Oirat Oral Tradition about the Origin of the Russians
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| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The oral tradition of ethnic subgroups in Mongolia reflects not only the internal historical experience but also past and present attitudes of the community towards neighbouring ethnic groups and nations. This paper will follow oral narratives recorded from the currently preserved oral tradition of Altai Uriankhai and Zakhchin of Mongolia referring to the Russians (oros; note that in the oral tradition, the term oros belongs to general exonyms exceeding the current understanding of an ethnic group, nation or citizenship). The oral history provides several versions of the myth on the origin of the Russians created “by the magical abilities of a skilled lama”, reflecting the local understanding of the historical role and predestination of the Russians. The oral tradition explains why the Russians have a different religion from the Mongols and how 17laye related to the Buddhist civilizational sphere. Both Altai Uriankhai and Zakhchin belonged to Oirat groups which had rather limited direct contact with the Russian environment (unlike many other Oirat groups with a considerable historical experience of contacts with the Russians). This historical contact will be illustrated by the information from the local oral history. The narratives of the Oirat oral tradition influenced the current herder thinker, N. Bökhsuur (Üyench, Khovd; author of the book „The Truth of This World“ Ene delkhiin ünen, 2017), who, in his elaborate interpretation of the origin of the world and the origin of nations, also offers his own variant of the myth on the origin of the Russians. Bökhsuur‘s narrative indicates the vitality of the oral tradition and its ability to incorporate and transform new information. |
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