Мифологические представления и фольклор зимнего оленеводческого праздника Пэгыттын коряков-чавчувенов

Abstract

The winter reindeer herders’ festival Pegyttyn of Koryaks-Chavchuvens currently is not held. Its authentic existence at the end of the 20th century was recorded on a videotape from the home archive of Nadezhda Kuznetsova (born in 1949 in the Olyutorsky area of the Koryak National District), one of the last carriers of the language and culture of the Chavchuvens of Kamchatka. Traditionally, the celebration was timed to coincide with the appearance of the star Altair from the constellation Pegyttyn and the winter solstice, which symbolize the turn to the revival of nature. In the 20th century among the Koryaks the moon became a reference point in determining the time of the celebration. The article presents mythological ideas about the Supreme Deity for whom deer sacrifices are performed. The author characterizes folklore texts of spells evyanvyn, pronounced before the slaughter in the rite at the family spear poigyn, as well as before the slaughter of a dog and the sacrifice inelvet. The thanksgiving hunting ritual Mynegynyn in the context of Pegyttyn, according to the author, is an evidence of the manifestation of the ancient cult of the constellation associated with the wild deer hunting