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

ABOUT HOW THE KALMYKS HUNT WITH BIRDS (Bálint Xal 'imiyüd yayaji sobüyär angyucildigm tuski

, Kalm. Xal 'myüdyäjsowüyär angyücldg tusk

)'

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9 [165] The birds Kalmyks hunt with are: goshawk,

1"'

0 Saker falcon,"

6

1 falcon (?),"

6

2 peregrine falcon (?)

116

3 and eagle.

116

4 If the Kalmyks wish to hunt with birds, they catch the bird while it is a nestling (Bálint yüjimal, Kalm. yüjmül). As it is caught, its both legs are fastened at the shinbone, hobbled firmly with a long thin strap and a hood (Bálint maxala, Kalm. maxla) is put on its head. It is possible to make this hood from thick leather or red morocco (Bálint satiyägär

, Kalm. sär'sär).

Ub

5 Both [of the bird's] eyes are covered in order that the bird could not see; a small pointed hood on its head [serves this purpose]. The hood is put on to cover [the bird's] sight. Its reason is that if the bird is with uncovered eyes, it looks around,"

6

6 and jumps to and fro. Seeing some meat, it bounces and breaks its leg. That is why [the bird] is kept with covered eyes until its eyes get acclimatised. Under that bird there is a board

1"'

7 similar to a [small] table."

6

8 The [bird] is put on that board hobbled by its both legs permanently to that board on the end of the above mentioned long strap. That table-like board is called tor.

Ub

9 [166] The food given to the bird is palm-size meat twice or three times a day. When a bird is caught newly, it is kept this way [i. e. with a cap on its head] until it gets accustomed [to his owner] (Bálint ijildükii, Kalm. ijldx). Thereafter the hood is taken from the bird's [head]; although it is not taken off permanently; sometimes it is put on [its head]. The food given in the evening is bound to the lure (Bálint dalaba

, Kalm. dalwä, da/wag (?)) and when it is shown to the bird, it tries to swoop down (Bálint sürji, Kalm. sürjf) [on the meat]. After swooping this way four or five times, the piece of meat will be given [to the bird]. The reason why it is made so is that [the bird] must get accustomed to swooping on the lure. While [the bird] gets accustomed to the swoop on the lure, it gets accustomed to swooping on another bird, too, as the lure is similar to a bird. If one asks what kind of thing it is [i. e. the lure], it is [made of] the whole wings five-six black birds. The wings are bound together into a bunch. So they look like a bird. The newly caught and trained bird is taken out [of the yurt] every evening after the sunset, and all kinds of birds and other things are shown it in order to make it accustomed to them. When it gets accustomed, it is put on the board. This way [the bird] is put [there] every evening, [then] it is set free. For a while they make the bird fly back [to its owner] who shouts and waves with the lure. When shouting [167] the owner does not cry straight (?), but shouts [...].

1170 When the lure is shown to it, the flying bird perceives it as the above mentioned meat and swoops 115

9 Manuscript pp. 1

65-169. For the contemporary hunting with birds: Uray-Kőhalmi, Katalin: Die Jagd (an. an görö. an agnax). In: Material Culture. (DVD) and further bibliography in her article. '"'"Below I tried to identify the species of birds, however, there are more possibilities and some names are used for general designation. Bálint xarcaga, Kalm. xarcyä. xarcxä "Habicht" (R. 170), xarcx "jastreb" (Mun. 581), W.Oir. xarcaya "jastreb", xarcaya subún nige sürlügetei "u jasterba odin napadajuSCij udar" (Pozd. 89), x

arcagang "der Habicht" (Zwick 187), Lat. Accipiter gentilis. 116

1 Bálint itelge

, Kalm. itlya, itlyan "ein Raubvogel, Geierfalke?, (weiblicher) Würbfalke" (R. 211), itlg "baloban" (Mun. 274), W.Oir. itelge "balaban ptica (samka)" (Pozd. 24), "der Falke" (Zwick 56), Würbfalke? Lat. Falco cherrug. '"'

2 Bálint songxor, Kalm. songxr "eine Falkenart", nacn s. "der große Jagdfalke" (R. 364), songxr "kreöet, sokol" (Mun. 679), W.Oir. songxor "kreóet" (Pozd. 172), songyor "ein Raubvogel, Falke" (Zwick 396). 116

1 Bálint nacin songxor. Kalm. nacn sonxar. nacn "Falke" (R. 272), nacn "sokol" (Mun. 370), W.Oir. nacin "sokol" (Pozd. 64), "eine Falke" (Zwick 115). 11

('

4 Bálint biirged, Kalm. bürgd, Kalm.Ö. "grosser schwarzer Adler", Kalm.D. bürkd (R. 67), "berkut" (Mun. 128), W.Oir. bürküd "Cjornyj orjol" (Pozd. 140). bürgüd "der Adler" (Zwick 166). "

6

S Cf. W.Oir. satiya "saf yan" (Pozd. 145), "id." (Zwick 378). The use of the written form instead of the spoken variant (Kalm. sär'sn) refers to the presence of the written text (cf. the end of the chapter where BaldrTn MQSka's name is mentioned as the informant who provided this text in written form). 116

6 Bálint silibkäd, Kalm. silwkx "ozirat'sja (po storonam), taraäit' " (Mun. 672), but cf. also Kalm. silwéxe, silwixe "starren, sich umdrehend die Augen auf etwas ruhen lassen" (R. 357). '"'

7 Bálint dos[z]ka a loanword from Russ. doska; was originally written with sz according to Hungarian pronunciation. 116

8 Bálint usztul

, a loanword from Russ. stol; also written according to the Hungarian pronunciation with sz. 116

9 Bálint tor

; in the dictionaries this lexeme has different meanings from the above indicated one: Kalm tor 3. "Käfig" (R. 401), tör "kletka, setka (dlja lovli ptic)" (Mun. 506). 117

0 Bálint darü darün 7 düyän sonosxu düngegär; the syntagm is obscure and needs further research. 160