KHARNAU

KHARNAU (to sing a recitative) is a Bashkir folklore genre, spell-formulas (see Spell). It comes from pre-Islamic beliefs. The bakses prayers are uttered during the kamlaniye ritual (see Shamanism). Clear rhythmized text is accompanied by special body movement. It is performed as a chant or as a khamak chant-recitative style accompanied by dungur, kubyz or kyl-kubyz. K. are used to appease the spirits of Nature, finding and eliminating the cause of diseases, etc. The biggest group of K. is K. directed to the Sky powers and other elements. For example, the ancient Turks believed that the first thunder was Tengri passing over the sky on his chariot (see Tengrianism), Bashkirs believed that he rode over the sky on his house Akbuzat. During the ritual of greeting the Sky people imitate the taming of the heaven horse, jangling the bridles, ringing the bells, hitting the ground by a whip and saying K. to attract blessing: “Korayt, the Sky! Korayt, the Sky! / Come from the Urals / May a cow have milk, / And the grass juicy! / Korayt, the Sky! / Come from fields / May a cow have milk, / Korayt, the Sky! /Come from the Urals! / Come from the valleys! / May a cow have milk! / May a mare have milk!”. K. was also used to summon rain: “The rain, come! Come! Come! /May the bread grow faster!” and rainbow: “Come, rainbow! Come! / And bring a safe year!”. Some K. were used at healing rituals: “Come and bask, my Cat! / Korayt, my Cat! Come with streaming water, / Come with a passing wind, /Turn into a white fish and swim back to me!”. K. often contains a request for help directed to the spirits of ancestors (Tyulka, Karmkyt, Korkut-ata and others) and totem animals: “Hey, spirit, hey, spirit, / Come when I ask you! / Find and bring here the cure / For him suffering from disease / I ask by the order of my father / and the soul of old Korkut, / Father Tyulka, bring the cure, / If you do it I am yours!”). The genre is common for many Turkic folklores.

R.A. Sultangareyeva