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MENTAL-SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF THE CULTURE OF THE BURYATS OF INNER MONGOLIA OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA BASED ON FIELD RESEARCH MATERIALS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2018. Issue 4 (22). P. 117-123

The article is devoted to the description of the mental component of the culture of the local ethnic group of Buryats living in China. The project used records of field research that were made in the IMAR of PRC over several years. Based on the analysis of this data, the main mental-spiritual aspects of Buryat culture were revealed. The oral folklore tradition of the ethnic group of the Buryats of Inner Mongolia allows to reveal, to a certain extent, the mentality of the entire Buryat people, to characterize social experience and knowledge accumulated in the past by previous generations. Despite being isolated from the maternal ethnos, the Buryat diaspora in China managed to preserve its cultural potential, not to lose its language and traditions. The ethnopsychology of the pastoralists outside the native nomadism was based on the idea of the need for homecoming, which contributed to the formation of mental attitudes and shaping a special way of thinking, regulating the livelihoods of several generations of migrants. The main stereotypes of the national character of the Chinese Buryats are rooted in indissoluble ties with the mother ethnic group and adherence to the traditional values of ancestors, which are based on a certain way of life – the traditional form of husbandry (cattle breeding), nomadic lifestyle, natural habitat (endless steppes). This explains their characteristic behavioral features: extreme restraint in expression of emotion, deliberation in everyday life, balance of actions, deliberation of action, philosophical perception of the world, special mental makeup in terms of time and distance – they are vague, spaced out, non-concrete. The mentality of the Buryat Diaspora in China is closely associated with belonging to the Buddhist religion, determining the basis of education and worldview – compassion for all living things, observance of moral and mental purity, respect for family customs and traditions.

Keywords: mindset, mentality, Buryats of China, traditional culture, values, sociocultural attitudes, oral folklore tradition

ETHNO-CULTURAL COMPONENTS IN THE ORAL HISTORY OF BURYATS OF CHINA’S INNER MONGOLIA // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2020. Issue 4 (30). P. 138-147

This article considers the oral stories as a part of the ethno-cultural component of the Buryat folklore. Also, the ethno-cultural constituents are revealed in their composition. Based on the analysis of the oral prose of the local ethnic group of the Buryats recorded during the expedition to the Evenki Khoshun of Inner Mongolia of the PRC, the historical and ethnographic data, traditional folk worldview and religious ideas, ritual elements were described. The fictional prose of the Chinese Buryats contains historical information from the participants of the past events about the development of new lands by the settlers, among which the issues of survival and self-preservation were important. After cleaning up and tidying up the abandoned territory and some settler activities, independent work began to organize healthcare and educational process for children. It is concluded that during the initial period of social adaptation of migrants, there is an attempt to isolate themselves in a certain way in relation to the title nation of the host country, neighboring ethnicities and peoples. Their everyday life is characterized by closeness, minimal openness to the host society, and lack of integration into the overall Chinese economic development process on a large scale. At the same time, good relations are maintained with the Russian population living next door, as the Buryats consider themselves and the Russians living in China to be children of the same cradle – Russia. In the oral tales of the Chinese Buryats, the presence of the Buddhist ethno-cultural component generally determines their religious consciousness. At the same time, one can trace pre-Buddhist relics, shamanistic components of this consciousness related to the worship of the sky, fire, water, and sun. The funeral rite and obit are dominated only by Tibetan-Buddhist rituals and actions. It was concluded that in the oral prose of the Chinese Buryats, syncretism of the two beginnings in their cult notions is observed: the prevailing adherence to the Buddhist faith and the preservation of elements of ancient mythological views.

Keywords: oral stories, Chinese Buryats, historical memory, traditions, customs, rites, religious consciousness

THE IMAGE OF GENGHIS KHAN IN THE FOLKLORE OF THE BURYATS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2022. Issue 3 (37). P. 149-159

The article discusses the image of Genghis Khan in Buryat folklore, including oral stories, legends, and songs. The aim of the study is to understand the level of preservation or loss of mythological and historical elements in Buryat folklore. Through analysis of the available material, it is revealed that Genghis Khan is depicted as a mythological hero, endowed with the features of an epic hero and connected to the anthropogonic and cosmogonic myths of the Buryats. He is also portrayed as a cultural hero, creator and inventor, with parallels drawn to the future Buddha. In toponymic legends, some areas are associated with Genghis Khan's presence in those places. It is concluded that the myth and history in Buryat folklore are represented unequally, with Genghis Khan being characterized in three aspects: mythological, folklore-epic, and Buddhist. In some versions of the folklore, he is depicted as the initiator of certain wedding ceremony rituals, while in others he is portrayed as a cultural hero and the creator of a set of moral and ethical rules. The article also discusses the portrayal of Genghis Khan's horses as his unchanging companions and the inclusion of the motif of a red fox, which refers to the plot of were foxes and emphasizes the harmful nature of this mythological character.

Keywords: Buryat folklore, Genghis Khan, folklore character, cultural hero, toponymic legends