrow, they did not have the right to step over a hunting bow.

In winter, the Khanty moved on skis (with kamus and on bare skins), as well as on reindeer and dog sledges, in summer they rafted down the rivers on doblenka boats and non-water boats. However, for long-distance travels to the rich fishing grounds they knew only, the Khanty went in special big boats with real cabins covered with birch bark.

Talk to me, seven-stringed harp
The variety of traditional string-plucked instruments of the Khanty is amazing. At least 27 types of these instruments are known, each of which is associated either with some totem animal or with a certain ritual. For example, a seven-stringed Khanty harp symbolizes a swan.

Elena Nemirova

The peoples of Mansi and Khanty are kindred. Few people know, but once they were great peoples of hunters. In the 15th century, the fame of the skill and courage of these people reached Moscow itself from beyond the Urals. Today, both of these peoples are represented by a small group of residents of the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug.

The basin of the Russian river Ob was considered to be the original Khanty territories. The Mansi tribes settled here only at the end of the 19th century. It was then that the advance of these tribes into the northern and eastern parts of the region began.

Ethnologists believe that the emergence of this ethnic group was based on the merger of two cultures - the Ural Neolithic and the Ugric tribes. The reason was the resettlement of the Ugric tribes from North Caucasus and southern regions of Western Siberia. The first Mansi settlements were located on the slopes of the Ural Mountains, as evidenced by the very rich archaeological finds in this region. Yes, in the caves. Perm Territory archaeologists managed to find ancient temples. In these places sacred meaning fragments of pottery, jewelry, weapons were found, but what is really important - numerous bear skulls with notches from blows with stone axes.

Birth of a people.

For modern history there was a strong tendency to believe that the cultures of the peoples of the Khanty and Mansi were united. This assumption was formed due to the fact that these languages ​​belonged to the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family. For this reason, scientists have put forward the assumption that since there was a community of people speaking a similar language, then there must have been a common area of ​​\u200b\u200btheir residence - a place where they spoke the Uralic parent language. However, this issue remains unresolved to this day.

The level of development of the indigenous was quite low. In the life of the tribes there were only tools made of wood, bark, bone and stone. The dishes were wooden and ceramic. The main occupation of the tribes was fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. Only in the south of the region, where the climate was milder, did cattle breeding and agriculture become insignificant. The first meeting with local tribes took place only in the X-XI century, when Permians and Novgorodians visited these lands. The local newcomers were called "Voguls", which meant "wild". These very "Voguls" were described as bloodthirsty despoilers of roundabout lands and savages practicing sacrificial rites. Later, already in the 16th century, the lands of the Ob-Irtysh region were annexed to the Muscovite state, after which a long era of development of the conquered territories by the Russians began. First of all, the invaders erected several prisons on the annexed territory, which later grew into cities: Berezov, Narym, Surgut, Tomsk, Tyumen. Instead of the once existing Khanty principalities, volosts were formed. In the 17th century, active resettlement of Russian peasants began in the new volosts, from which, by the beginning of the next century, the number of “locals” was significantly inferior to the newcomers. Khanty at the beginning of the 17th century were about 7,800 people, by the end of the 19th century their number was 16 thousand people. According to the latest census in the Russian Federation, there are already more than 31 thousand of them, and around the world there are approximately 32 thousand representatives of this ethnic group. The number of the Mansi people from the beginning of the 17th century to our time has increased from 4.8 thousand people to almost 12.5 thousand.

Relations with the Russian colonists were not easy. At the time of the Russian invasion, Khanty society was a class society, and all lands were divided into appanage principalities. After the beginning of Russian expansion, volosts were created, which helped to manage land and population much more efficiently. It is noteworthy that representatives of the local tribal nobility were at the head of the volosts. Also in power local residents and all local accounting and management was given.

Confrontation.

After the accession of the Mansi lands to the Muscovite state, the question soon arose of the conversion of the pagans to Christian faith. The reasons for this, according to historians, were more than enough. According to the arguments of some historians, one of the reasons is the need to control local resources, in particular, hunting grounds. The Mansi were known in the Russian land as excellent hunters who, without asking, "squandered" the precious stocks of deer and sables. Bishop Pitirim was sent to these lands from Moscow, who was supposed to convert the pagans to Orthodox faith, but he accepted death from the Mansi prince Asyka.

10 years after the death of the bishop, Muscovites gathered a new campaign against the pagans, which became more successful for Christians. The campaign ended pretty soon, and the winners brought with them several princes of the Vogul tribes. However, Prince Ivan III let the pagans go in peace.

During the campaign of 1467, the Muscovites managed to capture even Prince Asyka himself, who, however, managed to escape on his way to Moscow. Most likely, this happened somewhere near Vyatka. The pagan prince appeared only in 1481, when he tried to besiege and take Cher-melons by storm. His campaign ended unsuccessfully, and although his army ruined the entire area around Cher-melon, they had to flee from the battlefield from an experienced Moscow army sent to help by Ivan Vasilyevich. The army was led by experienced governors Fyodor Kurbsky and Ivan Saltyk-Travin. A year after this event, an embassy from the Vorguls visited Moscow: the son and son-in-law of Asyka, whose names were Pytkey and Yushman, arrived at the prince. Later it became known that Asyka himself went to Siberia, and disappeared somewhere there, taking his people with him.

100 years have passed, and new conquerors came to Siberia - Yermak's squad. During one of the battles between the Vorguls and Muscovites, Prince Patlik, the owner of those lands, died. Then all his squad died with him. However, even this campaign was not successful for Orthodox Church. Another attempt to baptize the Vorguls was accepted only under Peter I. The Mansi tribes were supposed to accept the new faith on pain of death, but instead whole nation chose isolation and went even further north. Those who remained abandoned pagan symbols, but were in no hurry to put on crosses. shunned by local tribes new faith until the beginning of the 20th century, when they began to formally be considered the Orthodox population of the country. The dogmas of the new religion penetrated into the pagan society very hard. And for a long time, tribal shamans played an important role in the life of society.

In harmony with nature.

Most of the Khanty are still at the turn late XIX At the beginning of the 20th century, they led an exclusively taiga way of life. The traditional occupation for the Khanty tribes was hunting and fishing. Those of the tribes that lived in the Ob basin were mainly engaged in fishing. The tribes living in the north and in the upper reaches of the river hunted. The deer served as a source not only of skins and meat, it also served as a draft force in the economy.

Meat and fish were the main types of food, vegetable food was practically not consumed. Fish was most often eaten boiled in the form of a stew or dried, often it was eaten completely raw. The sources of meat were large animals, such as elk and deer. The entrails of the hunted animals were also eaten, like meat, most often they were eaten directly raw. It is possible that the Khanty did not disdain to extract the remains of plant food from the stomachs of deer for their own consumption. The meat was subjected to heat treatment, most often it was boiled, like fish.

The culture of Mansi and Khanty is a very interesting layer. According to folk traditions, both peoples did not have a strict distinction between animals and humans. Animals and nature were especially revered. The beliefs of the Khanty and Mansi forbade them to settle near the places inhabited by animals, hunt a young or pregnant animal, and make noise in the forest. In turn, the unwritten fishing laws of the tribes forbade putting a net too narrow, so that young fish could not go through it. Although almost the entire mining economy of the Mansi and Khanty was based on marginal savings, this did not interfere with the development of various fishing cults, when it was required to donate the first prey or catch from one of the wooden idols. Many different tribal holidays and ceremonies took place from here, most of which were of a religious nature.

The bear occupied a special place in the Khanty tradition. According to beliefs, the first woman in the world was born from a bear. Fire to people, as well as many other important knowledge, was presented by the Great Bear. This animal was highly revered, considered a fair judge in disputes and a divider of prey. Many of these beliefs have survived to this day. The Khanty also had others. Otters and beavers were revered as exclusively sacred animals, the purpose of which could only be known by shamans. The elk was a symbol of reliability and prosperity, prosperity and strength. The Khanty believed that it was the beaver who led their tribe to the Vasyugan River. Many historians today are seriously concerned about oil developments in this area, which threaten the extinction of beavers, and perhaps the whole people.

Astronomical objects and phenomena played an important role in the beliefs of the Khanty and Mansi. The sun was also revered, as in most other mythologies, and personified with the feminine. The moon was considered a symbol of a man. People, according to the Mansi, appeared thanks to the union of two luminaries. The moon, according to the beliefs of these tribes, informed people about the dangers in the future with the help of eclipses.

A special place in the culture of the Khanty and Mansi is occupied by plants, in particular, trees. Each of the trees symbolizes its part of life. Some plants are sacred, and it is forbidden to be near them, some were forbidden even to step over without permission, while others, on the contrary, had a beneficial effect on mortals. Another male symbol was the bow, which was not only a hunting tool, but also served as a symbol of good luck and strength. With the help of a bow, fortunetelling was used, a bow was used to predict the future, and women were forbidden to touch prey, struck by an arrow, and step over this hunting tool.

In all actions and customs, both Mansi and Khanty strictly adhere to the rule: “As you yourself treat nature today, so your people will live tomorrow”.

Luchkina Natalia

rite of hospitality of the peoples of the Khanty and Mansi

We meet guests in the lobby

presenter: (in national clothes) Hello dear guests! (Pausya! Wuxia)

(He shakes hands with everyone guests, invites guests to pass« rite of purification» . They set fire to the chaga - outgrowth birch and wild rosemary branches,

first, they fumigate the head and utter certain sounds (kh - kh., then they carry out smoke under their feet in turn.

And at the end, the remains after fumigation are carried out further from the house).

We dedicated our event 85 summer anniversary our district.

Yugra. Once upon a time, our parents came to this wonderful land - the land of the vast taiga with its generous gifts, large rivers, countless streams, swamps with green moss strewn with red cranberries and amber cloudberries, the richest subsoil - and it became their second homeland. And we were born here, so for us Ugra is our homeland. We know that we live on land that has belonged to the indigenous representatives of Yugra since ancient times - the Khanty and Mansi peoples.

Today I want to tell you about some rituals of the natives tell what they are hospitable.

Meeting you in the lobby of our kindergarten, was held rite of purification. This rite cleansing is carried out when they arrive guests when a person is disturbed by unpleasant thoughts, after bad conversations, etc., mainly to balance the spiritual state of a person.

At Khanty and Mansi very well developed traditions hospitality. They accept absolutely everyone who passes by and stops at their home.

At the Khanty people have a custom to meet anyone guest at any time. The hostess, after stroganina, immediately puts on the table everything that is at home in family: both hot and sweet for tea. Even if the traveler arrived late at night, the hostess must get up, light the lamp, melt the stove, put the kettle on to boil and meet guest. Drink hot tea and feed him. If the traveler does not go further, put him to bed. If the hostess did not get up and meet guest as expected, then they will say about her in other camps that she inhospitable hostess.

There is a good custom people:

If nelma or sturgeon

The fisherman was given water -

Be sure to call your neighbors house:

Let, having tasted a delicacy,

Neighbors sincerely wish the fisherman

So that luck fills the network

For a long, long time in his lifetime

So that only joy enters the house

And labor brought prosperity,

To be heard sooner

These thoughts are water spirits.

presenter: There was also such a custom when everyone guests were fed and rested in the evening, they told each other fairy tales, made riddles. I also want to let you listen to the poem "Misne".

Video turns on "Misne"

presenter: And now I invite you to guess puzzles:

INDIGENOUS MYSTERIES PEOPLES

1. Which carp has seven ribs? Oblast (national dugout boat)

2. What kind of guy jumps without guts? A droplet from an icy window in the ceiling

3. Wolverines short stride? Labaza

4. Is there a reindeer skin on the ceiling, eaten by gadfly larvae? starry sky

5. Do not the eyes of many people of the earth rise to the heavenly woman, the divine woman? Sun

6. Are sister and brother afraid of each other? Water and fire

7. Thousands of people cannot drive the heavenly divine girl out of their homes. When the time comes, will she leave? Sunshine

8. Does the white fabric spread out, does the black fabric roll up? Day and night

9. Does an armless, legless wizard embroider patterns, ornaments overnight? Freezing

10. At the top of the tree is a beautiful doll. Squirrel

presenter: great place in the repertoire of the Ob-Ugric peoples take up dancing reflecting the traditional way of life and economic structure. And such are the men dancing: "Hunters", "Reindeer Breeders" (with lasso, bows, trochees, spears) etc., female dancing: "Picking berries", "Needlewomen", "Fisherwomen" etc. Dance "Krenka"- pearl Khanty and Mansi choreography. There is not a single indigenous person and group who would not know about the existence of this dance.

(girls in national dresses are invited, dance to the music)

(After everyone has drunk tea, the hostess clears the table, washes the dishes).. When everything is cleared away, men (boys) they go out into the street and have men's conversations, compete for dexterity, accuracy, and women remain in the plague and secret about their feminine.

presenter: And we, girls, will talk about our needlework.

Lisa will tell a verse Grebneva:

Soft light, like a radiance, flows.

AT workshop - beauty and comfort.

At the wide table craftswomen

Fur kitties are sewn for people.

And slow motion

Fur is sewn - stitch by stitch ...

And an ornament to make it beautiful,

Marked with a colored patch.

presenter: Spiritual strength, national wealth, talent and culture of the whole are transmitted through the doll from generation to generation people.

At the dolls Khanty no face(eye, mouth, nose). It was believed that a doll with a face could harm a child because it had a soul.

Traditionally, the doll has no arms and legs.

We make a doll-berry "Cranberry"

To make a berry doll "Klyukvinka", us would need:

piece of cloth Brown color size 13.5 x13.5 cm.;

A piece of green fabric measuring 9x9 cm;

A piece of maroon fabric, 16x16 cm in size;

Brown thread;

Execution steps:

A green fabric is laid on a shred of brown. Turn over and put a ball of cotton wool in the center.

Having tightly pressed the inserted cotton wool, tighten it with a thread, fixing it with a double knot.

The stability of the doll is given by the straightened hem of the dress. A scarf is tied around the doll's head so that the fabric covering the head is practically invisible. The ends of the scarf are fastened with a double knot under the chin.

presenter: We had a nice fun, did you like it? I want to say thank you very much everyone for participating. I think that you, like me, are proud of our people, our hospitality. I would like the younger generation not to forget the customs, observe them, pass them on next generation. We are pleased to invite you to guests again, see you soon! Thanks to all!

Total population about 31 thousand people. The bulk lives in Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamal-Nenets districts , approximately 90 percent of the total population. The rest is settled in the territory of the Tyumen, Novosibirsk and Tomsk region.

History of the Khanty

Scientists draw information about the origin of the Khanty people from archaeological finds, study folk traditions and linguistic features of national dialects. Most versions about the formation of the Khanty come down to the hypothesis of a mixture of two cultures: Ugric tribes with Ural Neolithic. Found remains of household items (pottery, stone tools, jewelry) indicate that the Khanty originally lived on the slopes of the Ural Mountains. In the caves of the Perm region, archaeologists have discovered ancient temples. The Khanty language belongs to the Finno-Ugric branch, and, consequently, the people had kinship with other northern tribes. The closeness of the culture of the Khanty and Mansi confirms the similarities in national dialects, objects and way of life, in folk art. More than four centuries ago, the ancestors of the Khanty moved along the Ob River in a northerly direction. In the tundra, nomads were engaged in animal husbandry, hunting, gathering and agriculture(on the south side) There were also conflicts with neighboring tribes,. To resist the attacks of foreign tribes, the Khanty united in large unions. Such education was led princeep, leader, chief of the tribe.

After the fall of the Siberian Khanate, the northern territories were ceded to the Muscovite state. Northern fortresses are erected here by order of the sovereign. Temporary fortifications in Siberia later turned into cities. Many Russian inhabitants were sent to foreign lands, which led to an increase in the population as a whole. The alien Russians described the unknown tribes as terrible, barbaric groups of savages. Local traditions and rituals were accompanied by blood, ritual chants and shamanic spells, which instilled fear in the Russian settlers. Expansion by the Russian population caused confusion among the natives. In the endless tundra they erected fortresses and formed volosts. However, a noble representative from the Khanty was chosen to manage the lands and the population. Indigenous people, including the Khanty, made up only a fraction of the total population. Today, the Khanty (approximately 28 thousand people) live in the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk districts.

Nature is the highest value of Khanty culture

The harsh conditions of the tundra dictated a difficult way of life: in order to feed and survive, it was necessary to work hard. Men went hunting in the hope of getting a fur-bearing animal. Caught wild animals were suitable not only for food, their valuable place could be sold or exchanged with merchants. The Ob River supplied the Khanty with a generous catch freshwater fish. To save fish for food, it was salted, dried, and dried. Reindeer herding is a traditional occupation of the indigenous northern inhabitants. An unpretentious animal fed a huge family. Deer skins were actively used in everyday life and in the construction of tents. It was possible to transport goods on a reindeer team. Unpretentious in food, the Khanty ate mainly meat (deer, elk, bear), and even in raw form. They could cook hot stew from meat. There was little plant food. In the season of mushrooms and berries, the meager diet of northerners expanded.

The philosophy of a single spirit with nature can be traced in the veneration native land. The Khanty have never hunted a young animal or a pregnant female. Nets for fish were designed only for large individuals, and the young, according to local fishermen, had to grow up. The caught catch or hunting trophies were spent sparingly. All the viscera and offal went into food, so the waste was minimal. The Khanty treated the gifts of forests and rivers with special respect, attributed to nature magical power. In order to appease the forest spirits, the Khanty held a sacrificial ceremony. Often, the Khanty gave their first catch or the carcass of a captured animal to a mythical deity. Near the wooden idol, the captured prey was left to the sound of magical songs.

Traditions. Holidays and rituals

interesting spring holiday associated with the arrival of the gray crow. The appearance of this bird meant the beginning of the fishing season. If a crow was noticed on the top of a tree, then it was a sign " big water". The arrival of the crow marks the arrival of spring, the beginning of a new season, and hence life for the indigenous people. To appease the birds, they put a table with goodies. The birds are very happy with such generosity of the Khanty!
No less honors are awarded to the owner of the taiga - a formidable bear. After hunting for a bear, the Khanty, as if asking for forgiveness from the killed animal. They eat bear meat in the late evening or at night, as if seeing off the soul of the animal into the dark sky. .

In Khanty-Mansiysk there is an ethnographic museum under open sky"Torum Maa". It is located on one of the hills, which is considered a strong place. The museum perfectly presents the life of the Khanty and Mansi. If you take a tour, you can listen for a long, long time. In the summer they pass here bright holidays, bake pies in special ovens, eat fish soup and just walk around the yellow-green field of dandelions. In winter - not so fun, but no less interesting. Especially if you meet at the right time with the right person. Our guide was Svetlana, hereditary Khanty.

When we arrived, it was cold in the house where they sell tickets. Having paid two hundred rubles for tickets for two, we asked who would give us a tour. “I will,” said the woman behind the glass. - "Let's go" - she took warm clothes and closed the door with a key. Thus began our acquaintance.

The first steps are always up. The wooden stairs go higher and higher. I freeze only for a second to cast a glance at Khanty-Mansiysk - the city is visible from here, as if in the palm of your hand.

Passing wooden buildings, we find ourselves next to an unusual structure - boats and huge devices made of branches. Khanty boats were made from a whole cedar trunk. And cedar roots are an excellent material suitable for sewing objects together.

The device that surprised me turns out to be a fish trap.

And here is the summer chum. It is made of birch bark, which is laid in two layers. It is closed in winter.

This is what the oven looks like. Bread is baked here in summer :)

We are in the summer house.

These rugs are woven from sedge and reeds, and in the summer master classes are held here, during which each visitor can weave such a rug. In general, it serves as a bedding. They put a skin on the rug - and you can sleep)

Women are not allowed to enter the men's quarters. You can't even touch things!
- What happens if you touch it? - I was surprised.
- There will be failure, - Svetlana briefly explains. It sounds convincing, probably, if I were Khanty's wife, I would not touch his things))

When a woman began her period, she was resettled in a separate hut, where everything was equipped for life. The woman gave birth there. But what an interesting tradition Tatyana told me: when the umbilical cord was cut during childbirth, it was tied in birch bark and attached to a birch. If the birch blossoms and feels good, then everything will turn out great for the child. And if the tree is sick, dries up - you need to pray, because maybe this higher power they say that a disease can also happen to a child. This shot was taken at the Museum of Nature and Man.

And here's another one folk tradition. Wood shavings were placed in the cradle for a newly born baby - to make it warmer. When she got wet, they carried her under a stump. It was believed that a crow would fly in, warm its paws, and give another child. Like us - storks)

Mother girls sewed bags from reindeer skin. There were no threads, and the skin was sewn together with dried deer veins. In the bag - everything you need for the household. After all, the girl had to join the household at the age of four!

In the photo - a box made by hand.

And again, a sign from the Khanty: it is associated with chaga. Chaga is growths on trees, they are also familiar to us. If it burns well, a person will be happy ...

- How many signs do they have? I asked.
Svetlana smiles: - A lot. For example, you can't step over a dog. You step over - and there will be no luck for the man on the hunt ...

And these are dolls. They are all faceless. Draw a face - what if someone bad moves into the doll :))

This dish is called yuhon. It is made from cedar or pine. It is used for food. In many Khanty recipes, berries appear - pike with berries, meat with berries ....

The Khanty have many dialects. All of them are tied to rivers. Svetlana is from the Middle Ob Khanty. There are also Kozymskys. Shuryshkarsky, Okansky, and many others. They speak differently. Someone has a soft, smooth voice, someone has a sharper one. But they understand each other.
- Do you know your language? I asked Svetlana.
- I understood my grandmother. And I really regret that I did not learn my language. And then she married a Belarusian, the language was not passed on to the children either ..

Svetlana was born in the village of Igrim, Berezovsky District, and was raised by her grandmother until she was six years old.

When we moved, the children laughed at me when I called my granny “anganga”. And I didn't know another word. In our language, it means "Grandmother".

At the age of 16, Svetlana went to get a passport, and in the column "Nationality" she wrote "Khanty".
- I remember my dad was even upset. After all, only my mother and grandmother are Khanty, and my father is Russian. But it was important for me to do it, and I never regretted it.
Khanty are pagans. But that doesn't stop them from believing in God.

I am baptized. But I also believe in Torum. And when I feel bad, nature itself helps me. I go to the forest and ask huge cedars to take all the bad down and leave the good. And in the spring, when the river leaves, you can write something on a piece of paper that you want to get rid of, and let it go with the flow. And be sure to wet your head with river water when the river opens up. And how many rites connected with the river! For example, before fishing. The river does not like the greedy, and we know that you cannot take more from it than you need.

See what the sanctuary looks like!

The most revered animals among the Khanty are the bear, the elk and the frog. In general, at different families have their own revered animals. For example, on Kazym, sacred bat, gudgeon, cat; on Vasyugan, Agan and Pima - a beaver. With each of the forbidden animals, people associated their lives and well-being.
- Once I accidentally stepped on a frog when I was visiting a friend. She rushed towards me: “What are you doing? For our family, the frog is sacred!”
Previously, the sacred animal became part of the ornament on clothes.

I have already talked about the tradition of "bear holidays".

It was believed that bears protect family members from diseases, and in general, are champions of justice. But it happened that bears began to harm a person. And this became a signal that it was time to deal with him. A hunt was opened for a bear, and after he was killed, a “bear holiday” was celebrated in the village. The bear was dressed up and laid in the center of events, always covering his eyes with coins. It was believed that he should not see the one who killed him - so that he does not appear evil spirit take revenge. There was a holiday in the meadow for several days ...

Guess what it is? This is a mask. Mask for a male hunter))) Such masks were sewn by Khanty women for their husbands, who went hunting.

The women remained on the farm. And a man could leave for several months, setting traps for birds and animals along the way, in order to return with big prey ...

Here is an example of a moose trap.

And this is a log house for temporary storage of meat

Svetlana has a good life. Since childhood, she sang, even in " Merry notes» participated. Then she graduated from college, got married, had two children. She talks about children, like any mother, with delight. Yes, she has a lot to be proud of. The son is a chemist. My daughter is an artist, she now lives in St. Petersburg and wants to go and get a design education as well.

Have you forgotten the music? - I ask.

Shakes his head.

How can you forget her...

Law on Indigenous small peoples North" was adopted in the 20th century. Khanty families were given tribal lands for use free of charge, and they live there: they breed deer, hunt, cooperate with commercial organizations who are preparing.

There are not so many real Khanty left - it is believed that there are about 28 thousand of them. Some of them moved to the cities, some live in pastures. In the Khanty-Mansiysk region, 11 families live on pastures. Some are legendary. I was told about a woman who gave birth to 12 children, but after her husband died, she took everything into her own hands, and even went to the bear!
The atmosphere there is special. You can’t get to the camps on your own - only by helicopter. Perhaps that is why those who visit the families who live there note that life there flows differently. And people are all positive and not in a hurry. No need.

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