E-mail: adilgirova@mail.ru Tel.: +8 (3012) 23-33-22
1, Tereshkova str., Ulan-Ude, 670031, Republic of Buryatia, Russian Federation
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Department of Ethnology and Folk Art Culture, East-Siberian State Institute of Culture
A large part of the eastern Sayan Mountains in Buryatiya, where the Zamen, Tunkin and Oka Buryats live, is covered by taiga, so hunting occupies an important place in the life and culture of these ethnic groups, along with cattle breeding and farming. This article summarizes materials published and collected by the authors during field research about the hunting rituals of the Buryats of the Sayan region (Prisayan’ye). It reveals the meaning of some hunting ritual actions, expressions of goodwill, charms, and songs associated with hunting, recorded in the Okinsky, Tunkinsky, and Zakamensky regions. According to the residents of the Prisayan’ye region, success in hunting depended on Khangai, the master of the taiga, so hunters made ritual offerings to him with a request to grant them good luck. The local Buryats cherished the natural world and had a reverent attitude to bear, wolf, deer, ermine, otter, sable, and crow, which is reflected in the various folklore genres they practiced.
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