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THE IMAGE OF THE CONFESSIONAL OTHERS: OLD-BELIEVERS WANDERERS IN THE ORAL HISTORY OF THE UPPER PECHORA AND UDORA KOMI-ZYRYANS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2021. Issue 2 (32). P. 102-113

The images of the Others are an integral part of the folklore worldview, also they play a significant role in the (self) identification of ethnic and confessional groups. Folk ideas about the confessional characteristics of the Others, as well as a set of features that allowed to mark them as the Others are formed in the course of direct communication. The article examines the formation and transformation of ideas about a confessional Other in a mono-ethnic and poly-confessional environment, using the example of Old-Believers Wanderers who lived in the Udorskii and Troitsko-Pechorskii districts of the Komi Republic. The article based on the archival data and field materials of folklore and ethno-graphic’ expeditions that took place in the early 2000s. The emergence of Wanderers, who were positioning themselves as keepers of the «true faith», and striving to limit contacts with non-Wanderers as much as possible, became the impetus for singling out this group as confessional Others. On the upper Pechora, where at the time of our research Wanderer’s communities existed, the ideological confrontation between different groups of believers were still persisted, that was reflected in various local nomination of Wanderers. On Udora, where the followers of the Wanderers disappeared in the 1970s, an outer nomination of this confessional group was widely used, which had no evaluative connotations. Their religious practices had a decisive influence on the formation of perceptions of the Wanderers as Others. The key indicator that characterizes the essence of the religion of the Wanderers in the eyes of their confessional neighbors, as for Wanderers themselves, was «flight from the world» – a complete refusal to participate in state and social life, and to have any interaction with representatives of the other faith. No less significant for the system of ideas about this group were the features of the funeral rituals (secret funerals of Udora’ Wanderers) and ritual of baptism (baptism in old age). The closedness of the daily and ritual life of the Wanderers contributed to the spread of rumors, which compensated the lack of information. Objective changes of the reality (the disappearance of Wanderers communities of Udora, the change in the age structure of the communities) led to changes and adjustments of the existing ideas.

Keywords: the image of the Other, Old-Believers Wanderers, Komi-Zyryan, nominations of the confessional group, rumors, ritual practices

Formation of Religious Terminology of the Komi Folk Orthodox Movement Bursyylysyas // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024. Issue 1 (43). P. 77-86

Features of religious doctrine, religious practices, and norms of behavior are among the significant group characteristics of confessional communities. This list of religious characteristics and their interpretations can differ considerably depending on whether they are used for identification from the perspective of the group members (self-identification) or identification by others. The understanding of one’s own faith as true and saving faith is reflected in religious terminology and often becomes a decisive factor in the formation of confessional terms. The article analyzes the semantic and pragmatic components of self-designations and key religious terms of the Komi folk Orthodox movement bursylysyas (ver. ‘singers of goodness’), which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. This study is based on archive and published material from the first half of the 20th century. The bursylysyas movement emerged at the beginning of the 20th century in the Komi villages on the upper Vychegda. The most important elements of the religious practices were spiritual conversations, during which religious hymns were sung in the Komi language, led by a local peasant, Stefan Yermolin, and after his death by other lay people. The religious terminology of the Komi folk Orthodox movement bursylysyas is an example of selfidentification and self-designation, as it refers to certain collective acts performed for religious reasons that unite the group. The self-designation of the religious group and the names of the religious practices reflected the religious and ethical notions of goodness (bur), demonstrated a high regard for their own doctrine, and emphasized the special status of their followers. The names of the leader and his followers – burvystalys‘ 'singers of goodness' / burkyvzysyas ‘hearers of goodness' – were closely linked. The direct meaning of these terms, reflecting certain signs and actions, was combined with additional symbolic meanings denoting the status of a religious leader and his followers. The change of the self-name of the religious group and the name of the spiritual talks after the death of S. Yermolin shows the importance of the personality of the founder of the religious movement as well as the reconsideration of his own role by his followers.

Keywords: bursylysyas, religious terminology, religious practice, confessionym, Komi