We are glad to welcome the winners of the first stage of the regional Olympiad "Bright Crane" in knowledge of English language! Your task here is to write an essay on the topic "The Land of Olonkho". We hope you love the land you live and know a lot about its history, culture, literature, people and what not. We wish you were creative and look forward to your essays!Will you write your essays as commentaries in this very post. Don't forget to sign your works, please.
Aykhal.
ОтветитьУдалитьI was born in Aykhal and I have lived here since 1995. It is a small town in the north-east of Russia. Aykhal is situated near the Arctic Circle. It is famous for its deposits of diamonds and unusual nature.
We can see Northern Lights in winter and in autumn. It consists of pink and green stripes moving in the dark sky. Winter is very cold and wintry. All buildings and trees are covered in thick snow. Winter continues nearly 9 months but summer is short and not very warm. Many people pick flowers, mushrooms and berries at this time of year. And nights are always white in summer. Autumn is often cool and wet. Yellow, orange and red leaves lie on the ground then. Spring is snowy and sometimes very windy. Different birds such as sparrows and willow grouses appear. All times of year are different and special here and I like them very much.
I love my birthplace a lot. I am proud of Aykhal because there are many clever, educated and hospitable people. And if I move anywhere I will remember about this town.
Anna Serikova.
Sakha is a rich country not only because of its wonderful forests, fur-skins and diamonds. It is famous for its ancient legends, which are named Olonkho.
ОтветитьУдалитьImagen, some decades ago, all big and friendly family of Sakha people and their neighbors gathered together every evening in a little yurta, beside a fire, and among them obligatory was a people’s teller – olonkhohuts – who told ancient legends about a great warrior – Nurguun Bautur Rapid. Adults and children listened to him with great interest and even could do it all night long. But nowadays some native populations of Sakha don’t know creation of their generation. I don’t think, it is right. If you really love the place, where you are living, you must know its history.
Sakha epos is filled of deeply sense. Olonkho contains wisdom of generation, laud strength and beauty of Sakha people.
Especially interesting for me is the way of this legends performance. Olonkhohuts told it in a sing-song voice, every hero had his «personal» voice, and other text was told with accent. They say that the longest Olonkho was sung during seven nights.
The main hero is the epic hero from Aii tribe. He struggled for creature of his family and protected his tribe. As for me, the epic heroes symbolize beauty and wealth of their souls, which is inherent all the Sakha people.
In legends we can see, how close Sakha people are to nature. Mistreess’ of Earth home is in the sacred three. Sakha people love animals, especially horses.
It is great that Olonkho was proclaimed a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. It is really dignity of Sakha epic, which will famous the land of Olonkho during many centuries.
by Ksenia Vasiltsova
My native land the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is known all over the world for the jewels and permafrost. And in 2005 Yakut national epos – Olonkho - has been declared by UNESCO as one of the «masterpieces of oral and non-material heritage of mankind».
ОтветитьУдалитьI want to tell some words about Olonkho.
Olonkho is the most ancient epic art of Yakuts. It takes the central place in the Yakut folklore.
Action in Olonkho takes place in three worlds – Top, Average and Bottom. In the middle of the Universe there is AalLuukMas – the World Tree which roots live in the Bottom world, the crone grows in the average world, and branches are directed up to the sky where deities of the Top world live.
In Olonkho two main forces resist: light spirit – Ajyy, and black spirit – Abaasy. The main hero is a warrior from a tribe of Ajyy. He battles for creation of a family and protects his tribe.
Mythological characters support the warrior against the black spirit: the Supreme deity of JurjungAjyy Tojon, the patron of horses of KjunDzhesegej, the goddess who favours a birth of people and reproduction of pets – Iejiehsit and Ajyysyt.
In the beginning of the 20th century in each yakut village there were several olonkhosuts. Professional olonkhosuts were usually poor people. They spent a lot of time on memorizing the text, listening to the other tellers, long-term training in singing and recitation. That is why they had no time to watch after their houses, and they usually got some food for the performance: meat, butter, and grain.
I think that Olonkho lets us know about life of our ancestors, about their culture and belief. Olonkho greatly influenced on the origin and development of literature and art. I am proud that I live in Yakutia, and Yakutia is the world of Olonkho!
by Alyona Korshikova
To start with I would like to say that Olonkho is a heroic epic tale of the Sakha people. The poetic tales, which vary from 10,000 to 20,000 verses (or more) in length, are performed by the Olonkho singer and story-teller.
ОтветитьУдалитьMoreover the longest olonkhos are sung during up to seven nights. "Nyurgun Bootur the Swift", the most well-known olonkho, consists of more than 36,000 verses.
As a matter of facts Olonkho is the one of the oldest epic arts of the Turkic peoples, the term Olonkho refers to the entire Sakha epic tradition as well as its central epic. Today, it is still incidentally performed in the Sakha Republic, situated in the far east of the Russian Federation.
It is said that the poetic tales are performed by the Olonkho singer and story-teller in two parts: a sung part in verse alternates with the prosaic part composed of recitatives. In addition to possessing good acting and singing skills, the narrator must be a master of eloquence and poetic improvisation. The epic consists of numerous legends about ancient warriors, deities, spirits and animals, but also addresses contemporary events, such as the disintegration of nomadic society.
Given that each community had its own narrator with a rich repertoire, numerous versions of Olonkho circulated. The tradition was developed within the family context for entertainment and as a means of education. Reflecting Yakut beliefs, it also bears witness to the way of life of a small nation struggling for survival at times of political unrest and under difficult climatic and geographical conditions.
Another point to be made is that the basic theme Olonkho is a destiny of an epic tribe of Ajyy, the statement of happy and rich life on the average the world. In the subject relation three groups of legends are allocated. The first group make Olonkho about settling of the Average world by people of a tribe of Ajyy. Outcast descendants of deities Ajyy expelled from the Top world, appear on the average the world while the epic country only appears, and become its first inhabitants.
It seems important to add that the political and technological changes in twentieth-century Russia have threatened the existence of the epic tradition in the Sakha Republic. Although there has been a growing interest in Olonkho since the perestroika years, this tradition is endangered in view of the very low number of practitioners.
Victor Khaustov
The Republic of Sakha Yakutia is my homeland. Yakutia is known for its wonderful forests diamonds and Permafrost. Also, it is famous for Olonkho. Olonkho is yakut national epos. In 2005 happened important event for the culture of Yakutia. In this year UNESCO declared it one of the «masterpieces of oral and non-material heritage of mankind». Olonkho is the most ancient epic art of Yakuts. It plays a major role throughout the Yakut culture. There are three worlds in Olonkho: Top, Average and Bottom. In the middle of the Universe there is AalLuukMas – the World Tree which roots are in the Bottom world, the crone grows in the average world, and branches are directed up to the sky where deities of the Top world live. There are two main forces resist: black spirit – Abaasy and light spirit – Ajyy. The light spirit is a warrior from a tribe of Ajyy. He fights for creation of family and protects his tribe. The Supreme deity of JurjungAjyy Tojon, the patron of horses of KjunDzhesegej, the goddess who favours a birth of people and reproduction of pets – Iejiehsit and Ajyysyt – helps Ajyy to resist the dark spirits.
ОтветитьУдалитьI think that Olonkho gives us an idea of the indigenous inhabitants of Yakutia. It helps us understand their culture and faith, life and customs. Olonkho had a great influence on the birth and development of literature and art. I am proud that I was born in Yakutia, because I can confidently say that its history and culture is very rich and interesting.
Olga Li