Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Created: | 2015-01-23 16:58 |
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Institution: | Department of Archaeology and Anthropology |
Editors' group: | (not set) |
Description: |
Proverbs The ability to express one's thoughts and ideas through using proverbs has always been a highly valued skill among the Kalmyks. Kalmyk proverbs reflect the culture, values, history and unique experiences of the Mongolian groups, including the Kalmyks. Being based on culturally specific ideas about morality and truth, Kalmyk proverbs are recited for educational, judgemental, descriptive, as well as entertainment purposes. Since proverbs are a component of social communications, as society changes proverbs that no longer relate to modern living tend to get dropped. Given that Kalmykia has undergone rapid changes and modernisation in the past seventy years alone, it is important to identify and document proverbs, especially the older ones that are still in circulation but are in danger of becoming forgotten. Riddles In the past riddles are believed to have had more of a mythical and symbolic character, and were used in the explanation of a wide range of phenomenon from natural to social. With time riddles developed their main function for which they are known today – that of training and honing the mind. In riddles things are substituted or represented by other objects that are in some ways similar, and which are clues to guessing what the original thing may be. To test their interlocutors' wit, Kalmyks often used in their speech riddles in the form of parables, short tales, numerical puzzles, charades, and triads. Riddles have also served to pass knowledge and experience down the generations. Kalmyk riddles reflect the worldview of their bearers, for they (riddles) include elements of ancient rituals, archaic language, valuable observations of natural phenomenon and other rudiments from nomadic and hunter-gatherer's lifestyles. Unfortunately, this type of Kalmyk folklore has been gradually disappearing, and today riddles – numerical puzzles and triads in particular – are practiced only in schools. Triads Triads are unique philosophical riddles that question and enquire after a variety of topics, such as the meaning of life, moral values, feelings and many other themes. Triads usually use metaphors that reflect the nomadic worldview. The game is played as follows. The enquirer comes up with a word denoting a certain characterstic and asks his/her opponent to name three things/phenomena that share the same characteristics. Here are some examples: Question: What are the three whites in the universe? Answer: White teeth of a smiling person. White hair of the old. White bones of the dead. Question: What are the three things that people lack? Answer: Sleep for the wealthy. Fat for a running horse. Intelligence for the fool. Question: What are the three sharps? Answer: A hungry person has sharp teeth. A dying person has a sharp look. A ray of the sun between the clouds is sharp. Question: What are the three that are in butter (i.e. good, prosperous)? Answer: The hands of a master are in butter. The mouth of a cattle breeder is in butter. A smart person's decision is in butter. |
Media items
This collection contains 60 media items.
Media items
Alena Lidzhieva, Riddles
23 views
A riddle: A mouse fell into a well. It was not the mouse that suffered but the well. What is that? (Answer: a speckle of dust in one’s eye).
A riddle: All the dogs of the nomadic...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 12 Jun 2015
Alena Lidzhieva, Sayings
20 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 12 Jun 2015
Alexandr Tarancheev, Folklore: Riddles and Sayings
6 views
Alexandr says the following: During Tsagan Sar people got up early in the morning and invited each other into their homes. We greeted each other by a special handshake during...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sun 28 Apr 2019
Andrei Boskhomdzhiev, Kalmyk Riddles
18 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Wed 13 Dec 2017
Andrei Boskhomdzhiev, Kalmyk Tongue Twisters
18 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Wed 13 Dec 2017
Andrei Ochir-Goryaev, Sayings
15 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Mon 11 May 2015
Anna Bembeeva, Triads
6 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sun 16 Jun 2019
Anna Sangadzhi-Goryaeva, Proverbs
11 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 21 Oct 2016
Ayuka Erdneev, A Poem
9 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 3 Jan 2020
Boba Kokueva, Sayings
10 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sat 20 Jan 2018
Boris Boktaev, Sayings
20 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sat 23 May 2015
Boris Boktaev, Triads
12 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sat 23 May 2015
Bulgun Mankirova, Sanal Badmaev, Kalmyk Sayings
22 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Thu 17 Aug 2017
Danara Dordzhieva, Kalmyk Sayings
9 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Thu 22 Mar 2018
Elza Badaeva, A Poem
12 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 9 Feb 2016
Erdni Eldyshev, About Kalmyk Literature and Poets
6 views
Erdni talks about Kalmyk literature, the poets Egor Budzhalov and David Kugultinov, a dictionary of Kalmyk writers and poets, and the journal ‘Teegin Gerl’.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Mon 1 Apr 2019
Erdni Eldyshev, The History of Kalmyk Literature
5 views
Erdni talks about the history of Kalmyk literature.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Thu 11 Jul 2019
Galina Erdneeva, Sayings
11 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 26 Jan 2018
Galina Suikieva, Proverbs
9 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 29 Mar 2016
Grigoriy Kukareka, A Poem About Gorodovikov
12 views
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SMALL GENRES OF FOLKLORE)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 3 Jan 2020