According to archaeological data, the Yakut nationality arose as a result of the union of local tribes living along the middle reaches of the Lena River with southern Turkic-speaking settlers. Over time, the new nationality created was divided into several groups. For example, reindeer herders of the northwest, etc.
Yakuts, description of the people
The Yakuts are considered one of the most numerous Siberian peoples. Their number reaches over 380 thousand people. Yakuts live in the Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk regions, but mainly in the Sakha Republic. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic dialects, part of the Altai family. The main occupations of the Yakuts are horse and cattle breeding, fishing and hunting. In modern times, the main wealth of the Yakuts is diamonds. The mining industry is very developed. The home of the Yakuts is yurts, which can be small and vice versa, different in height. Yurts are built from wood.
Who did the Yakuts worship since ancient times?
Among the Yakuts, reverence for nature still occupies an important place in their beliefs. All traditions and customs of the Yakuts are closely connected with it. They believe that nature is alive, and all earthly objects have their own spirits and inner strength. For a long time, the owner of the road was considered one of the main ones. Previously, they even made sacrificial offerings to him, leaving horse hair, scraps of cloth, buttons and copper coins at crossroads. Similar actions were performed for the owners of reservoirs, mountains, etc.
Thunder and lightning, in the view of the Yakuts, pursue evil spirits. If a tree splits during a thunderstorm, it is believed to have healing powers. The wind, in the view of the Yakuts, has four spirits who guard earthly peace. The Earth has a female deity - Aan. She monitors the growth and fertility of all living things (plants, animals, people). In the spring, special offerings are made for Aan.
Water has its own owner. Gifts are brought to him in the fall and spring in the form of a birch bark boat with an image of a person carved on it and pieces of cloth attached. Dropping sharp objects into water is considered a sin.
The owner of the fire is a gray-haired old man who drives out evil spirits. This element has always been treated with great respect. The fire was never extinguished and in former times it was carried with us in pots. It is believed that he is the patron of family and home.
The Yakuts call the spirit of the forest Baai Bayanai. He helps in fishing and hunting. In ancient times, it was chosen which could not be killed or eaten. For example, goose, swan, ermine and some others. The eagle was considered the head of all birds. The bear has always been the most revered among all groups of Yakuts. Its claws and other attributes are still used as amulets.
Holidays
Yakut holidays are closely connected with traditions and rituals. The most important one is Ysyakh. It takes place once a year and reflects the worldview and picture of the world. It is celebrated at the very beginning of summer. According to ancient traditions, a hitching post is installed in a clearing surrounded by young birch trees, which symbolizes the World Tree and the axes of the Universe. In modern times, she has also become the personification of the friendship of the peoples living in Yakutia. This holiday is considered a family holiday.
Ysyakh always begins with sprinkling kumiss on the fire and the four cardinal directions. Then follows a request to the Deities to send grace. During the celebration, people wear national clothes and prepare traditional dishes and kumiss. The meal must take place at the same table with all relatives. Then they begin to dance in circles, sports competitions, wrestling, archery and tug-of-war are held.
Yakuts: families
The Yakuts live small until the 19th century, polygamy was common. But they all lived separately, and each had their own household. Yakuts marry between the ages of 16 and 25. During matchmaking, the bride price is paid. If so, the bride can be kidnapped and then served in prison.
Rituals and traditions
The Yakut people have many traditions and rituals, from the description of which even separate book. They are often associated with magical actions. For example, to protect housing and livestock from evil spirits, the Yakuts use a number of conspiracies. Important components in this case are the ornament on clothes, jewelry and utensils. Rituals are also held for a good harvest, livestock offspring, birth of children, etc.
To this day, the Yakuts retain many traditions and customs. For example, the Sat stone is considered magical, and if a woman looks at it, it loses its power. It is found in the stomachs or livers of animals and birds. Once removed, it is wrapped in birch bark and wrapped in horsehair. It is believed that through certain spells, rain, wind or snow can be caused using Sat.
Many traditions and customs of the Yakuts have been preserved since ancient times. For example, they have But in modern times it has been replaced by ransom. Yakuts are very hospitable and love to exchange gifts. Maternity rites are associated with the goddess Aiyy-syt, who is considered the patroness of children.
Hitching posts
The Yakuts have a lot of different hitching posts. And this is no coincidence, since since ancient times they have been one of the main components of the culture of the people. Beliefs, many rituals, traditions and customs are associated with them. All hitching posts have different designs, decorations, heights, and shapes.
There are three groups of such pillars in total. The first (outdoor) includes those installed near the home. Horses are tied to them. The second group includes pillars used for various religious rituals. And thirdly - hitching posts, which are installed on the main Yakut holiday Ysyakh.
Yakut yurts
Yakut settlements consist of several houses (yurts), located at a great distance from each other. The Yakut dwelling is created from round standing logs. But only small trees are used in construction, since cutting down large ones is considered a sin. The doors are located on the east side, towards the sun. Inside the yurt there is a fireplace covered with clay. The home has many small windows. Along the walls there are wide sun loungers of different heights. At the entrance - the lowest. Only the owner of the yurt sleeps on the high one. The sun loungers are separated from each other by partitions.
To build a yurt, choose a low place, protected from the winds. In addition, the Yakuts are looking for a “happy place.” Therefore, they do not settle among the mighty trees, since they have already taken all the power of the earth. There are many more such moments, as in Chinese geomancy. When choosing a place to build a yurt, they turn to a shaman. Often yurts are built collapsible so that they can be transported during a nomadic lifestyle.
National clothes
Consists of a single-breasted caftan. Previously, for winter it was made of fur, and for summer - from the skin of a horse or cow. The caftan has 4 additional wedges and a wide belt. The sleeves are wide. Fur socks are also worn on the feet. In modern times, the Yakuts use fabric for sewing clothes. They began to wear shirts with collars, belted with a belt.
Wedding fur coats for women are sewn long, reaching to the heels. They widen towards the bottom. The sleeves and collar are decorated with brocade, red and green cloth, silver jewelry, and braid. The hem is lined with sable fur. These wedding fur coats are passed down through generations. On the head, instead of a veil, they wear high-topped fur hats made of black or red decorated cloth.
Folklore
When talking about the traditions and customs of the Yakuts, one cannot fail to mention their folklore. The main thing in it is the olonkho epic, which is considered a type of poetry, and when performed is similar to opera. This art has been preserved since ancient times. Olonkho includes many traditional tales. And in 2005, this art was recognized as a UNESCO heritage.
Poems ranging from 10 to 15 thousand lines in length are performed by folk storytellers. Not everyone can become one. Storytellers must have the gift of oratory, be able to improvise, and have acting talent. Speech should be of different tones. Larger olonkhos can be performed over seven nights. The largest and famous work consists of 36 thousand poetic lines.
In the north-east of Siberia, before the arrival of the Russians, the Yakut (Sakha) pastoralists occupied a prominent place in terms of the level of cultural development and numbers among other tribes. By the time the Russians arrived, the main group of Yakuts inhabited the triangle formed by the middle reaches of the Lena, Aldan and Amga. Small groups of them lived on the Yana and Olekma rivers, at the mouth of the Vilyuy and in the Zhigansk region. In total, according to Russian documents, the Yakuts numbered 25-26 thousand people. According to the most complete list in the yasak book, there were 35 “volosts”, which corresponded to the number of Yakut clans and tribes. By the time the Russians arrived, the Yakuts were an ethnic whole with a single language, common territory and culture. In terms of language and culture, the Yakuts are like an island of Turkic-speaking peoples, the northernmost Turkic people in the world. In their legends, including those recorded at the beginning of the 18th century. Jacob Lindenau talks about the flight of the ancestors of the Yakuts from the Baikal region to the north. According to legends, the last settlers from the south came here at the end of the 16th century. led by Badzhey, the grandfather of the famous Toyon Tygyn.
In the fight against the harsh nature of their new homeland, the Yakuts lost much of what they had before. They had sheep (khoy) and camels (tebien) in the south, but, as is known, in Yakutia sheep and camels cannot withstand the local climate. The Yakuts also lost their written language, which legends speak of. According to some versions of the legends, Elyay-Bootur lost his writings while fleeing down the Lena, and according to others, Omogoy-bai kept his writings in a bag; When he sailed along the Lena on a dark night, during a storm they drowned in the river.
The fact that the ancestors of the Yakuts knew writing is evidenced by the writings on the rocks of the river. Lena A.P. Okladnikov discovered writings with runic signs on the right bank of the Lena on the Shishkinsky rocks, near the “Yakutsky vzvoz”; they are also found to the north, not far from Verkholensk, opposite the village. Davydov. Pisanitsa near the village Davydovo deciphered by A.N. Bernshtam as the Yakut word “alkatim” - “I blessed”. Writings of almost the same content are available on the right bank of the Lena, opposite Fr. Written. The world's northernmost monument of runic writing was discovered by A.P. Okladnikov on the left bank of the river. Lena, below the village. Sinsk, 200 km from Yakutsk, near the village. Petrovskaya, already in Central Yakutia.
In the heroic epic of the Yakuts - Olonkho, folk singers created the image of Seerkeen Sesen. In most legends, Seerkeen Sesen is represented as a highly experienced and intelligent, gray-haired and gray-bearded old man. He came from the Ayyy Aimakha tribe. Storytellers imagined him sitting at stone tablets or writing with an eagle feather. Bogatyrs from the Aiyy tribe usually turned to him for advice in difficult and complicated cases and received a comprehensive answer from him. The olonkho depicts the image of Usun Dyurantayy Suruksut (scribe Long Dyurantyy). He is dressed in white. His clothes are decorated with floral patterns. He was the clerk of Yuryung Aiyy-toyon, the “supreme creator of God” (literally: white creator - toyon). In many olonkhos, the decisions of the gods and heavenly destinies are written in blood on trihedral or tetrahedral stone pillars. These stone tablets bring to mind steles with ancient Turkic runic inscriptions. In the language of the Yakut people there are the terms “letter” and “letters” - “suruk” and “bichik”. Both words were preserved in the same meaning among other Turkic-Mongolian peoples.
In the north, the Yakuts lost not only their written language, but also the agricultural skills that their ancestors, who lived near the lake, possessed. Baikal. However, even in the depths of Yakutia they preserved their herds of cattle and herds of horses, their language and their culture.
The Yakuts smelted iron from ore and knew how to make axes, knives, palm trees, cauldrons, spear and arrowheads, chain mail (kuyakhs), blacksmith accessories (hammer, anvil) and other tools and household items. Blacksmithing became a special professional craft. The Yakut blacksmith was surrounded by honor, and he was considered stronger than the shaman. The Yakuts believed that his craft and art were created by spirits more powerful than those of the shaman, that the blacksmith possessed the mighty power of fire and could kill the shaman.
The main wealth of the Yakuts was cattle. They rode horses and harnessed them to sleighs. Kumis was made from mare's milk. Cattle and horses were killed for meat. Butter and other dairy products were made from cattle's milk. The skin of cattle and horses was used to make clothing and shoes. It was used to make dishes, ropes, belts and other items. Horsehair was widely used.
In conditions of a long and severe winter, livestock cannot survive without hay, and the Yakuts had to prepare feed for cattle, but horses spent the winter on pasture. Hay was cut with iron and bone scythes (hotur). Harvesting hay forced me into a semi-sedentary life. In the summer we went to sayylyks, i.e. to summer pastures. In winter, they migrated to kystyks (winter roads), which were built near the mowing areas. Some Yakuts, in addition to summer pastures, also had spring and autumn pastures. The Yakuts lived scattered and built yurts at a great distance from one another.
Important sectors of the Yakut economy were hunting and fishing. Many poor Yakuts, who did not have livestock, ate only fish, meat of animals and birds. Fish were caught with hair nets and seines. “Muzzles” and locks were also used. The endless forests of Yakutia were rich in game. The Yakuts hunted sables, foxes, squirrels, ermines, hares and other fur-bearing animals. They sewed warm clothes from sable, fox, wolf, hare and other furs. Hunting for elk, bear, wild deer and other animals was also developed. In the Yakut epic, most of the heroes are not only cattle breeders, but also hunters. In the Yakut pantheon, one of the main places was occupied by the god of hunters, the spirit - the owner of the forest, Bai Bayanai. Hunting methods were varied. Some of them were borrowed from the eternal hunters of the taiga - the Tungus, Yukagirs and other peoples of the North.
Materials archaeological excavations They depict the home life of the Yakuts. The dwellings of the ancient Yakuts - Kyrgys-Yoteks - were located near rich rivers and lakes. The bones of horses and cows, reindeer, and large fish were found in them. These dwellings were similar to the late Yakut yurt booth. From the outside, the ancient yurt looked like a truncated tetrahedral pyramid. The frame of the yurt consisted of pillars with beams that served as support for walls made of inclined poles or blocks. The ceiling had slopes on two sides. The outside of the yurt was covered with clay in the summer, and with cow dung or turf in the winter, and earth was poured on top of the ceiling. Inside the yurt-booth there was a fireplace coated with clay or a fireplace made of clay and poles. Cattle were placed in the same yurt, fenced off from the living area with poles or blocks. Along with yurt-balagans, the Yakuts had birch bark dwellings - uras and light huts in which they lived in the summer.
During excavations of ancient Yakut dwellings, ancient Yakut ceramics were also found. Neither the Tungus, nor the Yukagirs, nor the Lamuts (Evens) and even the Buryats, the inhabitants of the Baikal region, made pottery before the arrival of the Russians. Only the Yakuts made pots and other utensils from clay.
In the language and epic of the Yakuts there are hints that they had elements of statehood in the distant past, or in any case that they were part of the orbit of the ancient steppe states. These are the words “bai” (“rich”), “darkhan” (“Tarkhan”), “khan”, “tygyn” (from the word “tegin”). All this gave the basis to A.P. Okladnikov concludes that the ancestors of the Yakuts, even in their southern homeland, knew khans, bays, darkhans, tegins and other people in their clan, distinguished by their wealth, nobility, power and who had the title “tegins”. A.P. Okladnikov admits the possibility that at first there was a tribal organization - a union of tribes, headed by the descendants of Badzhey, the last of them was Tygyn and his descendants, the Kangalas princes. However, by the arrival of the Russians, this union, in his opinion, had disintegrated. Tygyn, as A.P. believes. Okladnikov tried to forcibly revive the union of the Yakut tribes, but to no avail. Memories of his wars with other tribes are the legends about the “time of wars” - Kyrgys Yuyete.
Before the arrival of the Russians, the Yakuts were divided into tribes and clans. Large groups, such as the Kangalas, Meghin, Baturus, Borogon and Nam people, consisted of 2-5 thousand people. each were probably tribes, and the smaller ones, such as the Betyuns, Cherikteys, Nakars, Dyupsins (Dubchins), Bayagan-Thais, were clans. Yakut births were exogamous. The head of the family was a man. The dominant form of marriage among the Yakuts was a paired, patrilocal marriage, when the wife passed into the husband's clan. A man gave livestock in exchange for his wife to her parents. The main economic unit was a separate small family. Polygamy was not prohibited.
In the heroic epic of the Yakuts - Olonkho, historical legends and Russian documents of the 17th century. there is no indication of the existence of clan governance and clan power, except for the power of the toyon - the ancestor. However, there may have been clan governance bodies, in particular the power of clan elders. Oral tradition has preserved numerous stories and legends about inter-tribal clashes, battles of heroes, bloody wars and participants in historical events. Of course, in these stories and legends there is a lot that is fabulous, exaggerated and embellished, but they are based on true events from the life of the people.
Each clan and tribe sang and glorified their knights, their heroes. The Kangalas people told such legends about Tygyn, the Borogon people - Bert-Khara, the Amgin people - about Omollon, the Cherikte people - about Lakha Batyr, the Nam people - about Chorbogor Batyr, the Betyun people - about Tieteybit Bootur. There are especially many legends about Tygyn.
The causes of inter-tribal wars were blood feud, personal insults, enmity and rivalry between heroes, seizures of livestock and women. Often they ended in single combat between heroes, recognition of superiority - “aat ylyy” (“taking away name and glory”). The battle was led by the ancestors (toyons), the main warriors were the heroes. From a young age, heroes were taught and trained in military affairs. Before the battle, shamans performed rituals of invoking the spirit of war - ilbis tardy, instilling a warlike spirit in heroes and the ritual of washing weapons with blood - sebi hannyy.
Historical legends tell, for example, about the intertribal war between the Betyuns and the Nakharians. The Bethune shaman summoned the spirit of war and infused it into the hero Tieteybit Bootur. The hero became possessed, with great difficulty they threw a lasso over him, screwed him to one larch and put on a shell, gave him a spear and a palm tree, then released him. Freed, Tieteybit Bootur " ran to the area of Khariya-laakh, where he caught the Nakharians sleeping at the overnight camp, and began to kill and slaughter everyone from the edge" The hero of the Bayagantay people, Madygy Töröny, also became obsessed after the spirit of war was infused into him: “ They tied him and tied him with ropes to seven trees. And, having put on him an armored helmet and the proper clothes, giving him all the necessary weapons in his hands, they released him, and the man ran in the direction where the battle was supposed to be." The participants in the battles were armed with bows different sizes, arrows in a quiver, iron spears, palm tree. The heroes wore armor and a helmet, and their war horses were covered with armor. In Russian documents there are indications that the Yakuts built defensive structures from wood and earth.
In general, the tribal system of the Yakuts before the arrival of the Russians was at the stage of decomposition. The clan consisted of the clan elite, free members of the clan - ordinary community members and slaves. At the head of the clan was the ancestor - toyon. He stood out from the clan elite, and, apparently, in tribes and large clans, ancestors became not by choice, but by right of inheritance. Often military leaders, knights of the clan, became toyons, whom shamans and clan meetings dedicated to heroic deeds: they solemnly put combat armor on the hero, sacrificed cattle or even captured enemies to the god of war Ilbis. Toyons had up to 300-900 heads of livestock, enjoyed authority and had power. They were surrounded by servants - chakhardar, which consisted of slaves and domestic servants.
The Yakuts apparently knew slaves even before they moved to the Middle Lena. Linguists and historians derive the Yakut word “kulut” (slave) from the word “kul”, which is often found in ancient Turkic runic texts, which means the same thing as “kulut” in the Yakut language, i.e. "slave", "slave". The heroes of the Yakut epic - olonkho, and kuluts - had slaves and are mentioned in historical traditions and legends.
Turning one's impoverished relative into a slave, capturing enemies during an inter-tribal war, issuing a relative into slavery as a ransom for blood, i.e. blood feud was replaced by the transfer of a relative into slavery - all of these were sources of slavery. “Nursing” also took place, when wealthy Yakuts fed and clothed orphans or the poor. Such a “nurse” was close to a slave. Slaves performed household chores, went hunting and took part in inter-tribal wars, and carried out various orders from the master. The master had the right to sell a slave, give him as a bride's dowry (ennie kulut), and beat him. In most cases, slaves did not have any household and lived in or near the master's yurt. However, there are facts indicating that in a number of cases slaves had their own families and lived separately from the master. It follows that slavery among the Yakuts had the character of family patriarchal slavery. In general, the Yakuts had few slaves. According to the yasak book of 1648-1649, out of 1,497 yasak payers, there were only 57 slaves. Primitive cattle breeding could not serve as the basis for the mass use of slave labor, much less for turning it into the basis of production. Ancient patriarchal slavery could not develop into slavery of the ancient type. It is, as A.P. believes. Okladnikov, remained the way of life " and, moreover, not paramount in terms of share in production relations».
The main producers of material goods were ordinary community members. There was inequality of wealth among them, and they did not form a homogeneous social group. Wealthy members of the community were close to the toyons. Poor relatives who did not have livestock lived near taiga lakes and were engaged in hunting and fishing; them in Russian documents mid-17th century V. were called "Balyksyts". Being under the authority of the ancestor - the toyon, they were economically dependent on him, although they were personally free. In documents of the 17th century. mention is made of “khasaas” - the giving of dairy cattle by the rich to the poor for milking and “uostuur” - for feeding; this is one of the most common forms of exploitation among steppe peoples.
There was no ancestral ownership of livestock, which constituted the main wealth of the Yakuts, and “ Cattle among the Yakuts played such a predominant role in exchange that it had essentially already turned into a universal equivalent, i.e. got the money function».
In Yakut folklore and documents of the first half XVII V. there are no indications of private ownership of fishing and hunting grounds and pastures. They were used freely not only by all members of the clan, but also by strangers. For example, on sable lands in the middle of the 17th century. The Yakuts and Tungus hunted freely, even from Central Yakutia they went to hunt Vilyui, Yana, Olekminsk, and hunted in the basins of the Zeya, Indigirka and Amur rivers. The situation was different with hayfields. The ancestor himself or the council of elders allocated hayfields from the clan's land to individual families. Historical legends say that the leader of the Ergists had nine sons, they were settled at the direction of their father: Sabyryky’s son was settled in the Kytyl area, Neryungnen - in Alar, Tyuereya - in Saadahyyaabyt. Ancestor of the Malzegarians " ordered his five sons to live in different places. Sabiya appointed Kalteeki's eldest son to live on the island. Toyon Aryy, the second son of Sokh-khor Durai offered to take a quarter of about. Toyon Aryy and settle on the rivers Keteme, Khariyalaakh and Besteeh. He instructed his two sons to live on Khatyn Aryy and Khara Aryy. The fifth son was forced to settle further than his brothers, on the Lena coast in the areas of Isit and Kytyl Gyura».
The ancient Yakut spiritualized nature; he was surrounded by countless spirits. Mountains and forests, lakes and rivers, trees and grass, animals and domestic animals, fire and yurt, etc. - everything has icchi - spirits. According to the ideas of people of that time, some evil spirits are abaas, and others are good - aiyy, patrons and protectors of humans and domestic animals. Both need to please and achieve the mercy of the spirits. In order not to disturb or anger them, a person must observe a huge number of prohibitions. In order not to disturb the spirit of the earth, the spirits of grass and trees, you should not shout or make noise in the spring. In order not to disturb evil spirits, you should not shout loudly at night and late in the evening in winter. In order not to frighten the spirits of the lake and the fish, you cannot loudly express your delight when you see a lot of fish in the net, “muzzle” and seine. In order not to offend the spirit of fire, you should not spit or throw dirty things into the fire. When passing a large tree, passing a river, going up a mountain, you must leave something as a gift to the spirits (cane, stick, rope, horse hair, wool), otherwise there will be misfortune along the way. There were various prohibitions in food, in hunting, in conversation, in relationships between people, in family, in work.
The intermediaries between the human world and the spirits were shamans and shamans, white and black. White shamans communicated with good spirits and served light patron deities, while black shamans communicated with evil spirits. In one of the descriptions of the early 18th century. we read: “ The Yakut people, as usual, have shamans. And the shamans have a dress, which during shamanism is hung around with iron pipes; and between the pipes, and along the valley, and along the arms there are oar straps of half arshin; Yes, they even give sacrifices to demons for the sick, beat cattle without bleeding, eat the meat themselves, and hang skins and bones on trees».
Each clan had its own cult. A survivalist ancient form of religion - totemism - has been preserved. " Every kind- wrote Stralenberg, - has and holds as sacred a special creature, such as a swan, a goose, a raven, and that animal that the race considers sacred, it does not eat, but others can eat it».
The dead were buried in trees and in above-ground tombs. The dead lay in a hollowed out log. A quadrangular log house was built outside. When burial was carried out in the ground, the dead were placed in a log and covered with large pieces of birch bark yurt (uras). The Yakuts buried their dead in the best and most expensive clothes. Next to the deceased they placed a bow, arrows in a quiver, a palm tree, a pike, meat in an iron cauldron, oil in a birch bark bowl, chorons for kumiss, a saddle - everything that the deceased might need in his afterlife. Historical traditions speak of burials with a horse and a slave, but such graves have not yet been discovered.
A majestic monument of the ancient culture of the Yakuts are the heroic poems about the exploits of heroes - olonkho. Olonkho, apparently, developed at a time when the ancestors of the Yakuts lived in the south in close contact with the ancestors of the Sayan-Altai tribes and with the ancient Mongols. Various olonkhos used to exist in all Yakut uluses. Folk rhapsodes knew several dozen olonkhos with sizes of 10-20 thousand lines. In olonkho, bright colors create a majestic image of nature. In many olonkhos, the struggle of the titans ends with the creation of worlds - upper, middle and lower. In the upper world live the gods, led by Yuryung Aiyy-toyon, and in some places - abaas (cannibals, monsters). In the middle world there lives a human tribe (ayyy dyono), in some places - abaas. The lower world is inhabited only by the Abaasy tribes, led by Arsaan Duo-lay. Among the celestials mentioned are Dyylga Khan, the deity of fate and fate (otherwise called Chyngys Khan, or Odun Khan), Iyekhsit - the patron goddess of people and livestock, Ayysyt - the goddess of childbirth, Ilbis Khan - the god of war and his children Ilbis kyysa and Osol uola, thunder deity - Shunko-khaan Shuge toyon. The life of the celestials is similar to the life of the people of the middle world. In some olonkhos, Yuryung Aiyy-toyon (the supreme deity) convenes meetings of the gods, and in many olonkhos he makes decisions alone. In addition to those listed, the most revered were Aan Alakhchyn hotun - the goddess of the ancestral land (homeland), Bayanai - the god of the forest and hunters, Aan Darkhan-toyon or Khatan Timieriye - the god of fire, Khompo-ruun Hotoy ayyy - the god of birds, Kydai Bakhsy - the god of blacksmiths.
The olonkho depicts the cattle breeding economy of the Yakuts, their home life, work and worries, their family life. The olonkho features a couple family, exogamous and patrilocal marriage. The main character of olonkho is a hero, an idealized image of a knight or ancestor. By the decision of the gods, or Dyylga Khan - the god of fate, or Aiy-toyon himself, the hero from the Aiyy tribe is obliged to protect his tribe from the Abaasy heroes. The main reasons for the battles are the protection of the aiyy hero of his clan, his bride or sister from the abaasy hero, blood feud and fulfillment of the decisions of the gods. In many olonkhos the hero goes to get himself a wife. On his way he overcomes seas of fire, high mountains, enters into a fight with mythological creatures and other obstacles, finally comes to the country of his future wife and enters into a fight with his rival - the hero Abaasy.
Olonkho reflects the period of the tribal system among the Yakuts and the period of its decomposition. Bogatyrs have neither troops nor military organization; in most cases, the battle takes place in the form of a duel between two heroes. Unlike the feudal epic, the Olonkho heroes, as a result of victory, do not seize land, livestock and do not become rulers of other peoples and tribes. Having defeated his opponents, the hero gets married. On the way back, he travels with his wife alone, or his wife’s slaves, servants and livestock go with them as a dowry. Often, on the way to his homeland, the hero encounters various obstacles and accomplishes feats. Upon returning to his homeland, he raises a lot of livestock and produces a large offspring, lives a rich and peaceful life, his descendants inherit his wealth.
The rich oral creativity of the Yakuts was not limited only to heroic poems - olonkho. There were fairy tales, historical stories, legends, songs, proverbs, sayings, riddles. The Yakuts loved to embroider clothes and shoes with beautiful patterns, decorate dishes and furniture, military weapons and tools, horse harnesses and a birch bark yurt-urasa with ornaments. In spring and summer, the Yakuts gathered for a holiday - Ysyakh in honor of the spirits - the masters of nature and the heavenly gods. During this holiday, various competitions and sport games, songs and dances.
The Yakut people were in constant communication with the surrounding Tungus tribes. The Yakuts traded with them. Marriages often took place between them, and production skills were mutually adopted.
Over the vast territory of Yakutia, the pace of economic and social processes was uneven. But if you take a general look at Yakut society before the arrival of the Russians, it will become clear that the patriarchal system was already at the last stage of decomposition. The separation of the family, private ownership of livestock, the use of the clan's hayfields by individual families, the inheritance of property by children, the emergence of hereditary nobility led to the fact that the clan was divided into classes, into exploiters and exploited, into the clan elite and free community members.
Such was the Yakut society when an extremely important historical event in the life of the Yakuts - their accession to the Russian state.
Yakuts (self-name Sakha; pl. h. sugar) - Turkic-speaking people, the indigenous population of Yakutia. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of languages. According to the results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, 478.1 thousand Yakuts lived in Russia, mainly in Yakutia (466.5 thousand), as well as in the Irkutsk, Magadan regions, Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories. The Yakuts are the most numerous (49.9% of the population) people in Yakutia and the largest of the indigenous peoples of Siberia within the borders of the Russian Federation.
Distribution area
The distribution of Yakuts across the territory of the republic is extremely uneven. About nine of them are concentrated in the central regions - in the former Yakut and Vilyui districts. These are the two main groups of the Yakut people: the first of them is slightly larger in number than the second. The “Yakut” (or Amga-Lena) Yakuts occupy the quadrangle between the Lena, lower Aldan and Amga, the taiga plateau, as well as the adjacent left bank of the Lena. The “Vilyui” Yakuts occupy the Vilyui basin. In these indigenous Yakut areas, the most typical, purely Yakut way of life developed; here, at the same time, especially on the Amga-Lena Plateau, it is best studied. The third, much smaller group of Yakuts is settled in the Olekminsk region. The Yakuts of this group became more Russified; in their way of life (but not in language) they became closer to the Russians. And finally, the last, smallest, but widely settled group of Yakuts is the population of the northern regions of Yakutia, i.e., the river basins. Kolyma, Indigirka, Yana, Olenek, Anabar.
The Northern Yakuts are distinguished by a completely unique cultural and everyday way of life: in relation to it, they are more like the hunting and fishing small peoples of the North, the Tungus, the Yukagirs, than their southern fellow tribesmen. These northern Yakuts are even called “Tungus” in some places (for example, in the upper reaches of Olenek and Anabara), although by language they are Yakuts and call themselves Sakha.
History and origin
According to a common hypothesis, the ancestors of modern Yakuts are the nomadic tribe of Kurykans, who lived in Transbaikalia until the 14th century. In turn, the Kurykans came to the Lake Baikal area from across the Yenisei River.
Most scientists believe that in the XII-XIV centuries AD. e. The Yakuts migrated in several waves from the area of Lake Baikal to the Lena, Aldan and Vilyuy basins, where they partially assimilated and partially displaced the Evenks (Tungus) and Yukaghirs (Oduls), who had lived here earlier. The Yakuts have traditionally been engaged in cattle breeding (Yakut cow), having gained unique experience in breeding cattle in a sharply continental climate in northern latitudes, horse breeding (Yakut horse), fishing, hunting, and developed trade, blacksmithing and military affairs.
According to Yakut legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts rafted down the Lena River with livestock, household belongings and people until they discovered the Tuymaada Valley, suitable for raising cattle. Now this place is where modern Yakutsk is located. According to the same legends, the ancestors of the Yakuts were led 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 local tribes from the middle reaches of the Lena by southern Turkic-speaking settlers. It is believed that the last wave of the southern ancestors of the Yakuts penetrated the Middle Lena in the 14th–15th centuries. Racially, the Yakuts belong to the Central Asian anthropological type North Asian race. Compared to 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 AD already on the Lena.
It is assumed that some groups of Yakuts, for example, reindeer herders of the north-west, arose relatively recently as a result of the mixing of individual groups of Evenks with Yakuts, immigrants from the central regions of Yakutia. In the process of relocating to Eastern Siberia, the Yakuts mastered the basins of the northern rivers Anabar, Olenka, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma. The Yakuts modified the Tungus reindeer herding and created the Tungus-Yakut type of harness reindeer herding.
The inclusion of the Yakuts into the Russian state in the 1620–1630s accelerated their socio-economic and cultural development. In the 17th–19th centuries, the main occupation of the Yakuts was cattle breeding (breeding cattle and horses), from the second half of the 19th century centuries, a significant part began to engage in agriculture; hunting and fishing played a supporting role. The main type of dwelling was a log booth, in summer - a urasa made of poles. Clothes were made from skins and fur. In the second half of the 18th century, most of the Yakuts were converted to Christianity, but traditional beliefs were also preserved.
Under Russian influence, Christian onomastics spread among the Yakuts, almost completely replacing pre-Christian Yakut names. Currently, Yakuts bear both names of Greek and Latin origin (Christian) and Yakut names.
Yakuts and Russians
Accurate historical information about the Yakuts is available only from the time of their first contact with the Russians, i.e. from the 1620s, and their annexation to the Russian state. The Yakuts did not constitute a single political whole at that time, but were divided into a number of tribes independent from each other. However, tribal relations were already disintegrating, and there was a rather sharp class stratification. The tsarist governors and servicemen used inter-tribal strife to break the resistance of part of the Yakut population; They also took advantage of the class contradictions within it, pursuing a policy of systematic support for the dominant aristocratic layer - the princes (toyons), whom they turned into their agents for governing the Yakut region. From that time on, class contradictions among the Yakuts began to become more and more aggravated.
The situation of the mass of the Yakut population was difficult. The Yakuts paid yasak in sable and fox furs, and carried out a number of other duties, being subject to extortion from the tsar's servants, Russian merchants and their toyons. After unsuccessful attempts at uprisings (1634, 1636–1637, 1639–1640, 1642), after the Toyons went over to the side of the governors, the Yakut mass could react to oppression only with scattered, isolated attempts at resistance and flight from the indigenous uluses to the outskirts. By the end of the 18th century, as a result of the predatory management of the tsarist authorities, the depletion of the fur wealth of the Yakut region and its partial desolation were revealed. At the same time, the Yakut population, which for various reasons migrated from the Lena-Vilyui region, appeared on the outskirts of Yakutia, where it had not previously existed: on Kolyma, Indigirka, Olenek, Anabar, up to the Lower Tunguska basin.
But even in those first decades, contact with the Russian people had beneficial influence on the economy and culture of the Yakuts. The Russians brought with them a higher culture; already from the middle of the 17th century. farming appears on the Lena; Russian type of buildings, Russian clothing made of fabrics, new types of crafts, new furnishings and household items gradually began to penetrate the environment of the Yakut population.
It was extremely important that with the establishment of Russian power in Yakutia, inter-tribal wars and predatory raids of the Toyons, which had previously been a great disaster for the Yakut population, ceased. The willfulness of the Russian service people, who had often quarreled with each other and drawn the Yakuts into their feuds, was also suppressed. The order that had already been established in the Yakut land since the 1640s was better than the previous state of chronic anarchy and constant strife.
In the 18th century, in connection with the further advance of the Russians to the east (the annexation of Kamchatka, Chukotka, the Aleutian Islands, and Alaska), Yakutia played the role of a transit route and a base for new campaigns and the development of distant lands. The influx of the Russian peasant population (especially along the Lena River valley, in connection with the establishment of a postal route in 1773) created conditions for the cultural mutual influence of Russian and Yakut elements. Already at the end of the 17th and 18th centuries. Agriculture begins to spread among the Yakuts, although very slowly at first, and Russian-style houses appear. However, the number of Russian settlers remained even in the 19th century. relatively small. Along with peasant colonization in the 19th century. great importance sent exiled settlers to Yakutia. Together with criminal exiles, who had a negative impact on the Yakuts, in the second half of the 19th century. In Yakutia, political exiles appeared, first populists, and in the 1890s, Marxists, who played a large role in the cultural and political development of the Yakut masses.
By the beginning of the 20th century. Great progress was observed in the economic development of Yakutia, at least its central regions (Yakutsky, Vilyuisky, Olekminsky districts). A domestic market was created. The growth of economic ties accelerated the development of national identity.
During the bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917, the movement of the Yakut masses for their liberation developed deeper and wider. At first it was (especially in Yakutsk) under the predominant leadership of the Bolsheviks. But after the departure (in May 1917) of most of the political exiles to Russia in Yakutia, the counter-revolutionary forces of Toyonism, which entered into an alliance with the Socialist-Revolutionary-bourgeois part of the Russian urban population, gained the upper hand. The struggle for Soviet power in Yakutia dragged on for a long time. Only on June 30, 1918, the power of the soviets was first proclaimed in Yakutsk, and only in December 1919, after the liquidation of the Kolchak regime throughout Siberia, Soviet power was finally established in Yakutia.
Religion
Their life is connected with shamanism. The construction of a house, the birth of children and many other aspects of life do not take place without the participation of a shaman. On the other hand, a significant part of the half-million Yakut population professes Orthodox Christianity or even adheres to agnostic beliefs.
This people have their own tradition; before joining the Russian state, they professed “Aar Aiyy”. This religion presupposes the belief that the Yakuts are the children of Tanar - God and Relatives of the Twelve White Aiyy. Even from conception, the child is surrounded by spirits or, as the Yakuts call them, “Ichchi,” and there are also celestial beings who also surround the newly born child. Religion is documented in the department of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Yakutia. In the 18th century, Yakutia underwent universal Christianity, but the people approached this with the hope of certain religions from the Russian state.
Housing
The Yakuts trace their ancestry back to nomadic tribes. That's why they live in yurts. However, unlike the Mongolian felt yurts, the round dwelling of the Yakuts is built from the trunks of small trees with a cone-shaped steel roof. There are many windows in the walls, under which sun loungers are located at different heights. Partitions are installed between them, forming a semblance of rooms, and a smear hearth is tripled in the center. Temporary birch bark yurts - uras - can be erected for the summer. And since the 20th century, some Yakuts have been settling in huts.
Winter settlements (kystyk) were located near the meadows, consisting of 1-3 yurts, summer settlements - near pastures, numbering up to 10 yurts. The winter yurt (booth, diye) had sloping walls made of standing thin logs on a rectangular log frame and a low gable roof. The walls were coated on the outside with clay and manure, the roof was covered with bark and earth on top of the log flooring. The house was placed in the cardinal directions, the entrance was located in the east, the windows were in the south and west, the roof was oriented from north to south. To the right of the entrance, in the north-eastern corner, there was a fireplace (osoh) - a pipe made of poles coated with clay, going out through the roof. Plank bunks (oron) were arranged along the walls. The most honorable was the southwestern corner. The master's place was located near the western wall. The bunks to the left of the entrance were intended for male youth and workers, and to the right, by the fireplace, for women. A table (ostuol) and stools were placed in the front corner. On the northern side of the yurt a stable (khoton) was attached, often under the same roof as the living quarters; the door to it from the yurt was located behind the fireplace. A canopy or canopy was installed in front of the entrance to the yurt. The yurt was surrounded by a low embankment, often with a fence. A hitching post, often decorated with carvings, was placed near the house. Summer yurts differed little from winter ones. Instead of a hoton, a stable for calves (titik), sheds, etc. were placed at a distance. There was a conical structure made of poles covered with birch bark (urasa), in the north - with turf (kalyman, holuman). Since the end of the 18th century, polygonal log yurts with a pyramidal roof have been known. From the 2nd half of the 18th century, Russian huts spread.
Cloth
Traditional men's and women's clothing- short leather trousers, fur belly, leather leggings, single-breasted caftan (sleep), in winter - fur, in summer - from horse or cow skin with the hair inside, for the rich - from fabric. Later, fabric shirts with a turn-down collar (yrbakhy) appeared. Men girded themselves with a leather belt with a knife and a flint; for the rich, with silver and copper plaques. A typical women's wedding fur caftan (sangiyah), embroidered with red and green cloth and gold braid; an elegant women's fur hat made of expensive fur, descending to the back and shoulders, with a high cloth, velvet or brocade top with a silver plaque (tuosakhta) and other decorations sewn onto it. Women's silver and gold jewelry is common. Shoes - winter high boots made of deer or horse skins with the hair facing out (eterbes), summer boots made of soft leather (saars) with a boot covered with cloth, for women - with appliqué, long fur stockings.
Food
The main food is dairy, especially in summer: from mare's milk - kumiss, from cow's milk - yogurt (suorat, sora), cream (kuerchekh), butter; they drank butter melted or with kumiss; suorat was prepared frozen for the winter (tar) with the addition of berries, roots, etc.; a stew (butugas) was prepared from it with the addition of water, flour, roots, pine sapwood, etc. Fish food played main role For the poor and in the northern regions where there were no livestock, meat was consumed mainly by the rich. Horsemeat was especially prized. In the 19th century, barley flour came into use: unleavened flatbreads, pancakes, and salamat stew were made from it. Vegetables were known in the Olekminsky district.
Trades
The main traditional occupations are horse breeding (in Russian documents of the 17th century the Yakuts were called “horse people”) and cattle breeding. Men looked after horses, women looked after cattle. In the north, deer were bred. Cattle were kept on pasture in the summer and in barns (hotons) in the winter. Haymaking was known before the arrival of the Russians. Yakut cattle breeds were distinguished by their endurance, but were unproductive.
Fishing was also developed. We fished mainly in the summer, but also in the ice hole in the winter; In the fall, a collective seine was organized with the division of the spoils between all participants. For poor people who did not have livestock, fishing was the main occupation (in documents of the 17th century, the term “fisherman” - balyksyt - is used in the meaning of “poor man”), some tribes also specialized in it - the so-called “foot Yakuts” - Osekui, Ontuly, Kokui , Kirikians, Kyrgydians, Orgots and others.
Hunting was especially widespread in the north, constituting the main source of food here (arctic fox, hare, reindeer, elk, poultry). In the taiga, before the arrival of the Russians, both meat and fur hunting (bear, elk, squirrel, fox, hare, bird, etc.) were known; later, due to the decrease in the number of animals, its importance fell. Specific hunting techniques are characteristic: with a bull (the hunter sneaks up on the prey, hiding behind the bull), horseback pursuit of the animal along the trail, sometimes with dogs.
There was gathering - the collection of pine and larch sapwood (the inner layer of bark), which was stored in dried form for the winter, roots (saran, mint, etc.), greens (wild onions, horseradish, sorrel); raspberries, which were considered unclean, were not consumed from the berries.
Agriculture (barley, to a lesser extent wheat) was borrowed from the Russians at the end of the 17th century, and was very poorly developed until the mid-19th century; its spread (especially in the Olekminsky district) was facilitated by Russian exiled settlers.
Wood processing was developed ( artistic carving, coloring with alder decoction), birch bark, fur, leather; dishes were made from leather, rugs were made from horse and cow skins sewn in a checkerboard pattern, blankets were made from hare fur, etc.; cords were hand-twisted from horsehair, woven, and embroidered. There was no spinning, weaving or felting of felt. The production of molded ceramics, which distinguished the Yakuts from other peoples of Siberia, has been preserved. The smelting and forging of iron, which had commercial value, as well as the smelting and minting of silver, copper, etc., were developed, and from the 19th century, mammoth ivory carving was developed.
Yakut cuisine
She has some common features with the cuisine of the Buryats, Mongolians, northern peoples(Evenks, Evens, Chukchis), as well as Russians. Methods of preparing dishes in Yakut cuisine are few: it is either boiling (meat, fish), or fermentation (kumys, suorat), or freezing (meat, fish).
Traditionally, horse meat, beef, venison, game birds, as well as offal and blood are consumed as food. Dishes made from Siberian fish (sturgeon, broad whitefish, omul, muksun, peled, nelma, taimen, grayling) are widespread.
A distinctive feature of Yakut cuisine is the fullest use of all components of the original product. Very typical example is a recipe for cooking crucian carp in Yakut style. Before cooking, the scales are cleaned off, the head is not cut off or thrown away, the fish is practically not gutted, a small side incision is made through which the gall bladder is carefully removed, part of the colon is cut off and the swim bladder is pierced. In this form, the fish is boiled or fried. A similar approach is used in relation to almost all other products: beef, horse meat, etc. Almost all by-products are actively used. In particular, giblet soups (is miine), blood delicacies (khaan), etc. are very popular. Obviously, such a thrifty attitude towards products is the result of the people's experience of surviving in harsh polar conditions.
Horse or beef ribs in Yakutia are known as oyogos. Stroganina is made from frozen meat and fish, which is eaten with a spicy seasoning of flask (wild garlic), spoon (similar to horseradish) and saranka (onion plant). Khaan, a Yakut blood sausage, is made from beef or horse blood.
The national drink is popular among many eastern peoples koumiss, as well as stronger koonnyoruu kymys(or koyuurgen). From cow's milk they prepare suorat (yogurt), kuerchekh (whipped cream), kober (butter churned with milk to form a thick cream), chokhoon (or case– butter churned with milk and berries), iedegey (cottage cheese), suumekh (cheese). The Yakuts cook a thick mass of salamat from flour and dairy products.
Interesting traditions and customs of the people of Yakutia
The customs and rituals of the Yakuts are closely related to folk beliefs. Even many Orthodox or agnostics follow them. The structure of beliefs is very similar to Shintoism - each manifestation of nature has its own spirit, and shamans communicate with them. The foundation of a yurt and the birth of a child, marriage and burial are not complete without rituals. It is noteworthy that until recently, Yakut families were polygamous, each wife of one husband had her own household and home. Apparently, under the influence of assimilation with the Russians, the Yakuts nevertheless switched to monogamous cells of society.
The holiday of kumis Ysyakh occupies an important place in the life of every Yakut. Various rituals are designed to appease the gods. Hunters glorify Baya-Bayanaya, women - Aiyysyt. The holiday is crowned by a general sun dance - osoukhai. All participants join hands and arrange a huge round dance. Fire has sacred properties at any time of the year. Therefore, every meal in a Yakut house begins with serving the fire - throwing food into the fire and sprinkling it with milk. Feeding the fire is one of the key moments of any holiday or business.
The most characteristic cultural phenomenon is the poetic stories of the Olonkho, which can number up to 36 thousand rhymed lines. The epic is passed down from generation to generation between master performers, and most recently these narratives were included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Good memory and high life expectancy are some of the distinctive features Yakuts. In connection with this feature, a custom arose according to which a dying person old man calls on someone from the younger generation and tells him about all his social connections - friends, enemies. The Yakuts are distinguished by their social activity, even though their settlements consist of several yurts located at an impressive distance. The main social relations take place during major holidays, the main one of which is the holiday of kumis - Ysyakh.
The traditional culture is most fully represented by the Amga-Lena and Vilyui Yakuts. The northern Yakuts are close in culture to the Evenks and Yukagirs, the Olekma are strongly acculturated by the Russians.
12 facts about the Yakuts
- It’s not as cold in Yakutia as everyone thinks. Almost throughout the entire territory of Yakutia, the minimum temperature is on average -40-45 degrees, which is not so bad, since the air is very dry. -20 degrees in St. Petersburg will be worse than -50 in Yakutsk.
- Yakuts eat raw meat - frozen foal, shavings or cut into cubes. The meat of adult horses is also eaten, but it is not as tasty. The meat is extremely tasty and healthy, rich in vitamins and other beneficial substances, in particular antioxidants.
- In Yakutia they also eat stroganina - meat cut into thick shavings. river fish, mainly broadleaf and omul, the most prized is stroganina from sturgeon and nelma (all these fish, with the exception of sturgeon, are from the whitefish family). All this splendor can be consumed by dipping the chips in salt and pepper. Some also make different sauces.
- Contrary to popular belief, in Yakutia the majority of the population has never seen deer. Deer are found mainly in the Far North of Yakutia and, oddly enough, in Southern Yakutia.
- The legend about crowbars becoming as fragile as glass in severe frost is true. If at a temperature below 50-55 degrees you hit a hard object with a cast iron crowbar, the crowbar will fly into pieces.
- In Yakutia, almost all grains, vegetables and even some fruits ripen well over the summer. For example, not far from Yakutsk they grow beautiful, tasty, red, sweet watermelons.
- The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of languages. There are a lot of words in the Yakut language that begin with the letter “Y”.
- In Yakutia, even in 40-degree frost, children eat ice cream right on the street.
- When the Yakuts eat bear meat, before eating they make the sound “Hook” or imitate the cry of a raven, thereby, as if disguising themselves from the spirit of the bear - it is not we who eat your meat, but the crows.
- Yakut horses are a very ancient breed. They all year round They graze on their own without any supervision.
- Yakuts are very hard working. In the summer, in the hayfield, they can easily work 18 hours a day without a break for lunch, and then have a good drink in the evening and, after 2 hours of sleep, go back to work. They can work for 24 hours and then plow 300 km behind the wheel and work there for another 10 hours.
- Yakuts do not like to be called Yakuts and prefer to be called “Sakha”.
So, the most common question I get asked about Yakutia is: how does the equipment behave there in such cold weather?
Everything is clear with cars. They are not jammed. If you turn it off, then you won’t start it. A constantly running engine burns 1,500 rubles worth of gasoline per day, if you don’t drive much. To save money, people rent warm garages (15,000 rubles) or, as I wrote in previous reports, cover the car with a warm Natasha cover - in this case, the engine can be started once an hour for a few minutes to maintain the temperature. If the car is frozen, then it’s okay: in Yakutia there is a special service where they come to you with a heat gun, cover the car with an awning and warm it up. Costs from 1500 to 3000 rubles. But the wheels, if you leave the car in the cold for a long time, become square, and at first the car drives as if it were on a bad road.
Everything is simple with the camera. I had a Nikon D5 with a 2500 mAh lithium-ion battery. In 2 days and about 1000 shots, it dropped by 20%. Even several hours in -40 frost did not stop him from operating the shutter. In general, Nikon performed excellently; the camera's characteristics did not change in any way in the cold.
I shot the video on a Sony FDR-X3000. Her batteries were simpler, and in the cold they lasted for 3-5 minutes, after which the camera died, and the batteries went into the gloves to warm up.
The iPhone also doesn’t hold up particularly well in the cold, even in your pocket.
As for people, the frost does not interfere much. The locals, of course, are used to it. At first it is difficult for an unprepared person to speak, since every breath burns, but then you get used to it! The main thing is to dress warmly.
01. The Aeroflot flight lands early in the morning, the difference from Moscow is 6 hours, just like in Japan. 
02. The Yakutsk airport is in the fog, everything here is in the fog because of the frost! The captain of the aircraft happily reports that it is -45 outside and the weather is good. 
03. You can’t see anything in the city, at all. I don’t even understand how people drive here. At the same time, the locals say that this is not yet a strong fog; in general, everything is in milk. 
04. Yakutsk is usually shrouded in fog during severe frosts, although in summer and autumn this is not the best either a rare event. This is facilitated by the location of the city, which is located in the Tuymaada valley. 
05. It can be difficult to overtake someone on the highway, because the exhaust gases turn into a permanent cloud behind the car, due to which you can’t see anything. 
06. Cars drive carefully, and people, taking advantage of the slowness of drivers, cross the road anywhere. 
07. Fog is coming to Yakutsk. The city itself is not particularly interesting. Instead of developing as a distinctive tourist center, Yakutsk has collected all the mistakes of Russian urban planning. There is random construction, an abundance of inappropriate advertising, and squalid courtyards. 
08. But because of the fog, all this horror is not visible. I'm afraid to come in summer ;) 
09. Gasoline prices 
10. Yakut 
11. The main monument of the city, which reminds that Yakutia is not Russia! 
12. All wires, houses, trees are covered with a layer of frost, it lasts until spring. 
13. This makes the city very elegant all winter. 
14. By the way, if you rise a little higher, the fog dissipates. 
15. Original naming) Unlike other national republics, most Yakuts have ordinary Russian names and surnames. You make an appointment with some Ivan Vasilyevich Egorov and think about seeing a Russian guy, but no! 
16. As I already said, Yakutsk is not shy about collecting and reproducing the mistakes of modern Russian cities. 
17. Current announcements 
18. Another local feature 
19. There is much more frost on bushes and trees near intersections due to exhaust gases. 
20. Last time I wrote that in Yakutsk they don’t think about people and don’t make warm stops. They actually think and start making stops! They are simply combined with shops, but I didn’t notice right away. At the bus stop there are several rows of chairs. 
21. The screen shows the arrival time of the bus. 
22. Another monitor displays the image from the camera so that you can see when your bus has arrived and you can get off. Interesting solution, I haven't seen this before. 
23. Unfortunately, everything is sad with transport. Almost everywhere there are wretched grooves. 
24. And there are few warm stops, basically they all look like this: 
25. And so: 
27. As in Kazakhstan, in Yakutia they like to make steps into buildings from polished stone or slippery tiles, and then lay carpet. It would be cool if they laid out not poor Soviet carpets, but bright carpets with national patterns. I propose that the Yakutsk mayor’s office invite artists (there are many of them in Yakutsk itself), make a branded print and order unique carpets. It will be cool - the Kazakhs will be jealous! 
28. Not only trees, but also buildings and pillars are covered with frost. 
29. But pedestrians are not covered. 
30. Sign 
31. In winter, the roads are sprinkled with sand, which makes the city very dirty in spring. 
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34. Yakutsk is an important port on the Lena River. Since there are very few roads and railways in the vast region, and flights are very expensive, without river transport not enough. 
35. In winter, when the rivers are frozen, ships are repaired, replacing old worn-out metal with new and durable ones. 
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40. Most ships are placed on special pedestals for repairs. 
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43. Some ships remained on the water and “froze” into the river. 
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45. To repair them, the freezing technique is used. 
46. To do this, cubes of ice are periodically cut out around the area of the vessel to which access is needed. When the ice surface becomes stronger, the next layer is cut out, and so on. In the end, you end up with an ice niche in which the ship can be repaired. 
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49. And this is an ice slide in a cave that was once a storage facility for the State Reserve. It was dug in the late 1980s for strategic purposes. True, it was not gold that was stored here, but food. 
50. Ice figures of a woolly rhinoceros and a cave lion, which were once found in the territory of Yakutia. 
51. This is the throne room of Chiskhan. And Chiskhan is the Yakut Father Frost. 
52. In addition to the rhinoceros and the cave lion, I met Zhirinovsky here. 
53. Wernick resting on an ice bed 
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56. Picturesque Yakutsk 
57. It’s a pity, but it’s time to fly away! 
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Despite the fact that the Tungus took part in the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts, relations between them were not friendly, and even mutual marriages were prohibited. The religion of the Tungus was much harsher than that of the Yakuts.
Which foods were considered valuable and which were “unclean”
The most valuable product was horse meat. Local breeds of cattle were hardy and cold-resistant, but were milked only in the summer. This refers to cow's milk and horse's milk - kumiss. In the north, deer were bred.
Curdled milk was made from cow's milk - “suorat”; it was frozen for the winter, adding berries, roots, and meat. In winter, they chopped off and cooked soup on this basis - “butugas”.
The diet included game and fish. One of the hunting methods was to use a grazing bull, behind which the hunter was hiding. The same technique was used by North American Indians. The Yakuts knew how to hunt on horseback and using dogs.
Two types of boats were used for fishing: wooden punts and birch bark ones, which were called “tyy”. They were caught with nets or nets. Sometimes they organized a collective passage with a seine; the spoils were divided equally among all participants. In winter, they practiced ice fishing through an ice hole. The fish was eaten raw or cooked, frozen in reserve or fermented in pits.
The Yakuts were engaged in collecting and preparing forest products: sorrel, wild garlic, various roots, and even the inner layer of tree bark. Fewer berries were collected, and raspberries were not used at all: they were considered unclean.
Blacksmiths in animal skins
Kuznets-Yakut, 1902. (from the archives of the Jesupov North Pacific Expedition).
Before the arrival of the Russians, the Yakuts dressed mainly in skins: spinning, weaving and felting were not used. Fabrics were imported goods, they were worn by the richest members of the family.
Horsehair was actively used: cords, ropes, lassos, fishing nets were woven from it, and embroidered with it.
Clothing, especially women's, was decorated with embroidery and appliqué.
Wood and mammoth bone carving was practiced.
A characteristic motif used in the ornaments is bull horns. This is very ancient symbol, it is found throughout Eurasia: in Mesopotamia, Crete, India, Spain, Scandinavia...
The Yakut people were good at blacksmithing. There was a search for ore, smelting and minting of products from various metals: iron, copper, silver. Horse harnesses, weapons, belts, and clothing were decorated with silver, gold and copper embossing. Women wore earrings, rings, chains, bracelets, and all kinds of beautiful pendants.
Weapons before the arrival of the Russians consisted of bows and arrows and spears.
Unlike most Siberian peoples, the Yakuts made not only metal and leather utensils, but also molded ceramics.
The Yakuts prepared hay for their livestock for the winter, using the pink salmon scythe, which they knew even before the arrival of the Russians. The unit of land measurement was “kyu-ryuyo” - the area required to create one haystack.
In Rus', the Lithuanian braid (which is mowed with a straight back) began to come into use in the 14th century, among the Yakuts - in the 17th, with the arrival of Russians in Siberia.
How to drive through the taiga
Movements occurred most often on horseback. Local horses are small, very hardy and unpretentious, accustomed to rough terrain. In winter, the Yakuts used skis similar to the Russians. The difference was that in Rus' they were lined with the skin from the shin of an elk, and in Yakutia - with the skin of a deer or horse.
Bulls were used as pack and draft animals. In winter, they were harnessed to a special sleigh “silis syarga” with runners made of crooked tree trunks. Reindeer were harnessed to the sleds, their runners were made straight.
Yakut house: what do the Yakuts and Normans have in common?
The house was called a “yurt”; it had a complex internal structure. It was a settled dwelling, not a nomadic one. The frame was made of poles, the summer yurt was covered with sewn birch bark, the winter one - with log flooring. The top of the building was covered with turf, which grew together and provided additional protection from cold and moisture. The outer part of the walls was built from turf and filled with clay. Living quarters, a warehouse, workshops, and a barn were combined under one roof. The buildings were oriented to the cardinal points. The entrance was always made in the east.
In the far right corner a hearth was made - “osokh”. In winter it was constantly heated. Along the walls there were long oron benches. The bench to the left of the entrance was intended for young men and workers. Women and children were placed near the fireplace. The most honorable shop was the one running along the left (southern) wall. Where this wall ended there was a sacred corner where objects related to religion were placed.
Similar houses have been preserved in Greenland since the Norman colonization. Another reason to remember the sources that the Scandinavians came from Asia.
Brides from distant lands
Until the 19th century, polygamy was accepted. Each wife had her own yurt and household. It was customary to choose a bride from a different family and preferably even from a different ulus.
A bride price was paid for the bride, consisting mainly of livestock, part of which was slaughtered for the wedding feast. The groom received a dowry, including utensils, furs and household items. A woman's fur cloak was a particularly expensive item and was passed down from generation to generation.
At the wedding, songs and tales about ancestors were sung, love lyrics, fairy tales (including about animals), comic songs like Russian ditties. Individual “olonkhosut” storytellers specialized in performing heroic legends: they sang using the technique of throat falsetto polyphony - with the effect of two-voices. Among the musical instruments were a harp, strings and percussion instruments.
There were both general dances - round dances - and personal ones.
What slavery looked like among the Yakuts
A prisoner of war, a poor relative, or a child sold into slavery could become a slave. All of these options were very common. Aristocratic slave owners were called toyons. Slaves made up their military detachment, herded livestock, and did housework. A slave had the right to a family and a separate yurt.
A multi-tiered world and the souls of dead shamans
According to the Yakuts, the world has nine tiers, in which live creatures that are invisible in the human world, but have a great influence on it. Horses were sacrificed to the spirits of the upper levels, and cows to the lower ones.
The Yakuts believed in the spirits of their ancestors, who were divided into those who died righteously and unrighteously, and behaved in accordance with this after death. The souls of deceased shamans had great posthumous power. The existence of spirits - the masters of various natural objects - was recognized. One of the most important was the cult of the female fertility goddess.
Shamans were in charge of religious issues: both men and women. Their tambourines are not round, but oval - “dungyur”.
Elements of totemism have survived to this day: each clan has a patron animal, which is forbidden to kill and call by name. Each shaman had a double animal into which he could transform.
Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Yakutsk.
The Yakuts began to accept Orthodoxy in the 18th century. A large cross was added to the usual silver jewelry. In the sacred corner of the yurt, in addition to protective symbols of good spirits, icons appeared.
I visited those places in the 70s of the last, twentieth century
I am familiar with the living conditions in the Arctic and it is difficult to shock me with anything. I'll tell you only two episodes:
They killed a deer. They lifted her on board using a davit. There was a Yakut on the team. He takes an ax, cuts the skull around the horns, throws them aside, scoops up the brains with his bloody palms and eats them. Many of those who stood nearby were in shock and began to “burp.” When I asked why he did that? Yakut answered calmly;
However, I will be as smart as a deer!
Another time we went to the fishermen in the lower reaches of the Lena to exchange vodka for fish. We were surrounded by armed Yakuts and were not allowed out of the boat, while our handsome navigator was invited into the yurt and forced to have sex with a Yakut woman under the barrel of a carbine. After that, we loaded our boat with fish and pushed it away from the shore.
When I shouted why did they do that? Yakut replied;
However, I want a son who is just as big, strong and with blue eyes!!!