Issue №3(15), 2025
Issue №3(15)
- Year 2025
- Pages 140
- Published 14 Nov. 2025
- Views 30
- PDF downloads 10
- Permanent link to the issue https://asvestnik.ru/en/issue/3-15-2025
Articles in This Issue
9 itemsArchaeology
STONE SCULPTURES IN THE VALLEYS OF THE RIVERS KARGY, MUGUR AND MOGEN-BUREN RIVERS
Larisa D-O. Chadamba , Ayana I. Kuular
The article is devoted to the results of the field work of the Center for Archaeological Research of the Tuvan Institute of Humanitarian and Applied Socio-Economic Research and the monitoring of the condition of archaeological monuments under the state protection of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Republic of Tuva in the territory of Mongun-Taiga District. In the mid-1950s the Sayan-Altai and Tuvan Integrated Archaeological and Ethnographic Expeditions were held to find stone sculptures in Tuva, including the Mongun-Taiga district, by. Fieldwork from these expeditions formed the basis for the book “Ancient Turkic Stone Sculptures of Tuva” by the renowned Soviet archaeologist A. D. Grach, which remains the only monograph devoted to the stone sculptures of Tuva. During our fieldwork in 2024, in addition to the sculptures described in A.D. Grach’s book, we discovered medieval stone sculptures not included in his monograph.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD SURVEYS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER IN 2022-2025
The article presents the results of field work conducted by the Archaeological Research Center of Tuvan Institute of Humanitarian and Applied Research under the Government of the Republic of Tuva (TIHASER) in the period 2022-2025. One of the main tasks of the Center is to study archaeological sites in the territory of the Republic of Tuva, register them and replenish the database with new information about historical and cultural monuments. During the survey, the territories of the Kaakhem, Kyzylsky, Tandinsky, Ulug-Khemsky and Chedi-Kholsky districts were investigated, that made it possible to identify valuable archaeological sites of various eras. The author concludes that the systematic field research conducted by the Center during the above-mentioned period has confirmed the high scientific potential of the Republic for searching and investigating previously unexplored archaeological sites. It should be noted that the foundations have been laid for further monitoring, preservation and museification of the archaeological heritage of Tuva. The Center’s activities allowed not only to systematize some information about already known monuments, but also to discover previously unexplored objects.
History
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHINESE WRITTEN SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF TUVA
The article provides a brief overview of some Chinese sources containing early mentions of the peoples / territories of Tuva, starting from the period of the Tang Dynasty. Summary of dynastic stories, names in Chinese. In addition to the dynastic histories, the documents of the second order were affected. Translations of these Chinese sources are already available in scientific circulation in Russian, but not always in full. The conclusion is made regarding the content of Chinese sources, which are recommended to be taken into account when working with them.
Philology
EXPRESSIVE LEXEMES OF THE TUVAN LANGUAGE FORMED BY AFFIXATION METHOD
The grammar of the Tuvan language does not commonly uses diminutive affixes, in comparison to other Turkic languages. However, in recent years these affixes have become more common, particularly in colloquial speech, as shown in studies by A. Ch. Kunaa, Sh. Ch. Sat, M. V. Bavuu-Syuryun, Ch. S. Tsybenova et al. In Turkology, opinions vary regarding the functions of diminutive affixes; in our study, according to principles of Tuvan grammar, we view them as inflectional affixes because they don’t form new words but add expressive semantics by means of subjective and emotive connotations. As for their semantics and functions in colloquial speech, it may be said that such affixes serve as formal markers of expessiveness. In Tuvan, words with diminutive affixes are used to express one’s emotions or attitude towards someone, either good or bad, ironic or affectionate. In the following article, we analyze the usage of expressive words with the following diminutive affixes: =pai/=bai, =kai/=kei, =chak/=dzak, =kyn/=kin, =uk/=uk, as well as the affix =ka borrowed from Russian. We conclude that the functions of certain affixes expand for the purpose of emotional expression; for example, the affix =chak/=dzak now possesses an ability to refer to people. The usage of the Russian affix =ka, also a diminutive affix used to refer to people, is also a new phenomenon, as well as an example of interference in the Tuvan language.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE TRICKSTER’S IMAGE IN FABULOUS MYTHOLOGICAL TRADITIONS OF THE TUVANS: AN AREA OF EXISTANCE AND LOCAL FEATURES
The author explores the problem of the common origins and features of the development of the fairy-tale and mythological tradition of the Tuvan ethnic group using the trickster image as an example. The proposed article was tested by the author at the scientific and practical conference “Foreign Tuvans: Problems of Studying History, Language, Folklore and Culture”, which was held by the Tuvan Institute of Humanitarian and Applied Socio-Economic Research under the Government of the Republic of Tuva (TIHASER) in 2024 in Kyzyl. The consolidating purpose of this conference made it possible, using the comparative historical research method, to identify the common origins of the origin of the South Siberian and Tsengel Tuvans on the basis of their fabulous and mythological tradition. Based on texts published in Soviet and post-Soviet times, Tuvan myths and fairy tales, as well as expedition materials collected at various times in Tuva and Mongolia, the author analyzes the range of existence, local features and transformation of the trickster image in the fairy-tale and mythological tradition. As a result of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that the image of the trixer in the oral tradition of the South Siberian and Tsengel Tuvans developed in the system of a single Central Asian folklore community of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples: it has ancient mythological roots, a wide range of existence and local features.
VICTOR KOK-OOL’S HISTORICAL AND HEROIC DRAMA “SAMBAZHYK”: THE EXPERIENCE OF INTERPRETING THE IMAGE OF THE PROTAGONIST OF THE DRAMA AND THE MOTIVE OF THE UPRISING
The article examines scientific research on the national liberation movement of Tuvan Arats “Aldan-maadyr” (“Sixty Heroes”) in the 19th century, which preceded the writing of the play “Sambazhyk” by V. Kok-ool. The author attempts to interpret the image of the main character and the motive of the spontaneous uprising reflected in the historical and heroic drama “Sambazhyk”. The thirst for retribution is the leitmotif of the drama, which is repeatedly emphasized by the protagonist and other actors, becoming an impulse for the development of the plot. Rebel songs artfully selected by the playwright and samples of folk speech in the characters’ lines are given. The study of this play demonstrates the presence of the following artistic dominants: a tragic narrative, a clearly formulated motive of rebellion, romantic shades in the image of the protagonist, a pronounced antagonistic confrontation and the introduction of folklore speech into dialogical structures. However, in our opinion, the artistic representation of the main character in this drama does not have sufficient depth to fully reflect the heroic essence of the leader of the uprising.
Ethnography
THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE KHAKAS TRADITIONAL SADDLE (YSER) (XIX– EARLY XX CENTURY)
The article examines the origins and development of the traditional Khakas saddle. The research was based on the museum collections of the Russian Museum of Ethnography (St. Petersburg) and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Peter the Great (Kunstkamera), the Khakass National Museum of Local Lore and the Minusinsk Museum of Local Lore. The author analyzes scientific publications published on this issue in Russian science over the years, examines the origins of the saddle, the classification of saddles (men’s, women’s, wedding and children’s), and the technology of decoration.
Source studies
SOURCES ON TUVAN ETHNOGRAPHY IN THE SCIENTIFIC ARCHIVE OF TNIIYALI-TIGI-TIGPI
The article is devoted to the study of sources on the ethnography of Tuvans, stored in the scientific archive of the Tuvan Institute of Humanitarian and Applied Socio-Economic Research. The research material included handwritten documents, illustrative materials, information from oral folk art, and tangible artifacts from the Institute’s scientific archive. Both historical methods of actualization, logical analysis and the “close–up” method are used, as well as source studies – analysis, synthesis, interpretation – to obtain a set of data on sources and their typologization. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the presentation of an overview analysis of the sources in the collections of the Institute’s archive and the definition of their typological diversity, which can be used for ethnological research. The author comes to the conclusion that since the establishment of the Institute in 1945, its main tasks have been to collect materials necessary for the scientific study of the history and culture of Tuvans, to acquire collections of sources, and to record the memories of informants who lived in pre-revolutionary traditional Tuva. As a result of studying the materials of the archive’s collections, the sources are divided into written, folklore (oral), material, audio recordings and visual. They contain ethnographic data with varying degrees of completeness. Among the written materials, there are little-known ones that need to be thoroughly investigated, while physical and visual sources require careful analysis and attribution in order to further introduce them into scientific discourse. It is important to expand and deepen the source studies and historiographical research on the ethnography of Tuvans in the future, chronologically covering the period up to the present.
Personalities
SCIENTIFIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTRIBUTION OF PAVLA ALEKSEEVNA SHAKHUNOVA TO THE STUDY OF THE ECONOMY OF TUVA (1950s-1970s)
Rada P. Shirinen (publ. also as Oorzhak)
The relevance of the research is determined by the need to preserve and analyze the historical heritage of regional economics, as well as to understand the processes of institutionalization of scientific research in Tuva during its integration into the national economic complex of the USSR after voluntarily joining it in 1944. Studying the role of key organizers of science, such as P.A. Shakhunova, allows us to reveal the mechanisms of formation of scientific policy and its direct impact on the socio-economic development of the region. The purpose of the article is to analyze the scientific and organizational activities of P.A. Shakhunova as the founder of economic research in Tuva in the 1950s and 1970s. The author analyzes how Shakhunova played a key role in the creation of a new economic sector in TNII in 1954, which laid the organizational foundations for systematic research; an analysis of her fundamental scientific works, such as the monograph “Soviet Tuva”, and their practical significance for planning regional development; the study of her active participation in key scientific and practical events, in particular, in the Regional Meeting on the Development of the Productive Forces of the Tuva Autonomous Region in 1958, where her expertise contributed to the formation of scientifically sound recommendations; as well as determining the direct impact of her scientific developments on subsequent government decisions reflected in the resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and the USSR. Based on the use of archival materials, Shakhunova’s own publications and historiography, the author concludes that her multifaceted work laid the foundation for a systematic study of the economy of Tuva, and also became an important founder of economic modernization in the middle of the 20th century.