Full Description
Olonkho, the epic narrative and song tradition of Siberia's Sakha people, declined to the brink of extinction during the Soviet era. In 2005, UNESCO's Masterpiece Proclamation sparked a resurgence of interest in olonkho by recognizing its important role in humanity's oral and intangible heritage. Drawing on her ten years of living in the Russian North, Robin P. Harris documents how the Sakha have used the Masterpiece program to revive olonkho and strengthen their cultural identity. Harris's personal relationships with and primary research among Sakha people provide vivid insights into understanding olonkho and the attenuation, revitalization, transformation, and sustainability of the Sakha's cultural reemergence. Interdisciplinary in scope, Storytelling in Siberia considers the nature of folklore alongside ethnomusicology, anthropology, comparative literature, and cultural studies to shed light on how marginalized peoples are revitalizing their own intangible cultural heritage.
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Notes on Transliteration from Russian and Sakha xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: Encountering Olonkho 1
1 Epic Traditions, Performers, and Audiences 11
2 Effects of Change during the Soviet Era 33
3 Esteem for a Masterpiece: The Quest for Recognition 64
4 Examining the Role of UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage 89
5 Elements of Resilience: Stable and Malleable 108
6 Epic Revitalization: Negotiating Identities and Other Challenges 135
7 Ensuring Sustainability through Transmission and Innovation 156
Glossary of Russian and Sakha Words 163
Notes 165
Works Cited 203
Index 225
