Article

Name: The performance ritual of the Shor kaichi

Authors: Lyubov N. Arbachakova

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

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract: This paper explores the specific features and functions of ritual actions and performative remarks made by Shor storytellers (kaichi) from various storytelling schools during the performance of heroic epics. A comprehensive analysis is conducted on the exemplary performances delivered by practitioners of the two dominant Shor traditions: the Kondom school, exemplified by V. I. Tokmashov and S. S. Torbokov, and the Mrass school, represented by A. P. Napazakov, V. E. Tannagashev, A. V. Ryzhin, and D. K. Turushpanov. Two primary types of metacommunicative remarks are identified” (1) the performance is initiated with invocations directed towards to the musical instrument and the audience prior to the performance itself, marking the storyteller’s “entry” into the epic world; and (2) the performance is followed by remarks signaling the storyteller’s return from the epic world to the reality of the audience, including concluding addresses. The internal functions of the storyteller while dwelling within the epic world are addressed by the author in a separate study. As the central figure of the narrative act, the kaichi assumes a dual responsibility, both at the beginning and the end of the performance, for the ritual accuracy of the transmission. This accountability is held before the epic hero, the spirits of the kai (kai eezi), and the physical audience. The findings indicate that only through this ritual-magical framework can the storyteller safely cross into the “otherworld” to follow the path of the protagonist, thereby maintaining the ontological balance between the two realms.

Keywords: storytelling schools, heroic tales, kaichi, performance, epic world, listeners

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