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.

INTRODUCTION

"I am convinced that, had I lived under the tents of the Oirat- (Öiräd)Mongolians - so call they [sic!] Khalmyks themselves when speaking with confidence - for many long years , I could hardly have a better opportunity to pursue my purpose than I had in the mentioned Institute."

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1 "It was also easy to meet the Kalmyk folk, as many of the parents and relatives of the youngsters learning here arrived at the foster home to visit [them] on one hand, and on the other hand I also had the opportunity to meet Kalmyks who came to purchase [goods] or for work in Astrakhan frequently. Furthermore, I went several times to a Kalmyk Bazaar '

2 located one mile from Astrakhan on the right side of Volga, which the Kalmyks use to purchase their cattle and livestock under the supervision of the Government, and where the Kalmyk temple and priests are."

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3 "1872. When the water of Volga that is quite wide and shallow at Astrakhan froze in the minus 20-25 centigrade temperatures of January, teacher Shamba took me on an araba (a cart with two wheels) that shook pretty much to the periphery of the dreary land of Kalmyks to show me at least the character of his and the 75 lads' homeland. Here we visited a Lamaic serai (Buddhist monastery) at the place of Kalmyk Bazaar, where the priests offered me milk brandy."

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4 Bálint spent around seven months among the Astrakhan Kalmyks (end of September 1871 - May 1872) and worked with many informants as testified by the above fragment, but by names , Of the informants who so greatly helped him in the preparation of the text-collection, only three are mentioned by Bálint .In his Report and in the Preface to the Grammar he makes reference to Samba [Sadzirhajev],'

5 a teacher of the Kalmyk language and culture who worked in the boys' and girls' school. "In Astrakhan I became acquainted first of all with Mr. Shamba, a learned Kalmyk, who was the teacher of language and literature [i. e. style] in the Kalmyk boys' and also in the girls' foster home. On his advice I asked general Kostenkov,

3'' the governor-general of all Kalmyks and the president of the mentioned school and foster home, for permission to visit every day the mentioned school and foster home. With the help of this permission I visited every day the Kalmyk foster home that was located in a few steps from my flat. There the mentioned teacher [i. e. Samba] drew my attention to the fact that although Kalmyk " Preface to the Grammar, p 111. (p. 4.). 1

2 Trading centre near to Astrakhan. " "Magával a khálymik néppel való érintkezésem is elég könnyű volt, minthogy részint a tanuló ifjak szülői és rokonai közöl emiitett növeldébe látogatásra többen eljártak, részint Asztrakhán városában minden pillanatban találkozhatám a vásárlás vagy munkára jött khálymikokkal, azután meg eljártam az Asztrakhántól egy mérföldnyire, a Volga folyó jobb partján eső khálymik bazarra, a hol a khálymikok barmaikat és jószágaikat szokták a kormánytól rendelt ellenőrizet mellett eladni, s a hol a khálymik templom és papság is van." Bálint: Jelentése, p 13 (cf. Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei ). 1

4 "1872. Midőn januárban, az Asztrahán mellett nagyon széles és sekélyes Volga vize 20-25 celsiusfokú hidegben befagyott, elvitt Samba tanitó egy irgalmatlanul rázó tatár arabán (kétkerekű taligán) a kalmik nép lakta kietlen föld szélébe, hogy lássam az ő, és a 75 kalmik fiú szülőföldjének legalább a typusát. Itt meglátogattuk a Kalmik-bazár nevű telepen a lámaszerájt (buddhista kolostort), ahol a papság tejből főzött pálinkával kínált meg." Zágoni. p. 38. " Bálint refers only on his given name and never on his family name Cerenov devoted a brief article to Samba Sajirxaev, who was a faithful collector of Kalmyk folklore Samba was not only a teacher, hut due to his excellent knowledge of Russian worked as a translator during the 1860-70s and assisted either as interpreter or with his Kalmyk folklore notes several noted Russian scholars studying Kalmyk language and culture (such as K. F. Gosltunskij and S. A: Kozin). Cerenov, V.: Pisai i perevodil Samba Sadiirhajev In: Tägin Gerl. 1. (1976) pp. 111-114. 4

6 On Kostenkov, cf. below. 13