The Burial Rite and the Concept of Death among the Modern Yakuts (Based on Materials from Central Yakutia)

The article is devoted to a little-researched topic – the modern concept of death and the burial and memorial rituals of the Yakuts. The material for the article was collected over the last ten years during archeological and ethnographic expeditions in Central Yakutia. The research aims to raise a problem for the study of death in modern Yakut culture and to introduce field material into the academic field. The modern rules and traditions of funeral and memorial rites result from an overlap of early pagan, Christian, and late Soviet traditions, but with a high degree of conservatism. The fear of death and the dead persists (especially the fear of people who have died a ‘bad’ death). The conditions of death and elements of funeral rituals remain a kind of label for the life of a good person. In modern times, the traditional indicators of a good life are supplemented by professional success, social prestige, and material wealth. An ‘easy’ death confirms this with high-quality funeral arrangements and the number of guests at the memorial dinner. There is a desire to carry out the entire cycle of funeral and memorial rituals correctly to bring peace to the soul of the deceased and ensure the safety of loved ones. At the same time, in Central Yakutia, local differences were noted in the calculation of the period from the occurrence of death to burial, the disposal of personal belongings, and the organization of the memorial meal. The depicted interpretation of the ordeals of the soul of iye-kut on its way to the world of ancestors reflects an ideal scenario of a cattle breeder’s life: the presence of family and descendants, a horse breeding with all aspects of a cattle household from participation in horse races to the Kumys festival. The modern burial rite of the Yakuts holds great information potential and can serve as a source for a study of self-identification and various aspects of culture.

burial rite, tradition, death, fear of death, soul, life scenario, cattle breeding