Yupik Spells and the Yupik Language in the Contemporary Religious Ritual Context

Continuity, Secrecy, and Indeterminacy

Bibliographic Data

ID12584840
AuthorsOparin D (0000-0002-1895-5564, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, corresponding author), Dmitriy Oparin
Year2024
Volume23
Issue1
Pages1-31
Publication date2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSibirica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1361-7362 • E-ISSN: 1476-6787
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3167/sib.2024.230101
OpenAlexW4399376157
LanguageEN
References cited9

It is generally believed that if the languages of indigenous peoples of Siberia are preserved anywhere, it would be within the spheres of traditional environmental management: reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing, etc. However, among Yupik communities in coastal Chukotka, another domain where the Yupik language remains in use is the religious (ritual) sphere—in particular, in various practices for communicating with the spirits of ancestors. This article focuses on Yupik spells, and, more broadly, the Yupik language in a modern ritual context. This allows us to identify and reflect on some characteristic features of the indigenous ritual space that are often insufficiently discussed in ethnographic literature: secrecy and indeterminacy. In addition, the article raises key issues surrounding family memory and heritage as well as the (dis)continuity of ritual knowledge

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Environmental ethics · Ethnography · Indigenous · Political science · Secrecy · Sociology · Anthropology · Culinary Culture and Tourism · Ecology · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Law

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