Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences: Ecological Aspects of the Burial Rites Performed by Siberian Ethnic Groups: Sacral Topography of the Burial Sites of Narym Paleo-Selkups “Shieshgula”

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Ecological Aspects of the Burial Rites Performed by Siberian Ethnic Groups: Sacral Topography of the Burial Sites of Narym Paleo-Selkups “Shieshgula”

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Issue: Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2015 8 (4)
Authors: Ozheredov, Yuri I.; Ozheredova, Alina Y.
Contact information: Ozheredov, Yuri I.: Tomsk City Museum 3 Bakunina Str., Tomsk, 634050, Russia; E-mail: ; Ozheredova, Alina Y.: Tomsk City Museum 3 Bakunina Str., Tomsk, 634050, Russia
Keywords: the Tomsk-Narym area near the Ob river; the Ob river itself; Chaya; Kjonga; Samoyedic groups; Selkup local-dialect groups“Shieshgula”; river fork; corner as the entrance to the underworld; burial rites; mourning rites
Abstract: This study is meant to be the start toa series of discussions relating to the complex subject of the “Ecological aspects in the burial rites performed by Siberian ethnic groups ”. Taking into account that for aboriginals of Taiga, the symbolic or sacral attributes of living space had the same, if not greater, importance thanits practical aspects, the first publication in the series focuseson the symbolism in the location of burial sites, that are specific in Selkup culture – one of the largest ethnos in the Samoyedic language group – resided in the northern part of Western Siberia. The study is based on the materials relating to the 16th-17th centuries, however the actual time frame of the research is much wider: withmodern Selkupsat the top of the chronological scale and the Rjolkinskaya culture (VI-X centuries), linguistically related to the Samoyeds, at the bottom. The latter was formed as a result of the arrival of nomadic Turkic cultures from the south and their consequential influence on the Proto Samoyedic Kulaj cultural groupsthat occupied the territories of Western Siberia inthe early Iron Age (5 century B.C. – 5 century A.D.). It was thereforedetermined, that Selkuptraditionswere formed on the basis of a complex cultural and ethnical conglomerate, comprising ofthe materials, linguistics and religious elements belonging to the aboriginals of Taiga and many other ethnic groups from neighboring territories present since the II century B.C. This study has thereforeengaged mainlyin the materials relating to the most archaeologically studied local dialectic group, thatof the“Shieshgula”. The members of this group usually chose landscape elevations near river forks, oxbow lakes or ravines as their burial sites
Pages: 606-623
Paper at repository of SibFU: https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/16763

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