Sakha Music: Selling 'Exotic' Europeanness in Asia and Asianness in Europe

In this paper I compare strategies to sell Sakha music in different countries over a ten-year period with a particular emphasis on 2005–2007. due the fact that local income from performing and selling albums is not sufficient for living the artists from the republic of Sakha are trying to perform as much abroad as possible. When touring abroad, the music and performances have changed over time depending on the region. Sakha artists attempt to respond to the expectations of the audience and modify their program accordingly. In a period from the late 1990s to 2007, the same artists have switched from pop to rock to folk music, using different languages and different costumes, performing as Asian or European artists. comparing these strategies, one can see how Sakha musicians use cultural stereotypes of foreign audiences for economic purposes

Sahha (jakuudi) identiteet ja institutsionaliseeritud šamanism

In this article I discuss the ambivalent position of institutionalised shamanism in the Republic of Sakha, in the Russian Far East. Concurrently with the declaration of sovereignty in 1991, there was an upswing in the ethnic consciousness of the Sakha, the relevant process being manifested in increased interest in Sakha traditions and history.Shamanism, as one of the core features of Sakha culture, soon became an important ethnic symbol. After the establishment of the Association of Folk Medicine, the institution became politicised, being informally embedded in state structures, althoughformally, it was primarily engaged in healing people.I show that the state needed the Association to complete its nation building project, and the Association leaned on the state to increase its significance

Religioon kui etnilise identiteedi sümbol sahha (jakuudi) muusikas

Religion as the Symbol of Ethnicity in the Sakha (Yakut) Music In this paper I discuss the meaning of the religion in modern rock music of the Republic of Sakha, Eastern Siberia, Russian Federation. Shamanism is the traditional religion of the Sakha people. In modern rock music, shamanism is a symbol and manifestation of being Sakha. Shamanism is viewed by artists as a complex of symbols and beliefs that embodies Sakha culture. People treat shamanism with great respect. During building their career and joining with the rock music community, Sakha artists become believers in shamanism. "This means that they do not cross the line when using elements of shamanism in their music becomes practicing shamanism. Rock musicians distinguish themselves from commercial music, believing that they carry on Sakha culture and tradition. Their identity is very much built on this notion of the conflict with the commercial music. I show how the conscious manifestation of the Sakha identity by using shamanistic elements in the music is transmitted from one rock musician generation to another. New rock musicians are adopted within the network of reciprocity and solidarity, at the same time they take over cultural ideology of the rock community

Notes de terrain et histoire cachée

Dans cette étude, je me livre à une analyse critique de l’utilisation des journaux de terrain et de leur rôle dans ma vie. J’ai rétrospectivement découvert que mes notes dans les journaux de terrain reflètent la spontanéité et la proximité de mes relations avec mes informateurs. Je rends compte ici de plusieurs cas, où j’ai compris que ces journaux ont pour moi un sens personnel. Quand j’utilise mes notes de terrain dans mes publications universitaires, je procède à une autocensure et je garde une partie de mes matériaux pour moi.Je partage la position de Judith Okley, qui fait la différence entre une « documentation consciente » et la « mise par écrit ». Dans le premier cas il est question de remplir un journal de terrain, c’est une « description plurielle », qui a comme objectif de préserver ou de susciter chez l’auteur « le contexte local ». Dans les publications universitaires nous procédons à une « mise par écrit » où nous ne transmettons pas la vision totale de la situation.Paradoxalement, les journaux de terrain disent quelque chose sur l’anthropologue, pas sur le fond de sa discipline. Une grande partie des textes de terrain reste dissimulée aux yeux des autres, c’est l’anthropologue qui en a besoin pour se fabriquer une vision d’ensemble en vue de ses travaux scientifiques Je suis personnellement convaincu que 80 % des textes de terrain ne seront pas publiés, mais ils sont indispensables pour utiliser les 20 % restants.In this essay I look self‑reflexively at my use of fieldwork diaries. In retrospective I discovered that taking notes is a spontaneous process and that fieldwork diaries symbolize for me an intimate relationship with my informants. I describe various situations where I understood that personal nature of diaries. Sharing my field notes in academic publications I consciously self‑censor the information to keep certain material hidden.I fully agree with Judith Okely, who distinguishes the two processes – ‘knowingly writing down’ and ‘writing up’. Field notes are written down, this is a rich ‘thick description’ that serves the purpose of maintaining or re‑establishing a personal ‘local context’. Using field notes as quotes in an academic publication is writing up, where the depiction of a full personality is not needed.The paradox is that field diaries define the anthropologists but not the discipline. Anthropology is how field notes are used. Most of the text produced during the field work remains knowingly hidden for other people, and is needed to construct the larger picture we will discuss in our academic publications. I personally believe that approximately 80 % of data I have collected remains unpublished, but I need it to make sense of the 20 % I deliver for a wider public.Antud essees analüüsin ma enesekriitiliselt välitööde päevikute kasutamist ja nende rolli mu elus. Retrospektiivselt olen ma avastanud, et välitööpäevikute sissekanded peegeldavad välitöö spontaansust ja minu lähedast suhet informantidega. Antud essees kirjeldan ma mitmeid juhtumeid, kus ma sain aru et päevikutel on isiklik tähendus minu jaoks. Kui ma kasutan välitööde märkmеid akadeemilistes publikatsioonides, ma teadlikult tegelen enesetsenseerimisega ja hoian osa materjali enda teada.Ma olen täielikult nõus Judith Okleyga, kes teeb vahet “teadvustatud dokumenteerimisel“ ja “kirjapanemisel“. Esimene on tegevus välitööpäeviku täitmisel, see ongi “mitmekülgne kirjeldamine“, mille eesmärk on säilitada või tekitada dokumenteerija jaoks “kohalikku koonteksti“. Akadeemilistes publikatsioonides kasutame me “kirjapanemist“, kus me ei anna edasi situatsiooni täielikku pilti.Omaette paradoks on see, et välitööde päevikud annavad edasi antropoloogi aga mitte distsipliini olemust. Suur osa välitööde päevikute tekstist jääbki teiste inimeste jaoks peitu, seda on aga vaja antropoloogile et luua suuremat ja üldistatud pilti akadeemilise publikatsiooni jaoks. Ma isiklikult usun, et 80% päevikute tekstidest jääbki publitseerimata, kuid seda on vaja et kasutada akadeemilistes publikatsioonides ülejäänud 20%‑i

Book Reviews

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Book Review: Galvanizing Nostalgia?: Indigeneity and Sovereignty in Siberia

Book review: Balzer, Marjorie Mandelstam. 2022. Galvanizing Nostalgia? Indigeneity and Sovereignty in Siberia. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press

NATIONALIST SAKHA WARRIORS FOR THE KREMLIN THE CASE OF YS TYMSY

Since the start of the full scale war between Ukraine and Russia, both commentators and people who follow the war have paradoxically increasingly acknowledged the multicultural nature of Russian society. There are two non Russian ethnic groups who are associated with the ongoing war more than others: Chechens and Buryats. Nevertheless, with approximately 200 ethnic groups, members from more or less each one are represented in the Russian armed forces. There is the popular assumption that most non Russians in Russia oppose the war, oppose the Kremlin and are potential separatists. This chapter demonstrates that nothing can be further from the truth. This is a presentation of the analysis of Ys Tymsy, a Sakha pro Kremlin nationalist popular male movement. The movement is anti immigrant, conservative, anti Western and homophobic. This ideology helps to find common ground in the Kremlin’s anti Western conservative world view. Moreover, the con cept of masculinity in the movement is rooted in a perception of the mythical Sakha warrior. This makes all members of Ys Tymsy supporters of Putin’s war to the extent that young Sakha men join the Russian army voluntarily

Living with Koryak Traditions: Playing with Culture in Siberia

Book review of the publication Alexander D. King, Living with Koryak Traditions: Playing with Culture in Siberia. Lincoln & London: University of Nebraska Press, 2011, 348 pp

World music routes: the modification of the Sakha musical tradition1

The focus of the article is twofold. It scrutinizes the marketing strategies of the traditional musicians of the Republic of Sakha, in the Russian Far East. In the last 10 years musicians who had performed pop, rock or jazz now focus on the global world music scene in order to develop their international career and earn money. Simultaneously, the article discusses the role of the media in the local music business of the Republic of Sakha. The local media puts artists under heavy pressure to gain success outside of their home region and Russia. Artists are turned into political activists and role models for young musicians. In order to respond to these expectations and thrive in the global music business, Sakha artists have developed interesting methods of modifying Sakha tradition. The article is critical to the post-colonial reading of the world music business and argues that artists are not always manipulated by managers but that artists develop strategies to fit the expectations of the audience and managers