Storytelling in Siberia: The Olonkho Epic in a Changing World

257 Pages·2017·2.898 MB·English

by  Robin P Harris

ROBIN P. HARRIS
STORYTELLING IN
SIBERIA
THE OLONKHO EPIC
IN A CHANGING WORLD
storytelling in siberia
The Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World series is a collaborative venture of
the University of Illinois Press, the University Press of Mississippi, the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin Press, and the American Folklore Society, made possible by a
generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The series emphasizes
the interdisciplinary and international nature of current folklore scholarship, docu-
menting connections between communities and their cultural production. Series
volumes highlight aspects of folklore studies such as world folk cultures, folk art
and music, foodways, dance, African American and ethnic studies, gender and
queer studies, and popular culture.
storytelling

in siberia
The Olonkho Epic
in a Changing World
.
robin p harris
Publication of this book was supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
and from the L. J. and Mary C. Skaggs Folklore Fund.
© 2017 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950623
ISBN 978-0-252-04128-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-252-09988-5 (e-book)
Cover illustration: Semёn Chernogradskiy at the Third Ysyakh
of Olonkho in Borogontsy (2009). Photo by William Harris.
To my husband, Bill, whose enduring support and encouragement
made this book possible, whose video skills masterfully captured the
interviews during my fieldwork, and who changed my life forever by
bringing me to Siberia.

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Notes on Transliteration from Russian and Sakha xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: Encountering Olonkho 1
1 Epic Traditions, Performers, and Audiences 11
2 Effects of Change during the Soviet Era 33
3 Esteem for a Masterpiece: The Quest
for Recognition 64
4 Examining the Role of UNESCO and Intangible
Cultural Heritage 89
5 Elements of Resilience: Stable and Malleable 108
6 Epic Revitalization: Negotiating Identities
and Other Challenges 135
7 Ensuring Sustainability through Transmission
and Innovation 156
Glossary of Russian and Sakha Words 163
Notes 165
Works Cited 203
Index 225

Illustrations
1.1. Pyotr Reshetnikov, master olonkhosut 12
1.2. Afanasii Solovëv, master olonkhosut 12
1.3. Introductory recitative from Ėr Sogotokh 25
1.4. Key to symbols in notated examples 26
1.5. Kylyhakh notated: “Song of the Spirit-Mistress of the Valley”
(Ėr Sogotokh) 28
1.6. Dėgėrėn style: “Song of the Demonesses” (Ėr Sogotokh) 31
2.1. Map of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the Russian
Federation 35
2.2. Balaghan in an outdoor museum near Cherkëkh, Yakutia 36
2.3. Pyotr Tikhonov, olonkhosut, in performance 43
2.4. Eduard Alekseyev and Anna Larionova with the author 51
2.5. A manuscript of an olonkho by Roman Alekseyev 54
2.6. Portrait of Roman Alekseyev in Borogontsy, Yakutia 55
2.7. Semyon Chernogradskii at the 3rd Ysyakh of Olonkho
in Borogontsy 58
2.8. Nikolai Alekseyev, olonkhosut, in Mytakh, Yakutia 60
3.1. Valerii Kononov, Maria Kononova, and Bill Harris
with the author 85
4.1. Sergei Vasiliev with the author 101
5.1. Graded Genre Health Assessment (GGHA) 112