Sunday, March 3, 2013

The ice park "The Legends of Yakutia".
 
The spring has come! On the 1st March it was the spring first day. Everyday it's getting warm and sunny more and more. All the people in Yakutsk are happy and they start going out with family, friends or couple of them.
There are a lot of entertainment for people: different cafes, restaurants, cinemas, concerts and etc. But we should go out to breathe fresh air, to hold active life. Actually there are many places out of the city to spend time with pleasure, which include rinks, slides, ice sculpture, snow-storms driving and so on.
In the center of Yakutsk there is the new theme park- ice park "The Legends of Yakutsk". The place for people, who has no time for going out of the city. I think it is so comfortable.
Today i spent my time with family in this park. There are slides, rink, snow-storm driving, ice sculptures, horse riding, cafe. There are a lot of people, and everybody like this park. It's wonderful!
 
Tomorrow I'll post some photos ;)).
 
 

the Winter Ox



 By Yakut legends,  Winter Ox comes from the Arctic Ocean  every autumn and brings us cold. In the first day of spring ( januar 31 )  his first horn breaks, and the second - at februar 31 . Then falls off the head, and with the floating of ice its corpse is sent back into the ocean. 
 The Winter Ox character is  combined two charachters the Ox and the Mammoth. in the Yakut mythology all spirits ichchi are humanized,  people communicates with them, make  sacrifices, hold ceremonies, asks for their goodwill,but   the Winter Ox is deprived of it all. In the Yakuts tradition and mythology, he is the personification of the inevitable elements (cold, cold, winter), and that is why it comes from the ocean, from  north. in the myths  Winter Ox is described as a  huge white Ox  with blue spots , crystal horns and  frosty breath.The forests freezes with it's steps , people and  animals suffer from the cold. In the end of winter  cold   reaches its peak. A day before the end of January  the Child Of the  Warm Sky Mighty Eagle come flying   from  south, shovel the  snow off his nest and  screams loudly.the Winter Ox begins to retreat from the eagle's scream : he broke the horns and its head  falls off.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Yakut language

I'd like to introduce the Yakut language. We use it everyday as well as Russian. And English. And German. Yeah, we are kind of linguistic geniuses. Of course, some people don't speak and even understand it, but it's ok. Approximately 50 per cent of population of Republic Sakha are the Yakut language speakers.
It is one of the Turkic languages. There is some unknown words which may be from the North and North East Siberia. Also there are a lot of mongolian and russian words. Sakha is an agglunative language and employs vowel harmony.
Simon Novgorodov was a yakut politician and a linguist. He made an yakut alphabet in 1917.

А а а /a/
A a
Б б бэ /b/
B b
В в вэ /v/ found only in Russian loanwords [3] V v
Г г гэ /ɡ/
G g
Ҕ ҕ ҕэ /ɣ, ʁ/
G‘ g‘
Д д дэ /d/
D d
Дь дь дьэ /ɟ/
D‘ d‘
Е е е /e, je/ found only in Russian loanwords Ye ye or e
Ё ё ё /jo/ found only in Russian loanwords Yo yo
Ж ж жэ /ʒ/ found only in Russian loanwords J j
З з зэ /z/ found only in Russian loanwords Z z
И и и /i/
I i
Й й йот /j, ȷ̃/ Nasalization of the glide is not indicated in the orthography Y y
К к ка /k, q/
K k or Q q
Л л эл /l/
L l
М м эм /m/
M m
Н н эн /n/
N n
Ҥ ҥ эҥ /ŋ/
Ng ng
Нь нь эньэ /ɲ/
N‘ n‘
О о о /o/
O o
Ө ө ө /ø/
O‘ o‘
П п пэ /p/
P p
Р р эр /ɾ/
R r
С с эс /s/
S s
Һ һ һэ /h/
H h
Т т тэ /t/
T t
У у у /u/
U u
Ү ү ү /y/
U‘ u‘
Ф ф эф /f/ found only in Russian loanwords F f
Х х ха /x/
X x
Ц ц цэ /ts/ found only in Russian loanwords Ts ts
Ч ч че /c/
Ch ch
Ш ш ша /ʃ/ found only in Russian loanwords Sh sh
Щ щ ща /ɕː/ found only in Russian loanwords Shch shch
Ъ ъ кытаатыннарар бэлиэ /◌./ found only in Russian loanwords '
Ы ы ы /ɯ/
I i
Ь ь сымнатыы бэлиэтэ /◌ʲ/ found only in Russian loanwords
Э э э /e/
E e
Ю ю ю /ju/ found only in Russian loanwords Yu yu
Я я я /ja/ found only in Russian loanwords Ya ya

 So this is the Yakut language alphabet. Of course, it is based on Russian but also there are many differences.

Every noun can be used like a verb! For example "кус [kus]" (n, duck) - "кустаа [kusta:]" (v, go hunting for ducks), "от [ot]" (n, green, grass) - "оттоо [otto:]" (v, hay).

I think it's high time you to know some basic yakut words :)
First of all we should smile and say "Hello!", right? It will be "дорообо" [doro:bo]. Дорообо!
Good morning -  үтүө сарсыарданан [utue sar'sɯrdanan]
Goodbye, see you - Көрсүөххэ диэри [kør'sekhe 'dieri] (it is not so difficult as it seems)
Thank you - Махтал [makhtal]
Good -  үчүгэй [utʃugei]
Bad - Куhаҕан [kuhaɣan]
I love you - Мин эйиигин тапыыбын [min eyi:gin taptibin] 


Wow! I hope you can pronounce it because yakut is very pleasant and easy. See you soon! 



Көрсүөххэ диэри :)




Sunday, February 24, 2013

Spring is coming


     It is getting quite difficult to remain sitting at table and listen to a lecturer, when spring weather calls us out.  We expect this season more than others. Spring means skating-rinks open. It doesn’t matter what your age is, you can go ice skating and enjoy.    There is a few lakes in different parts of our town.  Just choose nearest one and don’t forget your skates  and couple of friends. 
     Why is the  skating so popular in Yakutia. First of all, it is free of charge. One of few things you needn’t pay for it.  The other reason is an atmosphere of joy and friendship and new acquaintances. Everybody is in good mood and it doesn’t take you long to smile.  And it is going without saying that the greatest advantage of ice skating is a health promotion.


     So I’m  looking forward  to the opening of ice skating;)))

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Balagan: Yakut horror story


Balagan: Yakut horror story
Epos of the ancient yakut is great and splendid, but legends and traditions are eerie and real.
The story that I want to tell you happened many-many years ago, when our forebears lived in balagans. At that time people believed in evils and wicked spirits, that’s why they had to give muddled names to their children to screw the wicked spirits.
In faraway valley there lived one rich family in old balagan. As usual, the family consists of 3 daughters and 4 sons. In summer the parents had to go to haying and children stayed home.
Once in a hot day the elder children went to swim on a river, but the little sister didn’t want to leave the slightly cold balagan. She played with her wooden dolls, and all of a sudden unknown voice called her from kamaelyuek (an ancient furnace of yakut). The little girl was frightened with horror and didn’t answer. Then one little dirty girl appeared from the back of the kamaelyuek (it was Tchyuetchyuekke, a little girl who kidnaped children) and started to play with the girl’s dolls.
Nyurguyana (it is the name of the little girl) asked her: “Are you going to eat me?” The wicked spirit answered: “If you tell me your real name I won’t eat you”. Nyurguyana believed in her and told her real name.
After an hour or so the elder children came back, but there were something strange about Nyurguyana’s behavior: she had an odd smile. The average sister asked her what was the matter. The little girl said: “Look at that beautiful birch! Let’s go!” and they went to the forest.
Then Nyurguyana started to invite her brothers and sister to the forest. But the elder brother Bootur didn’t go with them. After some time he started to seek his brothers and sisters. But he found his little sister and she was sitting on the roof of balagan.
“What are you doing here?? How did you get there?” – asked he and rose into the roof. When he got the roof, he found out that there was nobody. He stood there in perplexity. Then Bootur saw his sister standing at the land and glaring at him. These eyes didn’t belong to his sister. Bootur took fright and understood that it isn’t Nyuruyana and ran away.
When the parents came from haying, their children were waiting for them round the table. Also they were seeing on one way. It called some suspicious on parents and they started to call the children by their names.
“Maaya” – called the mother, and Maaya replyed, but her real name was Aanyska, it always muddled the spirits up.
“Uigulaana!” – said mother, and Uigulaana answered, but she was Sargy. The parents called all their children by their muddled names, and they found out that their children were muddled by the wicked spirits. Parents started to pray aiyy for their children were fine. At that time serge that was in front of their balagan fell with heavy noise. The father remembered that the place where they live was the place of great tragedy that happened 30 years ago and told his wife: “One family lived there before us. They had 6 children. Once the man came back from hunting and brought a bearskin. When the parents woke up, they found out that their children were killed and cut in pieces on the floor by bear. The wife cried, shouted and then became insane. After that she drowned in the river at all. The man went to kill the bear, but unfortunately, he didn’t find it and he died from a great sorrow. They say that the soul of that man is seeking the bear, which destroyed his family”.
At this moment Bootur came with the neighbors from the nearest valleys. The parents immediately brought necessary things and their children, who were reviving. Then the family left that dreadful place.
That balagan stands still, but everyone tries to avoid that place. And also they fear to burn or ruin the balagan, it is too dangerous. If someone passes by the balagan they will hear woman’s cry or man’s shout…

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Hope you will find it interesting :)

      As you can see our boots don't just keep warm but they are also fluffy and pretty. Today I want to tell you a secret what makes unty fine. 
     The majority of our boots has some bright detail which girds a top part of them. We call it bieleh [bɪlæ] (There is no stress in short yakut words).

 The masters embroider it with glass beads or thread.  The ornamental design is varied and restricted only by the master’s imagination. 










However, the most common pattern is the national design.  







We have more than 400 yakut ornaments, which included in corresponding groups. The yakut ornament embroidered in clothes has deep content and can denote an age,a  marital, the place he was born and even how many children he has. Generally, the main function of every ornament is protecting from evil spirits.  The masters usually prefer use lyre-shaped (көҕүөр ойуу), heart – shaped ornaments(сүрэх ойуу), curles (эрбэлдьин ойуу),  also fishing - net(илим хара5а), plants (үүнээйи ойуу),   ram’s horn (бараан муоhа), nails and others when they make a bieleh .
     


The lyre-shaped ornament in the yakut culture is the most widespread. There are 3 version of its appearing. The lyre –shaped form stands for the symbol of an appearing plant. It means growing and developing of sakha people. The second version is the Tree of Life.  And others think that this ornament  signifies cattles . The lyre-shaped ornament is not only in our culture but it also meets in other Turkic nations where the cattle-breeding is in developing . It  is a blessing of prosperity in the World, but in other case overturned ornaments can be a warning about danger.  The ornament is embroidered differently for man and woman.  The top of the ornament is opened in women’s clothes, and it is closed in men’s.







 Another kind of ornaments called curles is build up from the lyre-shaped form. 




  The heart – shaped ornament  is a symbol of love and harmony. 


 Fishing was one of the vital occupation of sakha people. They reflected it in patterns in a form of fishing-net. This type of ornaments is used in decorating  of men's clothes. 
    



Also these ornaments are popular.

plants




nails
 
 ram’s horn



































There are 2 ways of making bieleh: by hand and on the bench.  The handmade bieleh is embroidered in the deep cloth and on its border the fur strip is sewed.  Some people make it on the bench in order to receive more saturated color. They fix up a bench, haul a thread taut and weave beads into thread.  It turns up solid and very impressive.


   













     As for me I don't imagine yakut winter without our unty. Although nowadays young people prefer fur-lined boots. How is it possible?! They aren't convinient for our conditions.
      This is my unty.  It is short, light-weight and comfortable to wear.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Traditional winter boots

If you are tired of endless heat and you want to breathe frosty air – welcome to Yakutia in winter! In December and January temperature can go below -50C. So what do sakha people wear to keep warm in such extreme conditions?
One of the most popular kind of our winter clothes is unty (унты) – reindeer skin boots. Adults, young people, children – everybody wears it with pleasure. There are few different types of unty’s design:

1.      Women's boots unty with sakha national ornaments



2.     Classical women's unty with ornaments and a mink trim


















3.      Women's unty with a mink trim


4.     Short women's unty  (it’s a modern model)

















5.     Classical men’s unty without any ornaments
Unty without decorations also can be unisex


6.     Men’s unty with a leather trim

As you see, unty are not just very warm boots, they are also really beautiful and stylish part of the wardrobe. The key component of its success is its ability ''to breathe''. This is a great advantage in extreme cold . And you can wear a good pair of reindeer skin boots more than 10 years! As unty are convenient and practical, they are perfect for our severe winter.


Wear and enjoy!
Unty of mine, Varya, Anya and Ira's uggs ;)

Hi there :)

What do you really know about Yakutia?

Maybe you imagine us riding deers and living in yurts?
We, a group of  M.K.Ammosov North Eastern Federal University students, would like to take these stereotypes down and to show Yakutia in our point of view.
We will introduce  you to our culture, sakha people and modern lifestyle.

Hope, you will enjoy :)

Here we are: Dariya, Varya, Sima, Ayuuna, Artem and Monica
Anya and Ira

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Continuing the theme about our winter boots...


Continuing the theme about our winter boots I want to tell you about what it is made of. I asked my grandmother to know more about it. And she told me that unty are made of camus (skin from deer's leg; yakut taba tyha). You need on an average from 10 to 12 camus to make one pair of unty, depending on the size. Our ancestors made unty by hand. This difficult work took about two weeks. First they streched and nailed camus to the wall till it was dry and harden. This process lasted about one week. Then  the main work started, which was continued from early morning till late at night for 6-7 days. First of all camus were fully and carefully handled from unnecessary sinews. Someone did it by special tool, someone used a knife and some did it by hand. Then people used fat or water to spread camus till it got softer. After that they cut camus in shape of legs with special sharp knife. You need special thread of dried cow sinews and special needle for fur to sew unty. And then all parts of camus were sewed together. After the main form was finished, work with linings started that were made of sheet wadding or cotton, trimmed with material on both sides. Then linings were sewed on the inside of the camus. The sole for unty was made of strong material - voilok or old felt boots (valenki). The sole was sewed to prepared camus and unty was ready. Now unty are made by master in special workshops. They can be different colors, different sizes and with different yakut ornaments, and female unty can also be embroidered with beads for the beauty.