Religious syncretism of Altai medicinal springs veneration rites (with the example of Buguzun Arzhan)
Liudmila I. Sherstova
Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta Istoriya 2024 DOI: 10.17223/19988613/91/20 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Altai people of the Altai Mountains, including western and central Altai groups; rituals observed at the Buguzun Arzhan sacred spring |
| Duration | Field materials collected from 1978 to 2018; 2018 visit to Buguzun Arzhan |
| Key findings | Argues that modern Altai spring-veneration rituals combine pre-shamanic, shamanic, Burkhanist, Buddhist, and even Christian elements on equal footing, and that a fairly unified modern Altai ritual has erased the most significant regional differences in beliefs and religious practice, a process the author links to strengthening pan-Altai ethnic identity and the creation of the Altai Republic. |
Abstract
Special veneration of sacred springs - arzhans, the water of which is assumed to have healing powers is widespread and popular in modern culture of Altai people. In August 2018, together with the family of my old and good friends, I visited this Buguzun Arzhan, which is located in the Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Republic. Field materials on rites of honoring the healing springs of the Altai Mountains (collected by the author over forty years from 1978 to 2018), it turned out that fire, archyn, kyry, and milk are still needed to carry out the rituals to offer refreshments to the Master of Altai - Altaidyn eezi and the Mistress of Arzhan - Arzhan eezi. The contact between the profane and sacred world becomes possible due to the ritual. The place of the ritual (san salary) is limited by altars - tagyls and san - two poles with a stretched rope, with ribbons tied on it - both yalama (pre-shamanic and shamanic tradition) and kyira (an element of Burkhanism). The article describes the structure of conducting ritual complexes both at a sacred place and at the streams of a healing spring. One ritual can combine elements of pre-shamanic, shamanic, Burkhanist, Buddhist and even Christian features. Even and odd, kyira and yalama, fumigation and washing, whole objects and their fragments, words spoken out loud and spoken mentally, etc. exist on an equal basis. It is concluded that the synthesis of pre-shamanic and Burkhanist ideas, which was part of the Altai worldview of western and central Altai people in the Soviet period, took on a general Altai character and became part of the modern ethnic culture of the majority of Altai people. Forming of a fairly unified modern Altai ritual erased the most significant differences in the ideas and religious actions of the population of different regions of the Altai Mountains. It was associated with the strengthening of the pan-Altai ethnic identity, reinforced by the creation of the Altai Republic.