The Khanty and Mansi, two Finno-Ugric peoples closely related in language and culture, live in the north of Western Siberia - in the Tyumen, Tomsk and Sverdlovsk regions. They are often united under the general name “Ob Ugrians”, since they are settled along the Ob River and its tributaries. The Khanty and Mansi are engaged in hunting and fishing, and part of the population is reindeer herders. The Khanty and Mansi lived sedentary lives along the rivers or made small movements throughout the year. Their holidays and rituals reflected the rich experience of man's exploration of northern nature.

Customs related to attitudes towards nature

Prohibitions play a big role in the life of the Khanty and Mansi. This is especially evident in relation to the earth, which cannot even be injured by a sharp object. There were separate plots of land, the banks of some lakes and rivers, on which it was forbidden to walk. As a last resort, it was necessary to tie birch bark to the soles. Passing or driving past such places, the Khanty and Mansi perform certain rituals - they make a sacrifice (food, butts made of cloth, etc.). The Khanty and Mansi performed sacrificial rituals at the beginning of a trade, such as fishing or hunting. During such sacrifices, they turned to the spirits - the owners of certain places with a request to give more prey in the coming season.

Raven day

The crow is one of the first to fly to the North, in April, when there is still snow and frosts. With her cry, she seems to awaken nature and, it seems, brings life itself. This is probably why the Khanty and Mansi consider this bird the patroness of women and children and dedicate a special holiday to it.

In a crow song recorded on the Northern Sosva River, there are these words: “With my appearance, let little girls, little boys be born! I will sit down on a hole with melted rotten things (from their cradles). I will warm my frozen hands, I will warm my frozen feet. Let girls be born who live long, let boys who live long be born!” According to the customs of the Khanty and Mansi, all the belongings of small children must be strictly monitored so that no misfortune happens to the child. This also applies to those items that the baby no longer needs. Therefore, rotten shavings - shavings of soft wood, which were poured into the cradle instead of diapers, were folded after use in a secluded place. The Khanty believed that a crow, having flown from the south, warms its paws on these warm shavings on cold days and says: “If only more children would come to earth, so that I have somewhere to warm my paws.” Previously, only elderly women and girls gathered for the holiday. They prepared treats, among which there was always a thick porridge-scramble “salamat”. Dancing was an indispensable element of the holiday. Some groups of Khanty and Mansi associated this holiday with the ancestor goddess Kaltashch, who determined the destinies of people by celebrating them life path on sacred tags, helped during childbirth. At women's festivals held in certain places, scraps of fabric were often tied to a tree. The purpose of such holidays was the pursuit of well-being, first of all, caring for children.

Bear holiday

This is the most favorite holiday of the Khanty and Mansi. The bear is considered a son supreme deity Toruma, at the same time, he is the son of a female ancestor and the brother of her children, so the Khanty and Mansi perceive him as a brother. And finally, he is the personification of supreme justice, the owner of the taiga. Every successful bear hunt is accompanied by a holiday, where people try to relieve themselves of the blame for killing it and perform rituals that should lead to the well-being of all participants in the holiday. The bear's skin was rolled up, the head and paws were decorated with rings, ribbons, scarves and placed in the front corner of the house in the so-called sacrificial pose, with the head placed between the outstretched front paws. Then they staged performances wearing masks. In the first half of the night, dances dedicated to the main gods are performed. The middle of the night and its second half were of particular importance, when they ate bear meat, escorted the soul of the bear to heaven, and wondered about the upcoming hunt.

The peoples of Mansi and Khanty are related. Few people know, but these were once great peoples of hunters. In the 15th century, the fame of the skill and courage of these people reached from beyond the Urals to Moscow itself. Today, both of these peoples are represented by a small group of residents of the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug.

The basin of the Russian Ob River was considered the original Khanty territories. The Mansi tribes settled here only at the end of the 19th century. It was then that these tribes began to advance to the northern and eastern parts of the region.

Ethnological scientists believe that the basis for the emergence of this ethnic group was the merger of two cultures - the Ural Neolithic and the Ugric tribes. The reason was the resettlement of Ugric tribes from the North Caucasus and the southern regions of Western Siberia. The first Mansi settlements were located on the slopes of the Ural Mountains, as evidenced by the very rich archaeological finds in this region. Yes, in the caves Perm region archaeologists managed to find ancient temples. In these places sacred meaning fragments of pottery, jewelry, weapons were found, but what is really important is numerous bear skulls with jagged marks from blows with stone axes.

The birth of a people.

For modern history There was a strong tendency to believe that the cultures of the Khanty and Mansi peoples were united. This assumption was formed due to the fact that these languages ​​belonged to the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family. For this reason, scientists have put forward the assumption that since there was a community of people speaking a similar language, then there must have been a common area of ​​their residence - a place where they spoke the Uralic parent language. However, this issue remains unresolved to this day.

The level of development of the indigenous people was quite low. In the everyday life of the tribes there were only tools made of wood, bark, bone and stone. The dishes were wooden and ceramic. The main occupation of the tribes was fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. Only in the south of the region, where the climate was milder, did cattle breeding and farming become less common. The first meeting with local tribes occurred only in the 10th-11th centuries, when Permyaks and Novgorodians visited these lands. Local aliens were called “Voguls”, which meant “wild”. These same “Voguls” were described as bloodthirsty destroyers of peripheral lands and savages who practiced sacrificial rituals. Later, already in the 16th century, the lands of the Ob-Irtysh region were annexed to the Moscow state, after which a long era of development of the conquered territories by the Russians began. First of all, the invaders built several forts on the annexed territory, which later grew into cities: Berezov, Narym, Surgut, Tomsk, Tyumen. Instead of the once existing Khanty principalities, volosts were formed. In the 17th century, active resettlement of Russian peasants began to the new volosts, as a result of which by the beginning of the next century, the number of “locals” was significantly inferior to the newcomers. At the beginning of the 17th century there were about 7,800 Khanty people; by the end of the 19th century their number was 16 thousand people. According to the latest census in Russian Federation there are already more than 31 thousand people, and throughout the world there are approximately 32 thousand representatives of this ethnic group. The number of the Mansi people from the beginning of the 17th century to our time has increased from 4.8 thousand people to almost 12.5 thousand.

Relations with Russian colonists were not easy. At the time of the Russian invasion, Khanty society was class-based, and all lands were divided into appanage principalities. After the start of Russian expansion, volosts were created, which helped manage the lands and population much more effectively. It is noteworthy that the volosts were headed by representatives of the local tribal nobility. Also in power local residents all local accounting and management were given over.

Confrontation.

After the annexation of the Mansi lands to the Moscow state, the question of converting pagans to the Christian faith soon arose. There were more than enough reasons for this, according to historians. According to some historians, one of the reasons is the need to control local resources, in particular hunting grounds. The Mansi were known in the Russian land as excellent hunters who “wasted” precious reserves of deer and sable without permission. Bishop Pitirim was sent to these lands from Moscow, who was supposed to convert the pagans to Orthodox faith, but he accepted death from the Mansi prince Asyka.

10 years after the death of the bishop, Muscovites organized a new campaign against the pagans, which became more successful for Christians. The campaign ended quite soon, and the winners brought with them several princes of the Vogul tribes. However, Prince Ivan III released the pagans in peace.

During the campaign of 1467, the Muscovites managed to capture even Prince Asyka himself, who, however, was able to escape on the way to Moscow. Most likely, this happened somewhere near Vyatka. The pagan prince appeared only in 1481, when he tried to besiege and take Cherdyn by storm. His campaign ended unsuccessfully, and although his army devastated the entire area around Cherdyn, they had to flee the battlefield from the experienced Moscow army, sent to help by Ivan Vasilyevich. The army was led by experienced governors Fyodor Kurbsky and Ivan Saltyk-Travin. A year after this event, an embassy from the Vorguls visited Moscow: Asyka’s son and son-in-law, whose names were Pytkey and Yushman, arrived to the prince. Later it became known that Asyka himself went to Siberia and disappeared somewhere there, taking his people with him.

100 years have passed, and new conquerors came to Siberia - Ermak’s squad. During one of the battles between the Vorguls and Muscovites, Prince Patlik, the owner of those lands, died. Then his entire squad died along with him. However, even this campaign was not successful for the Orthodox Church. The next attempt to baptize the Vorguls was made only under Peter I. The Mansi tribes had to accept the new faith on pain of death, but instead the whole people chose isolation and went even further to the north. Those who remained abandoned pagan symbols, but were in no hurry to wear crosses. The local tribes of the new faith avoided it until the beginning of the 20th century, when they began to formally be considered the Orthodox population of the country. Dogma new religion It was very difficult to penetrate into the society of the pagans. And for a long time, tribal shamans played an important role in the life of society.

In accordance with nature.

Most of the Khanty at the turn of the late 19th - early 20th centuries led an exclusively taiga lifestyle. The traditional occupation for the Khanty tribes was hunting and fishing. Those of the tribes that lived in the Ob basin were mainly engaged in fishing. The tribes living in the north and in the upper reaches of the river hunted. Deer not only served as a source of hides and meat, it also served as a draft force on the farm.

The main types of food were meat and fish; practically no plant foods were consumed. The fish was most often eaten boiled in the form of a stew or dried, and it was often eaten completely raw. The sources of meat were large animals such as elk and deer. The entrails of hunted animals were also eaten, like meat; most often they were eaten directly raw. It is possible that the Khanty did not disdain to extract the remains of plant food from the stomachs of deer for their own consumption. The meat was subjected to heat treatment, most often it was boiled, like fish.

The culture of the Mansi and Khanty is a very interesting layer. According to folk traditions, among both peoples there was no strict distinction between animals and humans. Animals and nature were especially revered. The beliefs of the Khanty and Mansi forbade them to settle near places inhabited by animals, to hunt young or pregnant animals, or to make noise in the forest. In turn, the fishing unwritten laws of the tribes prohibited the installation of a net that was too narrow, so that young fish could not pass through it. Although almost the entire mining economy of the Mansi and Khanty was based on extreme economy, this did not interfere with the development of various fishing cults, when it was required to donate the first prey or catch to one of the wooden idols. From here came many different tribal holidays and ceremonies, most of which were religious in nature.

The bear occupied a special place in the Khanty tradition. According to beliefs, the first woman in the world was born from a bear. The Great Bear gave fire to people, as well as many other important knowledge. This animal was highly revered and was considered a fair judge in disputes and a divider of spoils. Many of these beliefs have survived to this day. The Khanty also had others. Otters and beavers were revered as exclusively sacred animals, the purpose of which only shamans could know. The elk was a symbol of reliability and prosperity, prosperity and strength. The Khanty believed that it was the beaver that led their tribe to the Vasyugan River. Many historians are seriously concerned today about oil developments in this area, which threaten the extinction of beavers, and perhaps an entire nation.

Important role Astronomical objects and phenomena played a role in the beliefs of the Khanty and Mansi. The sun was revered in the same way as in most other mythologies, and was personified with the feminine principle. The moon was considered a symbol of a man. People, according to the Mansi, appeared thanks to the union of two luminaries. The moon, according to the beliefs of these tribes, informed people about the dangers in the future with the help of eclipses.

Plants, in particular trees, occupy a special place in the culture of the Khanty and Mansi. Each of the trees symbolizes its part of existence. Some plants are sacred, and it is forbidden to be near them, some were forbidden even to step over without permission, while others, on the contrary, had a beneficial effect on mortals. Another symbol of the male gender was the bow, which was not only a hunting tool, but also served as a symbol of good luck and strength. They used the bow to tell fortunes, the bow was used to predict the future, and women were forbidden to touch prey struck by an arrow or step over this hunting weapon.

In all actions and customs, both Mansi and Khanty strictly adhere to the following rules: “The way you treat nature today is how your people will live tomorrow.”.

The Ugra Valley is home to about 28.5 thousand of its indigenous inhabitants - the Khanty, Mansi and Forest Nenets, whose way of life and original traditions are still alive on distant ancestral lands, in taiga villages and camps. There are 39 national communities operating in the district. The main guarantees of the rights of indigenous peoples are enshrined in the Charter of the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug.

Small peoples of the north

In 1925-1926 Decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars identified a group of so-called “native peoples and tribes” that received benefits in economic development. By the mid-1950s. 26 “small nationalities of the North” were recognized as small in number: the Sami, Nenets, Khanty, Mansi, Enets, Nganasans, Selkups, Kets, Eveks, Dolgans, Yukaghirs, Chuvans, Evens, Chukchi, Koryaks, Eskimos, Aleuts, Itelmens, Tofalars, Ulchis, Nanais, Nivkhs, Udeges, Negidals, Oroks, Orochs. These peoples were specifically identified based on the following characteristics:

1) small number;

2) the special nature of traditional occupations (reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, marine hunting);

3) active lifestyle (nomadic, semi-nomadic, semi-sedentary);

4) low level socio-economic development (survival forms of primitive communal relations).

For more than 80 years, special government decrees determined economic and social benefits for the small peoples of the North and allocated large funds for their development. economic culture. Some measures towards the peoples of the North had positive results: development of literacy, language and writing, literature, medicine, goods supply, communications, formation of the intelligentsia, etc.

Since the 1950-1960s. the term “nations of the North” was in common use, the term “small peoples of the North” was also preserved, and now the term “small peoples of the North” has been introduced. The list of small nationalities of the North has been expanded to include the Shors, Teleuts, Kumandris, Tuvinians-Todzhins, and Kereks. The identification of the small nationalities of the North as a special group played a big role in their consolidation, the development of their ethnic identity, the creation public organizations- All-Russian Association of Small Peoples of the North, local ethnic and religious associations.

Khanty

The Khanty people (obsolete - Ostyaks, self-name - Khanti, Khante, Kantek) belong to the Ugric branch of the Finno-Ugric ethno-linguistic community. Of the 22.5 thousand Khanty people in the Russian Federation, about 12 thousand (that is, more than 53%) live in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

Among the Khanty there are three ethnic groups - northern, southern and eastern. In each of them, a number of subgroups are distinguished, which received their names from the names of the rivers in which they are localized: Khanty Agan, Tromyogan, Vakhov, Kazym, Kondin, Salym, Middle Ob (Surgut), Yugan, Lower Ob Pim, etc. Kadaya of ethnic subgroups differs in its linguistic dialect, economic and cultural characteristics, and endogamy (marriage within one’s own group). Until the beginning of the 20th century. The Russians called the Khanty Ostyaks (possibly from the vowel of the Khanty as-yakh - “people of the big river” or “Ob people”), even earlier, until the 14th century, - Ugra. At the heart of the formation way of life The Khanty is the culture of the aboriginal tribes of the Urals and Western Siberia, engaged in hunting and fishing, and influenced by pastoral Ugric tribes. In the second half of the 1st millennium, the main groups of Khanty were formed, settled from the lower reaches of the Ob in the north to the Baraba steppes in the south and from the Yenisei in the east to the Urals in the west. Since the 14th century The process of displacement of part of the Khanty by the Mansi people from the western regions and their resettlement to the eastern and northern regions began. As a result of migration and ethnic contacts with the aboriginal population of the North, the Khanty were strongly influenced by the Koazal Nenets, in the east by the Selkups, in the southern regions by Turkic-speaking peoples, and later by the Russians. The processes of “Russification” of the Khanty took place especially intensively in the 18th-20th centuries. on the Irtysh, Ob, Konda. Before the Russians arrived in Siberia, the Khanty had tribes, most of which later became ethno-territorial groups. As a result of inter-tribal and other military clashes, so-called principalities were formed, headed by princes. Later, during the period of Russian colonization, many of the Priob and Irtysh Ostyatsu principalities were transformed into separate volosts, the formal heads of which remained the local princes who were in charge of collecting yasak. In subsequent centuries, the Khanty continued to lead a traditional way of life, adopting more advanced tools, large fishing nets, firearms, etc. from Russian settlers.

Muncie

Mansi (obsolete Russian - Voguls) is one of the small (8.3 thousand people) peoples of the North of Russia; about 6.6 thousand people (80%) live in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The Mansi mostly inhabit the basins of the left tributaries of the Ob - the rivers Northern Sosva, Lyapin, Konda (except for the lower reaches), as well as the Lower Ob (Berezovsky, Oktyabrsky districts).

The self-name of the people is Mansi Makhum ("Mansi people"), often local self-names are associated with the area, the river: aly tagt Mansit (Verkhnesosvinsky), Sakv Mansit (Sygvinsky, that is, Lyapinsky), Polum Makhum (Pelymsky). The Mansi language belongs to the Ugric group of the Uralic family of languages. It contains northern, southern, eastern and western groups of dialects. The language and traditional culture are currently preserved only among the northern (Sosvinsky-Lyapinsky) and eastern (Kondinsky) groups of Mansi.

The Mansi ethnos was formed as a result of the merger of the tribes of the Ural Neolithic culture with the Ugric and Indo-European tribes moving in the 2nd-1st millennium BC. from the south, through the steppes and forest-steppes of Western Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan. The two-component nature (a combination of cultures of taiga hunters and fishermen and steppe nomadic pastoralists) in the Mansi culture continues to this day; it is most clearly manifested in the culture of the horse and the heavenly rider - Mir-Susne-Khum.

Initially, the Mansi were settled in the Southern and Middle Urals and their western slopes, as well as in the Kama region (the basins of the Vishera and Chusovaya rivers). Their earlier toponymy was also noted on Pechora, Vychegda, in the upper reaches of the Vyatka and Mezen. The ethnic history of this small people is characterized by numerous group migrations from the west (Ural region, Kama region) to the east - beyond the Urals, to the Northern Sosva, Lower Ob, tributaries of the Konda, Turu and Tavda rivers. This happened as a result of the intensified expansion of the Russians and Komi in the 11th-15th centuries. Under the pressure of the Russian settlement of the northern territories of the horse, in turn, further beyond the Urals, the remains of the Mansi.

The peculiarities of life and activities, the specifics of spiritual culture and mythological ideas of the Mansi are extremely similar to those of the Khanty. So, the main traditional activities The Mansi people are hunting, fishing, collecting wild plants, and among the northern and Ural people - reindeer husbandry. Some of the southern, western and eastern Mansi adopted agriculture and livestock farming from Russian settlers. Historically, most of the Mansi were semi-sedentary hunters and fishermen. Only part of the northern Mansi, who adopted the culture of the Samoyed tundra type, were classified as nomadic reindeer herders. Driven hunting for elk and deer played a large role in hunting. They hunted with a bow and arrow (later with a gun) and a dog. They caught animals and birds with traps, loops, and nets. With development commodity-money relations Fur hunting gradually replaced meat hunting. Fish were caught in many ways - through constipation and nets that became traps and beaming. Back in the XIV-XVIII centuries. The main means of transport for the Mansi was a dog sled, which was eventually replaced by reindeer transport. In the summer they sailed on dugout boats with sides sewn from boards (oblas, kaldanka). They went down to the Ob in large covered boats - kayaks. Skis were widely used, which were of two types - bare and hemmed (glued) with camus.

The dispersed type of settlement of the Mansi is due to their occupation (hunting and fishing), as well as their semi-sedentary lifestyle. Like the Khanty, Mansi settlements were permanent (winter) and temporary - seasonal (spring, summer and autumn), to which they moved for the duration of fishing. Traditional villages (paul) consisted of one to ten houses and were located along the banks of rivers, usually one day's journey from each other. The main type of dwelling is a log house with a gable roof, often without a foundation. In dwellings located close to the water, a foundation was made of two to four logs; in low places, log houses were placed on piles. For heating and lighting in a permanent home, a chuval was installed - an open hearth such as a fireplace. Huts made of poles, birch bark or covered with plague skins were used as temporary housing. Barns—ground and pile—were used to store property and food supplies. There were public buildings for holding meetings and holidays, and special buildings for pregnant women and women in labor (man kol - " small house"). In hard-to-reach places in the forest, sacred barns were placed, in which idols were placed, depicting patron spirits.

Traditional winter clothes and shoes were made from the skins of animals and deer, rovduga, demi-season clothes were made from leather or cloth, and summer clothes were made from fabric. In the old days, the Mansi made clothes from nettle cloth, but later switched to purchased fabrics. Traditional women's clothing - a dress, a robe, in winter - a double swinging reindeer fur coat (yagushka, sak), richly ornamented with beads, stripes of colored fabric and multi-colored fur. The headdress is a large scarf with a wide border and fringe. False braids were used as decorations, which, together with their braids, were wrapped with colored laces and decorated with copper and tin pendants. They wore a large number of rings and beaded chest jewelry. Men's clothing consisted of a shirt, pants, and a belt. Outer clothing - malitsa, goose (owl).

In the 20th century The life of the Mansi, like the Khanty, changed greatly: they were forcibly transferred to a settled state, driven to collective and state farms, introducing non-traditional activities - such as vegetable growing, animal husbandry, and cage-based fur farming.

Forest Nenets

Nenets (ancient name - Samoyeds, Yuracs) - indigenous people Eurasian North of Russia. According to the 1989 census, the number of Nenets was 34.3 thousand people. Two stand out ethnic groups: tundra Nenets and forest Nenets, differing in family composition, dialect, and some cultural features. The Nenets language belongs to the Samoyed group of the Ural language family and is divided into two dialects - tundra and forest. The forest dialect is spoken by 5-7% of the Nenets. Only forest Nenets live on the territory of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

The self-name of the Forest Nenets is Neshchang ("man"), the old name is Kazym or Kun Samoyed. The name pyan khasova (“forest people”) was given to them by the tundra Nenets. Traditional areas of residence are the upper and middle reaches of the Pur River, the Numto ridge from the headwaters of the Kazym, Nadym, Pim rivers to the headwaters of the Agan River. According to their anthropological type, they belong to the Ural transitional race. Currently, there are about 2,000 Forest Nenets, most of whom live in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Related peoples: tundra Nenets, Enets, Nganasans, Selkups. In their culture and language, the Forest Nenets are in many ways close to the northern and eastern Khanty. The territory of settlement of the Forest Nenets has been almost unexplored archaeologically. The first reliable mention of the Forest Nenets in Russian written sources is information about the 1902 military expedition of the Cossack ataman Bogdan Chubakin to the Samoyed princes Akuba, Skamche and Salym with the royal word and an offer to pay yasak. However, even after this, contacts of the Forest Nenets with the Russians were rare and were limited to meetings at suglans (fair) in Surgut. The Forest Nenets remained unknown to scientists for a long time. At the end of the 19th century. the “discovery” of Professor A.I. sounded sensational. Jacobi in the deep taiga of the Ob region of the Nyakh-Samar-Yakh people. For two decades, there were discussions about the lost tribe until it became clear that we were talking about the Kazym (Kun) Samoyeds. Due to the limited external contacts, including trade, the economy of the forest Nenets was subsistence and retained archaic features.

A few decades ago, nets and seines woven from willow bast were sometimes used for fishing, and pieces of mammoth ribs and deer skulls were used as sinkers. Fishing was carried out using locking structures on small rivers, as well as net fishing and seine fishing on flowing lakes. The main summer transport was dugout boats (oblas) made of pine or cedar, and in winter - reindeer-drawn sledges and skis. Reindeer husbandry of the Forest Nenets is characterized by a small herd size (from 10 to 300), a semi-free grazing system using wooden fences (corrals) and smoke smokers. Domestic reindeer provided transportation needs and partially food needs. Hunting in the winter-spring period for wild deer and elk by means of marks or pens was important. In autumn, spring or summer they hunted upland and waterfowl. To catch fur-bearing animals (sable, fox, wolverine), traps, cherkans, and sloptsy were used. Squirrels were hunted using bows and arrows.

The traditional dwelling of the forest Nenets is the chum (myat) - a frame structure of 25-40 poles and tires (nyuks) made of reindeer skins (in winter) and birch bark (in summer). A reindeer herding camp usually consists of one or two tents and outbuildings- a shed for storing things (nyr), an oven for making bread ("nyan myat" - "bread house"). Traditional clothing and shoes are made from the skins of domestic and wild deer. Men's clothing consists of a malitsa (close-up clothing with the fur on the inside with a hood and mittens), a malichno shirt made of cloth, and a sovik (outer clothing with the fur on the outside). Women's clothing is a yagushka - a swinging two-layer fur coat with fur inside and out. The diet of the forest Nenets consists of wild plants, fish, game, elk meat, wild and domestic deer.

basis social organization is gen. Relationships are calculated on the paternal side. In previous years, marriages between representatives of the same clan and marriages with foreigners were prohibited, although already in the 19th century. There were frequent interethnic marriages between the Forest Nenets and the Eastern and Northern Khanty.

Mainly religious ideas Forest Nenets are based on animistic ideas: belief in spirits inhabiting the world around them. The central sanctuary is Lake Numto ("God's lake"), on one of the islands of which (Ngo-yah - "heart island") sacrifices were made to the pagan gods. According to legend, the son of the supreme heavenly god Num, Numgiba, who was thrown to earth, turned into a lake. Previously, on the southeastern shore of the Heart Island there was a row of wooden figures of the spirit kaha (hehe). The deity of the lower world, who commands illness and death, is Nga (Ngomulik). Through his servants, evil spirits - ngileka, Nga sends diseases to people, and he himself devours the souls of the dead. The cycle of natural phenomena and life in heaven and earth are ruled by Num-Nisya (“sky-father”) and Ya-Kati (“earth-grandmother”). “Earthly” spirits are important - the masters of water and forests, the master spirits of tracts and territories (kakha), the patron spirits of the home (for example, Myaty-Kati - “grandmother of the house”).

Khanty and Mansi are two Finno-Ugric peoples, close in culture and language. These peoples live in Western Siberia, in its northern part, mainly in the Tomsk, Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions.

The main part of the district's territory is impenetrable forests and taiga, sometimes very swampy. Among them there are more than 25 thousand lakes rich in fish and waterfowl. The forests are home to deer and other wild animals.

The territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug is crossed by two deep rivers - the Ob and Irtysh, the largest in Russia.

Since ancient times, the main occupation of the local population was hunting, fishing and reindeer herding. Women were engaged in needlework - weaving, embroidery.

The national costumes of the Khanty and Mansi are distinguished by bright embroidery and appliqués.

The rituals and holidays of these northern peoples reflect the vast experience of mankind in the exploration of the North. The wedding ceremonies of this people are especially beautiful. The celebrations last for several days, there is a lot of dancing and singing at the wedding, and competitions in wrestling, archery, and running are always held.

The parents of the bride and groom exchange and present gifts to relatives. Of course, the traditions of the ancestors are now rarely seen; most young Hansi prefer modern wedding celebrations. Many people are more attracted to a wedding abroad than at home.

A variety of prohibitions play a huge role in the life of the Khanty and Mansi peoples, for example, you cannot injure the earth with sharp objects.

In the places of settlement of these peoples, there are areas of land on which a person should not step; if it was necessary to cross that place, birch bark was tied to the shoes.

When passing by such forbidden places, it was necessary to perform certain rituals, for example, bring and donate food or a butt made of cloth. During sacrifice, it was customary to turn to the spirits, the owners of these places.

The peoples of the North consider the crow to be a sacred bird, the patroness of children and women. The following song was recorded on the Sosva River:

With my advent, let little girls and little boys be born! I will sit down on a hole with melted rotten things (from their cradles).

I will warm my frozen hands, I will warm my frozen feet. Let girls be born who live long, let boys who live long be born!”

That is why the rotten stuff that is poured into the cradle of babies is never thrown away, but put in a special place behind the house, so that the crow will warm its paws there and protect the children living in this house.

A special holiday is dedicated to the crow. Elderly women and girls gather for the holiday, and a special ritual porridge, salamat, is prepared.

The most important element of the holiday is dance. This holiday is also associated with the goddess of fertility Kaltash. Pieces of cloth are tied to trees in her honor. Kaltashch writes down the fates of people on special tags and helps during childbirth.

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Among the Khanty and Mansi there are (and there were in the past) non-normative love relationships between a man and a woman. There is no strict taboo on premarital sexual relations; accordingly, parents did not particularly monitor their girls in this regard. An illegitimate child does not prevent marriage, and infertility is truly considered a tragedy. The Ob Ugrians say: “tu ar veling ne myrem enymtytne as pachamne” - “be fruitful and grow like a large herd of deer.” If the wife could not become pregnant, bigamy was permitted. According to the Khanty and Mansi, a wife for being unfaithful to her husband was punished by difficult childbirth. An unfaithful woman is called “posar-imi” and “orki pizymot” (literally: “plays too much”). There is a wedding sign: if the bride falls off the sledge while going around the groom’s house, she will become a traitor; if she stays on the sledge, she will be a faithful wife. At summer weddings they rocked the bride in a boat. Loudness and even laughter are assessed as a tendency to negative qualities wives.

Data on the distribution of Khanty single-ethnic families by number indicate a changed family structure of the Khanty. They, as well as their related Mansi, were characterized in the past by large undivided families. For example, among the Mansi in the middle of the 19th century. A significant number of multigenerational families with the number of members up to 10-15 people or more remained. Today, most families consist of 3 people, with 1 or 2 children.

A traditional wedding with a full set of national rituals is possible only at a camp; in urban conditions, such a wedding ceremony is also observed, but in a rather abbreviated version, with a partial loss of national flavor and the pristine charm of the custom. It often happens that city residents who have already registered their marriage in the registry office, at the insistence of their parents, honor traditions.

Third paragraph "Archetypes of the funeral rite." Funeral rites are a heterogeneous and complex phenomenon, combining various cultural elements: ritual actions, symbolism, sacred attributes, etc. The Ob-Ugric peoples viewed the death of a person as a transformation of their way of existence. Immediately after the death of a person, preparations begin for his “relocation” to another world, a new habitat, where life continues according to the prototype of earthly life, but with certain specifics. Based on this idea of the afterlife, the deceased was provided with everything necessary for a new life in the lower world: clothing, tools, household utensils, food, etc. These things are chosen taking into account the age of the deceased, gender, as well as in connection with his social status during life and type of activity. Ritual actions of the funeral are also carried out in relation to the body of the deceased: they wash the body in a certain way, dress it in the clothes that are provided for by this ritual, take the body out of the house, etc.

In the funeral rite of the Ob Ugrians, there are many prohibitions for living relatives in order to repose the soul of the deceased, as well as to protect living people from prematurely entering the other world. It was believed that the death of a person was determined by the spirit of the lower world - Kaltash.

The death of a person is immediately accompanied by the lighting of a fire in the hearth. When life is extinguished, a fire is lit and it is maintained continuously as much as possible. A special attitude towards fire is due to its functions.

The modern form of the custom of honoring and remembering the dead is rooted in ancient times and is therefore the most mysterious. It is mainly older women who are privy to the secrets of the funeral rite, who know this rite in detail, which includes a long cycle of ritual actions. In the past and in the present, the understanding of complete death is alien to the Khants and Mansi. The Khanty and Mansi believe that those who have gone to another world, being in a different state, continue to participate in the fate of the living, and if you show attention and care to the dead, then the dead will also show the same care towards their descendants.

The complete absence of movement indicates that the person has died, but does not mean that the person has gone from everyday existence into non-existence, he is moving into another existence. Therefore, the elderly Khanty and Mansi, when asked if he has parents, answer: “Yes, but they are dead.” “Tom Torma pitys,” this is what the Khanty and Mansi say about the dead, which translated means “He went to another Torum.” Those who have lost the ability to move will regain it in the lower world or kingdom, where everything happens the other way around, as in a mirror image of the earthly world. What is dead on earth is alive; when it is day on earth, then it is night there. And time in the lower world goes in the opposite direction. Therefore, it was believed that the deceased needed to be provided with the necessary things and objects in order to adapt to new conditions. Since everything is the other way around, the items that will be used in other world, you need to spoil it a little.

If the deceased was an orphan, then his eyelids are covered with copper coins so that he cannot look back, i.e. expect something from living strangers. Copper coins are also placed on the eyes of the deceased whose eyes remain open. Otherwise, there will again be a dead person in the house along the family line, supposedly he is looking back, waiting for someone.

They do not leave the deceased alone at night; they sit next to him throughout the night. Thus, the deceased is protected from various evil spirits. The deceased is kept in the house for 4 days - a woman, 5 days - a man. Currently – no more than 3 days. On the first or second day, they immediately make a coffin from a boat that belonged to the relatives of the deceased. If the family of the deceased does not have a boat, then the coffin is made of boards. According to the legend of the Khanty and Mansi, the coffin should be made from a boat, since the deceased will need it in the summer. An oar is also kept at the grave.

The deceased is carried out feet first. The roots of this ritual action go back to ancient times, when the dead were taken out of the house through a special hole, which was then carefully closed so that the soul of the deceased would go to another world and forget the way back. Since then, the ritual custom of carrying the deceased out of the house feet first has been preserved, so that he knows where he is being taken, but does not remember where. The body is also lowered into the cemetery feet first.

The post-funeral rite (funeral rituals) is also strictly regulated by the worldview of the Ob Ugrians. The actions of the memorial cycle begin from the moment of burial. In memory of a person who lived and died, they always make an “Ittyrma” doll. E. Martynova notes that in funeral rite Not all local Khanty groups made dolls. When the funeral food is taken, the “doll” is seated at the table and the most delicious treat is placed. The doll is not considered a sacred object, but is recognized as an image of the deceased and is kept approximately as long as the number of years the person lived. Some of the dead are promoted to the highest rank, to the image forever existing spirit, each of them is named in a special way and then ceases to be called “ittyrma”; they keep it in a closed box, outsiders cannot see it and they are not allowed to touch it.

From the day of a person’s death, during seven days of great mourning, relatives walk with their hair down, without combing it during this entire time; They don’t wash their face either, they only wash their eyes. After seven days, relatives wash and braid their hair, but do not decorate the braids. K.F. Karjalainen pointed out that the relatives of the deceased, as a sign of mourning, tied a red thread to their leg and did not remove it until it fell off. On days of great mourning, the relatives of the deceased are prohibited from doing anything around the house: sweeping, taking out the garbage, washing the floor, especially using a sharp object. This is because a grief-stricken person may get hurt during mourning. If they do the cleaning, then supposedly all this dirt will fall on their deceased. In ancient times, the Ob Ugrians had a custom of rubbing earth from the grave of the deceased or applying it to the heart if relatives missed the deceased too much.

This whole complex ritual, carried out with the death of a person over a very long period of time (4-5 years), apparently was once created by the ancestors in order to to some extent divert the attention of loved ones and relatives from great grief, from the most difficult loss loved one. Comparing the rituals of the life cycle of the Khanty and Mansi in the context of traditions and modernity, we can assume that the rituals in question remain known to many, but some beliefs related to the rituals are forgotten, i.e. the spiritual side of rituals is noticeably erased.

Chapter three “Problems of preserving and protecting the cultures of the Khanty and Mansi” includes three paragraphs covering traditional culture in modern industrial conditions of existence and search possible solutions.

First paragraph “Preservation of national traditions in the crafts of the Khanty and Mansi” contains characteristics of the national Khanty and Mansi fishing activities, their features are determined. Hunting is one of the main commercial activities of the Khanty and Mansi, and is reflected in their culture. The Khanty and Mansi hunt fur-bearing animals from autumn to spring. The hunt usually begins at the end of September and ends in April.

The traditional way of life of the Khanty and Mansi people has always been based on fishing and hunting. Hunting and fishing as the basis of life of the Ob-Ugric peoples influenced their way of life, way of life and culture. The Khanty and Mansi, who lead a traditional way of life, have ancestral lands, which, as a rule, are located in the remote taiga. Here, willy-nilly, they submit to the conditions determined by nature, and man adapts to its laws. Along with highly commercial fur hunting, such industries as fishing and large herd reindeer husbandry.

A dog is an indispensable hunting assistant. According to the Khanty and Mansi, the dog plays the role of a mediator between the house and the forest, and serves as intermediaries in negotiations between spirits and people. The dog is a former person who received his last form as punishment for his offense. Perhaps for this reason, the dog is served food in the owner’s dishes, but after the owner himself has eaten. Also worthy of special attention is the fact that until now the indigenous people of the North, leading a traditional way of life, when meeting with strangers carefully observe the behavior of dogs. If the dog does not experience tension and does not show distrust towards a stranger, then the owner becomes trusting of him.

From the Khanta's house, the most well-trodden path always leads to the river bank. During the seasonal fishing season, the Khanty and Mansi lived in summer dwellings, storing fish for future use. The fishing culture of the Ob Ugrians is unique. The Khanty and Mansi know dozens of different methods and techniques for catching fish and storing it. The fishing methods and men's utensils of the Khanty and Mansi differ. The Khanty and Mansi set various kinds of wicker traps and nets. In the past, nets were woven from nettles and dyed with herbal infusions so that they were not noticeable in the river.

The Ob-Irtysh basin and the Ob Bay are home to many species of fish. Currently, the most valuable fish, i.e. “white fish” (sturgeon, sterlet, nelma, muksun, peled) are subject to a ban legalized by the Russian Federation. But fishermen belonging to small peoples The North (MNS) issues appropriate documents, according to which the Ob Ugrians still have the opportunity to preserve their traditional forms of food.

Until the middle of the twentieth century. The economy of Northwestern Siberia, figuratively speaking, “rested on three pillars”: fishing, hunting and forestry. The functioning of the traditional economy is negatively affected by the consequences of the district's industry. For several decades now, intensive oil and gas production has been going on in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, and for more than a decade there has been a dialogue between the peoples of the North and the industrial innovations of the North. The intensive spread of oil and gas fields in this area leads to environmental pollution of rivers. The construction of cities leads to an increase in domestic drainage. Vast areas of floodplain reservoirs are used for the construction of gas pipelines. Winter roads destroy drainages where winter distribution routes for fish and their wintering grounds are located. These facts negatively affect fish reproduction. Due to oil and gas production and a changed ecology, it has become much poorer fauna taiga, hunting is becoming more and more difficult, and fish have ceased to be found in some rivers.

From the above material we can conclude that the entire life of the northern peoples is inseparable from the surrounding nature - flora, fauna, air, water, earth. This is what the peoples of the North need for normal life, but it must be environmentally friendly. The Khanty and Mansi are very careful about nature. A hunter will never leave a fire unextinguished; he will not waste his time cutting down a tree, shooting animals and birds, or destroying nests. Fish is caught as much as is necessary to feed the family and feed the dogs, but no more. All Khanty and Mansi families had fishing grounds assigned to them. No one except this family had the right to hunt and fish on their territory.

Not so long ago, about fifteen years ago, many Khanty and Mansi families still kept domestic reindeer, sometimes up to thirty heads. The main reason for the disappearance of deer is the intensive development of oil fields in areas of traditional grazing. Now their hunting grounds are “next in line.” The very basis of life of the Ob Ugrians is under threat. Uncontrolled deforestation is also a huge concern. In the course of searching for possible ways to preserve the national crafts (hunting, fishing and reindeer herding) of the Khanty and Mansi, the author came to the conclusion that preserving traditions in fishing activities is possible only if the traditional way of life and culture as a whole are preserved. As a result of the industrial development of the northern region, there was a decline in traditional forms of activity in the everyday culture of the Khanty and Mansi.

Second paragraph “Culture of relationships between men and women in the traditions of the Khanty and Mansi” reveals the peculiarities of the morals, customs and beliefs of the Khanty and Mansi peoples in their everyday life and in modern conditions. Every culture creates stereotypes that distinguish women and men based on physical, psychological and social qualities.

Distance between floors - characteristic feature almost all cultures, with some exceptions. In the culture of the Khanty and Mansi, women were assigned a subordinate position, limited both legally and cultural norms everyday life. The division of labor between the sexes was constant in the traditions of the Ob Ugrians. In the case when they get married on their own, the Ostyaks are not guided by beauty and age in choosing a spouse; all attention is aimed mainly at health and physical endurance. According to tradition, if the older brother marries successfully, then the younger brother later chooses a girl from the same family.

A woman is evaluated depending on her social role: sister, wife, mother. Based on this, the following qualities of a woman are emphasized: cooking, caring for domestic animals, the ability to do needlework, processing traditionally used animal skins, raising children, and character traits and appearance - last of all. A man is assessed, first of all, by his occupation, skill and ability for commercial activities (hunting, fishing, reindeer herding). Male power and maturity in Ob-Ugric legends is determined by the skills of making a bow or a boat. Every parent is proud of his daughter, who knows how to do everything around the house perfectly, and his son, who skillfully participates in traditional crafts.

There was also a narrower division of responsibilities: the woman owned almost all types of ornaments known to the Ob Ugrians, but the patterns on birch bark were applied by a man, and the birch bark dishes were made by a woman. At the same time, the division of responsibilities was not strictly regulated. Among the women there were great craftsmen and hunters, but a man, if necessary, could prepare food on his own. The man sometimes spent several days hunting, and one can imagine the long rest required to recuperate.

The family structure was and remains patriarchal. The man was considered the head of the family, and the woman was largely subordinate to him, but each of them had their own responsibilities and functions. Interpersonal relationships were regulated according to these criteria, thereby avoiding conflicts whenever possible.

In the culture of many nations there is a concept of sexual modesty. Khantyk and Mansi women, being in male society, can freely breastfeed a child, which causes complete bewilderment among tourists and travelers. The explanation for this custom should be sought in the fact that a man has five souls, and a woman only four. Women's jewelry is worn in accordance with the presence of four souls - amulets on four parts of the body: 1) on the head (as one of the souls) and braids (as an extension of the head) - all kinds of headbands, braids, scarves; 2) on the shoulders (closer to the heart) - beaded collars, metal pendants and other chest decorations; 3) on the stomach - belts; 4) on the feet - ornamented shoes. Jewelry serves as amulets for souls. Men have four souls the same as women, and there is also a fifth one - “soup”. The only male decoration and sign manhood was a richly decorated belt with pendants, tied low. It is with the closure of the soul that the widespread custom of avoidance among the Ugric people is connected. The jewelry of the female body is divided into several parts, while the male body is divided into only two equal parts - upper and lower. The upper and lower halves of the male body correspond to the upper and lower kingdoms. The woman is subordinate to the “lower world”, and evil spirits freely guide her behavior. As a result, the lower part of the female body is considered “unclean”, and the woman is accordingly prescribed all sorts of prohibitions: not to step over, not to step on children’s toys, and even more so - male objects and things, not to go up to the attic, etc. From the data of B. Kalman it is known: “If women accidentally stepped on an object men's clothing or stepped over it, the item must be fumigated before it is used again.” It was believed that fire could cleanse defiled objects.

In the presence of strange men, a woman should behave with restraint and not speak loudly. Men, in turn, were not supposed to look at her directly, and pronounce the speech intended for her as if without any address. Women were protected, and restrictions for them - in food, in communication with spirits, in communication with the dead - were dictated solely as concern for the woman.

The social role of a woman with her functions as a mother and wife was quite high. And after the birth of the child, her status increased even more. In the past, young spouses were not always united by a feeling of love, but the awareness of duty to each other and their children were bonded family ties. Therefore, modern Khanty and Mansi spouses have the following confession: “I love my wife because she is the mother of my children.” Divorces in Ob-Ugric families were very rare, but in these rare cases a woman could be the initiator.