Обычаи алтайцев, связанные со статусом пуповинной матери (вторая половина ХХ — начало XXI в.)

Айару Михайловна Учайкина

doi:10.25178/nit.2026.3.8

Authors

Aiaru M. Uchaikina S. S. Surazakov Research Institute of Altaistics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.3.8

Keywords:

Altaians, childbirth rituals, kin-ene, kindik-ene, umbilical mother, childhood culture

Abstract

The article examines the customs of the Altaians associated with the status of kin-ene, i.e., the umbilical mother—the woman who assisted in childbirth and was the first to “receive” the child into this world. The materials were collected by the author in Southern and Central Altai in 2024–2025 and are preserved in the scientific archive of the S. S. Surazakov Research Institute of Altaistics in Gorno-Altaisk (Altai Republic, Russia). The chronological framework of the study covers the second half of the 20th to the early 21st century.

Customs related to kin-ene are virtually absent in the works of pre-revolutionary scholars, although they were later described by ethnographers during the Soviet period. Based on a comparative analysis of ethnographic materials from the Soviet era and contemporary field research, the author demonstrates the preservation of elements of the custom associated with the status of kin-ene.

At present, a woman who is a close relative or a friend of the child’s mother is appointed as kin-ene. Alongside the study of kin-ene, the emergence of the umbilical father (kin-ada) is considered; this role has come to be automatically assumed by the husband of the kin-ene. Cases of the initial designation of a kin-ada have also been recorded; in such instances, his spouse subsequently became the kin-ene.

Ethno-territorial differences in customs related to kin-ene have been identified, as well as their local persistence in the Kosh-Agach District of the Altai Republic. The role of the umbilical mother in the upbringing of the child and in shaping their life trajectory is revealed, as she, alongside the parents, bears responsibility for the formation of the child’s social and cultural values. It is emphasized that the relationship between the umbilical mother (kin-ene) and her child (kin-bala) contributes to strengthening interpersonal ties, enhancing mutual assistance and support in Altaian society.

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