Article

Name: Yakut shamanic rite Ytyk dabatyy by S. A. Zverev in audiorecording of 1969: text, interpretation, semantics

Authors: V. S. Nikiforova 1, E. N. Romanova

Arctic State Institute of Culture and Arts, Yakutsk, Russian Federation; Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, SB RAS, Yakutsk, Russian Federation

In the section Обрядовый фольклор

Abstract:

Sergei Zverev, known as Kyyl Uola (1900–1973), was a famous Yakut singer of the olonkho epic, fairy tales and performer of shamanic rituals. As a child he participated in the rituals of his relative, a mighty shaman named Lappaakhi. In 1969 the ethnomusicologist Eduard Alexeev recorded from S. Zverev the shamanic ritual Ytyk dabatyy ‘Ascension of the sacred horse’ in studio at Moscow. This recording is contained on a vinyl record by Melodiya (1971, D 030639-40). This article, written by an ethnomusicologist and ethnographer, is devoted to a complex analysis of this audio recording. The methodological basis of the article is the concept of the sounding landscape and semiotic analysis. The authors reconstruct the multi-layered musical part of the shamanic ritual on the basis of ethnographic, folklore and mythological materials, including archival sources, and also uncover the sacred biography of the singer. One of the important conclusions of the article is the allocation in the Yakut ritual culture of a special, characteristic only for the Vilyui region, tradition of shamanic rites addressed to heavenly deities with negative valence. In addition, the work describes the form-generating role of melodic-rhythmic and timbre structure in a musical performance. It creates space and draws the plot outline of the shaman's “journey” to the upper world and his return back. The musical narrative of the rite has seven sections, differing in melodic, rhythmic and timbre composition. The text is supported by musical transcriptions made by one of the authors of the article.

Keywords: Yakuts, shamanic rite, Vilui tradition, sounding landscape, intonation, musical narrative, creative personality

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