Perceptions of ‘cher’ (‘earth’) among contemporary Tuvans
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2023.1.3Keywords:
earth; native land; Tuvans; Tuva; Homeland; concept of cultureAbstract
The article presents an analysis of contemporary Tuvans’ beliefs about the earth (‘cher’ in Tuvan). ‘Чер’ is considered as a concept of culture. Therefore, the author takes into account a variety of the concept’s aspects, including lexical and semantic ones. We used the data of an overt observation made in Tuva, materials of 12 interviews recorded in January 2023 with Tuvans, mostly of mature and older age from different places (townspeople, villagers, cattle breeders living in yurts), as well as research literature, dictionaries, and media texts.
The Tuvans define ‘cher’ primarily as their lands. People may have several lands. This is related to the life cycle: place of birth, place of living, and final resting place. Contemporary Tuvans’ perceptions about the earth, on the one hand, have significantly expanded due to changes in the lives of their ancestors and parents, as well as in the current situation. The land has also become the subject of legal ownership, but this still contradicts the beliefs about ancestral lands. The Tuvans’ ideas about the sanctity of “their” land remain relevant and this is obviously due to the general process of religious revival in Tuva. “One’s own” space or native land is understood as a place where relatives and close ones live. A Tuvan (a villager or a town dweller) develops stable positive feelings and strong attachment towards this native place. Talking about final resting places, contemporary Tuvans also made similar statements that their older relatives wanted to be buried in the places where they were born and lived. In public discourse, traditional beliefs about the sanctity of the earth are strong as normative prescriptions. So are ideas about how Tuvans should treat it accordingly, worship and observe the commandments of their ancestors.
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For citation:
Mainy Sh. B. Predstavleniia o cher ‘zemle’ sovremennykh tuvintsev [Perceptions of ‘cher’ (‘earth’) among contemporary Tuvans]. New Research of Tuva, 2023, no. 1, pp. 38-63. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2023.1.3
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