Итоги экспедиций Университета Внутренней Монголии в Синьцзян: полевые записи песен «Джангара»

Abstract

Introduction. For the first time the Epic of Jangar became known in scientific circles after B. Bergmann published a German account of The Song of the Battle between the Heroes of Jangar and Shara Gyurgyu the Terrible in the early 19th century. Since then, the Jangar had become known in the world as the Kalmyk heroic epic. After the publication of newly discovered songs of the Jangar at the beginning of the 20th century in Mongolia, it became known as a Mongolian epic. In the late 1970s, after publishing numerous songs of the Jangar in China, the epic became known as epic legacy of the Oirats of Russia, China and Mongolia. One of the scientific centers of China which has been actively searching for the Jangar texts for 41 years is Inner Mongolia University. From 1977 to 2018, teachers of the Mongolian Faculty undertook ten scientific expeditions to the Oirat-inhabited areas of Xinjiang. Goals. The article seeks to introduce the history and results of field expeditions to Xinjiang made during 41 years in order to record new songs of the Jangar epic. For the first time in the history of modern Mongolian studies, the paper describes the results of large-scale field works that have been carried out for four decades. During the first expedition in 1977 to Hoboksar, a University teacher Chojinjav managed to meet the prominent Oirat storyteller Yerempil and record six songs of the Jangar epic. In 1978, the expedition already consisted of three researchers and explored Bortala Mongol and Ili Kazakh autonomous prefectures. In those days, over 40 storytellers were identified and 60 songs of the epic were recorded. Each subsequent expedition brought its own results. One of the longest search expeditions took place in 1996, which lasted almost thirteen months and covered the Bortala Mongol, Ili Kazakh and Bayingolin autonomous prefectures, including Tarbagatai district. During that time, the University teacher D. Taya identified more than 40 storytellers and recorded 90 songs of the Jangar. Conclusion. Thus, for four decades, the University of Inner Mongolia was conducting systematic and systematic search works which gave tangible results — names of new talented storytellers-jangarchis were discovered, a huge layer of new and numerous versions of already known chapters of the Jangar were recorded but most importantly — scientific confirmation of the existence of a living epic tradition among the Oirats of Xinjiang was obtained.