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FOLKLORE AND ETHNOGRAPHIC TRADITIONS OF TUVINIANS OF CHINA (BASED ON 2016 FIELDWORK) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2017. Issue 3 (17). P. 90-96

The article describes the results of three folklore-ethnographic expeditions to the Tuvinians of China in 2016 year. Analyzed the degree of ownership of folklore and ethnographic tradition of the young generation of the Chinese Tuvinians. Recorded materials from Tuvinian students testify to the continuity of knowledge on traditional folklore and rituals. It is noted that young people in the rituals adheres to the сanon of tradition, knows the semantics and pragmatics of rituals. At the same time, in the recorded works of oral prose from a young generation it can be noted not rich repertoire and poor knowledge of the foundations of traditional mythology. It is established that the folklore and ritual in the life of Tuvinians of China is a lively and dynamic traditional culture. During three expeditions were recorded samples of many folklore genres and also the different stages of the wedding rituals.

Keywords: Tuvinians of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, non-folktale prose, ritual folklore

TRADITIONAL COMPETITIONS AND GAMES IN THE WEDDING CEREMONY OF CHINESE TUVINIANS (COMPARATIVE ASPECT) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2018. Issue 4 (22). P. 124-131

The article describes the ritual contests and games conducted at present in the wedding rituals of Chinese Tuvinians. These competitions, as before, are mandatory components of the wedding ritual and are held in two places: at the wedding feast of the bride's parents – the wrestle for the sheep's head, the competition in ignition the fire; as well as at the groom's parents – the scattering of flour, the wrestle for the sheep's skin, the competition in ignition the fire in the home of the newlyweds. It is revealed that these challenges are strongly pronounced the ritual-magic function, which should help to strengthen the marriage union, the welfare of the newlyweds, receiving the grace of cattle, and also establishing contact with the deities of the Upper world. At the same time, it is established that for the bearers of tradition, the semantics of the sacredness of the competition is no recognized. The work also presents a description of non-ritual games: hiding beads, beating by leather strap, which are arranged after the ritual part of the wedding. It is noted that, if to date, the wedding ritual competitions have not changed and are performed in full, in recent years during the wedding, the bearers of the tradition are less likely to play non-ritual games. In the comparative aspect, similar ritual competitions and games are considered, which in the past existed among the indigenous Siberian peoples: Russian Tuvinians, Altaians and Buryats. In the data on the Turkic and Mongolian peoples of Siberia nowadays only fragments of these traditions are found, in Chinese Tuvinians they are preserved in full, which indicates the preservation of many elements of traditional culture, and its authenticity of the existence of wedding ritual culture.

Keywords: Tuvinians of China, wedding ceremony of Chinese Tuvinians, ritual competitions, nonritual games, identical wedding competitions at Buryats and Altaians, semantics and pragmatics of competitions

The Tuvan Depictions of Shamanic Headdresses // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024. Issue 3 (45). P. 113-122

This article examines the Tuvan mythological representations of shamanic headdresses. It shows that the role and meaning of the ritual hats of magical specialists used in rituals were interpreted differently in the Tuvan environment. The popular interpretations of shamanic headdresses reflect the most important concepts of shamanism - the tripartition of the world, ideas about the shaman’s choice, his role as a mediator between the world of humans and spirits, the shaman’s guardian spirits and assistants, the meaning and symbolism of the shaman’s hat in the performance of rituals. The semantic and pragmatic aspects of images of the human face, often found on ritual headdresses, are analyzed. The ideas of the tradition bearers about the painted parts of the human face (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) on shaman hats, which were supposed to have a magical influence on the course of rituals, fulfill ritual functions – increase the ritual power of the shaman, support him in rituals and protect him from hostile forces. It has been proven that the Tuvan shamans used bird feathers for their ritual hats and bird heads and animal skins, which were regarded as protective spirits and helpers of the shaman. According to Tuvan belief, during the rituals, the shaman took on the form of the animals and birds that adorned his headdress and were his guardian spirits to achieve positive results from the ritual. The distinguishing features of the shaman’s hats within the ritual depended on its goals – for better or for worse, on the age of the magical specialist, often also on the nature of the healing ritual – for a seriously ill or dying person, because strong shamans leading the ritual practice could wear two headdresses depending on the semantic orientation of the ritual. According to the Tuvans, the headdress of a Tuvan shaman as part of his ritual clothing fulfilled ritual, magical, communicative, contacting, symbolic, differentiating, and protective functions.

Keywords: Tuvan shamanism, shaman’s headdress, semantics and pragmatics, functions, images of a human face, manufacturing materials