Article

Name: The image of Amyr-Sana in the enclave tradition of Tuvans of China according to modern records

Authors: Zhanna M. Yusha

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract:

In the modern enclave tradition of Chinese Tuvans, a layer of oral stories dedicated to Amyr-San has been revealed. The narratives on this topic are still alive in the memory of young and elderly people, showing the continuity of folklore and the stability of historical memory. The collected materials of recent years indicate that compared to the maternal field, the image of Amyr-Sana among Chinese Tuvans is represented by various variants, showing his folklore image to be rather contradictory. On the one hand, the image of Amyr-Sana in the folklore of Chinese Tuvans embodies faith in freedom and independence. He is regarded as an epic hero, a Tuvinian, a founder of archery competition Tuvans. On the other hand, Amyr-Sana can be negatively characterized as a cowardly person, a khan who was defeated and wanted to become the ruler of the Tuvans. One of the specific features in the plot situation: “Amyr-Sana wants to become the ruler of Tuvans” has been found to be the obligatory presence of a poetic triplet/couplet conveying the essence of the main theme. It has been revealed that the departure and return of Amyr-Sana feature two stable motives expressing the idea of Amyr-Sana’s return to his native lands in a difficult time for the people. The fieldwork allowed us to establish that numerous respondents nowadays believe and wait for the return of Amyr-Sana, a striking indicator of the preservation of historical memory.

Keywords: Tuvans of China, enclave tradition, mother field, Tuvan folklore, Amyr-Sana, oral stories, historical memory

Bibliography:

Dzhumabekova G. S., Bazarbaeva G. A. O simvolike metallicheskikh kotlov v kul’ture kochevnikov [On the simbolics of metal cauldrons in the culture of Nomads]. Samara Journal of Science. 2017, vol. 6, no. 2 (19), pp. 114–116.

Istoriya Tuvy: V 3 t. [History of Tuva in 3 vols.]. S. I. Vaynshteyn, M. Kh. Mannay-ool (Eds.). Novosibirsk, Nauka, 2001, vol. 1, 367 p.

Kuznetsov V. S. Tsinskaya imperiya na rubezhakh Tsentral’noy Azii [The Qing Empire on the borders of Central Asia]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, 1983, 132 p.

Mify, legendy, predaniya tuvintsev [Myths, legends, tales of Tuvans]. N. A. Alekseev, D. S. Kuular, Z. B. Samdan, J. M. Yusha (Comps.). Novosibirsk, Nauka, 2010, 373 p. (Pamyatniki fol’klora narodov Sibiri i Dal’nego Vostoka [Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East]; Vol. 28).

Namkamidog.新疆 图瓦人社会文化田野调查 与研究 [A field survey and study of Tuvinian people and culture in Xinjiang]. Beijing, 2009, 294 p.

Neskazochnaya proza altaytsev [The non-fairy prose of the Altai people].

N. R. Oynotkinova, I. B. Shinzhin, K. V. Yadanova, E. E. Yamaeva (Comps.). Novosibirsk, Nauka, 2011, 576 p. (Pamyatniki fol’klora narodov Sibiri i Dal’nego Vostoka [Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East]; Vol. 30).

Yusha Zh. M. Fol’klor i obryad tuvintsev Kitaya v nachale 21 veka: Struktura. Semantika. Pragmatika [Folklore and ritual of Tuvans at the beginning of the 21st century. Structure. Semantics. Pragmatics]. Novosibirsk, Nauka, 2018, 400 p.

Yusha Zh. M. Tuvintsy Kitaya v 21 veke: vekhi istorii i sovremennoe sostoyanie [Tuvans of China in the 21st century: milestones of history and current state]. The New Research of Tuva. 2017, no. 1, pp. 101–117.

Zhengchun S. 图瓦语 和 图瓦人 的 多语 生活 [Tuva Language and the multi-lingual life of the Tuvinian people in China]. Beijing, 2016, 348 p.

Zlatkin I. Ya. Istoriya Dzhungarskogo khanstva 1635–1758 [History of the Dzungar Khanate 1635–1758]. 2nd ed., Moscow, Nauka, 1983, 330 p.