Gathering as a Mode of Livelihood for Bashkirs in the Mountainous Forest Area of the Republic of Bashkortostan in the Years of Great Patriotic War

Abstract

Data in this article are based on the analysis of ethnographic field studies and materials conducted by the author. The study considers gathering as a mode of livelihood of the Bashkirs who inhabited the mountain forests of the Republic of Bashkortostan in the years of the Great Patriotic War. The materials were collected during the period 2010-2019 in Arkhangelsk, Abzelilovskiy, Beloretsk, Burzyanskiy, Belokatayskiy, Baltachevskiy, Mechetlinskiy, Salavatskiy, Duvanskiy districts of the Republic of Bashkortostan. For survival the Bashkirs used the traditional ways of livelihood - fishing, hunting, forestry and gathering. The last one was the most important mode, which provided them with food and served as a cure from different diseases. Typically, the Bashkirs began to collect plants and roots in early spring after cold and grueling winter, as soon as the first greens appeared on the mountains and hills. In summer, villagers collected berries and fruits, in autumn - berries of shrubs, plants and roots. Those roots and plants were consumed both raw and cooked. The collected plants were used for cooking soups, roots - for making flatbreads and porridge, berries - for making pastila and fillings for the pie. Knowledge of the plants helped many Bashkirs to survive their life during the Great Patriotic War. The Bashkirs, having allotments and gardens still like gathering wild berries and fruits.