Yakuts (Sakhalar) are one of the most numerous peoples Siberia. According to the 1989 census, there are more than 380 thousand people. They live in Evenkia, in Irkutsk region, in the Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk territories, but mainly in Yakutia (Republic of Sakha), on whose territory the pole of cold of our planet is located. The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic languages that are part of the Altai language. language family. The traditional economic activities of the Yakuts are horse breeding, cattle breeding, hunting and fishing. Modern Yakutia is a region with a highly developed mining industry. The main wealth of the republic is diamonds.
Kumis holiday (Ysyakh)
This holiday is celebrated in late spring or early summer. They arrange it in an open non-. bom. People sing, dance, watch wrestling matches and, of course, drink a delicious drink made from mare's milk - kumiss. The Yakut name of the holiday comes from the verb “sprinkle”, “sprinkle”. In the past, the culmination of Ysyakh was indeed a ritual during which shamans sprinkled kumiss on the fire. This action was performed in honor of the “bright deities”, to which the Yakuts, like many other pastoral peoples, included primarily the deities of fertility. It is no coincidence that kumys was donated to the light spirits. This tradition is associated with another ancient cult - the cult of the horse. Ancient Yakut myths say that the first living creature on earth was a horse, from which came a half-horse, half-man, and only then did people appear.
“Don’t forget to feed the fire!”
“Feeding” the fire took place not only at the kumys festival. According to beliefs dating back, in all likelihood, to the ancient stone age, the flame was considered by the Yakuts to be the personification of purity. It was forbidden to throw dirty objects into the fire, and before starting any meal it had to be treated. To do this, the Yakuts put pieces of food in a fire or hearth and sprinkled milk on the fire. It was also believed that in this way people express their respect for the “master of fire” - Wat-ichchite.
“The blacksmith and the shaman come from the same nest”
Let's return for the holiday of Ysyakh. Let us remember who in the old days made a libation of kumiss. These were shamans, but not every Yakut shaman could make sacrifices to the fertility deities. This was done only by “aiyy-oyuuna” - “white shaman”, a servant of the forces of light. Along with the “white shamans”, the Yakuts had “black shamans” - this is the name given to the intermediaries between people and the spirits of the “lower world”. White and black shamans Sh were treated in Yakutia with equal amounts of respect and fear. The Yakuts experienced the same feelings towards blacksmiths. In the old days they said: “A blacksmith and a shaman come from the same nest.” Blacksmiths were considered sorcerers by many peoples of the world, including Siberia. Probably, we are faced here with remnants of the same ancient cult of fire: everyone who is closely associated with the flame (and the forge is always a flaming forge) has special magical powers. As for the Yakuts, according to their ideas, a blacksmith, by forging iron pendants for a shaman’s costume, acquired special power over spirits. There was also such a belief in Yakutia: spirits are afraid of the sound of iron and the noise of blacksmiths’ bellows, spirits are afraid of blacksmiths, therefore, people need to treat them with respect and caution.
Bai-Bayanai and his ten brothers
In addition to cults associated with fire and cattle breeding, the Yakuts had a widespread trade cult of the forest spirit Bai-Bayanai and his ten brothers. Hunters and fishermen believed that success in fishing depended on the Bayanais, so hunting or fishing should begin with calling them, and end with the presentation of gifts to Bai-Bayanai and his brothers, even if they were as modest as a piece of fat thrown into the fire.
The goddess comes to visit
At the kumis festival, among the bright deities in whose honor mare's milk was sprinkled on the fire was Aiyysyt, the patroness of women. In the old days, the Yakuts said that it was she who gave children to mothers. It was believed that the goddess helps a woman during childbirth. To do this, she arrives at the house on the eve of the birth of the child. Aiyysyt arrives, according to the stories of elderly Yakut women, riding a horse with a golden mane and tail. The goddess is wearing a horned hat, a fur coat made of lynx fur, and mittens made of lynx paws. Behind the right boot of the goddess, the arrow is the soul of the boy; behind the left boot there are scissors, the soul of a girl. After the child is born, Ayyysyt remains in the house for three more days to protect the newborn from evil spirits. While the goddess is visiting, sacrifices are made to her, and when Aiyysyt leaves, a special farewell ceremony is held, in which only women can participate. Men are prohibited from entering the house at this time.
Dance in honor of the sun
No matter how long the kumys holiday lasts, it comes to an end, and then all the participants of Ysyakh, holding hands, perform the final dance - “osuokhay”. This dance is dedicated to the sun, so osuokhai performers must form a circle. In different regions of Yakutia they dance " sun dance“in different ways: somewhere they hold hands, somewhere they hold each other’s arms, someone quickly runs in a circle, someone moves with a slow, majestic step, but the essence always remains the same. Having formed a round dance, a symbol of the sun, the Yakuts thank the luminary for the light and warmth given to people.
The Yakut folk tradition is characterized by the veneration of sacred objects that existed in every locality and every territorial group.
First of all, these are hitching posts (serge), which were used both for their intended purpose and for ritual purposes. The shape of the hitching post is a pole; As a rule, a hitching post has a certain profile - it has thickenings and grooves. A hitching post can be decorated with carvings and drawings, and its composition can include sculptures. In some cases, the top of the pillar contains branches, which makes the serge look like a tree. Hitching posts were installed during the construction of a house, during weddings, at the birth of a child, next to the grave during burial, at the kumiss festival of Ysyakh (on the days of the summer solstice), during shamanic rituals. Often the installation of a ritual hitching post suggests that spirits can tie their horses to them or possess them.
In all parts of Yakutia, sacred trees were and are revered. According to the traditional beliefs of the Sakha people, the mistress of the land, Aan Dar Khan Khotun, lives in such a tree. In the spring, rituals dedicated to the spirit-mistress of the earth were held next to the sacred trees; the tree was decorated with ribbons and sprinkled with kumiss, while asking for the spirit-mistress of the area, as well as other good deities pagan pantheon about sending down wealth and prosperity.
In mythology, reflected in the Yakut heroic epic, the hitching post and the world tree are identified and form a world vertical. According to legends, in the country of the first ancestor of the Yakuts, located in the very center of the Middle World, the Aal Luuk Mae tree grows, the top of which has sprouted into the Upper World, and the roots reach the Lower World. The top of the world tree is the hitching post of the heavenly god Dzhesegoy Aiyy Toyon - the giver of horses; the roots of the same tree are used as hooks in the underground house of the deities - the givers of cattle.
The connection between the ritual hitching post serge and the idea of the world tree can be traced in the manufacture of some serge from old dried trees. Such hitching posts have several tops; one of the serges of this type has been preserved in the area of Bulgunnyakhtaakh, Tattinsky district. It contains carved figures of a man, a horse, a cow and an eagle, depicting the deities of the Yakut pagan pantheon.
Among the Yakuts, the graves of shamans were considered sacred. In the 1920s, ethnographer G.V. Ksenofontov described a shaman’s burial as follows: The famous shaman is not buried in the ground, but after death is placed in a special structure - an arangas. Then (when the arangas rots and falls over time) the shaman’s bones are “raised” three times successively over the course of centuries with the help of three, six or nine shamans.
The grave of a shaman was considered dangerous for strangers and inspired fear in those who were not related to the deceased, but the deceased could protect his descendants. According to legend, when Prince Dellamay took the mowing from the son of a deceased shaman, he ran to his father’s burial, began to knock on it with a stick and beg for help. A thunderstorm immediately began, and lightning struck the prince’s hut. He survived, but went crazy and after death became an evil spirit.
Yakut folklore knows the mention of natural objects endowed with supernatural properties. These are passes (aartyk), as well as river cliffs and wooded hills, designated by the word tumul.
When passing through mountain passes and upper rivers, the Yakuts made obligatory sacrifices to their host spirits. From an ethnographic text from the beginning of the 20th century: When climbing the steep Verkhoyansk ridge, where the slightest carelessness can cause you to fall into a cliff, both Lamuts and Yakuts avoid speaking loudly, so as not to anger the “spirit of the mountains” and not invite the terrible such a case blizzard... At the top of the ridge there is a cross, all hung with skeins of horse hair, partridge wings, etc. The lips of the icon of the Mother of God embedded in the cross are thickly greased with lard. This is a sacrifice to the owner of the place. Copper and silver money are poured between the stones to the base of the cross.
According to the spell texts and heroic epic, aartyk passes are associated with the bright heavenly deities Aiyy (that is, the creators) favorable to humans. It is through the Aiyy passes that they send happiness to people - the souls of children, the offspring of livestock and wild animals for hunting.
The Yakuts consider the east and south to be favorable directions - that is, the directions of the rising and midday sun. It is on these sides that the Lena basin is surrounded by mountains - therefore, to the south and east in these directions the land seems to rise to the sky.
Ethnographers have recorded the Yakut custom of driving white horses into the mountains as a gift to the deity Yuryung Aiy Toyon (the head of the pagan pantheon).
Among the sacred objects on the territory of Yakutia are places associated with receiving shamanic initiation. G.V. Xenophonton wrote: There is, they say, a special mountain range where one ascends from Mount Jokuo along the Chongcheydyokh Anyaga pass. The shaman candidate must ascend there together with the teaching shaman. The teacher goes in front and the candidate goes behind. During this journey, the teacher instructs the candidate and shows him the junctions of the roads leading to various barren capes, where the sources of human diseases are located. It is in these places that during initiation, which the future shaman, as well as an excursion through the mountains, experiences in his visions, the spirits scatter his body: When the shaman lies unconscious, the blood and body are scattered in the form of sacrifices to all troubles - sources of death and disease and on all climbs. It was believed that if the body did not reach some place or spirit that sent the disease, the shaman could not go to this place, and therefore could not treat the corresponding diseases.
The spirits mentioned in the above passage (who are the owners of river capes and certain mountain tracts - passes and ascents) are, as a rule, hostile to humans. These are the Yuyors, that is, the souls of suicides or deceased shamans, and in one of these texts, the head of the spirits living on the tops of the mountains is named Uluu Toyon, the powerful head of the upper demons of Abaapa. That is why the future shaman (in reality and in his visions) visits the places of initiation not alone, but together with his otherworldly mentor, the soul of the deceased shaman.
Of course, in beginning of XXI centuries, traditional pagan beliefs among the peoples of Yakutia are not as widespread as before. However, going to countryside, showing perseverance and tact, can discover ancient sacred objects that were and are revered.
In addition, in recent years, with the growing self-awareness of the peoples of Sakha, there has been a revival of traditional beliefs. Sanctuaries associated with the veneration of ancient gods and forces of nature are being built, and rituals are being resumed. So, on June 22, on the day of the summer solstice, Ysyakh is widely celebrated - an ancient holiday associated with fertility, pastoral cults, and the summer sun.
Natalia Karlova
Lesson summary “Introduction to Yakut traditions, rituals and customs”
Target:
Tasks: introduce to cultural traditions and spiritual wealth Yakut people , expand knowledge about Yakut folklore, activate the dictionary, Yakut words(algys, uoot ichchite, ysyakh, kumys, tyusyulge, salama, osuokhay, choroon, toyuk, deybiir). To cultivate love for the native land, to protect and respect folk Yakut traditions.
Material: chooron, horse tail, birch bark, shavings, tray, sand, stones, jar, matches, kumiss, cake, stick, salamat, TSO.
Preliminary work:
I. Meeting guests. "Toyuk" (throat singing)
II. Getting to know the holiday"Ysyakh".
Today we are visiting the People of Sakha. The majority of the population in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) reside Yakuts who have customs and traditions, which are passed on from generation to generation. among the people They say: "No traditions, there are no people".
Why do you think? (children's answers)
If they are not followed traditions, then this people will be eradicated, that is, they will disappear and forget everything traditions.
One of customs we held the people of Sakha at the beginning classes- this is a greeting of guests with good wishes "Algys" and with the spirit of fire - "Woot ichchite". Each of us has this source of heat among our people.
Where do you think he is? What is the source of heat in the house? (children's answers)
Every house has a fireplace, in the apartments where we live there is an electric stove, and among the traveling reindeer herders and hunters there is a fire.
Why is it called that? "spirit of fire"? (children's answers)
Let's repeat it together "Woot ichchite".
In the people of Sakha, everyone worships and bless the spirit of fire; cajoles this one ritual the oldest in age, and in the house this is done by the mistress.
Why is this being done, do you think? (children's answers)
This is done to ensure good luck and health for everyone.
III. Dynamic pause.
IV. All these rituals and customs meet on national holidays. And now we are with you Let's get acquainted with one of these Yakut holidays -"Ysyakh". "Ysyakh" for the people of Sakha it is a New Year holiday, the universal birthday of Nature and Man. The festival is held in the summer. The festival celebrates national heroes, the blessing of fire, water, hunting and the birth of a child.
Why do you think this holiday is called the birth of Nature and Man (children’s answers (awakening nature)
Let's repeat it together "Ysyakh". "Ysyakh"- got its name from the word "Ys"- sprinkle, sprinkle. (Repeat the word.)
Prepare for the holiday in advance. Before the holiday, they choose a place where the celebration should take place. This is a flat wide field called "Tyusulge". Repeat.
"Tyusulge" decorate around (planted) young birch trees, to which a rope is tied ponytail, and decorate sacred place where a fire is lit. The rope decoration is called "Salamat".
After a long winter, the people of Sakha could gather together and have fun at the holiday from souls: drinking kumis, national dishes. "Koumiss"- this is the national drink Yakuts which is made from mare's milk (horses). Kumis is drunk from "Choroona"- This is a national dish made from a birch trunk, with carved patterns.
The elder kneels on his left knee in front of the fire, raising "Choroon" with his right hand and pronounces a good wish. When casting a spell, sprays the horse's tail (daybiir) into kumys on fire. The elder casts a spell before bonfire:
Lord, Yuryung Aiyy, the day of your remembrance has come! I feed you through the fire, the sun, the man you created, I treat you through pure fire. I honor you through the fire, the sun!
And invoked God's blessing exclamations: “Uruuy, aikhal!”(says hello, stretching out his hands to the sun)
The call to repeat with children.
Who conducts holiday ritual?
What is the elder holding in his hands? (daybiir, choroon)
What's in Choroon?
What is Kumis?
"Ysyakh"- associated with a good and bright beginning and hopes for the future. The women wore all their best clothes and jewelry. At the festival, special attention is paid to the concert, national games and competitions, which are an exchange of luck and happiness. Competitions are held in jumping on one leg, tug-of-war, horse racing, and outdoor games. While applauding, the winners are awarded meat and kumis.
I suggest you hold small competitions too.
V. Dynamic pause.
"Kuobakhsyt" (Long jump on two legs)
"Tug of Stick"
VI. "Osuokhoy"
National holiday "Ysyakh" ends with a friendly circle dance "Osuokhoy" which is accompanied by singing. This dance symbolizes the single life circle of the Sun. And in our conclusion acquaintance I suggest you start dancing "Osuokhoy".
VII. Reflection.
Which holiday moment did you like best?
What words on you remember the Yakut language?
Treat with kumis and flatbread.
Publications on the topic:
Integrated educational activity for children of senior preschool age “Acquaintance with Ukrainian folk traditions” Integrated GCD for older children preschool age"Acquaintance with Ukrainian folk traditions» Purpose: -familiarization of elders.
Summary of educational activities for introducing children of the second junior group to the traditions of the family “Guests have come to us” Summary of GCD with children 2 junior group teacher Rakova Faina Kirillovna Topic: “Guests have come to us.” Objectives: 1. Foster tolerance.
Abstract of GCD in the senior group “Acquaintance with the traditions of the Khakass and Russian peoples” Summary of direct educational activities in senior group on the topic: familiarization with the traditions of the Khakass and Russian peoples.
Summary of a lesson on introducing preschoolers to the traditions of celebrating Christmas among the Mordovians Goal: to introduce children to national tradition Christmas celebrations of the Russian and Mordovian peoples. Objectives: - To develop interest in children.
Consultation for teachers “Introducing preschoolers to the life and traditions of the Russian people” Consultation for teachers “Acquaintance of preschool children with the life and traditions of the Russian people” Education of patriotic, spiritual and moral people.
Living in harmony with nature, faith and oneself, honoring traditions, but not being afraid of change - all this is about the Yakuts, one of the most numerous northern peoples of Russia.
The Yakuts (self-name Sakha or Sakhalar) as a people appeared as a result of the mixing of the Turks with the peoples who lived along the middle reaches of the Lena. It is believed that the Yakuts as an ethnic community were formed by the 14th-15th centuries. However, even then the process was not completely completed: as a result of the nomadic lifestyle, these people were constantly moving, along the way infusing new blood into the nation, for example, Evenki.
The Yakuts belong to the North Asian type of the Mongoloid race. In many ways, their culture and traditions are similar to the customs of Central Asian Turkic peoples, but there are still some differences. The Yakut language is part of the Altai family and belongs to the Turkic dialects.
Patience, perseverance and high performance - national traits Yakuts: despite the extremely harsh climate and difficult living conditions, the Sakha from time immemorial managed to graze cattle and plow frozen, thankless lands. The climate also had a great influence on the national costume: even at weddings, Yakut girls wear fur coats.
The main industries of the Yakuts include horse breeding, hunting and fishing. Nowadays, it is problematic to earn a living through such activities, so many Yakuts are involved in the mining industry, because their region is rich in diamonds.
The Yakuts are traditionally nomadic people, so they use an easily disassembled yurt as a home.
But don’t rush to imagine a felt house similar to those built by the Mongols: the Yakut yurt is made of wood and has a steel roof, shaped like a cone.
The yurt has many windows, under each of which there are sleeping places. The loungers are separated by partitions that separate small “rooms” from each other; the heart of the yurt is a greased fireplace. In the hot season, short-lived birch bark yurts are built, which are called urasami. Not all Yakuts are comfortable in yurts, therefore, since the 20th century, many have preferred huts.
Traditional beliefs and holidays
Yakut beliefs are characterized by an appeal to nature as a mother, love and respect for it. At the same time, there is a relationship with environment and a certain “non-family” detachment: nature is perceived as an otherworldly force that cannot be completely controlled. According to the Sakha, everything that exists has a soul and powers. And the rituals of the Yakuts are designed to improve relations between numerous spirits and humanity.
Sakha has his own, rather curious, explanation of the origin of natural disasters: they arise to cleanse places affected by evil spirits.
Thus, a tree split or burned by lightning is pure from any filth and can even heal.
The goddess Aan, the patroness of all living things, is of great importance, helping people, plants and animals to grow and reproduce. The ritual with offerings for Aan takes place in the spring.
One of the most important spirits in the Yakut tradition is the master of the road. They try to appease him with small offerings: horse hair, coins, pieces of fabric and buttons are placed at crossroads.
No less important is the owner of water, to whom it is customary to offer gifts twice a year: in autumn and spring. They consist of a birch bark boat with an image of a person carved on it, and pieces of fabric, ribbons, etc. tied to it. You should not drop knives, needles or other sharp objects into the water: this may offend and offend the owner of the water.
The owner of fire is old and gray-haired, his purpose is to expel evil spirits. Fire, as a symbol of light and warmth, has always been revered by the Sakhas. They were afraid to extinguish it and transferred it to a new place in pots, because while the flame was smoldering, the family and home were protected.
Baai Bayanai - the spirit of the forest - is an assistant in everything related to hunting. Even in ancient times, the Yakuts chose some animals as sacred, closest to Baai, and therefore put a taboo on killing and eating them. Such animals included the goose, swan, and ermine. The eagle was considered the king of birds. The main among animals and the most revered among the Yakuts was the bear. And in our time, many believe in the miraculous power of amulets made from his claws or teeth.
The roots of Yakut holidays go back to ancient rituals, among which Ysyakh, celebrated at the beginning of summer, is considered the most important. During the festival, a hitching post is made around young birch trees in the clearing. Nowadays, such an action is associated with the friendship of all peoples living on the territory of Yakutia, but previously it symbolized the World Tree. Ysyakh is a family day and is celebrated by people of all ages.
An important part of the holiday is sprinkling the fire with kumys, and then turning to the Deities with a request to send blessings such as good luck, peace, etc. Yakuts put on traditional costume, cook national dishes, and drink kumiss. During the meal, you must sit at the same table with your entire family, close or distant relatives. Ysyakh is a cheerful holiday with dancing, round dances, wrestling competitions, tug-of-war, and archery.
Family rituals and traditions
A modern Yakut family differs little from the average Russian one. But until the 19th century, polygamy was common among the Sakhas. According to the Yakut traditional family model, each of the wives lived separately, observing their own way of life, life, and household. Yakuts preferred to tie the knot at the age of 16-25. When the groom's family went to woo the bride's parents, it was customary to pay a bride price for the girl. If the groom is too poor, he could steal the bride and “work off” the money later.
To protect home and livestock from damage, the evil eye, and evil spirits, it is still accepted in some uluses a whole series measures For a successful conspiracy, seemingly little things matter, such as patterns on clothes, “correct” jewelry, and special utensils. Conspiracies alone are not enough; special rituals are also necessary, with the help of which the Sakhas hope to get a good harvest, increase the number of livestock, give birth to healthy children, etc.
Old customs and traditions are of great importance. Women should not look at the magic stone Sat, which is found in the stomachs or livers of animals and birds, otherwise it will lose its power. Sat is wrapped in birch bark and horsehair and treasured like the apple of one’s eye, because with its help one can summon rain, wind, and snow. The first is especially important in case of dry weather, because soil fertility largely depends on timely watering.
Interesting facts about the Yakuts and Yakutia
The most famous component of Yakut folklore is the olonkho epic, which is considered a type of poetry, but sounds more like opera. Thanks to the ancient art of olonkho, many Yakut folk tales have reached our time. The contribution of olonkho to the folklore of the peoples of the world is so great that in 2005 it was included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list.
One of the popular Yakut dishes is stroganina: thinly sliced frozen fish.
The area of Yakutia is larger than the area of Argentina.
About a quarter of the world's diamond production comes from Yakutia.
More than forty percent of the territory of Yakutia is located beyond the Arctic Circle.
When the Sakha eat bear meat, they imitate the cry of a crow before starting the meal. In this way they protect themselves from the bear spirit by posing as birds.
Yakut horses graze on their own, without a shepherd looking after them.
Yakuts (pronunciation with emphasis on the last syllable is common among the local population) - indigenous people Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Self-name: “sakha”, plural “sakhalar”.
According to the results of the 2010 population census, 478 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 largest (almost 50% of the population) people in Yakutia and the largest of the indigenous peoples of Siberia within the borders of Russia.
Anthropological appearance
Purebred Yakuts are more similar in appearance to the Kyrgyz than to the Mongols.
They have an oval face shape, not high, but a wide and smooth forehead with black, rather large eyes and slightly sloping eyelids, moderately pronounced cheekbones. A characteristic feature of the Yakut face is the disproportionate development of the middle facial part to the detriment of the forehead and chin. The complexion is dark, has a yellow-gray or bronze tint. The nose is straight, often with a hump. The mouth is large, the teeth are large and yellowish in color. The hair is black, straight, coarse; there is no hair growth on the face or other parts of the body.
The height is short, 160-165 centimeters. The Yakuts are no different in muscle strength. They have long and thin arms, short and crooked legs.
Their movements are slow and heavy.
Of the sense organs, the organ of hearing is the best developed. The Yakuts do not at all distinguish some colors from one another (for example, shades of blue: violet, blue, blue), for which their language does not even have special designations.
Language
The Yakut language belongs to the Turkic group of the Altai family, which has groups of dialects: Central, Vilyui, Northwestern, Taimyr. The Yakut language has many words of Mongolian origin (about 30% of words), and there are also about 10% of words of unknown origin that have no analogues in other languages.
Based on its lexical-phonetic features and grammatical structure, the Yakut language can be classified as one of the ancient Turkic dialects. According to S.E. Malov, the Yakut language is considered pre-literate in its construction. Consequently, either the basis of the Yakut language was not originally Turkic, or it separated from the Turkic language proper in ancient times, when the latter experienced a period of enormous linguistic influence of the Indo-Iranian tribes and subsequently developed separately.
At the same time, the Yakut language clearly demonstrates its similarity with the languages of the Turkic-Tatar peoples. For the Tatars and Bashkirs, exiled to the Yakut region, a few months were enough to learn the language, while the Russians needed years for this. The main difficulty is that Yakut phonetics are completely different from Russian. There are sounds that the European ear begins to distinguish only after a long period of adaptation, and the European larynx is not able to reproduce them completely correctly (for example, the sound “ng”).
Learning the Yakut language is difficult a large number synonymous expressions and uncertainty of grammatical forms: for example, there are no genders for nouns and adjectives do not agree with them.
Origin
The origin of the Yakuts can be reliably traced only from about the middle of the 2nd millennium AD. It is not possible to establish exactly who the ancestors of the Yakuts were, nor is it yet possible to establish the time of their settlement in the country where they are now the predominant race, or their location before the resettlement. The origin of the Yakuts can be traced only on the basis linguistic analysis and the similarity of details of everyday life and religious traditions.
The ethnogenesis of the Yakuts should, apparently, begin with the era of the early nomads, when cultures of the Scythian-Siberian type developed in the west of Central Asia and Southern Siberia. Some of the prerequisites for this transformation in the territory of Southern Siberia go back to the 2nd millennium BC. The origins of the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts can be most clearly traced in the Pazyryk culture of the Altai Mountains. Its bearers were close to the Sakas Central Asia and Kazakhstan. This pre-Turkic substrate in the culture of the peoples of Sayan-Altai and the Yakuts is manifested in their economy, in things developed during the period of early nomadism, such as iron adzes, wire earrings, copper and silver hryvnias, leather shoes, wooden chorona cups. These ancient origins can also be traced in the decorative and applied arts of the Altaians, Tuvans and Yakuts, who retained the influence of the “animal style”.
Ancient Altai substrate is also found among the Yakuts in funeral rites. This is primarily the personification of a horse with death, the custom of installing on a grave wooden post- a symbol of the “tree of life”, as well as the presence of kibes - special people involved in burials, who, like the Zoroastrian “servants of the dead”, were kept outside the settlements. This complex includes the cult of the horse and the dualistic concept - the opposition of the aiyy deities, personifying good creative beginnings and abaahs, evil demons.
These materials are consistent with immunogenetic data. Thus, in the blood of 29% of the Yakuts examined by V.V. Fefelova in different regions of the republic, the HLA-AI antigen, found only in Caucasian populations, was found. Among the Yakuts, it is often found in combination with another antigen HLA-BI7, which can be traced in the blood of only two peoples - the Yakuts and Hindi Indians. All this leads to the idea that some ancient Turkic groups took part in the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts, perhaps not directly Pazyryk people, but certainly associated with the Pazyryk people of Altai, whose physical type differed from the surrounding Caucasian population with a more noticeable Mongoloid admixture.
The Scythian-Hunnic origins in the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts subsequently developed in two directions. The first can conventionally be called “Western” or South Siberian; it was based on origins developed under the influence of Indo-Iranian ethnoculture. The second is “Eastern” or “Central Asian”. It is represented, although not numerous, by Yakut-Hunnic parallels in culture. This “Central Asian” tradition can be traced in the anthropology of the Yakuts and in religious ideas associated with the kumys holiday yyyakh and the remnants of the cult of the sky - tanar.
The ancient Turkic era, which began in the 6th century, was in no way inferior to the previous period in terms of its territorial scope and the magnitude of its cultural and political resonance. The formation of the Turkic foundations of the Yakut language and culture is associated with this period, which gave rise to a generally unified culture. A comparison of the Yakut culture with the ancient Turkic culture showed that in the Yakut pantheon and mythology precisely those aspects of the ancient Turkic religion that developed under the influence of the previous Scythian-Siberian era were more consistently preserved. The Yakuts retained much in their beliefs and funeral rites; in particular, by analogy with the ancient Turkic balbal stones, the Yakuts erected wooden poles.
But if among the ancient Turks the number of stones on the grave of the deceased depended on the people killed by him in the war, then among the Yakuts the number of columns installed depended on the number of horses buried with the deceased and eaten at his funeral feast. The yurt where the person died was torn down to the ground and a quadrangular earthen fence was created, similar to the ancient Turkic fences surrounding the grave. In the place where the deceased lay, the Yakuts placed a balbal idol. In the ancient Turkic era, new cultural standards were developed that transformed the traditions of the early nomads. The same patterns characterize the material culture of the Yakuts, which, thus, can be considered generally Turkic.
The Turkic ancestors of the Yakuts can be classified in a broader sense among the “Gaogyu Dinlins” - Teles tribes, among which one of the main places belonged to the ancient Uyghurs. In Yakut culture, many parallels have been preserved that indicate this: cult rituals, the use of a horse for collusion in marriages, some terms associated with beliefs. The Teles tribes of the Baikal region also included the tribes of the Kurykan group, which also included the Merkits, who played a well-known role in the formation of the Lena cattle breeders. The origin of the Kurykans involved local, in all likelihood, Mongol-speaking pastoralists associated with the slab grave culture or the Shiweis and, possibly, the ancient Tungus. But still, in this process, the leading importance belonged to the alien Turkic-speaking tribes related to the ancient Uighurs and Kyrgyz. The Kurykan culture developed in close contact with the Krasnoyarsk-Minusinsk region. Under the influence of the local Mongolian-speaking substrate, the Turkic nomadic economy took shape into semi-sedentary cattle breeding. Subsequently, the Yakuts, through their Baikal ancestors, spread cattle breeding, some household items, forms of housing, clay vessels to the Middle Lena and, probably, inherited their basic physical type.
IN X-XI centuries Mongol-speaking tribes appeared in the Baikal region, on the Upper Lena. They began living together with the descendants of the Kurykans. Subsequently, part of this population (descendants of the Kurykans and other Turkic-speaking groups who experienced strong linguistic influence from the Mongols) descended down the Lena and became the core in the formation of the Yakuts.
In the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts, the participation of a second Turkic-speaking group with Kipchak heritage can also be traced. This is confirmed by the presence of several hundred Yakut-Kypchak lexical parallels in the Yakut language. The Kipchak heritage appears to be manifested through the ethnonyms Khanalas and Sakha. The first of them had a probable connection with the ancient ethnonym Khanly, the bearers of which later became part of many medieval Turkic peoples; their role was especially great in the origin of the Kazakhs. This should explain the presence of a number of common Yakut-Kazakh ethnonyms: odai - adai, argin - argyn, meyerem suppu - meiram sopy, eras kuel - orazkeldy, tuer tugul - gortuur. The link connecting the Yakuts with the Kipchaks is the ethnonym Saka, with many phonetic variants found among the Turkic peoples: Soki, Saklar, Sakoo, Sekler, Sakal, Saktar, Sakha. Initially, this ethnonym apparently belonged to the circle of Teles tribes. Among them, along with the Uighurs and Kurykans, Chinese sources also place the Seike tribe.
The kinship of the Yakuts with the Kipchaks is determined by the presence of cultural elements common to them - the burial ritual with the skeleton of a horse, the making of a stuffed horse, wooden cult anthropomorphic pillars, jewelry items fundamentally associated with the Pazyryk culture (earrings in the form of a question mark, a hryvnia), common ornamental motifs . Thus, the ancient South Siberian direction in the ethnogenesis of the Yakuts in the Middle Ages was continued by the Kipchaks.
These conclusions were mainly confirmed based on comparative studies traditional culture Yakuts and cultures of the Turkic peoples of Sayan-Altai. In general, these cultural ties fall into two main layers - ancient Turkic and medieval Kipchak. In a more conventional context, the Yakuts are close in the first layer through the Oguz-Uyghur “linguistic component” with the Sagai, Beltir groups of the Khakass, with the Tuvans and some tribes of the North Altaians. All these peoples, in addition to the main pastoral culture, also have a mountain-taiga culture, which is associated with fishing and hunting skills and techniques, and the construction of stationary dwellings. According to the “Kipchak layer,” the Yakuts are closer to the southern Altaians, Tobolsk, Baraba and Chulym Tatars, Kumandins, Teleuts, Kachin and Kyzyl groups of Khakass. Apparently, elements of Samoyed origin penetrate into the Yakut language along this line, and borrowings from Finno-Ugric and Samoyed languages into Turkic languages are quite frequent to denote a number of tree and shrub species. Consequently, these contacts are mainly associated with forest “gathering” culture.
According to available data, the penetration of the first pastoral groups into the Middle Lena basin, which became the basis in the formation Yakut people, began in the 14th century (possibly at the end of the 13th century). In the general appearance of the material culture, some local origins associated with the early Iron Age can be traced, with the dominant role of the southern foundations.
The newcomers, mastering Central Yakutia, made fundamental changes in the economic life of the region - they brought cows and horses with them, and organized hay and pasture farming. Materials from archaeological monuments of the 17th-18th centuries have recorded a continuous connection with the culture of the Kulun-Atakh people. The artifact complex from Yakut burials and settlements of the 17th-18th centuries finds its closest analogues in Southern Siberia, mainly covering the regions of Altai and Upper Yenisei within the 10th-14th centuries. The parallels observed between the Kurykan and Kulun-Atakh cultures seemed to be obscured at this time. But Kipchak-Yakut connections are revealed by the similarity of features of material culture and funeral rites.
The influence of the Mongol-speaking environment in the archaeological monuments of the 14th-18th centuries is practically not traced. But it manifests itself in linguistic material, and in the economy it forms an independent powerful layer.
From this point of view, settled cattle breeding, combined with fishing and hunting, dwellings and household buildings, clothing, shoes, ornamental art, religious and mythological views of the Yakuts are based on the South Siberian, Turkic platform. And oral folk art and folk knowledge were finally formed in the Middle Lena basin under the influence of the Mongol-speaking component.
The historical legends of the Yakuts, in full agreement with the data of archeology and ethnography, connect the origin of the people with the process of resettlement. According to these data, it is visiting groups, led by Omogoy, Elley and Uluu-Khoro, formed the main backbone of the Yakut people. In the person of Omogoy one can see the descendants of the Kurykans, who by language belonged to the Oguz group. But their language, apparently, was influenced by the ancient Baikal and alien medieval Mongol-speaking environment. Elley personified the South Siberian Kipchak group, represented mainly by the Kangalas. Kipchak words in the Yakut language, according to G.V. Popov’s definition, are mainly represented by rarely used words. It follows that this group did not have a noticeable impact on phonetic and grammatical structure language of the Old Turkic core of the Yakuts. Legends about Uluu-Khoro reflected the arrival of Mongol groups in the Middle Lena. This is consistent with the assumption of linguists about the residence of the Mongol-speaking population on the territory of the modern “Ak” regions of Central Yakutia.
According to available data, the formation of the modern physical appearance of the Yakuts was completed no earlier than the middle of the 2nd millennium AD. in the Middle Lena based on a mixture of newcomers and aboriginal groups. In the anthropological image of the Yakuts, it is possible to distinguish two types - a fairly powerful Central Asian type, represented by the Baikal core, which was influenced by Mongolian tribes, and a South Siberian anthropological type with an ancient Caucasian gene pool. Subsequently, these two types merged into one, forming the southern backbone of the modern Yakuts. At the same time, thanks to the participation of the Khorin people, the Central Asian type becomes predominant.
Life and economy
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 Olekminskys are strongly acculturated by the Russians.
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 (khotons) in the winter. Yakut cattle breeds were distinguished by their endurance, but were unproductive. Haymaking was known even before the arrival of the Russians.
Fishing was also developed. They fished mainly in the summer, in the winter they caught fish in an ice hole, and in the fall they organized a collective seine with the division of the catch among all participants. For the 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) were known; later, due to a 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), horse chasing the animal along the trail, sometimes with dogs.
There was also gathering - the collection of pine and larch sapwood (the inner layer of bark), stored for the winter in dried form, roots (saran, mint, etc.), greens (wild onions, horseradish, sorrel); the only berries that were not consumed were raspberries, which were considered unclean.
Agriculture (barley, to a lesser extent wheat) was borrowed from the Russians at the end of the 17th century and before mid-19th century centuries was very poorly developed. 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, was developed, as well as the smelting and minting of silver, copper, and, from the 19th century, mammoth ivory carving.
They moved mainly on horseback, and carried loads in packs. There were known skis lined with horse camus, sleighs (silis syarga, later - sleighs of the Russian wood type), usually harnessed to oxen, and in the north - straight-hoofed reindeer sledges. The boats, like those of the Evenki, were made of birch bark (tyy) or flat-bottomed from boards; later, sailing karbass ships were borrowed from the Russians.
Housing
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, diie) 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, 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 dwelling; 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 was placed near the house, often decorated with carvings.
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 2nd half of the XVIII Russian huts spread throughout the centuries.
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 (sangiyakh), 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. Footwear - winter high boots made of reindeer 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.; from it, with the addition of water, flour, roots, pine sapwood, etc., a stew (butugas) was prepared. 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.
Religion
Traditional beliefs were based on shamanism. The world consisted of several tiers, the head of the upper one was considered to be Yuryung ayi toyon, the lower one - Ala buurai toyon, etc. The cult of the female fertility deity Aiyysyt was important. Horses were sacrificed to the spirits living in the upper world, and cows in the lower world. The main holiday is the spring-summer koumiss festival (Ysyakh), accompanied by libations of koumiss from large wooden cups (choroon), games, sports competitions, etc.
Orthodoxy spread to XVIII-XIX centuries. But the Christian cult was combined with belief in good and evil spirits, the spirits of dead shamans, and master spirits. Elements of totemism were also preserved: the clan had a patron animal, which was forbidden to kill or call by name.