Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.

ETHNOGRAPHICA CALMYCICA

edifice (Kalm. cac) erected above the ashes of the noted person, primarily a Lama. All sources provide data on the prayer flags

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8 raised in the cardinal points around the grave the corpse is put out. U. E. Erdnijev and E.-B. Gucinova discussed the contemporary costumes and rites. While Erdnijev describes the transition and changes during the period of socialism, GuCinova tried to discern the relicts in recent customs. Bordzanova recorded numerous ritual texts concerning death and funerals and published these in two issues which are core reading for the studies of Kalmyk traditions.

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8'' CUSTOMS g HORSE RACING, WRESTLING AND STEALING (Bálint Uruldan, nöldan xidxa, Kalm. [Mördin] arldän, nöldän, xulxä)

u

m § [170] The Kalmyks like horse racing, wrestling and stealing. When they want to race, people who have f1 a stud ride their own racing horses (Bálint xurdun möriän

, Kalm. xurdn möräri). About a hundred people gather and race from a distance between two camps (Bálint büri, Kalm.B. Ö. bür').

w

" [People] bet on"

1'" whose horse will arrive first, and [the owner] will be given a horse, a silk gown and [some] money. When [the Kalmyks] want to wrestle, they select

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0'' all the wrestlers (Bálint bökő ulusJgi, Kalm. bök ulsig) of the area and make them wrestle (Bálint nöldüldik, Kalm. nöldüldg) with each other. Whoever becomes the strongest of all those people will be regarded as an honoured wrestler (Bálint erken bökö

, Kalm. erkn bök) in his own area. Thereafter, he is made to wrestle with Russians or with people from other places. [People] bet on who will be the winner of the two, [the winner] will receive a big [reward]. The people of that person's area also give something to [the winner], one gives a horse, one gives some money, one gives a camel [and] one gives a silk gown. When the Kalmyks are going to steal something, about twenty people gather or about ten people gather and then drive away some horses, camels or horned cattle belonging to the black Tatars, the Cherkesses and Kazakhs and also from some other places other than their own [Kalmyk] place. If the owner notices the driving away of the cattle, he pursues them. If he [and his companions] decides to catch them while pursuing them, five-six persons stand in front of the [pursuers] in order to hold them up. If the pursuers get frightened by the opponents, [171] they stop. If they are not frightened by them, they pursue the withstanding people. They shoot and kill the pursuing peoples' horses or hit the riders with a huge stick (?)

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4 pushing them off [their horses] and taking their horses. If the pursuing people catch one of the thieves, they beat him almost to death,

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5 tie him up and then take him to their home. Then the people who took the livestock send two-three persons to the owner of the livestock: "Take your livestock and give back our man!" The owner of the livestock says [to them]: "Give me [back] my livestock and such things in addition!" and does not give back that captive. Then the thieves give the things they are required to give in addition to the [returned] livestock and take the captive.

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6 If """ Pallas II. p. 285. Bergmann III p. 157. "'*'' Bordzanova: Magiceskaja poezija kalmykov. passim; Bordzanova: Obrjadovaja poezija kalmykov. pp. 260-286. 109

0 Manuscript pp. 170-171. 109

1 Bálint xoyur bürin yazaräsu. Kalm xoyr bürin yazräs, cf. neg bürin yazr "Jurtenplatz od. (gewöhnt) eine Wegstrecke, wo man einmal absteigt und übernachtet, d. i. zwei Tagereisen" (R. 70). The context of Bálint's record, however, suggests that his informant counted this distance shorter than it is indicated by Ramstedt. 109

2 Bálint tere mörindü maryän gegäd, Kalm. ter mör'nd maryän kegéd

, lit. "to bet on that horse". Kalm.D mar/a, Kalm.Ö. maryä "Wette. Wettspiel, Wettpreis", Kalm.Ö. maryän "Wette" (R. 257), maryän "sostjazanije, konkurs; turnir; spor, pary" (Mun. 343). 109

3 Bálint süß abdik. Kalm. süf awdg lit. "check, choose". "

m Bálint dobumayär (sürügär) (instrumental) in dictionaries deest

. the supposed meaning is a "stick, stab"; cf. Russ. dubina "id." (?)• 109

5 Although the expression ükütiiln i giibdäd (Kalm. üktl n

' giiwdäd) indicates to be beaten to death, the following text refers to an exchange of the captive (i. e. still alive person) and the stolen livestock. 109

6 Bálint kiigän abdik. Kalm kiigän awdg, lit. "take their man". 148