MYTHS AND LEGENDS

"In the days gone by, there was hunger all over Altai. A rich man had a very large golden ingot, but having gone all around Altai, he couldn't buy a single slice of bread for it. The vexed man flung his ingot of gold into the lake and perished himself in the waters of the lake. That's why the Teletskoye Lake is called "Altyn Kyol" or the Golden Lake in the Oirot-Altaian language."

"Two Katun bogatyrs - Sartakpai and his son - decided to build a bridge over the tempestuous Katun. The work started. Good spirit Ulgen helped them under the condition that they keep themselves tidy. Huge rocks were raining down from the both sides of the willful river. There left o­nly few of them in the middle to form the arch for water to flow under it. But the dusk was falling and the bogatyrs gave themselves to rest. Ulgen - the good spirit - guided their sleep. In the morning they woke up. Sartakpai grabbed a heap of stones with his strong arms and saw that most of the rocks had been swallowed up by the Katun, because his son did not observe the conditions of the good spirit. Outraged, Sartakpai sat at the nearest rock and looked sadly at the unfinished building. The imprints of Sartakpai and his bare feet were printed o­n the rocks and preserved until now o­n the territory a little bit higher from the mouth of the river Tchemal."

"After the unlucky bridge-building, Sartakpai looked down the river and saw a cliff barring the way of the tempestuous Katun at the mouth of the river Tchemal. Sartakpai tightened his bow, shot an arrow down the river and said: "Jol Bolzyn", which means "Let there be road". The arrow hit the Tchemal cliff, pierced it and flung a split "sogon tash" 13-15 versts (1 v = 3,500 feet) away from the territory of Askat. That's why the split of rock sits apart from the all the rest o­n the bank of the river Katun."

"Being in Kor-Kechu, Sartakpai threw a stone into a flying flock of geese. The flown stone fell near the river of Mena in the Tchuya valley. This stone lies o­n the Tchoiskaya Road, 5 versts away from Tchibit and 120 versts away from Kor-Kechu. This is a round, 7-pound stone."

Various cults which include various complexes of the laws of existence and prohibitions (taboos) play a considerable role in beliefs of the Oirot-Altaians. Most cults are connected with the people's economic activity - blacksmith's production, cattle-breeding, farming, hunting and others.

The Oirot-Altaian fire cult, called "Ot-Ochoktyn Baaiy" which means - "Sanctity of Fire-Hearth", is a whole complex of fire worshipping. The Oirot-Altaians consider fire a live creature and address it - "Ot-eezi" which means "Master of Fire". Ot-eezi - kin-keeper - is the symbol of family or clan happiness. Since the moment a family "is born" - the fire is to be kept in yurta. The young bride is not allowed to near the fire before wedding, because she belongs to another clan. At the wedding the bride hidden by a white screen is taken to ail, where "Ot-Ochok" burns; the bride is shown to the fire until her fiance following his uncle around "Fire Hearth" clockwise, finishes the procedure of happiness-wishing and entertaining of the future "Fire Hearth" of a new family. After that, the bridegroom's brother or, sometimes, the bridegroom himself, opens the screen with his lash or a rifle, which gives the right to the bride to be the mistress of the new ail, to keep her family's "Ot - the Hearth" carefully till the end of her days and then pass it to the next generations.
The fire was to be taken care of. It was prohibited to take it out of the dwelling. The time of its taking-out was strictly regulated. It was not allowed to a person from another clan to treat fire in the ail. Lighting-up of a pipe was also regulated. The ail's master had to light up the guest's pipe and handed it to the guest. o­ne was to smoke pipe while sitting near the hearth; and when it was necessary to leave the ail, o­ne had to clean the pipe against the footsole or against a log burning in the hearth.
Functions of fire diverse extremely. Apart from being the guarding spirit of a clan or hearth, fire has a purifying function. The fire is believed not to let evil spirits into the house, to dispel a man's evil thoughts. Various household utilities, a new-born's cradle, cattle enclosures, etc. are fumigated-purified by the fire and holy heather. That's the way, the negative energy is banished.
Taboos of the home fire-hearth: to point at the fire with sharp things - ax, knife, etc., to pour salt and other bitter or poisonous substances into the fire, to curse, to swear, to kick up a row, etc.
These are o­nly the basic notions of the people's fire cult. To enumerate the multitude of other rituals and taboos connected with fire will make a whole book.

The Child-Birth Cult ("Umai Ene")

The Oirit-Altaian child-birth cults are quite diverse. The northern Altaian tribes observe this ritual since most ancient times. The older relative of the woman in childbirth is always to be near her and to keep pronouncing the wishings. To preserve the woman's and the child's lives from evil spirits, this woman is to make rag dolls called emengeder. These dolls are believed to have a protecting power. The dolls are put at the head of the woman's bed. The Oirot-Teleuts and the Shors connect the history of these dolls with the legend of Oirot Shunu-Khan: "…When it was time for Khantaichy's wife to give birth to her child - the future Shunu-Khan, the bogatyr - she asked to give her the dolls she had used to play with when she was a girl. The dolls sent by her father were alive. She played with the dolls and that eased her birth-pains. Thus, with the help of these dolls she painlessly brought her son into the world - Shunu-Khan, the bogatyr…" That's why all women going to give birth to their first-borns, take emengeder from their parents' homes in memory of the revived dolls of Shunu-Khan's mother. Addresses to emengeder:
You, holy and respected,
Sitting in the front corner,
Brought with dowry…
With beads hanging o­n your chests,
With feathers stuck into your head,
With blood-red faces
Looking like white paper
Spread from Taada-Khan
Clothed in Taada's silk coats
Having saddled Taada's camels-horses,
Having parted from Kongudai,
Please, don't swear angrily,
Let's have o­ne common language,
Let your tramp be strong,
Please, don't frighten the young sprout
Be attentive to the request
Feel my prayer!
The honorary mission of alkysh-proposing o­n the occasion of child-birth is given to Godmother - kin ene. She also gives the newborn child a name.
Godmother is considered a highly respected person among the Oirot-Altaians as well as among other peoples. She is as respected as o­ne's own mother; she is to share all the troubles with the mother. She has the right to bless the newborn child.
Child, be faster than a hare,
Be fatter than a ram,
Let the o­ne having power, not to beat you,
Let the o­ne having tongue, not to curse you,
Let the mountain Ak-Syuri be your father,
Let the tempestuous river be your mother.

The Oirot-Altaian hunters' cult is expressed in a special respectful treatment of wild animals. It was believed that animals' spirits were equal to those of men. Each Oirot-Altaian clan-seok had its own founder-ancestor - an animal or a bird, whose spirits guard and protect them from evil spirits and various dangers. Therefore, everyone treated his seok's animal or bird respectfully. For example, the Tyolyoses carefully treated deer when hunting. They did not shoot the leader and female animals that were to calve in spring.
Before cutting the carcass, they asked the deer's spirits and the Master of Taiga for forgiveness. When cutting the carcass, they carefully treated the place of bullet- or arrow-hit. This part was left for the Master.
There existed various taboos for hunters. To shoot the most beautiful deer with the biggest horns meant to shoot the Master of Taiga, which might have resulted in a disaster or the hunter's or his relative's death. The same concerned many other wild animals.
Not to cause malice of a bear's, a wolf's, a lynx's, a panther's spirits, they were given other honorable names - "Abaai", "Abaga", "Shyulyuzyun", etc. In fairy-tales they appeared as the tsars or leaders of the whole Altaian animal kingdom.
A special ritual is carried out when hunting an otter. A hunter might shoot o­nly o­ne otter in a year or even more than a year. The quarry - otter was left at a special prepared place, where the hunter hunted, for 3 days and 3 nights. Otter's spirit "contains" 10 people's spirits, i.e. 10 lives, which are to leave the otter during these three days and three nights and go to taiga. That was the way for the hunter to guarantee safety for himself and his family. Otter's skin is cut into stripes, that are used to edge the national fur hat, sewed of fox's pads, musk-deer's, lynx's, sable's paws. o­nly old healthy women having children were chosen to cut these stripes, which are to be 2 fingers wide. Not every woman dares to do that. If there were disasters or woman's relatives died during the several previous years, - this woman wouldn't agree to cut the stripes and even wouldn't take them.
The Altaian hunters' cult is so diverse, that it requires a thorough research and description. There are various charms, wishings, taboos, tokens, dreams, etc., which all together make an integral system - a part of cultural and spiritual and educational process in the society. The loss of these values in the Soviet period caused poaching and mass extermination of many wild animals.

Cattle-breeding was as important for the ancient Altaians as hunting. The key-note of the cattle-breeding cycle of happiness wishing was preservation of cattle from natural calamities and sicknesses, increase of the number of cattle.
The Oirot-Altaians did not imagine happiness and wealth without cattle. Cattle meant property for them. It gave them food, cloths, footwear, wine, it served as a transportation means. People had to roam with cattle, driving it from o­ne pasture to another, because the quality of grass was different everywhere. Most rituals and wishings were devoted to the Master of Altai.
Like two sisters with two-headed peak,
With the deposit foothill
With lead neck
With golden stone shields
With firm foothold,
People settled at your foothills
Cattle pastures at your slopes
With mighty ridges
With the forests as thick as a comb...
People tied white ribbons - kyira - two fingers wide, and with the length equal to the distance between the earth and the man's navel. The ribbons were tied at the mountain passes, at the places of nomad camps, at river mouths, at springs; the ribbons were tied to birch branches and contained wishings. If there were no trees around, people gathered stones and put obo as in Hun times of V-VIII centuries: "...if there was no forest, it was necessary to stick willow branches" and the ribbons were tied to these branches. The ribbons were made out of special fabric of white, yellow or blue color, symbolizing the earth, the sun and the rivers of Altai, and were not intended for any other purpose. If there is no fabric or ribbon of white or another suitable color, hairs of a horse's mane were tied which was called "jalama" or "taken from mane" (the hairs being of any color but black).
If the river is tempestuous,
Let there be a shallow ford!
If the mountain is high.
Let there be a low pass!
When a calf was born, beestrings was cooked and forehead and other parts of the newborn were smeared with it, and wishings were pronounced.
Born o­n a new year
You drink white milk,
Be healthy now,
Be a bogatyr.
For the calf not to be caught by wild animals, for him to survive and to be useful for the cattle-breeder, special alkyshes were pronounced for that purpose and were accompanied by smearing the calf's spine with milk foam.
When a foal was born, a special ritual of ear-piercing and earrings hanging is carried out. A blue ribbon is entwined into the dam's mane. The ritual is accompanied by alkyshes proposing in calf's honor, where it was said about the wish to see the calf a swift-footed argymak, to see nomad's herd growing.
Any Oirot-Altaian cattle-breeder since very childhood and during the whole life dreams of finding the so-called 'stone of happiness' - 'erjine'. o­nly o­ne out of a thousand of people may find such stone. According to the legend, erjine may be found at a pasture, in the heat of the sun, in other places where cattle pastures. Sometimes this stone is found inside an animal, most often it is a sheep. This is a white stone, a child's palm size. The cult of erjine bears great significance. The o­ne who finds the stone will be very happy in his life. His cattle herds will o­nly grow and no natural calamities or stealing will affect it. Erjine is not shown to anyone beside the family members, nobody is told about the place of the find and about the stone itself. The o­ne having erjine may carry out the ritual of rain-calling in dry summer days in order to improve pastures, etc.

All springs, rivers and lakes have o­ne common Mistress - 'Suu eezi'. Besides, every river, spring, lake or medicinal springs called 'arzhans' has its own mistress - a girl, a woman or an old woman. The largest rivers - the Katun, The Biya, the Tcholyshman, the Tchuya, the Bashkaus, the Tcharysh have Khan-Mistresses. They are severe and treacherous.
There exist various legends and myths telling about these Mistresses saving the Oirot-Altaians in hard times from enemies, taking the latter to whirlpools.
In the middle of the tempestuous Kumir-river, there is a picturesque glad called 'Girls' Reaches'. According to the legend, the Oirot-Altaian settlement situated o­n this glade was occupied by enemies. At night, when all the watchmen were asleep, a girl named Merei and her friends ran away from the occupants. But the watchmen woke up and the occupants followed the beauties. Having found themselves in a desperate situation, the girls jumped down a high cliff and the Water Mistress received them. That's why the Oirot-Altaians called this place 'Boilulardyn Kazhady', i.e. 'Girls' Reaches'.
There are many legends about the Golden Lake, which is worshipped by the Tyolyoses, who still carry out worshipping rituals.
A visit to 'arzhans' is considered a holiday among the Altaians - when holiday food is cooked, white and blue ribbons are prepared, etc. People visiting arzhans are to be "clean" themselves - they shouldn't drink alcohol during a month or even more before the visit, there shouldn't b deaths among relatives, the person shouldn't participate in any mourning rituals for a year or more, they should restrain from sex for a month, etc. Having reached an arzhan, o­ne should firstly clean the place from the remains of old trees and other litter, spoiling the arzhan, they clean everything around.
After the whole ritual is done, o­ne takes water from the spring, drinks, washes and takes water home for his relatives having previously named them and asked for the permission.

People's belief in good and bad omens is connected with the fact that ages ago people attributed some magic influence to various events and actions. Everything going o­n seemed to be an omen (presage) - o­ne o­nly had to decipher it correctly. The main principal of such belief was the following: "This and this happened, therefore that and that is going to take place". Many omens are connected with involuntary reactions of human organism: o­ne bit o­ne's tongue while eating, that means o­ne is being cursed; buzzing in the right ear means good news; in the left o­ne - bad news, etc.
While in magic cults a person tries to direct the events in the necessary way, a taboo-believer tries to refrain from certain actions, an omen-believer o­nly observes.
Good omens are called "belge", bad omens - "yrym".
Human mentality accumulates and transmits information to the following generations, since ancient times observing and trying to comprehend the connections between various phenomena, actions and consequent events. This experience is called omen-belief.
Belge: a golden eagle flying high around ail (Altaian village) means guests; a horse jerking its ears while riding - means good; a horse constantly yawning - means joy; left hand is itching - means profit, etc.
Yrym: a cuckoo cuckooing near ail or flying over ail means a disaster; a horse bites the stirrup before the ride means bad, etc.

DREAMS (KYORYO TYUSH)

Dream believing is widespread among the Oirot-Altaians. So to say, dreams are omens seen while sleeping. All dreams are divided into ordinary dreams "tegin tyush" and prophetic dreams "kyoryo tyush".
The "kyoryo tyush" are of the main interest, as the dreams which predetermine events. Sometimes a person can see the future events and his/her actions in these events. That helps a person to take a correct decision. Such dreams are sometimes discussed with old and wise people. There are good and bad dreams.
Good "kyoryo tyush": to see a man ''like a Russian or a German" acting well, means being guarded by ancestors. A person with blonde hair and a fair complexion for many of the Todoshes, the Tyolyoses and especially for the Irkits means good, means that their ancestors help them.
To see o­neself doing something with a lasso or winding it in a dream - means a lucky long journey. If in a dream o­ne sees himself/herself stepping in a dung or fresh droppings which o­ne cannot or forgets to clean - means profit.
Bad dreams: loosing a tooth, fresh meat, a fallen tree.

FORTUNE-TELLING

One of the main magic rituals of shamans-kams was fortune-telling by heather, by shoulder bone of a sacrificial animal, by face, hands shower-bath by vodka, etc.
Lamas-yarlykchis told fortunes using their tantric methods and according to calendar, horoscope, chiromancy, and forewarned the most dangerous period of the year and elements affecting the fortune of a certain person this or that year.
Ordinary laymen told fortunes by a shoulder bone of a 1-year ram, having cleaned it from the remains of boiled meat and having held it in fire for a little. o­nly men could tell fortunes by shoulder bone. The whole bone was divided into sectors, each with its title: external road, own hearth, yard, relatives, people, head, etc. The fortunes were told according to the blackened cracks in different sectors.

As it was with all the nations, in ancient times medicine was connected with ancient beliefs. Fortunes of many sick people depended upon certain social strata of the society - shamans, priests, witch-doctors, etc. But apart from the named institutions there existed medical means and methods approved by people for hundreds of times and called "folk medicine".
The main means of medical treatment in Altai were herbal medicine, clay therapy, water treatment (and water was taken from the curative arzhans) and, of course, various parts of animal and reptile organs were applied, etc.
In the period of Oirot Lamaism development, first specialized therapists appeared in Altai. At the end of XVII century individual Oirot otoks at the Zaisans' headquarters had Lamas-emchis. The chronicles mention the famous lama-emchi named Kelek Archin who lived in otok of the Mundus Zaisan called Urgan Zhiran. Before the reform of 1913, the famous Kypchak Zaisan, named Belek, fell sick and there was an emchi, whose name is not established, who performed an operation of appendicitis with the help of ordinary knives. At the end of XIX century a traveler and a researcher of Altai, named Bunge, wrote in his memoirs that a Zaisan wife asked him to cure headaches by means of "acupuncture". It was a kind surprising and strange for Bunge. There also existed special health systems cultivated since childhood. German researcher V. Radlov pointed out these facts - he o­nce observed a man sitting under pouring rain in cold weather without a movement. Being in his place, he wouldn't bear a minute.
One of the interesting events was a small-pox epidemic in 1744-1746 in the town of Kuznetsk, when Todosh Zaisan named Bookol Suboyakov prohibited traveling to Kuznetsk direction in order to protect people's health.
The Soviet power did not pay any attention to folk medicine as it was considered a remnant of the former times. Many medicinal means of vegetable and animal origin have remained unknown. For example, V.I. Verbitsky writes in his memoirs, that wounds may be healed:
1. mysterious herb called tyndu-tuta or kara-tedo (todo), which is said to bloom in summer and in winter and has a three-color root - red, yellow and milk-white. It is called tyndu because it is believed that it moans when its roots are being torn off.
2. The wounds are dubbed by blood of the bird telo (Tolo), which is the size of a golden eagle, its neck is ash-gray, its back is black, its belly is yellowish, the tail is long. The bird nests o­n inaccessible cliffs.
Meat of the bird ular prevents small-pox, while the head of this bird guards from evil spirits.
In case of bone fracture:
1. It is necessary to tie around the fractured place and give the patient a small part of the root of mysterious herb called odelen) (fire herb), which is very rare.
It is believed that the wounded animals eat roots of this herb and recover.

HISTORICAL SONGS

The most favorite and popular Altaian historical song is the song "Kan Altai":
When o­ne looks from above
Kan Altai seems triangle then
When o­ne looks from a side
Kan Altai seems nine-sided then
If o­ne looks from a mountain slope
Like an woven lash
Thy ridges are, Kan Altai
For thou, our glorious Altai
Much blood was shed
Your red pines are blood-stained
It's hard to look at such denudation
Of our slender father Altai

Prison song of Kanza-Biy
One of the most favorite leaders of the Oirot tribes - the Teleuts - was Kanza-Biy. The wave of Pugachov uprisings reached Siberia. Kanza-Biy being a progressive-minded person of his time and a former Cossack himself, knew what Russian serfdom was. Kanza-Biy tried to stir up national liberation struggle and was punished severely for that. He died in Kuznetsk fortress, imprisoned and put o­n the rack. His prisonmates were astonished by his singing talent. His songs were sung both in his native language (by the Altaians) and in Russian. His songs were sung during all the following years in Siberia - in prisons and in exile. Such prison songs as "Black Raven" and "Raven" were based o­n o­ne of the most favorite songs.

Kanza's horse, given its head
From the mountain, was the first
But not having reached even the Tittu river
Cossack's horse came back
A raven-rogue, when turned to a bird,
Will say: "I've knocked a swan down"
A Cossack, having become Master
Will probably say: "I've caught Kanza"
An evil crow when turned to a bird,
Will say: "I've stricken a goose down "
A Cossack will boast
Saying: "I've caught Kanza"
A Russian built a tower-house
With the top covered with marquee
The Russians have Kanza in their hands
Kanza was taken by the Russians by an unhappy accident.
My axe is heavy, it must be sharp
It helped me to build my house
The Russian Master, having gathered
Forty nations into o­ne, he must be powerful.
When will that day come for us to fight
Like an otter digs in snow?
When, having tightened his saddle-girth,
Does Kanza come back home?
Oh, if my white leather-coat o­n my shoulders
Would twist around me six times!
Oh, if the six brothers of mine
Would run to me!
Take the pipe,
Come, let's play, my father!
When the seven stars rise o­n the sky
Come, let's run, my father!
A three-year old long-humped elk
Run to your Tomi-mother;
If you meet relatives somewhere
Say I wish them peace.