The Old Believers’ Churchyard: Semiotics of Cultural Space (The Case of the Ust-Tsilma Old Believers-Bespopovtsy in the Komi Republic)
https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2023.51.4.126-134
Abstract
This study addresses the structure of cemeteries and types of tombstones in the funerary tradition of the Russian Priestless Old Believers (known as Bespopovtsy) living in the Ust-Tsilma District of the Komi Republic. For the first time, a description of their graveyards, known as “mogilniki”, or “mogily”, is provided, and their history and preservation are outlined. Traditional beliefs concerning cemeteries and their arrangement are cited. The symbolism of the forms of tomb structures, reproducing not only canonical prescriptions and requirements, but also certain pre-Christian beliefs, is analyzed in detail. Folk terms relating to the dead and the afterlife are included. The degree and nature of post-revolutionary transformations, profoundly affecting the foundations of the Old Believers’culture, are explored. Despite the attempts to preserve traditions, modern lifestyles took root in the 1960s and 1970s. Elements of local specificity in funerary rites have nonetheless survived and can be seen in the symbolism of tombstones, synthesizing Christian and pre-Christian traditions. Findings of ethnographic, linguistic, and archival studies are presented.
Keywords
Supporting agencies: This study was carried out under the state assignment of the Federal Research Center in the Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Project State Registration Number FUUU-2021-0010).
About the Author
T. I. Dronova
Institute of Language, Literature, and History, Komi Science Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Chief Researcher, Institute of Language, Literature, and History, Komi Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Kommunisticheskaya 26, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167000
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Review
For citations:
Dronova T.I. The Old Believers’ Churchyard: Semiotics of Cultural Space (The Case of the Ust-Tsilma Old Believers-Bespopovtsy in the Komi Republic). Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2023;51(4):126-134. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2023.51.4.126-134
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