Burial Rite of the Chuvash People in the 16th –19th Centuries

Abstract

The analysis of the elements of the burial rite of the Chuvash people was carried out through statistical processing of burial grounds materials. Tombstone structures, pit construction, burial equipment and remnants of traditional costume are considered. Position of the skeleton is detailed in various ways of laying the arms (along the body, on the pelvis, stomach, chest), rare deviations from the elongated corpse position on the back (crouched, half-turned). The all-Chuvash traditional burial rite can be characterized by the presence of the following elements: shallow grave pits with steep walls and a flat bottom, an elongated position of the skeleton, a coffin or a wooden structure, household equipment, a suit and jewelry worn during life, rarely things that were of particular importance to the deceased. Massively, regardless of gender and age, the presence of a coffin or an iron knife is recorded, while the fragments of a sickle are characteristic of children's burials. The burial inventory is an integral part of the ritual of all ethnographic groups of the Chuvash people. Among the cults, the cult of fire and the horse are widespread. Statistical data allow us to establish the frequency of occurrence of individual elements in different burial grounds, binding to the sex and age groups of burials.