Dmitry Funk

“The Last Epic Singer”: recording of the last examples of the dying poetic language of Shors (Western Siberia, Russia)

Project report

In December 2003 thanks to the financial support I got from The Endangered Language Fund, USA I completed the project on audio fixation of the Shors heroic epos from the modern epic singer – kaichi Vladimir Egorovich Tannagashev (born 1932). The aim of the project was to preserve probably the last examples of the poetic Shors language. Fund covered travel expenses from Moscow to Kemerovo region and back, also the cost of disks for MD recorder and informant’s fee. To cover the expenses per diem and rent of the apartment I also used money from the fundamental research program from Historical-Philological department of Russian Academy of Sciences “Historical and cultural evolution, contemporary situation and perspectives for the sustainable development of small indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East”.

Financial part of the report - expenditure of money received from the Fund (ELF):

Tangible “material” results of the work with the singer include audio recordings of the following epic songs:

1. “Alyp-Qaračyn”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, recorded in four parts during two days - December, 8-9, (stories No.1-7 were performed by the rhythmic prose) (CD 1 & 2)
2. “Kerče ai qar’at” [Smart moon-black horse], or the second name of the song - “Kara-Khan”, adopted from P.I. Kidiyakov or P.P. Tokmagashev; recorded on December, 9 (CD 3 & 4)
3. “Qyryq emčektig Qydai-Aryg” [Forty-breast Kydai-Aryg], or the second name of the song - “Čeppe sar’attig Čeppe-Salgyn”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, recorded in the morning December, 10 (CD 5 & 6)
4. “Čylan-Toočy”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov; recorded on December, 11 (CD 7, 8 & 9)
5. “Ulug-kičig aq sar’at” [Large and small light-yellow horses], adopted from P.N. Amzorov; recorded on December, 11 (CD 10 & 11)
6. “At kezigi öktemeš sar’attyg, er kezigi Öktemeš-Мöke”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, the length of the recorded item is ¾ of an hour, recorded on December 11 (CD 12)
7. “Attan čabys qan čergen attyg qannan čabys Qan-Меrgen” [Riding the lowest from the horses blood-red horse the lowest among khans Khan-Меrgen], adopted from V.M. Karachakov; recorded on December 12 (CD 13 & 14)
8. “Üš qulaqtyg aq qor’at” [Three eared auburn horse], adopted from G. Kastarakov; performed in the traditional style of throat singing with the retelling of what was sung; recorded late in the evening on December 12 (video on mini-DV cassettes 1 & 2)

All original audio and video recordings are stored in the archive of the Coordinative center for complex research of epic tradition at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (CCCRET IEA RAS) and have the same level of access as in the archive of ELF (see the remark at the end of the report). Copies of the epos audio recordings on CD are sent to the ELF archive, the copy of the video recording of the song “Üš qulaqtyg aq qor’at” is also sent to the ELF and - on VHS-cassette - to the family archive of the epic singer.

Songs numbered as 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 were recorded from Shors for the first time, song No.7 – was first recorded from the epic singers of the Nizhnemrasskaya epic performing school1. A year and a half ago the epic singer in details retold me the song №3 in Shors language. In 2003 the full version was recorded by the epic singer himself. Besides that, there is a short record of this song written under the dictation of the famous Shors epic singer A.I. Abakaev in the second half of 1930-ies (stored in Kunstkamera archive in Saint Petersburg). Song №6 was retold to me by the epic singer already for the second time: previous recording made in 2002 is approximately 30 minutes length. Tannagashev doesn’t know the full text, only the part that was known to his “teacher” P.N. Amzorov who heard it from one Khakass singer only once.

Vladimir Egorovich Tannagashev was born in December, 10, 1932 in the Kurya ulus (village) in the downstream of the river Mras-su on the territory of the Gorno-Shortsevsk national district, administratively related to the Western Siberian region.

Tannagashev – was the main family in Kurya. All ancestors of Vladimir Egorovich, both whom he remembered and those whose names erased from the memory, lived here. His father Egor had a Shors name Sarig, grandfather, Ivan Trofimovich, had a Shors name Oolak, great-grandfather, Trofim Alexeevich, Ochum, great great grandfather of Alexei – Kuchum. In one of the addresses to his descendants Vladimir Egorovich wrote: “according to the old people our clan derives from the khan dynasty. But without check I can’t affirm whether it is reliable”.

His father, Egor Ivanovich like other Shor men in that time was a hunter since he became twelve years old. His mother Anastasia Nikolaevna, girls name Sabanaeva, was born in the village of Kalachevo close to the modern Novokusnetsk city. Despite that all “kalachevo” born people were officially registered as “Shors”, Shors who lived upper stream river Tom’ never regarded them as such and called them “Tatar”, and the village of Kalachevo - “Tatar area”.

The family of Egor and Anastasia Tannagashev was large. They had 10 children, but three girls died in the early childhood. The rest seven – Olimpiada, Vladimir, Elizaveta, Ludmila, Valeri, Alevtina and Galina grow up and many of them got good education. Before the WW2 family moved to Kalachevo. Late in night they packed things on the carts and left. In Kalachevo, eight years old Volodya went to school. “Went myself, wanted to study” - he says. In 1943 family moves back to Kurya and Volodya graduated from the fourth grade of the elementary school in the neighboring village Chuvashka, from the fifth grade – in the secondary school at the city of Miski. Only 15 years later he got an opportunity to study again and graduated from the seventh grade in the village Tyoya.

After finishing the fifth grade Vladimir Egorovich became a drill man in Mrass geological expedition. In 1951-1954 he ran his military service as frontier guard. After he returned back he got married and to support the family in 1955-1956 he worked in the mines. For three years from 1959 to 1962 his family lived in Tyoya, where Vladimir Egorovich worked as a sanitary technician. From Tyoya for a short time family returns to Kuryia, but soon leaves again for Mezhdurechensk. Here in the mining “Raspadskaya” he worked for 20 years being a bulk breaker, timber man, working in the mounting and as an engineman of the shallow-mining equipment. In December, 1982, being 50 years old he retired, but even after that for three years, as he remembers, he visited “Raspadskaya”. Only in the last years Vladimir Egorovich quit full-time job though for some time he was a shooter in the nondepartamental guard of the mining “Sibirginsky” close to Miski.

Vladimir Egorovich and Valentina Vasilievna (maiden name - Telgerekova) with whom he has been living for almost 30 years brought up six children. All children are grown ups, having their own families, but still sometimes they come to their father and ask: “Daddy, tell us a story!”

According to my verified data, today V.E. Tannagashev, being 71 years old, remembers the following epic texts (full versions and partially):

1. “Palazy čoq Аq-Qan”, it is the first story written down on the paper by the singer himself; recording disappeared; separate episodes of the story are forgotten,
2. “Аq-Ölenma Кök-Ölen”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, the plot was recorded by D.A. Funk,
3. “Аq-Pilek”, adopted from the epic singer whom everybody called “apshij Mukalish”, old man Mukalish,
4. “Аlty čaštyg Qan-Меrgen”, the plot was recorded by D.A. Funk,
5. “Altyn-Qаn”, adopted from P.P. Tokmagashev, several episodes of the story were forgotten, the plot was recorded twice by D.A. Funk in 2002 and 2003,
6. “Аltyn-Qоsta”, adopted from P.I. Kidiyakov; there is self-recording of the epic singer, original was passed to М.V. Serbegesheva,
7. “Аltyn-Qyjgylyq”, adopted from A.P. Napazakov, the plot of the story was recorded by D.A. Funk,
8. “Аltyn-Sаlgyn”, self-recording of the story for the CCCRET archive, began in November, 2003,
9. “Аltyn-Таjčy”, the plot of the story was recorded by D.A. Funk,
10. “Таlaška čörgen Аltyn-Тоrgu”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov; as the singer told me once - “I know it, only forgot the name of Аq-Qan son”,
11. “Аltyn-Čyltyspa Кümüš-Čyltys”, adopted from P.I. Kidiyakov or from P.P. Tokmagashev – V.E. Tannagashev doesn’t remember exactly,
12. “Аlyp-Qаračyn”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder in 2003,
13. “Аlyp Аj-Кök”, several episodes were forgotten, the plot of the story was recorded by D.A. Funk,
14. “Аttan čabys qan čergen attyg qannan čabys Qаn-Меrgen”, adopted from V.M. Karachakov, recorded by D.A. Funk on the MD recorder in 2003,
15. “Аttan čabys qan čergen attyg erden čabys Qan-Меrgen”, adopted from the Khakass epic singer Оpim-apshij,
16. “Аčazy qulatpa tunmazy qulat”, several episodes of the story were forgotten,
17. “Кök-Тоrčuq”, adopted from V.L. Boriskin; there is self-recording of the epic singer made in 1999: 32 hand written sheets with text split into poems; copy is stored in the CCCRET archive,
18. “Кünnü körgen Кün-Кöök”, self-recording of the singer made in 1999 г.: 22 hand written sheets of the text without splitting into poems; copy is stored in the CCCRET archive,
19. “Qazyr-Тоо”, written by L.N. Arbachakova: text volume is 27 sheets,
20. “Оn аlyptyn ymajnan čajalgan Qan-Кičei”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov; the plot of the story was recorded by D.A. Funk,
21. “Qan-Ergeq”, during the talk with the singer in 2002-2003 he claimed that he forgot several episodes of the story, earlier one of his favorite,
22. “Qara-Qan”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, there is a self-recording of the singer made in 1999 [29 hand written sheets of the text split into poems] and in 2002 [47 hand written sheets in two school exercise books]; prose/poetic version of the epos was recorded by D.A. Funk on mini-disks and video camera in mini-DV format in 2002; all versions of these recordings are kept in CCCRET archive,
23. “Кerče aj qar’at” (“Qara-Qan”), adopted from P.I. Kidiyakov or from P.P. Tokmagashev; recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder in 2003,
24. “Qara-Мolat” (several episodes of the story were forgotten),
25. “Qaragy čoq Sas-Qara, čodagy čoq Čol-Qara”, heard from P.N. Amzorov, many episodes of the story were forgotten,
26. “Аlty qulaš synnyg Quba-Čilan”, adopted from P.P. Tokmagashev, several episodes of the story were forgotten,
27. “Qyryq emčektig Qydaj-Аryg”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, was recorded by the singer himself in 2003 for the CCCRET archive (75 hand written sheets in two exercise books, original), the same year was recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder;
28. “Кüren-Qylyš”, adopted from G.N. Kastarakov,
29. “Аt kezigi öktemeš sarattyg, er kezigi Öktemeš-Möke”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov who in his turn adopted it from Khakass epic singer; several parts (30 and 46 minutes in length) were recorded by D.A. Funk in 2002 and 2003,
30. “Salgyn četpes saryg sarattyg Saryg-Qan”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov; the original version of the self-recording made in 2003 (96 hand written sheets in three exercise books) are stored in the CCCRET archive,
31. “Svet-oolaq”, adopted from I.V. Tokmagashev,
32. “Četti pum sy qobirgaj ištinge čörčigan Syr-Ölen qys”,
33. “Ulug-kičig aq sar’at”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, was recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder in 2003,
34. “Ÿš qulaqtyg aq qor’at”, adopted from G.N. Kastarakov; version with throat-singing (kaj) performance was recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder and video camera in 2003,
35. “Čabal Qan-Mergen”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov; the original copy of the self-recording made in 2003 (108 hand written sheets in four exercise books) is stored in the CCCRET archive,
36. “Čabys-Čapan”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, there is a self-recording of the epic singer; 59 hand written sheets in the school exercise book; copy is stored in the CCCRET archive,
37. “Čaš qulattyg Čaš-Qylyš”, adopted from P.N. Amsorov; the original copy of the self-recording made in 2003 (99 hand written sheets in three exercise books) is stored in the CCCRET archive,
38. “Čaš-Salgyn”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov,
39. “Čylan-Тооčy”, adopted from P.N. Amzorov, recorded by D.A. Funk on MD recorder in 2003.

Two thirds of the named songs are stored in the archive of the Coordinative center for complex research of the epic tradition (IEA RAS) in the form of self-recordings of the singer (copies and originals) either with the different level of completeness (retelling the plot, performing a part of the song, full text) in the form of audio- and video performance recordings (full recordings of all fourteen songs, available for the scientific research, are marked with the bold letters).

Considering that preparation of all recorded epic texts on this project can require much time, the level of access to these files will be the “near complete access, including excerpts posted on the internet and direct access at the ELF archives, and - additionally - copies necessary for the scientific work may be taken under the permission of the grantee”.2

WWW lingsib.iea.ras.ru