Representations of the external world. Ways of treating diseases.

  The newspaper “Rech” wrote in 1913: “The Russkoye Ustye is completely cut off from the outside world. It lies at the limit of human habitation in general, farther away is the icy desert of the Arctic Ocean. If you really imagine the life of a Russian intellectual in Russkoye Ustye, it becomes frightening.” [Rech, 1913, No. 330]. However, the worldview of the Russkoye Ustye people did not have the doom, unquestioning submission to fate, and depression that researchers observed in the remote Siberian villages.

  “According to Sokolnikov's description, the Markovites give the impression of miserable, degenerate people. The Russko-Ustiinians do not make such an impression. They seem to be a people strong, healthy, stable and cheerful. “Bad disease” (syphilis) is not known to them at all.” [Zenzinov, 1914 6, p. 160].

  The basis for the description of rituals and omens (which will be discussed below) was personal impressions and observations that the author took from his childhood, as well as interviews with elders - experts in ancient customs. It should be borne in mind: what was observed 40-50 years ago is now a thing of the past and is practically unheard of in modern life.

  The inhabitants of the Russkoye Ustye used mostly the same methods of folk medicine that were common to all Siberians. But they also had peculiarities related to tundra conditions, poverty of flora, etc. Thus, not being able to prevent scurvy with the methods that Siberian peasants had (infusion of spruce cones, rose hips, fresh onions and garlic), they resorted to another prophylaxis - consumption of stroganina and fish oil.

  Many of the methods of treatment and prevention of diseases are of certain scientific value, but often they intertwined the rational with the irrational, with elements of mysticism, to which we can probably attribute conspiracies, incantations (which, however, also requires study). Here are some of the folk recipes of the Russian-Ustiinians:

  - for jaundice was given to drink a tincture of dried bear bile;

  - for scrofula, they drank water with chopped gold in it;

  - when eyes were sore, they used pieces of coke soap or ground sugar;

  - when an eyesore appeared on the eye, they tried to frighten the patient with a sharp shout, sometimes even shooting at his ear; at that they shouted through a ring, it was called “to drive away the eyesore”;

  - in case of barley on the eye, they also tried to frighten the patient by shouting, showing a dummy or taking a needle and hanging it on a thread in front of the eye: it was believed that barley was afraid of iron;

  - when the ligament was stretched (“the vein is lagging behind”), a needle without thread was passed under the tendon several times;

  - in case of muscle sprains, the sore spot was pressed with a ring of scissors and a burning pipe was placed on the body. It burned for two or three minutes, the patient screamed and screamed, but they held him firmly;

  - they tied a black horsehair around the wrist to cure the pain in their hand;

  - when a boil appeared, one would find a bough, cross it with the ring finger, saying up to three times: “As the bough dries, so the boil dries”. And also took pieces of old hare skin, soaped it to the fur with soap and applied it to the boil;

  - panaricitis, a purulent inflammation of the periosteum of the fingers caused by an infection that penetrates during injuries, is called “snakehead” by the Russko-Ustiinians. It was said that a furry worm was growing in the finger, which, if not destroyed in time, could multiply. It was treated by applying fresh human feces to the sore spot;

  - in case of a pounding in the ear, they put leaf tobacco in it or put a rag soaked in pipe juice; in case of tinnitus, they put a funnel made of paper into the ear and set fire to the wide end of it;

  - in case of toothache, leaf tobacco or pipe juice (“oscrepky”) was put in the hollow; if a tooth was loose, a long and strong string was tied to it, and its other end was tied to an axe. The axe was thrown and the tooth was pulled out;

  - in case of skin burns, pieces of raw fish or meat were put on the affected area, sometimes smeared with mucus from the nose;

  - frostbitten parts of the body were smeared with goose fat;

  - in spring, when the sun shines very brightly and the snow reflects the sun's rays, people who do not use light-protective glasses sometimes develop acute conjunctivitis; it was treated as follows: a sharp knife was used to make a shallow incision on the bridge of the nose and squeeze out a small amount of blood. Or a piece of half-frozen meat or fish was applied to the eyes;

  - for migraine-type headaches, the head was measured with a tape around the frontal-occipital circumference. Marks were made on the tape opposite the nose, ears and on both sides of the suboccipital fossa. Then the measure was folded in half, bending at the mark “nose”. Marks above the ears and suboccipital fossa in a healthy person should coincide, and if the head hurts - do not coincide: one half of the head allegedly becomes larger, as the brain from one half of the head “passes” to the other. Then the head was massaged along the frontal-occipital circumference, then measured again. The operation was repeated several times until the marks on the tape matched. Then the head was tightly tied with a handkerchief. This disease was called “brain transition” and the treatment was called “head ruling”;

  - for diarrhea they drank water with crushed birch charcoal or steeply brewed tea; in case of constipation they “put a pawn” (a pointed piece of soap);

  - in case of nosebleeds, the head and nose bridge were soaked with snow or water. They tried to arrange the patient so that the blood would drip on a burning charcoal;

  - in case of broken bones, they put shreds of fresh tree bark layer and gave the patient water with chipped copper;

  - children's diaper rashes were covered with burnt clay (“oven”), ground rotten wood or overcooked flour;

  - a “torn navel” was treated in the following way: the patient was placed on his back with his legs bent at the knees. Massaging the abdomen against the “pulsating” (pulsating - torn off) navel, the “emendator” gradually “directs” it to its place with the help of a knife or a smoking pipe. Then grabbing the abdominal skin at the navel with his hand, he wraps it to the right and holds it until the navel stops “pulsate”;

  - they tried to get rid of warts in the following ways: they told someone to count the number of warts, then they supposedly disappeared, or during the full moon they went outside and showed the warts to the moon, or gave them to a dog to lick;

  - in case of sore throat, leaves of Tussilago farfara were tied as an antipyretic. In case of eye pain, Tussilago farfara was also applied.

  Sometimes, if a person was ill with a severe and prolonged illness that could not be cured by “their” methods, the Russko-Ustiinians turned to the help of a shaman; one of the relatives of the sick person went to the Even or Yakut people to fetch him. They welcomed him as a dear guest and gave him plenty of food. At six or seven o'clock in the evening the preparation for the shamanistic ritual began: the fire was lit in the fireplace, the shaman's clothes were brought in, the tambourine was dried, the floor was covered with “deshshu” - a beaded skin of a young deer - an invariable shaman's attribute. All the households went outside and discharged natural needs, for it was forbidden to go outside during the shamanistic ritual.

  The shaman was the last to go outside: there he first prayed to the east and asked the spirits to help him cure the sick. Then he started whistling - to call the spirits (“enemies”), and having “got” them, he went into the hut with a malakhai (a conical fur hat with big ears) over his eyes. At the moment when the shaman approached the depshu, someone would light a fire with a torch, so that the sparks would fall on the depshu. This was done to drive away evil spirits from the depsha. In the light of the fire, the shaman wore a fur half-coat - “kukashka”, decorated with beads and trinkets, on his head - a malakhai with a large cutout on the vertex, also decorated with beads.

  After the shaman sat down on the depshu, two of those present sat down with their backs to him, began to beat the tambourine and sing. The shaman began to sing along and gradually entered into ecstasy, then the “teasers” gave him the tambourine and the beater, and went to the audience. During the selection of the shaman, his interpreter - “tolmach” - was selected. Through him the shaman asked what he was invited for. The relatives, also through the interpreter, told about the sick person and asked for help. The shaman answered that he would try to help, but in case of failure asked not to be offended. Then he began to call his spirits, they came and asked what water he called them for, the shaman told them about the history of the disease... “Having consulted” with the spirits, the shaman with singing approached the patient, bent down to him, looked for the disease - “thinness”, “found” it and hit the tambourine hard. Finally, the beaten, exhausted thin woman was “put” on the tambourine and began to tell others where and how she came from; he promised that he would try to send her away. Then he “took” the thin woman and took her on a “long journey” - he stomped on the threshold for 15-20 minutes, beat the tambourine and sang. After returning from a long journey, the shaman sat down on the depshu and told that he had sent away the thin woman and that she would not return if his orders were fulfilled: the patient must not take an iron, pointed object for three days, must not knock or rattle. The patient must be given complete rest. He must not be allowed to go out alone in the evening, or he might “shudder” (be frightened), etc.

  It was believed that every person has a “sten”. When it flies away, a person becomes ill, drowsy, weak and in a bad mood. Finally, he may die, then shamans “bring” the sten back. Therefore, the sick person should not be frightened: otherwise he may “shudder” and the sten may fly away again. The shaman stated that in order to keep the shamanic spirit after his departure, it was necessary to choose a “bodyguard”, and his “guard evil spirit” he will remove from his post in three days. The permanent guardian was usually a dog chosen by the shaman, a fox skin or a shawl with a black pattern - all this was called “dilbir”. If a sick person fell ill after the shaman's leave, he was rubbed with a dilbir or a dilbir dog was tied near him. The ritual ended with the shaman saying goodbye to his spirits, singing and beating a tambourine. Then he changed into everyday clothes and left.

  Sometimes shamans were asked to “make happiness”, “to give happiness”. The “happiness” was understood as good luck, good fortune in catching foxes, fish, etc.

  They believed that nature is not indifferent to what is done in people's lives, it responds in one way or another to people's sorrows and joys. “If an angry person dies, a blizzard will rise; if a quiet, kind person dies, the day will be clear and windless”. Unusual luck, excessively rich fishing for fish, fox, deer were also considered bad signs - “happiness is in a hurry”. It was believed that a person's life was determined at birth. If a woman suffered long labor pains, it was assumed: “It's true, the god is still writing the baby's fate”. It was believed that fate does not depend on the man himself, everything depends on God. “Do not live young, but do not die old” - such a saying expresses the idea that not always the old die, leaving room for the young. They also believed that some phenomena could be harbingers of death. For example, if a dog howls at night with its head down or digs a hole in the yard, it is a harbinger of death.

  In general, there were many omens foreshadowing someone's death: templet in the house cracks or a mirror in the house will break - to the deceased; to see in a dream that fell out a tooth with blood - someone close to you will die.

  Older people prepared for death well in advance. First of all, they stocked up “mortal burdens” - clothes and shoes. They pledged to bury themselves usually on high places near passable roads, so that one of the travelers could remember the deceased with a kind word. It should be said that the word “cemetery” was little used. Instead of the phrase: “He went to the cemetery”, it was said: “He went to the dead” or “He went to his parents”.

  The moment of death was represented in the following way: together with death, an angel sent by the god for the soul appeared. The soul of the deceased comes out through the mouth and flies to heaven.

  The deceased was washed with warm water and soap. If a person died in the evening, the washing should be done before the dawn went out. The deceased was dressed and put in the front corner under the icons, covered with white and hung a curtain. His bed and clothes were tied in a big knot and hung on high poles near the grave. After forty days the knot was taken off and used as one wished.

  The deceased lay in the house for three days. All these days a round-the-clock vigil was set up around him, the psalter was read, wax candles were burned, incense was censored, etc. It was believed that during three days the deceased hears everything, but cannot say anything. The deceased was placed in the coffin just before the body was taken out, saying: “Flowers are strong, flowers are immortal”. During the carrying out of the body it was customary to weep intensely - to express one's grief. There were no definite, established texts of lamentations. You could cite one like this - a wife crying for her husband:

You're my bright falcon,

Who you left me for,

Who did you leave the little kids for!

  During the farewell the deceased is kissed on the forehead, trying not to drop a tear on him, otherwise every tear will stab him in the other world. The lid of the coffin is nailed in the room. It is impossible to look at the funeral procession from the window, you should go outside, make the sign of the cross and make a few earthly bows.

  They carried the body with the feet forward, saying: “We have seen you off well, for which you will not be angry with us.

  The grave is at least one and a half meters deep. A wooden block is first lowered into it. The coffin is lowered into it on ropes and closed with the lid of the log, each of those present throws a handful of earth into the grave. A wooden cross is placed in the eastern part of the grave mound, at the feet. Subsequently, a wooden tombstone - “golbas” is installed over the grave hill. An elevated dry place 1-1.5 km from the house was chosen for the cemetery. Crosses on graves were four- or six-pointed, sometimes covered. Often icons were nailed on the crosses. The dishes used by the sick person were broken on the grave. In the coffin were put pieces of food, a smoking pipe, tobacco. If relatives wanted the deceased to “come again”, i.e. to return in the image of an infant, they made a hole in the coffin lid. If, on the contrary, they did not want him to return, they hammered an aspen stake into the grave.

  They believed that a dead person, especially if it was an elderly person, took the souls of other people with him. Therefore, when returning from a burial, crosses were placed along the road to “lock the road”.

While the burial is taking place, preparations for the wake are going on in the house of the deceased. They burn coffin shavings in the yard, mop the floor, etc.

  When the deceased is in the house, the floor is washed and swept from the threshold to the front corner. As soon as the coffin is taken out, the floor is washed from the front corner to the threshold.

  Those who came from the cemetery were washed and perfumed. The obligatory dish at the wake was fritters with a mixture of crushed caviar.

  On the first night after the funeral there is also a vigil; no one can sit on the bed where the deceased was lying before 24 hours: it was believed that the guardian angel should still fly to the house within 24 hours. The wake is held on the ninth day, fortieth day and on the anniversary of the death. Relatives on the day of commemoration should go to the grave, light a small fire there and throw pieces of food into it.

From Alexei Chikachev's book, Russians on Indigirka.

 

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