The Khakas National Culture

The Khakas nation has very rich and honourable history which does to the depth of ancient times when Siberia has been settled by many tribes of different origin, tumuli of men of which have discovered by archaeologists until present days. Khyrghyz people who has been an ancestor of modern Khakas nation and has left him original patterns of ancient writing system of Orkhon-Yenisei Turk Runics script and of unique examples of ancient petroglyths which are widespread throughout the Khakas steppes and mountains.

The Khakas national culture contains the brightest colourite of historical heritage of Kyrgyz people and of previous Persian, Chinese, Mongolian, Scythian, Hun and some Finno-Ugric tribes like the Samoyeds, Samody and Kets. Together with that the Khakas culture bears the parts of a common cultural heritage that is left for us up to thousands of years ago by our ancestors who had lived on Khakas land in previous historical periods like Tazmin, Afanasievo, Andronovo, Karasuk, Tagar (Scythian-Sarmatians of Southern Siberian state of Dingling-go), Tashtyk (Huns) arceological epoches. Thus, culture of our nation carries traces of very vast spectrum of cultural and folkloric background which in present days has been continued by painting and sculpture art, and through the preservation of throat-songing [in Khakasian – `Khai`, and a throat-songing performer – `Khaidji`] tradition which is the national Khakas songing`s style met in general only in Asian people.

In Khakas Republic there is Khakas Republic Philarmony founded in February of 1989. Solists of this philarmony`s subgroup `Ulger` [means `constellation` or `galaxy`] which performes both the traditional Khakasian Khai and modern repertoire have many times toured abroad (Japan, Spain, Holland, Turkey, etc. Western and Eastern European countries and their towns).

In the Khakas Republic there are professional folk musicians named Khaidjis, who make in self-denying form an effort for protecting and propagandizing this ethno-musical tradition that has been transferred to us as national cultural heritage by our ancestors. These throat-singers (Khaidji) have performed Khai – a throat-singing which is a part of the traditional ethno-cultural heritage of Khakas people and a part of cultural wealth of all humanity as well.

Khaidji performs Khai in two styles; by mounting a horse (i.e., Khai – throat-singing under Chatkhan accompaniment), and by sidewalk (i.e., without any musical instrument’s accompaniment). Together with that, first way of Khai performing is more widespread within Khakas community..

I also have to give some marks about traditional Khakas folk musical instruments – Chatkhan, that is being leading instrument among other traditional Khakas national instrumental collection which consist of Chatkhan (this instrument in general has 6, 7 strings, but sometimes number of strings reach up to 12, 14), 2 or 3-stringed Khomys, Timir Khomys, and Pyrghy, Khobrakh, Syylas (these three instruments are like flute by form), Tuur (which is a rhythmic instrument like a drum and also is a shaman`s `horse` for astral and mental travels), Yykh (2-stringed), etc.

Chatkhan is essential musical instrument of Khaidji for performing the Khai by telling heroic epic (Alyptygh Nymakh) which performance may last up to several days and nights. Chatkhan lies in centre of spiritual life of Khakas people. First descriptions about Chatkhan have been made by D.G. Messerschmidt, who in 1721 for the first time discovered the steles of Yenisei Turkic inscriptions (Ancient Kyrgyz inscription steles which in following times has been named as Yenisei and Orkhon [located at the Orkhon River basin in a northern part of Mongolia where had lived the Gok Turks - `Heaven-originated Turks`] inscriptions. Descriptions of recorded details of Chatkhan made by this scholar are very important from point of view on an evolution experienced by a Khakas ethno-musical instrument – Chatkhan [it`s name may in modern sense be interpreted as `Khan of Chat`, because of Chatkhan like a Tuur (a Shaman`s drum) is a mean of communication to ghosts (in Khakas – Khut -tar [hut])].

Together with alyptygh nymakhtar in Khakas folk literatural heritage of national culture there are national melodies [kog -ler], sad and tragic melodies [Mong -lar], tales [Nymakh -tar], stories [Chookh -tar], true epics [Nartpakh -tar], traditional songs [Yr -lar], modern songs [Saryn -nar], short poems which generally have eight lines [Takhpakh -tar], proverbs [Sospek -ter], wise phrases and idioms [Khyigha Sos -ter], poems [Kibelis -ter], puzzles [Taptyrghas -tar], fiction stories [Taima chookh -tar], anecdotes [Khongaldjos -tar], true stories [Syn chokh -tar], prayers [Alghas -tar] during rituals [Taiygh -lar], thanksgivings [Alghys -tar], desires and requests [Suranys -tar] and many other aspects.

Many of Khakas national takhpakhs as well as other national literatural-cultural elments were due to prohibited under repressive Soviet regime. But in spite of then disadvantageous repressive regime they could continue themselves beings by confidential verbal transmission among the bearers of traditional Khakas cultural heritage. Furthermore in our days when around the world there are winds of scientific and technological revolution have blown stronger all ethnical or sub-national groups have a chance and opportunity to research, protect, conserve and even develop their own cultural and ethnical identities against or under negative impacts brought by above mentioned winds of information and technology revolution which accelerate the globalization process through using positive or adventageous means and opportunities created by these winds.

And finally here I would like to present for you a simple of Khakas takhpakh together with its English interpretation made by me:

“Adam chiri allygh chir
Akh ot osken chir polghan
Any saghynzam pozymnyng
Ala kharaamnang chas akhcha

Inem chiri ilbek chir
Irben(*) oscheng chir polghan
Izeptep any saghynzam
Iki kharaamnang chas akhcha . . .”

“My fatherland once was a vast country
On which soil there was the Nature with a rich flora and fauna
And when I think about it
Tears run down from my motley(**) eyes

My motherland once was a great country
On which soil there was grown a holy herb of Irben(*)
And now when I remember it with sorrow
Tears are flowing from my both eyes..."

(*) Irben [Thymus vulgaris] according to Khakas shamanistic belief is a sacral herb used for give off smoke and sanctify during a shamanic ritual the people attended to it. This herb is grown in mountains and mountainous places.
(**) generally green-brown eyes

Timur B. Davletov [25 alai 2001]

The Khakas Language

The Khakas language belongs to Sary-Uighurian subgroup of the Northern-Eastern branch of Turkic dialects that constitute as well as other relative tongues like Mongolian, Korean, Tunguzian, and etc. Altaian group of Ural-Altai linguistic family. Together with that the Khakas language bears in form of borrowed and transformed words a many traces of Finno-Ugric, Persian, Mongolian and even Arabic languages.

The Khakas nation in history has had a high level of culture the obvious evidence of which is ancient Kyrghyz writing system of V-XIII centuries based on Turkic alphabet. This Kyrghyz alphabet and writing system had been widespread among the population of the ancient Kyrghyz Khanate. Information about that may be met and seen on a lot of steles with Kyrghyz inscriptions throughout the Khakas steppes. In spite of many historical handicaps and difficulties this writing system of the ancestors of Khakas nation had kept and continued even in narrow and limited dimensions as far as XVII century when Russians have come from the West to Khakas (Hongoria) land in order to invade and occupy it and even until the beginning of XVIII century when Khakas state of Khongoria has been destroyed and occupied by the alien invaders.

After Mongolian and then Russian assaults in Kyrghyz state there have decreased both a population and level of ancient Kyrghyz culture. Due to (in result of) these negative historic processes as above-mentioned invasion and occupation the ancient Kyrghyz Turkic alphabet and writing have forever disappeared from cultural life of our nation.

A distinctive honorable place within the rehabilitation process of ancient Kyrghyz alphabet in particular and ancient Turkic one in general has belonged to D.G. Messerschmidt, who in 1721 for the first time discovered the steles of Yenisei Turkic inscriptions (Ancient Kyrghyz inscription steles which in following times has been named as Yenisei and Orkhon [located in Orkhon River basin in northern Mongolia] inscriptions, and to W. Thomsen and W. Radloff who in the late of XIX century for the first time could decode and decipher these ancient Turkic inscriptions.

A lot of linguists and ethnographers have hardly and self-denying made researches in and worked on general (common) Turkic language and its dialects and henceforth the Khakas one. Among these scientists there are W. Radloff, W. Thomsen, I. Gasprinsky, N.F. Katanoff, and many others.

Prof. Dr. N.F. Katanoff whom origin was a Khakas Turk (or Abakan Turk, a name under which the Khakas people was well-known then) is the most prominent man in the Khakas national science who thanks to his own talent, extraordinary intelligence and hardly exertions has reached to scientific Olympus peak of Turkology where there are other gigantic stars of this science. A professor of Kazan Imperial University Nikolai Fedorovich Katanov who in Khakas was known as Khyzyl olgy Pora Katan has had a full, honorable and correspondent membership in many Russian and European scientific associations.

His private library consisted of rich collection of approximately 9 thousand books written in 22 language (these languages are Persian, Arabic, German, Russian, Khakas, Turkish, Greek, and many others) is in a building of Turkologic Researches Institute of Istanbul University. This book collection was brought to Istanbul by an Ottoman Sadrazam (a Prime Minister of Turkish state in Ottoman period) Hilmi Pasha from Kazan (Tatarstan) in 1912.

Unfortunately, a fate of this really giant of science was to extremely extent full of hardships and handicaps most of which was derived from his poverty and non-Russian ethnic origin. During Czarist Russian Empire there was widespread such hard to understanding and the most evident simple of nationalities policy on state level tradition transformed into state-backed practice as stamp known as ‘Inorodtsy‘ [‘people of alien race‘]. Men belonged to southern Siberian non-Russian peoples in particular, who has been stamped as Inorodets and forced to bear this shameful Russian label which during Czarist regime has been given to some non-Russian peoples who have generally been looked at as if they (i.e., these men belonged to non-Russian nationalities) have been culturally undeveloped and mentally retarded. In addition to that all scientific works of this noble and proud son of the Khakas nation had not been published since the early years of XX century until the late years of Soviet totalitarian regime and there had untill the 1960‘s been efforts for slandering and dishonor his innocent name.

Khakas-origined ethnographer, turkologist and orientalist of XIXth and XXth centuries, a follower of a well-known scientist W. Radloff, and an explorer of new epoch in Turkology for own followers, a doctor of comparative philology whose scientific heritage has kept actuality till present days, a professor of Kazan Imperial University Nikolai F. Katanoff‘s selected scientific writings and ethnographic, culturologic patterns of Turkic tribles lived in south Siberia was published in Ankara (Turkey) in 2000. This is very important step within a process of rehabilitation of his name and continuation of revitalizing his scientific heritage through publishing and popularizing. A thousand items of this book published by International Organozation of TURKSOY (The Joint Administration of Turkic Culture and Arts) in three language (Khakas, Turkish and Russian) have been sent to the Motherland of this famous man of science Khakas Republic from Turkey where N.F.Katanoff had when he was alive a strong desire to come to.

In the 1920‘s in Khakas Republic there was the Khakas people has been formed more than 80 percent of population of republic, but in the end of 1990‘s there is the Khakas constitute of only 10 percent within total population. Moreover since 1940‘s Khakas language has been excluded from official correspondence and since 1960‘s its instruction function in the basic, secondary and higher school education also has been finished and transformed to ordinary optional lesson of so-named Native language. Thus, our language like in Czarist Russian period has been punished to edge of total disappearance and been deprived of basic right to develop and to be developed.

While during a period between the first years of 1930‘s and the last years of 1940‘s to Khakas language had been used Roman letters. Interesting fact that Ataturk who is a prominent son of Turkish nation and all Turkic world and who is the founder and the first president of Turkish state also has within the same period made revolution in alphabet by changing Arabic script into Roman (Latin) one. In 1939 then leader of Soviet Union Stalin and totalitarian state represented by him forced many of non-Russian peoples to revert to Russian letters based on Cyrillic script.

In our days Khakas alphabet consists of Russian (33 litters) and Khakas (6 litters ) letters; although the latter, i.e. Khakas letters are distinguished from Russian ones Khakas letters as well as Russian ones are based on Cyrillic graphic.

At present time Khakas language has again acquired official status of state language and in present days Khakas language‘s status equals to status of Russian within Khakas Republic. In spite of this positive progress our language has no equal possibilities and advantages (political, demographic, and etc.) as Russian and more vulnerable to handicaps arrived from economical problems.

Khakas language due to reflection of problematic situation observed in a field related to linguistic existence has been added to Red Book of Endangered Languages of Russia prepared abroad. Every Khakas have to contribute something to process of revitalizing of Khakas language because of if our native Khakas language disappear we as Khakas nation would came to finish and become merely a mass or population without own language, i.e. then our people would be totally assimilated.

I believe that every language of 6701 languages existed all around the world and spoken in approximately 227 countries has a right to be spoken and developed, i.e., to be alive.

***And I think that because of all tongues are treasures of cultural diversity our world has really been the Heaven for existence of all cultures and peoples. Of course, on the Earth there has always appeared negative and even dangerous trends directed and conducted against culturally heterogeneous heritage of humankind which is source of cultural wealth. From this point of view I applaud to every movement like your one which is a real milestone toward the understanding of inevitability of hegemony through such principle as ‘E Pluribus Unum’ [‘Unity within diversity’] on the world where we live all together.

Timur B. Davletov [30 kichker 2001]

The Sacred Fundamentals of Khakas Ethnic Culture

Prof. Dr. Larissa Anzhiganova*

In second half of XXth century there is a situation when development of society by consuming natural component of life s environment leads to real danger of self-destruction. Within these conditions only the culture (including ethical one) becomes a factor of the human, society and nature`s self-protection. The non-foreseeable future of humanity and it`s some nations have forced to apply to an experience of the past in which it looks for prescriptions of solution to problem. Furthermore, necessity to find out one`s self in eternity leads to intention to unite the time (past, present and future) in a whole space. In this context anthropologists have marked a growing interest to Shamanism dated many thousands years as the most ancient form of humanity`s adaptation in world.

The feature of world`s present-day shamanism contains a lot of moments.

1. Shamanism has developed as philosophical-religious system (but not exclusively as cultural-ritual practice) which is a completed transcendental world`s view, goal and main sense of which are not only to honor and to protect the life but also to rouse to it.

2. Shamanism has aspired to find out its own niche, to determine the community with world`s religious systems by stressing on particular (e.g., Turk-Mongolian, Siberian Shamanism) and singular (e.g., Khakas, Tuvan, Yakutian, and other) ones.

The first what has tied Shamanism to world`s religious systems is common humanity`s ethical norms. At the same time it`s well-known that some particularities of ritual practice (incense, sprinkling, movement around, and many others) have precisely been “presented as gifts” by Shamanism. The relationship with Buddhism and Zen-Buddhism is provided by theory of reincarnation and meditation. According to Shamanism as well to Daoism the essential basis of world [Earth] is the Law (the way of world, Dao). Confuscianism and Shamanism have similarity in cults of the Heaven [Sky], ancestors, and strong system of society`s construction. Together with that the uniqueness of Shamanism is that there is no other sacred tradition which oriented to the Nature as far as Shamanism.

3. New forms of Shamanism have appeared. Thus famous researcher of world`s Shamanism M. Hoppal has distinguished `the urban Shamanism` which accoring to him has its own specifics in rituals.

In present-day environment there is a question regarding authenticity of shamanic rituals over which should be paid closer attention. Under detailed researching you may discover that every shamanic act and word bear the strict determined sense. But at the other hand modern audience who has been snapped away from traditional world`s view and life style, often don`t understand and percept many things. For a modern man who has education and training based on European rasionalism it`s very difficult to percept many things through belief [i.e., beyond rationality]. In this context the factor which complicates this process is fact that each shaman in spite of common basis of world`s view, was and is having his own individual specifics as a sphere of acting, selection of allies, power, song, destiny, and so on. At the other side the most important condition of shaman`s ritual action`s effectiveness is the confidence of audience toward the shaman`s power. Modern man is radically different from traditional one and the ability of shaman to convince a patient in his own power is depended to shaman`s ability to be psychologist when there is necessity to use the scientifical terminology.

In shamanic tradition dated many thousands years there is the idea about `places of power` which may be unimportant as well as important in the world`s scale. And the fates of world`s existence are indexed to state of these territories. The ancient Khakas land is belonged to such sacred regions.

In modern-day Khakasia`s territory Shamanism has been appeared in ancient times. Shamanic (trisylabbic) model of world has in most developed form been presented even on petroglyths of Okuneff archaeological culture (IIIrd millennium B.C.) which puts forward a necessity of appearence a special type of humans known as shamans who are able to travel (in different state of consciousness) to all three worlds where gosts and ghosts have resided.

The complex history of Khakas nation has showed and proved not only the amazed ability of Shamanism to live and to survive but also its assimilationist effect over Buddhism, Maniheism and Christianity which have once been tried to spread. Khakas ethnographer K.M. Patahcakov has presented following figures: “in 1924-1925 in 26 aals [villages] of Khakas County there were 71 shamans, 54 of whom were males, 17 were females; 39 shamans had shaman drums and clothes; a number of genuine shamans who have been descendants of shaman by blood was 15 ...”

Since 20 century there has been marked a need of Khakas nation to reconstruct of sacred (religious) fundamentals of its own ethical culture and:

- to reconstruct of a whole world`s view and cultic side of Shamanism, a traditional religion of the Khakas;

- to worship and respect toward ancient sacred places which are more than 300 throughout the present-day Khakas land (according to Khakas scientist and ethnographer Prof. Dr. Victor Butanaev);

- to use Shamanism as a mean to invigorate physical and psychological health of Khakas ethnos;

- to assist to young shamans in learning and shamanic acceptance;

- to percept Shamanism from position of world`s religious, philosophical and scientific experiences.

With this goal the Assosiation of Khakas Traditional Religion of Shamanism was been registered by Justice Ministry of Khakas Republic on July 29, 1994.

Socilogical research of opinion of the Khakas implemented in 1996 (by the author) was showed that 26% of interviewed peoples have introduced themselves as Shamanists and together with that a lion`s proportion of respondents (in some cases up to 70-80%) in their answers to questions regarding world`s view (about the Goodness [Good] and Badness [Evil], world`s destinies, life and death, sin and punishment, and so on) may be classified as shamanistic ones.

The incorporated analysis of specifics of existence of modern Khakases` shamanic world`s view give us an opportunity to distinguish three essential tendencies:

1) the group of shamanists who believe in existence of sacred reality and who compare and determine their own world`s view and activity with powers of other worlds; in this group there stratum of traditional Shamanism will dominate in inevitable form; this would play an positive role in respect to realization by Khakas ethnos his strategy of revival, but not of development; and the extremal attitude in this situation would be orthodox conservatism;

2) the modernizational tendency which followers believe surely that an object of shamanic activity is the human consciousness which is the only sacrable reality; and in this context Shamanism has common points of contact with science and psycho-therapeutical practice; in en extremal form under such approach Shamanism would be threaten by possibility to melt among psychology and to lose its world`s view specifics;

3) and finally, as the most complicated but at the same time the most productive tendency we may accept the attempt to combine these above-mentioned two groups which contains the right to existence of sacred reality, polydimensionality, comlication of Universe, and life`s forms in it, its reasonal dependence, synchronizedness of existence [being], reflexible interaction with depths of human consiousness; such type of view point allows to combine harmonicly modernity and traditionality, to find out contactness of scienc and religion as two forms of perception of world and human being.

All these searchings which sometimes have reached the level of intensive and tensive discussions related to world`s view are paricular for the Association of Traditional Khakas Religion.

There we would like to emphasize on the fundamentals of Khakas Shamanism as the world`s view of communality in which all the most important problems of people have estimated from positions of interaction between the Nature and the Human. Philosophical analysis of traditional world`s view of people allows us to distinguish the following basic ideas which have been the nucleus of ethnical culture since very ancient times:

1. World is united and alive and within it all is tied with everything, and all is interdependent.

2. The absolute and eternal Life is the highest value, and human in this there is not a `trembled creature [or animal]`, and human has synchronously appeared with world and so human has beared individual responsibility for welfare [well being] of the Universe, Nature, society, tribe, family, own eternal life here, in this `sunny world`.

3. The World is in permanent movement and development, and it has the natural rhythmics at every moment of its existence (alteration [circulation] of year`s seasons, states of society as harmony and chaos).

4. The Universe has been directed by objective, eternal law of justice so a human can not escape from punishment caused by non-clearness of thought, feeling, and behaviour no by compensative sacrifice (furthermore if it is not his own acts) nor in case of indulgence.

5. The most important values of traditional world`s view of the Khakas are children, family, society, tribe, ethnos, and motherland.

6. The traditional world`s view gives the birth to positive perception (because of life and death are eternal and inevitable stages within the process of transformation) which in an inescapable form encourages the positive activity oriented on creativity.

7. The human of traditional society has an evident integrity (e.g., unity of body, consciousness, and soul).

8. Occurences of existencial vacuum in traditional society are unusual and that state is caused by strong social orderliness together with psycho-therapeutical activity of shamans.

9. The people`s pedagogy is a sense constructive or creativable factor and forms human`s sense of self-sufficiency, individual and ethnical pride.

Someone who knows the philosophical and scientific searchings of XX century may seize the amazed modernity of these ideas.

The traditional world`s picture of Khakas Shamanism is as follow.

The Upper World (Khan-Tigir) is a source of all existed things, and a place of the divine Light, together with that it determines the fates of world and all indivuals separately. Therefore the Khakas Shamanism has often been called as Tengrianism. The strongest shamans (who are `accepted` and `approved` and who have more 9 shamanic drums) have gotten upper to the Heaven [Sky] in order to be defenders [protectors] of human.

The Middle World is belonged to human where human realizes himself feeling happiness and existence`s satisfaction. The most important sense creativable goal of an every Khakas was not to violate the completeness and harmony this world, and individual responsibility for continuation of Life in its all forms. The Khakases have in evident form possessed the cult of ancestors who represent the power of tribal protectors and defenders (historical heoes, great shamans). The ancestors are eternal, strict and judicious. The main condition of life and power of ancestors is protection and development of ethnos with all of its attributes (like native land, ethnical culture, particularly language, and tribal relations as preconditions of integrity of people and its genetic health and so on).

The clearness of thought, sense and act are the basis of long and welfared life; violation of these requirements (according to common law of justice) inevitably leads to punishment during of which the most horrible penalty was punishment in form to absent children [or childlessness], to put end on tribe`s continuity.

In result of careless contacts with powers of the Lower World and due to violation prohibitions and norms of morality human may be seriously suffered. And in this situation a defender is shaman who attend to deathly-dangerous struggle for life and soul of human.

The most widespread methods of treatment were consist of programming and self-programming of patient on a mode of recovery, rhythmo-therapy (by use sounds of shaman`s drums, other musical instruments, individual songs of shaman, movements of dance and so on), aroma-therapy (Irben [Thymus Vulgaris], Artysh [], and other plants),vegetable treatment, manual therapy, psycho-correction, hypno-therapy, visualization, placebo-therapy, and others.

Inter alia, in Shamanism as well as in other religious systems there we may distinguish internal (esoteric) and external (for people) sides. Regarding the latter there has been told above. What about the former there we may emphasize the following. During thousands years from teacher to pupil there have been transferred the philosophical basis and ritual practice of Shamanism. This has been caused by that the at high extent complicated shamanic reality (due to its own eternal [endless] polyplannedness [polyorderliness]) has not been suitable to rational perception and verbal explanation. The knowledge has been hidden because of shaman`s trips were always dangerous and non-foreseeable; together with that they have requested strong spiritual power, physical health and moral clearness.

The analysis of Russia`s and world`s scientific thought and my own researching of this event [occurrence] within its historical and present-day`s contexts allow us to do some prognoses related to perspectives of development of Shamanism.

1. Shamanism attracts evident interest in the world (both traditional and industrialized) not only by scientists of different specializations (anthropologists, psychologists, philosophers, physicians, physiologists, psychologs of different schools, linguists, musicologs and others) but also by wide audiency of public.

The global ecological crisis has been tied by some scientists and practicians, inter alia, to loss of biophylic consciousness of humanity who once dominated in shamanic world`s perception.

Ethnically reviving nations are seeking for the deepest factors of ethnical identification including religious ones. Part of these factors peoples find out in Shamanism.

2. Shamans (as well as servants of other religious systems) were psychotherapists till XX century, and among many peoples they still perform this function. Modern researchers of Tuvan Shamanism S.I. Vainstein and N.P.Moskalenko have marked that “a positive effect [result] is gained not only in case of patients with psychical illnesses, and neural indispositions, but also in case of some sicknesses caused by other factors <..> 49 men from 57 interviewed former patients of shamans have in result of kamlama [shamanic style of worship] recovered and their condition has gotten better”.

3. Shamans have gotten their gift [talent of capability], as a rule, by hereditary from ancestors, and it means that shamans were in the past, shamans are alive today, and they will be in the future. There were attempts to conduct struggle agaisn them (by use fires of Inquisition [in the Middle Ages Europe], camps of GULAG [in former USSR]) but they have not successed. And now there have been born young shamans who have strong shamanic lineages. In addition to that, we also have to remember, that there are shamans who have become shaman in result of serious illnesses, traumas, clynical deaths, and others. And finally, men have become shamans through training in many centers like the Foundation for Shamanic Studies of M.Harner (California, USA) where thousands of men have been trained and dealed. President of this Foundation Ph.D. Michael Harner thinks that 9 from 10 men are capable to take shamanic journeys during of which they may `to turn on` their own “internal doctor`s” function.

In recent years we have witnessed to new event in Shamanism like an intention of shamans to unite under associations of national, regional and even global levels. Themselves of shamans have predicted that “we have to expect a rebellion of ghosts resided in various places of the Earth”. And shamans of quite different peoples and continents have often emphasized that thanks to their activity related to preservation of the Universe`s balance, humanity is still protected from total death caused by technogenic catastrophes, global wars and existencial vacuum.

(*) L. Anzhiganova is a Professor at Culturology Department of the Khakas State University named after Nikolai F. Katanov

Translated by Timur B. Davletov [03 qurgen 2003]

The Khakas Traditional Pogho

This is one of the most important parts of the Khakas traditional women's attire named 'Pogho'. It has been inherited by my mother Valentina Mamyshewa from my grandma Anastassia in order to leave for my sister Aselia. About Pogho’s appearance there are a lot of hypotheses but according to the most realistic one the genesis of Khakas traditional Pogho was based on such view that this object has at starting point been used as an armour plate protected a chest area of body by female warriors.

A crescent form of Pogho is a cause which more hardens this hypothesis. Another supportive pretext for that lies in the Khakas shamanism ‘Kham Kirtinizi’. According to Kham Kirtinizi first kam (in similar form to Japanese Shin-to ‘Kami Way’) was a woman because a woman was a guardian of sacred fire and a continuator of family lineage. A Khakas woman has occupied an important place and that feature has found itself reflection in a lot of heroic poems and epics of Khakas folkloric verbal literature where national heroes protected own people against external enemies have mostly been women.

The Khakas Pogho is a specific chronological tale of life way of a Khakas family’s lineage since ancestors as far as to eternity. By reading the ornamental forms and their compositions we can find out information on a character of our ancestors’ life. Thus, thanks to Pogho there are maintained a bridge of continuity between generations of the Khakas people.

Timur B. Davletov [06 alai 2001]

The Khongorai Kyrgyz [Khakas] Nation`s Struggle in the Name of National Independence Against Russian Invaders in 17th and 18th Centuries

In spite of such once time generally accepted so-named concept emphiseizes the annexation based on voluntary demand and free-will of indigenous nations lived throughout the Siberian territories to Russian state, in recent time, especially after Soviet Unoin’s collapse, points of view that attempt examining the homogeneity of colonization process and history of non-Russian territories and reconstructing the true history about fights some aboriginal populations against Russian invasion have spreadly recognised in Russian society and science.

In Soviet period, the history of Khakas nation’s straggle for its independence have been interpreted in favor of then existed official ideological frames and through filters of traditiona Soviet-style interclass antagonism’s approach too, and the fact of Khakas fight against invaders in the name of protection of liberty have also been totally terminated. According to that interpretations, Khakas people on the ground of free-will have itself selected and prefered to be swallowed by invaders. In the name of this pure fabricatoin false history, in Khakas Republic during last two decades have been made many attempts to erect a monument aim of which would be glorification of so-named ‘free-will’ annexation of Khakas state and nation (Khyrghyz Cher-Khan paza Khyrghyz chony) into ‘big brother’s propriety’. It’s very interisting that this fact of so-named voluntary joining to Russian state have been interpreted by everyone as only chance of Khakassian national survival. But at the same time, everyone also know that number of population of Tuvans, who have according to Kiakhtin Agreement of 1727 between Chine and Russian Empire been stayed out of the latter’s territory and anexed to former’s one, far more than populations of Khakas and Altai peoples. Futhermore, at present time in our neighbor country of Tyva there are Tuvans constitute over 70 % of total population while Khakases are lower than 11% within total population of Khakas Republic, the titular nation of which are Khakases themselves.

Fortunately, after total collapse of Soviet totalitarian regime in former USSR there are have really blown ‘winds of changes’ and many of old-aged stereotypes have been broken. And thank to this positive shifts in political shield in Russian Federation have stareted new approaches through re-thinking to old trues previously accepted as dogmatic ones. As one result of these changes, at now-a-days, even in Khakas Republic’s establishment there are have at last been accepted fact of the Khakas nation’s struggle in the name of protection of state and national independence of its Motherland (Chir-Suu) against Russian invaders lasted to about one hundred and fifty years.

Khakassian nation must always remember and revere the memory of fallen national heroes of once honor times of our history and glorify their exploits made in the name of protection of the national independence of Khakas (Khyrghyz and Khoorai) state. They, i.e., national heroes of Khakas nation have been abided by wise words like Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ... Remembering and revering the memory of our glorious ancestors is sensus communis of natural task and duty of grateful and thankful descendant generations and progenies of the Khakas nation before our national heroes who constituents the national memory of peoples themselves.

Timur B. Davletov [30 kichker 2001]

The Khakas Symbolism and Shamanism (Kham Kirtinizi)

The Khakas coat of arms consists of snow leopard [Khar Bars in Khakas] which is cult animal of Khakas Turks since the oldest times of history. Above it is golden symbol of Sun [Symbol of Sun has occupied one of the most important place in the spiritual life of the Khakassian people] or by other world Solarius [Qun Tangmazy] with four triangular corners outside which according to Khakassian traditional belief [Shamanism – Kham Kirtinizi] are several meanings.

By the way I have to say that you can see and find Solarius symbol on stones in forms of petroglyths belonged approximately to III-II millenniums B.C. [Okuneff Culture that is one of periods of southern Siberian archaeological culture]. These stones erected by our ancient ancestors are very similar to famous Stonehenge of Britain. Stones and steles’ name in Khakas are Khaia or Obaa, and they are widespread throughout the territory of Khakas Republic.

When you look with care at this Solarius symbol you may see that Qun Tangmazy is consisted of a quadrat and ring involved to each other (i.e., this is an external form of Solarius). This combination symbolizes man’s and woman’s beginnings.

For example that four sharp corners symbolize four side of our earth, i.e., East, South, West, and North [Isker, Indir, Kider, paza Choghar - respectively]. At the same time, these corners are four natural seasons as spring, summer, autumn, and winter [Chaskhy, Chaighy, Qusqu, paza Khyskhy]. When we see to them through frames of a day, they are morning, daytime, evening, and night [Irten, Qundiz, Eer, paza Kharaa]. From ecologic point of view, these four corner represent four basic elements on earth as: air, water, land, and fire [Kee, Sugh, Chir, paza Ot]. Four corners also are four basic stages of man’s life process as: birth, grow, age, and death [Tores, Ozis, Kiris, paza Olis]. There I have to mark that according to Kham Kirtinizi, Töres and Ölis are very close to each other in form a ring and due to that man’s being process is perpetual, i.e., it has neither beginning nor end. There also such meanings as fear, clearness, power, and old age [Khorghys, Aias, Qus, paza Kires ], that stay before or at beginning of way of knowledge. Once more meaning of these four corners symbolizes an individual, a family, a society, a state [Kizi, Sübre, Chonnas, paza Il]. And finally four [Tört] in Khakas language means “to give birth, to produce, to begin a new life, to bring into existence, to create, to derive, etc.”.

There are two flags in Khakas Republic. I would like to write for you some links about our unofficial, i.e., national flag of Khakas people who is a minority in own motherland where it is an indigenious population. Our national flag has green colour which symbolized greenness of the nature and of life of humanity and represented the openness to development and improvement toward the future within harmony with environment. Green colour also represents the world tree [Pai Khazyng] of Shamanism. In centre of our national flag there also is Qun Tangmazy, three golden rings of which is three levels of our world: the Upper [Positive and white gods and ghosts], Middle [humankind], and Lower [Negative and black gods and ghosts] worlds. But due to Positive and Negative is very relative and uncertain concepts with undefinite and hard for prognosis borders in Kham Kirtinizi, the good has a possibility to be and contain the bad and evil; and the bad is available for using in positive aims and affairs.

This situation may be seen in the most obvious form in the world tree philosophy. This tree is conditionally divided to three parts which are three stratum of the world. Leaves togetherwith branches of tree are Upper world that present positiveness and woman beginning; Middle world where live peoples is body of tree. Lower world is negativeness and the Lower world and represents man’s beginning. And due to fact that a humen live on Earth, i.e., in the Middle World [Orta Tilekei] they are under impact of both the Negative and Active and masculine forces from the Lower World [Alt Tilekei] and the Positive and Passive and feminine forces from the Upper World [Ust Tilekei].

Thus, according to Khakas Kham Kirtinizi philosophy humen lived on Earth may contain both the man and women beginnings at the same time and exclusiveness of function to give birth to a new object is not limited to women or other feminine representatives of the Nature because in Khakas shamanic tricosmogonic view of univers and existence both the Upper and Lower worlds may be source of new life and vital energies. I.e., leaves appears on branches of tree and in autumn when they fall down on to ground these leaves in next season give birth to new shoots of future trees who in sequence again give birth to new leaves or new lives as well.

Furthermore if our Earth is a place where humankind live and where powers of both the Upper World [Ust Tilekei]’ positiveness and the Lower World [Alt Tilekei]’s negativeness act, interact and meet each other then the main essence or the essential character of located in the Middle World the Universe’s nature should be synthesis of dialectical interrelatoin between the Upper and Lower, White and Black, Possitive and Negative, Passive and Active, Good and Bad, Day and Night, Light and Darkness, Forwards and Backwards, Upwards and Downwards, Increase and Decrease, Progress and Regress, North and South, East and West, Cold and Hot, Hardness and Softness, Happiness and Sadness, Slowness and Fastness, the Future and Past, Birth and Death, Giving and Taking, Richness and Poverty, Cleverness and Idiocy, Presence and Absence, Existence and Nonexistence, Intuition and Intellegence, New and Old, Spring and Autumn, Summer and Winter, Youth and Old age, Harvest or Yield and Crop or Culture, Ideality and Reality, Fire and Water, Air and Vacuum, Stagnation and Vivacity, Plus and Minus, Openness and Closeness, Revisionism and Conservatism, Left and Right, Health and Sickness, Height and Depth, Existentialism and Nihilism, Individualism and Communism, Lie and Truth, Wrong and Right, Idealism and Materialism, and many other to certain extent `relatively` opposite dualities . From this point of view a human is a living creature which internal world is based on above presented dialectical synthesis and universal relativity.

Together with that because of fact that without water from black soil the life of white and positive Upper world’s existence is impossible [and development by giving life to new generations through leaves growing (in human case Upperness and positiveness symbolize the woman’s beginning, and leaves of the tree of world are new generations in sense of continuation of humankind) is impossible too] and vice versa, positiveness and negativeness may execute and carry out the functions opposited to their adjectives.

One obvious simple of such character is that of inter-crossing of so concepts as left and right sides of human body, i.e. while the control over left arm and leg belongs to right half part of human brain functions of right leg and arm are being conducted by the left half part of man’s brain. Therefore there mostly no any possibility to say with 100% of certainty and reliance what is good and what is bad.

Other feature of Khakas traditional view of world and existence is integrity and completeness of human existence and univers so a Khakas man is aware of himself mission and importance before preceding generations, i.e. ancestors and following ones, i.e. descenants in the name of continuous and undivaded cycle of eternal life.

I would like to introduce to you our ancient Runic [Turkic] writing alphabet dated by first centures A.D., and found and existed on stones throghout the Khakas steppe, but because of I have no scanner utility I could not show them for you.

Also I would like to mark that at a present-day Shamanism expirienced an intensive revival process in Khakas land and among Khakas people thanks to that fortunate development in Khakas spiritual life a Khakas man has again begun to obtain their traditionalism which has during many thousands years been usual style of living and existence for their ancestors.

Although Khakas people as far as other nations lived in Russia has been pressurized by economic and social scantiness and problems through this re-integration of inter-generational continuity between Khakas ancestors and descendants among Khakas nation there has spreaded and strengthened a feel of sustainability of life.

Timur B. Davletov [04 ulger 2001]