Ethnology 

Adaev V.N., Masharipova А.Kh.

Ethnography of the Selkups: on the ethnic identity of the Tym Ostyaks on the Vakh River in the 18th–20th centuries

The article, based on the analysis of published sources and archival documents, details the chronology and circumstances of the complete loss of ethnic identity by the Vakh Selkups, determines its main markers and supporting factors. The popular point of view, that representatives of the Tymsk foreign volost on the Vakh River were mainly Khanty people already since the 17th or 18th century, is disputed. Three historical stages of the group's existence are considered one by one, for each of which the key events determining the fate of the ethnic community are established, and information confirming the preservation of various parameters of its identity is revealed. It has been found that the long-term preservation of the identity of the Vakh Selkups (until the 1930s) was largely based on their belonging to a separate volost, their isolated residence, maintaining contacts with neighboring Selkups, stable numbers and a consolidated state of the group, significant specifics of their economic complex, preservation of historical memory and the high social status of representatives of their elite.

Keywords: ethnography of Western Siberia, ethnicity, Northern Selkups, Tymskaya volost, Vakh Khanty, Tamgas.

Rud’ A.A.

Shamanism with a drum among the Khanty of the Surgut Ob River region in the beginning of the 21st century

The area of this research is confined to the Surgut Ob River region and includes the western and central areas of residence of the Eastern Khanty. The purpose of this work is to summarize and analyse information about the current state of shamanism with a tambourine among the Surgut Khanty. The main sources for the study were the author's field materials collected in 2002–2017 in the regions along the rivers of Lyamin, Pim, Tromyegan, Agan, Bolshoy and Maly Yugan. The uniqueness of the situation among the Surgut Khanty lies in the fact that the traditional rituals, which received a second wind in the 1990s in the wake of the actualization of ethnicity, in fact, were not interrupted. Among the traditional rites of the region, shamanism with a tambourine is one of the little-studied aspects
of their spiritual culture. The article characterizes the current state of shamanic rituals with a tambourine, indicates the area of distribution of these practices, considers examples of making a tambourine and the formation of a shamanic gift, makes a description of the formal side and indicates the presently recorded occasions for the ritual. The differences between shamanism with a tambourine among the Khanty of the right bank and the left bank of the Ob River are revealed, and some aspects of shamanism are compared with those of the neighbouring ethnic groups.

Keywords: Surgut Khanty, traditional beliefs, shamanism, shamanic ritual with a drum.

Tataurov S.F., Tikhonov S.S., Milishchenko O.A.

Prehistory of the Omsk fortress based on archaeological, numismatic, written, and cartographic materials

The authors examine a complex of materials of various origins that highlight the process of development of the Om River mouth by Russians in the 17th century. We believe that this place, located approximately halfway between the Tara Fortress and Yamyshevskoye Lake, was convenient for resting caravans heading for salt and returning from salt mining. Russian fishermen also were not leaving aside the Om River mouth, as reported in written sources. Perhaps, there was a trade with nomads living along the Om and Irtysh Rivers, which is evidenced by the 17th century coins, struck at Russian and Polish-Lithuanian mints. From the dates of issue of the coins, there were two periods of active penetration of Russians into the area. The first episode occurred at the time of the dispatch of the first caravan for salt in 1601, until 1628, when the “Tara Troubles” occurred. This resulted in a situation where the intentions of the Tara governors to found a city at the mouth of Om turned futile. The second period of deve-lopment of the Om mouth by the Russians began in the middle of 17th century and ended with the construction of the First Omsk Fortress by I.D. Bukholz in 1716.

Keywords: development of Siberia, formation of the Russian world, Yamyshevskoye Lake, salt production, comprehensive source studies.

Golikova S.V.

People's perception of toxic substances (based on data on arsenic poisoning in the Urals in the 19th — early 20th century)

The article examines the criminal practices of people handling toxic substances based on data on arsenic poisoning from investigation materials and publications on forensic medicine of the 19th — early 20th century. Residents of the Urals treated arsenic as a poison/potion (“zel'e”). This ambivalent perception did not prevent people from having a significant amount of objective knowledge in toxicology. Persons with medical education passed on this knowledge, skills and abilities to the people. The contingent of such persons during the 19th century increased in the Urals: doctors, physicians (“lekar's”), pharmacists, paramedics, and most often apprentice physicians (“lekarskie ucheniki”) appeared in court cases. The most common route of arsenic entering the body was oral (through the mouth). Women added poison to food and drink and poisoned their husbands. Knowledge about the way poison enters a woman’s body through the genitals was classified as “secret”. This method was used by men against women. It was identified by forensic experts extremely rarely and considered as doubtful. The criminals also varied the dose of arsenic (toxic — fatal), the state of aggregation of the poison (solid — liquid), and the degree of dissolution of this hardly soluble substance. These parameters changed the speed and intensity of poisoning (acute — chronic). Their different combinations changed the symptoms of poisoning: signs of damage to either the gastrointestinal tract or the nervous system were observed. The variety of symptoms of poisoning made it difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis, allowed disguising the crime as different diseases, prevented the victim from receiving proper medical care, and helped the criminal evade responsibility for the poisoning.

Keywords: folk medicine, “knowledgeable”, toxicology, arsenic, Yekaterinburg district court.

Suleymanov A.A.

The use of ice in economic and sociocultural practices of the population of Yakutia: traditions and modernity

The historical evolution of practices associated with the use of ice by the population of Yakutia in the period from mid-19th century until the present is being examined. The application of principles laid down in cryosophy and cryoanthropology, suggesting an increased interest in the “cold matters” of the Earth and in traditions of using their resource potential by indigenous peoples of the northern territories, became the methodological ground for the development of the topic. The research is based on the involvement of a complex of source materials, primarily including individual topics presented in ethnographic works, documents from archives of Irkutsk, Moscow, Olekminsk, Saint-Petersburg and Yakutsk, museum exhibits, and also the author’s field materials collected in 2017–2023 in various administrative regions (uluses) of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and in the city of Yakutsk. The carried-out work made it possible to demonstrate the practices of ice exploitation as an important adaptation mechanism for the population of the region. In this regard, it has been noted that ice played a significant role in satisfying a range of sanitary and hygienic needs; it acted as a construction and thermal insulation material, and was an essential component of economic practices, widely used in fishing, agriculture, logging and livestock rearing. It has been established that the ways of using ice have evolved significantly towards the present. In general, a decrease in the variety of applications and the importance of ice for the population of Yakutia has been revealed. At the same time, it has been concluded that ice remains critically important for providing the rural population of Yakutia with drinking water. At the same time, an increase in the leisure potential of ice exploitation has been observed; in combination with other cryogenic processes and phenomena, its position as one of the brands of the region is strengthening.

Keywords: Yakutia, Arctic indigenous peoples, cryoanthropology, cryogenic resources, ice, economic activity, sociocultural practices.