Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
| Created: | 2014-09-16 17:58 |
|---|---|
| Institution: | Department of Archaeology and Anthropology |
| Description: | In Kalmyk culture the father represents the whole family and takes all-important decisions. The mother's role is to look after the household, and to bare, and bring up children. Being at the bottom of the family hierarchy, the children are supposed to obey their parents and support them in their old age. Children, especially young ones, are not supposed to participate in the conversations of elders and are taught to do household chores from an early age.
Relatives on the father's side (avgnr) enjoy special privileges and respect, which is reflected in their treatment and roles. For example, during celebrations they sit on the most prestigious seats, are the first to be given gifts as well as the right to utter the first well-wishes. Important decisions relating to the clan or lineage, including the performance of various rituals, weddings etc., are, as a rule, made by these relatives. Also, out of respect, the bride is not supposed to utter the names of her husband's paternal relatives. Instead, she has to find name substitutes or nick-names when addressing them. This name-calling prohibition, also known as khadmlkhn, is part of a wider tradition of name-tabooing. Paternal relatives are also expected to be more formal, demanding, and businesslike. In contrast, relatives on the mother's side (nagtsnr) are viewed as more forgiving and easy-going, which reflects traditional ideas about 'maternity' and 'femininity'. Their influence on clan-related matters is supposed to be only implicit. Nevertheless, maternal relatives are given important roles in certain rituals such as a child’s first haircut where the maternal uncle first cuts a lock from the child’s hair. On this page, you can watch videos and listen to stories of how Kalmyks educate their children, venerate their elders, kinsfolk, and ancestors. |
Media items
This collection contains 28 media items.
Media items
Alena Lidzhieva, About Traditional Education
Alena says that in her youth she could not go out freely. In general, children had to ask their parents for permission. Alena grew up without a mother. Alena’s father never...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 12 Jun 2015
Alexandr Tarancheev, Respect for Older People
Alexandr talks about how children should behave in the presence of older people:
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sun 28 Apr 2019
Alexandra Sangadzhieva, Respect for Kin
Alexandra says that people should respect their relatives. She reminisces about her paternal uncle who helped her family in Siberia.
Alexandra conveys that her father had the...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sat 12 May 2018
Bulyash Chumudova, Respect for Elders
Bulyash says that in the past Kalmyks addressed different people differently, depending on their gender, age and the degree of kinship. She also says that the young people...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 13 Mar 2018
Ekaterina Dorzhieva, Respect for Older People
Some people commemorate their diseased relatives a year, two, three, five, or even 15 years after their death. I am already in my 70s. I live with my husband. Our parents passed...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 13 Mar 2018
Galina Erdneeva, My Advice to Young People
Galina gives advice and laments the loss of traditional values among the younger generation.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 26 Jan 2018
Galina Erdneeva, Naming Practices and Rules of Behaviour
Galina talks about how married women behaved, and how they addressed their husbands’ brothers. She also laments that the Kalmyks have forgotten their traditions and native...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 26 Jan 2018
Galina Mamonova, Hospitality and Respect for Older People
Galina talks about how Kalmyks showed their respect to their elders. She says that older people were always offered to sit in respectable places and were served fresh tea and...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sun 28 Oct 2018
Galina Mandzhieva, About the Aavikhn Clan, Its Land and My Father
In this interview Galina talks about the Aavikhn clan, its land, and about his father who was from the Bootkhud clan.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Thu 15 Mar 2018
Galina Tikeeva, My Respect for My Ancestors
Galina says the following: I do not know much about my ancestors, but my mother used to say to me: ‘You have many ancestors. Commemorate them once or twice a year. Book well...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 13 Mar 2018
Galina Yavanova, About Communal Spirit and Respect for Older People
Galina says that when she was a child in her village people helped each other and respected older people.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 13 Mar 2018
Irina Lidzhieva, About Learning From Elders
Irina recalls that when she was young, old men always emphasized the importance of daily prayers. Hence, Irina prays every morning as soon as she gets up. She prays for the...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 19 Jun 2015
Ivan Modunkaev, My Mother
Ivan reminisces about his mother whom he loved dearly.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Wed 20 May 2015
Lyalya Dzhavanova, About My In-Laws
Lyalya says that she was always obedient to her mother-in-law and never complained about her in-laws to her husband. Lyalya always wore a headscarf and socks in front of her...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sat 13 Jul 2019
Maria Pozharova, About Traditional Women
Maria says that in the past at weddings people sang a special song to make the bride sob. It was believed that sobbing at her wedding would make her married life happy. Today, in...
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Tue 11 Jun 2019
Nadvid Ubushiev, Taboo Words and Expressions
Nadvid relays a legend about the origin of taboo words and expressions.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Wed 3 Jun 2015
Nina Koksunova, Parental Advice
Nina is a teacher of the Kalmyk language at a secondary school in Khar-Buluk. In this video she talks about what parents teach their children.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 25 Sep 2015
Olzyata Badmaeva, The Respect and Worship of Kin, Ancestors, and Land
In this interview Olzyata talks about the ritual of gazr tyaklgn (a worship of the spiritual masters of land and water), the local spirits, and the Master of earth.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Wed 2 Aug 2017
Rimma Dysheva, Respect for One's Husband's Relatives
Rimma talks about how to show respect to one's husband's relatives and how a Kalmyk bride should behave.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Sun 22 Apr 2018
Sergei Muchiryaev, Respect of Elders
Sergei talks about traditional upbringing and the importance of growing up with one’s grandparents.
Collection: Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (FAMILY STRUCTURE AND RESPECT OF KIN)
Institution: Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
Created: Fri 4 Aug 2017