Totemic representations in the Yakut genealogical traditions: images and plots of local communities (based on documented genealogy)

Vinokurov Aleksandr Danilovich ORCID: 0000-0001-8925-8750 Junior research fellow at IHRISN SB RAS 677000, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, Petrovsky str., 1, office 410 ad.vinokurov@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

The vast expanses of Yakutia, despite the harsh natural and climatic conditions, have been mastered by people of different cultures since time immemorial. The fight against the cold and the exchange of successful survival practices in the extreme conditions of the North have become the basis for the continuity of cultural traditions and spiritual ideas.

By bringing cattle breeding and horse breeding to the harsh conditions of the North, the Yakuts, through interaction with local northern peoples, enriched their culture with cosmological concepts, everyday practices, as well as hunting and fishing skills, thereby fully adapting and integrating into the environment. The aspects of human-animal interaction have undergone the greatest changes in the spiritual culture of yesterday's nomads. The development of a new habitat was reflected in the manifestations of totemism and historical anthroponymy, which indicates the profound impact of the changed living conditions on the cultural development of the Yakut people.

When considering the totemic views of the Yakuts, it is necessary to take into account the complex ethnogenesis that occurred at the junction of steppe cattle breeding, taiga-tundra reindeer herding and commercial hunting cultures. At the same time, it is necessary to take a critical look at the information about totemism among the Yakuts recorded by researchers in the XVIII-XIX centuries. For example, when checking information about the genus "Tiiҥ" (Squirrel genus) from the legend "Ala uuha Atamai" ^{[3, pp.12-13]}, it turned out that such a genus does not exist among the Atamai tribes (including Oyun-Usovsky) in Namsky ulus ^[9].

As part of the work on the research topic, the main emphasis was placed on studying an extensive set of published ^[13] and unpublished archival documents from the collections of the National Archive of the RS(Ya) ^{[10, 11, 12]} and the manuscript department of the IGIiPMNS SB RAS ^[14] by ancestral and tribal composition. The works of B.O. Dolgikh ^[7], N.A. Alekseev ^[1], F.G. Safronov ^{[15, 16]}, G.P. Basharin ^[4], M.S. Ivanov-Bagdaryyn Sulbya ^[8], V.V. Ushnitsky ^[17] and others were of great importance for the study of totemism and generic composition.

Yakut genealogical traditions containing totemic representations can be divided into the following plot groups: 1) zoomorph – savior (one–time help plots); 2) zoomorph – the physical appearance of a particular god/ deity; 3) zoomorph – patron and protector; 4) zoomorph - mythical ancestor. Unfortunately, the materials on totems are very fragmentary, and it is difficult to determine which Yakut tribe or clan these totems belonged to. At the same time, the same story about the ancestors of a particular ulus/clan in a neighboring ulus can be told in a different way ^{[2, p.34]}.

As a result of the study, it was found that the Yakuts had common, group and individual totems (see Table 1):

Table 1.

The zoonyms listed above were not just everyday realities of Yakut life in the harsh conditions of the North. It is not surprising that the most common and revered totemic animals were birds, which were considered the physical embodiment and guides of the heavenly gods. Both wild and domestic animals are represented among the animals.

In the totemic and zoolatric representations of most Yakut clans, the eagle occupies a central place. The second most important totem is the swan, which was considered a supernatural bird, the ancestor and protector of people. Among the Nam clans, as well as the Bolugurs and Nahars, rudiments of taboo hunting for the swan remain. The Khorinsky clans of the Yakuts are associated with the cult of the raven ancestor. Some researchers suggest that the Khorin people are of Mongolian origin, as well as the Khori Buryats, at the same time it is possible to assume a possible connection between "Horo" and kurak (in Chuvash - raven).

It is impossible to imagine the life of ancient Yakut without wild and domestic animals, which played an extremely important role in everyday life. The coexistence of humans and animals in the natural ecosystem is a fundamental form of existence. The horse as a totem was widespread among the Megyn, Yusal, and Baydun people ^{[1, p.36]}. She personified the child of the god of horse breeding, Jesegey-ayy, and was an intermediary between man and nature. The figure of the wolf as a patron is reflected in the totemic representations of the warlike Betyunsky clans of Yakutia.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the totemic representations from the above table run counter to the legendary family tree from the cycle of legends about Hellas and Omogoi. The Khangalasi and Megyn people, being descendants of Ellei-Bootur, worshiped different totems. Perhaps this fact indicates that there is no strict regulation of worship of a particular totem. For example, for the Khangalassians, the eagle is a common totem, and for the natives of the 2nd Malzhegar village, the wolf is a group totem, at the same time, a resident of this ulus could have a personal totem "taҥara". It is worth noting that the appearance of a group or personal totem among people living in the same territory may have reflected the regulatory behavior of residents in relation to commercial hunting and eating a totemic animal. The same animal could not be a group totem of closely related tribes. For example, representatives of the neighboring 3rd Malzegar nasleg did not recognize the wolf as a totem, and tried to exterminate them at every opportunity as an animal dangerous to the farm.

Along with this, the practice of changing the historical totem to a new one associated with a new habitat was revealed. As an example, we can mention the residents of Yakutia. The Betyunts of Central Yakutia and Vilyuysky ulus continue to consider the wolf as their totem, however, the reindeer herders are the Betyunts (Chordunts) of Zhigansky and Oleneksky ulus, lake. The Essenes began to revere the eagle ^{[6, p.198]}. Perhaps this fact is explained by the fact that the Chordunians entered into marriage unions with representatives of the Batulin clans.

Among the Yakuts, unified tambour signs were practically not widely used, as among other Turkic-Mongolian peoples. To date, the only illustration of a possible tamga sign has been preserved – the eagle symbol from the Batu palm tree found on the territory of the Khangalassky ulus. This runic sign of the eagle is found in the clans of Kareli (Kangly) among Bashkirs and Crimean Tatars (see Table 2).

Table 2.

The study identified 46 zoomorphic names of genera and families (see Table.3) among the Yakuts of all five districts (Verkhoyansky, Vilyuysky, Kolyma, Olekminsky, Yakut): 17 genera and families were named after birds, mostly commercial, 11 belong to wild animals, 9 to domestic, 5 to insects, 3 to amphibians and reptiles and 1 to rodents.

Table 3.

It is worth noting that the presence of zoomorphic names of Yakut genera, such as Baga (frog), Turtas (Roe deer), etc. It is not totemic, but is directly related to the personal name of the first ancestor who lived in 1630-1800. For example, the ancestor of the "Baga" family of the Nakhar nasleg of the Suntar ulus, a man named Baga Kureyakov, was noted in the land register for 1768. Upon subsequent study of the list of housewives of the "Baga" family, it was found that they are all descendants of Baga Kureyakov.

The development of a new habitat is reflected in historical anthroponymy. The study focuses on the historical and ethnographic side of anthroponymy, without studying the linguistic features and structural and grammatical analysis of anthroponyms. As an archival source for analysis, we selected the "Gazette on the distribution of land in Vilyui volosts according to the sable and fox yasak salaries" (1776) ^{[5, pp.68-171]} containing the names of 2,691 yasak tenants who lived in 24 Vilyui volosts. As a result of the study (see Table.4) we found that at the time of 1776, in 24 Yakut Vilyui volosts, about 10% of the Yasacha male population had zoomorphic names dating back to personal keepers and ancestral totems. With the subsequent Christianization of the population of Yakutia in the 18th and 19th centuries, the practice of naming zoomorphic names came to naught.

Table 4.

Most of the zoomorphic names of the Yakut natives are associated with the names of animals and birds, while children have few names for reptiles, fish, and insects. The most commonly used names were unsightly, dating back to livestock and animals, for example, names associated with a dog have a protective function protecting the bearer from evil spirits. The use of zoomorphic names indicates a close connection with nature and the environment. Along with this, it was not uncommon for a person to change their name. It is worth noting that some of the names in the original source were written in the Russian translation. The presence of the zoomorphic name Khakhai (Lion), which does not live in Yakutia, indicates that parents refer to Yakut folklore, which has its roots in the southern steppe ancestral homeland of the Yakuts. At the same time, it should be noted that after Christianization, the tradition of naming zoomorphic nicknames has been preserved up to the present day.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the Yakut genealogical traditions contain remnants of totemic ideas about human kinship and cooperation with birds, animals, insects and reptiles. Of course, these views translated and regulated the sacred, economic and commercial attitude to the ecosystem of the place of residence. At the same time, we have identified the facts of the change of totems by generic groups due to certain circumstances. Group and personal totems had meanings only for local groups and personal for the individual. Along with this, it was found out that the zoomorphic names of many genera have nothing to do with the totemic animal, but have a connection with the zoomorphic personal name of the ancestor, unrelated to the totem of his tribe.

Thanks to the tribal totems, we can trace the historical paths of migration, mixing and the emergence of new clans. For example, documents on the separation of natives of two Nizhylinsky genera into an independent family and other similar documents make it possible to trace the formation of new genera in a new place by merging or splitting up old genera. It should be noted that sometimes these documents contain copies of documents from the 18th century, shedding light on the history of the administrative-territorial division. Unfortunately, the materials of field sociological research indicated ignorance and an indifferent attitude towards tribal totems among the majority of the respondents.