MORDOVIAN FOLKLORE
MORDOVIAN FOLKLORE in the Republic of Bashkortostan is characterized by a variety of genres. Formation of M.f. was influenced by the Christianization process and long-term living in polyethnic area, mostly among the Bashkirs, Russians, Chuvashes. At the same time, M.f. preserves the elements of pagan concepts which can be found in different genres. Calendar-ceremonial songs about: the universe and customs origins (“What is an ancient custom?”), sacred tree (“Apple tree”, “Think oak”), mythological protectors of living and unliving nature (“Notovava and Komlyava quarreled”) are the most stable. Lyrical songs about the universe and labor, family life, recruiters and soldiers, immigrants play an important role in M.f. Historical songs are widely presented: they are about Y.I. Pugachev, Nogais-conquerors, heroic struggle against foreign invaders (“On the forest fringe”, “Sister and brother in Nogai captivity”). Folklore also include spells for rain, rainbow; vesnyankas. Family-ceremonial songs can be divided into wedding wishes and everyday praising songs. The works for children are very important: lullabies, joke-songs, foster songs, bywords, riddles, tongue-twisters, games, fairytales about animals and everyday life. Round songs, lore, legends, etc. are very common.
A.F. Yurtov was collecting M.f. at the end of the 19 c. He published “Samples of Mordovian ethnic literature. Issue 1. Songs in Erzya and Moksha dialects” book (1882), “Samples of Mordovian ethnic literature. Issue 2. Fairytales and riddles in Erzya dialect of the Mordovian language translated into Russian” (1883; both – Kazan). Materials about M.f. are published in M.Y. Yevseyev’s collections: “Erzyan fairytales”, “Erzyan songs” (1928; both in Mordovian). Institute of ethnography of AS USSR (Moscow) and the research from Mordovia (folklorists N.I. Boyarkin, V.L. Imaykina, A.I. Maskayev, K.T. Samorodov, art historian V.S. Bryzhinskiy) led folklore expeditions to the republic in the 1950’s. The results are generalized in “Mordovian ethnic fairytale” book (1947) by Maskayev, “Mordovian ethnic epic song” (1964), “Mordovian proverbs and riddles” (1959), “Mordovian ethnical poetry” (1980) by Samorodov and “Mordovian ethnic songs from Trans-Volga and Siberia regions” (1982) by I.S. Sibiryak. The samples of M.f. are in the expedition materials of the Institute of ethnography of AS USSR dated in the 1960’s (headed by V.N. Belitser). The results of the expedition were published in “Mordovians. Historical-ethnographic essays” (1921), “Mordovians from the Volga region” (1994), “Mordovians. Historical-cultural essays” (1995). Ethnographer M.V. Murzabulatov was studying the culture of Bashkortostan Mordovians.
A.G. Karpova
