Burial Complex Isteekh Byraan (Central Yakutia): Physical and Geographical Conditions, Geocryological Conditions, Toponyms, and Narrative of the Natural Environment.

Prokopieva Aleksandra Nikolaevna ORCID: 0000-0002-8329-159X Scientific Associate, Institute for Humanities Research and Problems of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Yakut Scientiific Center of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences 677027, Russia, respublika Sakha, g. Yakutsk, ul. Petrovskogo, 1 sendiele@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Introduction

The Isteeh Byraan locality is located in the Khangalassky ulus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and is one of the significant objects of the history and culture of the peoples of Yakutia. Many legends and legends have formed around the area and the local population still reverently treats this site. A few years ago, at the initiative of the local community, Isteeh Byraan was included in the register of places of interest, which confirms its value for people's memory. According to the established boundaries, the place of interest includes an area of 94.7 hectares, dedicated to the 35-50-meter first floodplain terrace of the Lena River, towering over the Ulakh River and the lake. Ebe-Kyustyakh-Yuryakh, and covers the territory of the Oktemsky nasleg and the Zherky nasleg of the Khangalassky ulus RS(Ya). This territory is a picturesque natural complex, including the above-floodplain terrace of the Lena River, a stream and a lake, as well as part of the river valley (Fig.1). According to preserved folklore, these territories were the ancestral lands and tombs of Munnan Darkhan, and later his son Tygyn and his Tygynid descendants. Tygyn is perhaps the most popular hero of historical legends and legends of many Yakut clans, around whose reality there have been disputes for a long time ^{[1, pp. 70-72]}. The stories about Munnan Darkhan, Tygyn and Mazara Bozekov make up a whole cycle of legends with different connotations. Many legends agree that it is here, in the area of Isteeh Byraan, that the Tygynids are buried – the descendants of Tygyn, in particular through his grandson Mazara. Throughout the almost 90-year history of the archaeological study of the area, several burial grounds have been identified, united under the common name "Isteh Byraan burial complex".

This work is the first experience of an interdisciplinary approach in the study of the burial complex of Yakutia, where the physical, geographical and geocryological conditions, coupled with oral sources, are considered. One of the key aspects determining the significance of an archaeological site is its physical and geographical location and geocryological conditions. It was the natural factor that played a decisive role in choosing the area as a tomb, residential or work area. The natural component of the Isteeh Byraan burial ground is particularly interesting, as it is the largest burial complex in Yakutia. Microtoponyms and the narrative of the area are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The collected toponymic data give an idea of the picture of the world, where special importance was attached to the veneration of natural objects. The impact of the anthropogenic factor on the preservation of archaeological sites remains relevant.

Fig. 1. View of the Istheh Byraan area

Materials and methods

To form the most complete picture, published materials on the physical and geographical data of the area of the burial complex were collected, some of the information is based on personal observations during field work. Difficulties were encountered in collecting material on the geocryological information of the research area, since no data on conducting targeted drilling or laying soundings in the nearest area was found. The given data are taken from the generalizing data on the Central Yakut zone. The revealed information may be the basis for further joint interdisciplinary work in the area of the burial complex.

To identify microtoponyms and collect oral information, several expert interviews with local residents and local historians were conducted and conversations were held during scientific and practical conferences and round tables devoted to the history of Khangalassky ulus. Since the studied area is geographically (and possibly historically) closely connected with the Zher nasleg, the information provided by the residents of the village of Ulakh-Aan, the administrative center of nasleg, turned out to be the most valuable. Part of the interview was conducted during the work of the archaeological expedition on site, which allowed us to obtain even more significant results. Some information was obtained from an interview recorded for a documentary about Mazary Bozekov.

Physical, geographical and geocryological conditions of the area

The Isteeh Byraan grave complex is a group of three burial grounds and is located on the Erkeeni valley and the root terrace of the Lena River and its location in the context of the natural landscape makes it unique (Fig.2). So, at the top of the terrace called Isteeh Byraan, along its edge there are groups of dirt graves, separated by small depressions. In the southern part of the terrace, separated from the main part by ravines, the graves are located both perpendicular to the edge of the terrace and in the forest area, surrounding its high point. Judging by the stories of local residents, a little further into the plateau, there used to be aerial graves. This burial ground on the terrace is dated XV-XVIII centuries. based on the typological analysis of objects. At the foot of the terrace, on the right side of the Uulaah stream flowing here, there are two more burial grounds. The first burial ground dates from the XVII-XVIII centuries and is located on the promontory of the stream and is subject to constant ablution of its edges. The second burial ground is located in an open area on the high bank of a stream and is more recent – XIX - early XX century.

Fig. 2. Map of the Istheh Byraan area. The borders of the burial grounds are outlined in red. The number 1 indicates the area of Tuokei Byraan.

The relief of the studied area combines the lowland – the Erkeeni valley, on which most settlements are located, and the high Prilensky plateau, which has many meadow spaces with a lake of thermokarst origin – Alas, bordered by forest, formed at the end of the Pleistocene. Alluvial deposits of the Middle Pleistocene/Upper Pleistocene-Holocene are represented by pebbles, sands, gravels, boulders, lake-alluvial deposits of the Pliocene/Lower Pleistocene – pebbles, sands, silt, clays, sandy loams, loams, lignites.

The Erkeeni Valley, located in the middle reaches of the Lena River, is one of the three key valleys of Central Yakutia (Fig. 3). The vast expanses in the Erkeeni Valley, covered with meadow vegetation, have long served as a place of human habitation and economic activity. From the north and south, the valley is bounded by capes adjacent to the river: in the north by Tabaginsky Cape, and in the south by the cape on which the city of Pokrovsk is located. The distance between the capes is 38 km. The morphogenetic type of relief is predominantly accumulative. Microrelief forms are extensively developed, the origin of which is associated with cryogenic processes.

The first (Yakut) floodplain terrace of the Lena River is developed in the studied area. The terrace is dissected by numerous deeply embedded logs created by the erosive activity of permanent and temporary watercourses. Alluvial deposits are mainly represented by medium- and coarse-grained sands with admixture and lenses of gravel and pebbles, the middle part of the terrace is composed of fine-grained sands with lenses of powdery silty sands, thin-layered powdery silty sands are developed in the roof. The age of the deposits is Late Pleistocene - Holocene ^[2].

The climate of the area is sharply continental. Continentality is manifested both in large differences in winter and summer temperatures, and between daytime and nighttime temperatures. The coldest month is January. The average air temperature in January is approaching -40 °C. The warmest month is July, with average maximum temperatures of +19°C. Precipitation ranges from 200 mm to 350 mm per year (Investment passport of the Khangalassky Ulus municipal district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), 2015. p. 5). The long-term average annual air temperature in Pokrovsk is -9.3°C. In recent years, there has been a trend of climate warming, and in 2020 the average annual air temperature was 6.7°C ^[3].

Fig. 3. View of the Erkeeni Valley from the Isteeh Byraan mountain.

From the left bank, the above-floodplain terrace and the Erkeeni valley are crossed by a small stream Uulaakh (Fig. 4). The stream originates in the depths of the plateau and feeds on the spring waters of small streams, becoming full-flowing by May. In Soviet times, dams were built on the stream, almost in the immediate vicinity of the burial ground, designed to accumulate fresh water in order to meet the needs of farmers. In the valley in the immediate vicinity of the burial ground, there are small mineralized lakes that almost completely dry up in summer.

Fig. 4. View of the Uulaah creek

Most of the landscape of the burial complex is covered with flat larch taiga with the participation of pine, spruce and birch forests growing on permafrost-taiga fawn forest soils ^{[4, p. 172]}. The depth of summer thawing of soils is 80-150 cm. The dominant type of forest is larch, characterized by poorly developed undergrowth and grass-cranberry cover. In the valley next to the burial ground, you can observe small islands of pine forests that grow on well-warmed sandy soils. Fragments of relict steppes historically associated with the Trans-Baikal and Mongolian steppes are found along the slopes (Fig. 5). Birch forests and thickets of shrubs stretch along the ravines crossing the burial ground and along the Uulaakh stream ^[3].

Fig. 5. Vegetation of the Istheh Byraan area

The geographical location of this area, located on the border of the Prilensky plateau and the Central Yakut lowland, determines the peculiarities of its wildlife. In this area, you can find the Asian long-tailed ground squirrel, as well as the narrow-crusted vole. Among the near-aquatic mammals, the water vole, the housekeeper vole and the muskrat acclimatized in this area are common. Among the birds there are larks, skates, and some types of predators (kestrel, peregrine falcon, eagle, hawk, falcon). A lot of wild game, such as: grouse, partridge, mallard, teal, pintail, moklock, turpan, loon, gogol, broad-nosed. There are up to 40 species of them in the near-water areas of the valley, among which there are many hunting and commercial ones. In total, 42 species of hares, 16 rodents, 10 predators, and 5 artiodactyls live in the district. The fauna of Medium-sized fish includes 31 species, many of which are commercial: Siberian sturgeon, taimen, lenok, nelma, tugun, whitefish, grayling, pike, burbot, crucian carp, lake minnow, East Siberian ide, perch. Most of the listed animal species live in these places throughout the Holocene. However, among them there are species that appeared on the Middle Lena relatively recently. Among mammals, these are the roe deer, which appeared in the 30s of the XX century, the raisin, which penetrated into the 80s and 90s of the last century, the muskrat and the steppe ferret, acclimatized by man. House sparrow, grey heron, lapwing and starling have settled among the birds relatively recently. And finally, the Siberian silkworm is made of insects.

With the organization of the Yakutsk Permafrost Station of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939, geocryological studies of Central Yakutia began. Data on the thickness and temperatures of permafrost rocks were revealed ^{[5; 6; 2]}. Changes in geocryological conditions depend on many factors, among which the most important are the composition and content of ice in permafrost rocks, the properties and development of vegetation and snow cover, winter temperature inversions, hydrogeological conditions, geological history and tectonic features of the region. Specifically, the structural location of a certain area with a diverse geological structure, as well as climatic conditions characteristic of the Pleistocene periglacial environment, affect the depth of long-term freezing of sedimentary layers in this region. According to the researchers, the Siberian platform, which is in a tectonically calm state and covers the left bank of the middle course of the Lena River, is characterized by an abnormally low heat flow and a significant depth of freezing with low temperatures at depth. The site under study is located in the zone of continuous permafrost (MMP) distribution. The iciness of the sediments reaches 0.2-0.4. The capacity of seasonal thawing exceeds 2 m. The temperature of the rocks at the depth of the layer of annual fluctuations is -3 ° C. Cryogenic processes such as frost cracking, thermokarst and heaving are developed on the territory.

The history of archaeological research

The archaeological study of burial grounds began in 1933 by the Yakutsk Regional Museum. Grave graves have been excavated in the area of Tyukey byraan (modern name Isteeh byran), including the grave of Mazara Bozekov, Tygin's grandson. In 1677 and 1680 . Mazars, as part of the Yakut deputation, visited the capital of the state, Moscow, and was received by the tsar. As a result of the trips, many details of the management of the region were revised, and the local nobility received more autonomy ^[7]. Mazary Bozekov was an extremely interesting historical figure, and his grave was the main goal of the museum's expedition. The names "Isteeh-aana" and "Tuekei-byraan" are given in the field documentation of that expedition. In 1978, F.F. Vasiliev opened another burial ground at the foot of the terraces on an unnamed cape-shaped site ^[8]. It is not known for certain how he learned the name of the area, but it was mistakenly called "At-Daban" and from that moment on in the archaeological literature the monuments were called "At-Daban" and received their continuous numbering. The expeditions of N.P. Prokopyev and S.K. Kolodeznikov, the leaders of the expedition of the Yakut State University, continued to study the grave complex in 1996-1997 ^[9]. The graves he discovered were also named "At-Daban". In the 2000s, a Sakha-French expedition worked on the territory of the complex and, following the results of the work, a number of works on the genetic history and diseases of the peoples of Yakutia were published ^[10-14]. At the moment, the work is being carried out by the Central Yakut detachment of the archaeological expedition of the Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Problems of Small Peoples of the North of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences ^[15-16]. Close work with the local population revealed that the name "At-Daban" does not correspond to the area, and the original name is "Isteh Byraan". With the intensification of excavations in the area, the public and the administration of the Oktemsky nasleg of the Khangalassky ulus appealed to the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the RS (Ya) and IGIiPMNS SB RAS with a petition for the return of the original name "Isteeh Byraan". At the moment, the name "Isteeh Byraan" is accepted in the register of monuments and places of interest, the corresponding name is also used in the archaeological literature. The study of microtoponyms of the area is one of the tasks of the scientific project of the Russian Academy of Sciences No. 24-28-20359 "Historical and cultural heritage of the peoples of Yakutia: the Isteeh Byraan burial complex on the Middle Lena". The study of place names in the context of historical material will reveal the peculiarities of the formation of narrative and toponymy. The research is not aimed at solving problems of a linguistic, translation or folkloristic nature. The main purpose of the work is the introduction into circulation of microtoponyms identified during field research and the identification of their connection with archaeological material.

Anthropogenic impact on the territory of the burial complex

During the period of operation of the burial ground (XV-XVIII centuries), these spaces were inhabited by a pastoral population, as evidenced by numerous archaeological sites of the area. Floodplain meadows were used as pastures and hayfields, and residential estates were located on the high, non-flooded part of the valley. There have been no significant changes in the spatial organization of the valley for a long time and modern villages are practically located on the site of ancient estates. In Soviet times, part of the pasture lands was given over to agricultural needs, was plowed and sown with technical and forage crops. After the 1990s, part of the land was abandoned and was in a neglected state for a long time. In recent years, due to the need to expand the residential development zone, former agricultural land has been transferred to an individual construction zone. The territory of the valley adjacent to the monument was also involved in the economic development of land and in Soviet times there were extensive arable lands. In recent years, some of the land has been privately owned. So, in the immediate vicinity of the burial complex there are tourist bases and residential estates with large potato fields. There is a continuing gradual collapse of the bank of the Uulaakh stream, especially in the part where the burial ground, discovered by F.F. Vasiliev in 1978, is located. This small cape was chosen by tourists for informal celebrations, excavation pits are used as places for storing garbage. According to local residents, everyone living here knows about the presence of burials here, and therefore, out of reverence and fear, the locals would not hold noisy events and litter here. Here, back in the 1980s, symbolic serge hitching posts were installed, indicating that celebrations of organizations and departments were held here. All this leads to the gradual destruction of this part of the burial complex.

Microtoponyms of the Istheh Byraan area

Since the site of the burial complex is located at the top of the terraces and their foot, names with the word byraan or dabaan are often found in toponyms and microtoponyms of the area. The word byraan (buraan / muraan / myraan are also found) is translated as a hill, mountain, ridge ^{[17, stlb. 565]}, dabaan means a mountain or climbing a mountain ^{[17, stlb. 658]}. The terrace itself, on which the graves are located, is today referred to as Isteh Byraan. According to informants, the word isteeh in relation to this low part of the indigenous bank of the Lena River came from the fact that if you look at it from afar, the top of the terrace rises above the rest, although it seems to be the lowest up close. The gradual rise of the terrace deep into the plateau is indicated by the word istheh – roomy, bellied ^{[17, stlb. 975]}. Derived from the name of the terrace are such place names as Isteeh syhyta – valley of Isteeh mountain and Isteeh aana – the beginning of the mountain ^{[17, stlb.100]}).

It is not entirely clear when the name Isteeh Byraan replaced the old name Tuokei Byraan (dosl. the hill of the cunning, crafty), probably both names existed in parallel. Local historians reported that the name of Tuokei Byraan is known from the publications of archaeologists who conducted excavations here in 1933, and in their memory this name was not used by local residents. Indeed, among the field documentation ^[18] and later articles published by archaeologists, the area is called Tuekey byraana. Among the records of legends, the name Orohu byraan is found as the burial place of Mazara, but this is the only case ^[19].

The name At-Byraan, consonant with At-Dabaan and probably the confusion caused by this, refers to the first long high terrace from Isthe Byraan. The origin of the name is also forgotten, but there is an assumption that probably a horse trail ran under the terrace in the old days ^[20]. The head of the nasleg, E.V. Isakov, said that their Isakov family had been holding ysyakhi (yyakh – a religious holiday celebrated on the days of the summer solstice) on the top of the mountain for a long time. He was told that his paternal great-grandmother only made one stop when climbing this mountain in the year of her death, emphasizing the strength of character and endurance of previous generations ^[21]. There is a guest base under this mountain, where small camps for children periodically work, you can come for honey treatment, and sometimes representatives of spiritual practices gather. The owner of the site said that he himself came up with a legend about a warrior who came here to face off. To show his prowess, he climbed on his horse to the top of the mountain, and then the local warriors decided not to chase him and released him to his native lands ^[22].

The Uulaah stream, flowing under the terraces, is divided by dams into several sections. The largest of them turns into a lake in the summer. Previously, the lake and the stream had the name "Aallaah", now almost unused. Locals recall that the stream used to be much more full-flowing, but with deforestation back in Soviet times, the stream began to dry up. Probably, the basis of the word aal, which formed the basis of the microtoponym, meant rafts or vehicles in general. Thus, aallaah is translated as "having rafts" ^{[17, stlb. 81]}. In honor of this place, where the famous author of the Yakut primer spent his childhood, the researcher of the Yakut language took the pseudonym AallaaҕIskai ^[23].

The area adjacent to the stream, now called Uulaah aana, is also connected with the idea of the road. This is the place where the stream flows into the valley, a beautiful wide ravine, where the summer gardens are now located. Local historians mention the existence of several variants of the name of the area: Dygyn aartyga and Darkhan aartyga. Aartyk designates both the roadway and the entrance to it. Since the area is closely connected with the figures of Tygyn, Munnan Darkhan and Doyduha Darkhan, their figure here is quite natural. Local history and historical literature interpret the word "darkhan" differently, but the prevailing opinion is that it is still associated with the title, and not part of the name. According to the stories of many local residents, the tract connecting with the Vilyui lands – Bululuur aartyk began with this decay. Along the Uulaah/Aallaah creek, through the lands of Maaltana, it was possible to get directly to Vilyui ^{[20, 24]}. Until recently, it was possible to use it to get to the Mountain ulus bordering Khangalassky on the north side. Today, hunters and herders use the road, but every year it becomes more difficult to travel along it ^[24]. Local residents believe that it was along this Mazara highway that Bozekov could have gone to collect yasak to Vilyui, from where he brought his young wife ^{[25, p. 54]}.

In the valley part of the area, above the Uulaah creek, there is a small churchyard. Judging by the preserved tombstones, the churchyard dates back to the time of the XIX – early XX century. The orientation of the graves on the west-east axis, traced on the surface, testifies to the Christian rite, which has been characteristic of Yakutia since the end of the XVIII century. According to the informant, a strongman from the poor, Shchepetkin Egor, nicknamed Ubaha Gyogyor (dosl. Egor is a foal). The nickname was given to him because he wore a fur coat made of the skin of a one-year–old foal - an attribute of the clothing of the poor population ^[20]. The churchyard itself is called Shchepetkinnar uҥuohtar (Shchepetkin graves), but at the moment few people remember this name. Massive tombstones and sculptures in the churchyard indicate that not all representatives were poor. Probably, the cemetery had a generic character and people were buried here regardless of their financial situation.

The terraces on which the graves are located are separated from the main array of terraces by a decay with a stream drying up in summer. Many locals, including those living in the immediate vicinity of the stream, do not know its name, often saying that it does not have one. According to the informant M.N. Sitnikov, the stream was called Samat urye, but the exact definition is unknown to the informant. Another name of the stream is directly related to the narrative of the archaeological site – Aata aattammat ureh (dosl. a stream whose name is not pronounced). According to legend, on the terrace adjacent to the stream there are graves of "9 shamans, 7 udaganok" ^[26]. Apparently, stories about aerial burials (arahas) in this area have been around for a long time and have a real basis. Archival materials mention that N.N. Gribanovsky delivered arangas from the Isteeh urde area to the Yakut Museum ^[19]. The respondents also repeatedly mentioned that in their childhood (for example, the 1960s-1970s) it was still possible to see the remains of arangas here, but they have not been seen for a long time. In the popular consciousness, shamans are buried in an aerial way, which probably reflected on the narrative.

Deeper in the forest of terraces, not far from the confluence of the stream (sometimes referred to as Darkhan uruyete creek), there is another place that has a connection with the burial ground. This place still retains the name Darkhan otoөo (Darkhan's estate) or Darkhan khoduhata (Darkhan's haymaking grounds). At the same time, the word "darkhan" is explained as one of the positions. According to local historians, the estate of Doyduha Darkhan, Tygyn's grandfather, was located there, to whose name the prefix darkhan is often used. According to M.N. Sitnikov, summer manors in the old days were located on the alas and elan at the top of the terraces, and by the middle of May, migration to letniki began ^[20]. This was done so that grazing cattle would not spoil the mowing lands located in the valley. And in autumn, there was a reverse migration to the winter camps located in the valley.

The name Kuuduk refers to a vast area that stretches widely from floodplain meadows to the foot of the indigenous terraces where the burial grounds are located. Local residents believe that the winter estates of the Tygynids and their ancestors were located here, including the estate of Mazara himself (data taken from an interview with Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Spiridonov for the documentary "Mazars", directed by P.R. Nogovitsyn). The same information is given in the literature on folklore sources ^{[25, p. 49]}. According to former employees of Naslega farms, the remains of ancient estates were clearly visible in Soviet times. The settlement destroyed by arable land was also identified by us in the immediate vicinity of the burial ground. The meaning of the word kuuduk has been forgotten today, and we have not been able to hear an explanation of its meaning from the locals.

Thus, in the course of field work and individual private conversations, a number of microtoponyms associated with the Isteeh Byraan burial complex were identified. Many titles overlap with archival materials and published works. At the same time, a number of previously unknown microtoponyms were identified. Many names describe the physical and geographical characteristics of the area, there is a layer of names associated with legendary and historical figures of the ulus. The main figures around whom the narrative of the area was built are representatives of the same family: Munnan darkhan, his son Tygyn and grandson Tygyn Mazary Bozekov. There are practically no names of other members of the genus, despite their fame. Researchers believe that in the XVII century. communal and private land ownership existed in parallel, the Yakut nobility and aristocracy were characterized by large patrilocal families with lands assigned to them ^{[27, pp. 6-15]}. The use of land, livestock, etc. was of a joint nature, but the allocation of resources and the actual management of property was for the head of the family. So, when collecting dowries and kalym, their size and composition were determined by the terms of the marriage transaction, but each family of the genus had to contribute to this costly event ^{[28, pp. 23-26]}. The father's property was distributed among his sons at his discretion, but traditionally, the younger son inherited the father's estate ^[29]. Probably, here we see echoes of the fact that the mentioned lands were the hereditary property of Mazara and then descendants along his line can really be buried on the territory of the burial complex. The location of the graves of a particular family depended on the proximity to the main branch. Thus, the richest and most iconic graves are located at the top of the terrace. This is the grave of Mazara himself, the elite burial of a woman ^[10] and the status burial of a teenager with a horse ^[9]. The burials of the nobility, but not elite, are located at the foot of the terrace. Perhaps Mazara's relatives are also buried here, but along the lateral line, and the churchyard is already the graves of late representatives of the genus. It is interesting that the figure of Mazara eclipsed all the others in the national memory and is still one of the main ones for local residents.

It is worth noting that local historians make a great contribution to the preservation and transfer of knowledge about microtoponyms and the narrative of the area. Thanks to their activities, almost every scientific event of the Khangalassky ulus, regardless of its level, contains reports on toponyms and memorable places. The connection with historical events and persons significant for the whole of Yakutia also plays a role here. In recent years, ulus, Zherky and Nemyuginsky nasleg have been actively working to perpetuate the memory of Mazara Bozekov and Sofron Syranov, starting from the reconstruction of clothes, ending with the organization of scientific and practical conferences and the publication of popular scientific works. This ensures the transfer of oral tradition to a new generation. We heard from several local residents that the tacit prohibitions that existed in the Soviet years on the study and, in general, the transfer of knowledge about local events and persons of a politically contradictory nature had been lost.

Conclusions

The area of Istheh Byraan and its surroundings were formed as a result of a long history of development and formation of the modern relief. At this stage, the area is a picturesque terrace that stands out against the surrounding background. It was the natural factor that corresponded to the aesthetic and religious ideas of the population of the XV-XVIII centuries. It became decisive when choosing a place for a tomb. Thus, the edges of the top of the terraces were identified as the resting places of the most famous and respected members of the family since the XV century, by the end of the XVII century. representatives of the overgrown family began to be buried at the foot of the terrace in a secluded promontory of the Uulaakh stream. Probably from the middle of the XVIII century. the cemetery was formed on the modern outdoor terrace of the stream. The prevailing natural factors are attractive to the modern population, which can be traced in the desire to arrange holidays on the territory of the burial ground and build tourist bases. Together with the climatic components, the anthropogenic impact is destructive, which must be taken into account when further planning work on the archaeological site.

The study showed that the narrative and preserved folklore (both in the form of written sources and in the form of a living tradition) fairly accurately describes historical events even over a long period of time and a change in historical context. The study of microtoponyms in connection with archaeological sites of the Late Middle Ages and Modern times of Yakutia can be productive and open up new sides of historical sources. The section obtained during the research should be rechecked after a long period of time in order to obtain the dynamics of changes in the microtoponymy of the studied area.

I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the P.I. Melnikov Permafrost Institute SB RAS for their advice and assistance in writing the article.