The materiality of the representation of the owl in the Mari ways of speaking

Abstract

Abstract This article shows how language materiality is conceptualized through an ethnolinguistic analysis of the representation of the owl as an indication of human-bird relationships. This approach enables addressing the multiple relations between birds and speakers and their perception of the environment as these are reflected in language, folklore and rituals. This research is related to such discourses as “language”, “materiality” and “environment” and is based on a case study of the Mari, a Finno-Ugric people who live in central Russia and still adhere to their folk religion. First, it sets out the Mari names which are used for birds of the owl family, then it shows how the terminology has changed due to the emotional side of humanity, and how terms express things in metaphorical way. Next, the article focuses on how the bird (owl) can be a source of positive or negative information with regard to auguring the future and how the symbolic use of birds in rituals and magical actions contributes to co-creating landscapes between human and non-human agencies. This study is based on extensive linguistic, folklore and ethnographic material, including my own field material.