Tuvan Rites Dagylga in the 20th Century

Abstract

The article examines the dagylga rite and its significance in the life of Tuvans and compares the forms that the rite exhibits today with those that had been recorded by ethnographers in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. It presents a description of turlag dagylgazy, a variant of the dagylga rite, that was held by a Tuvan kin group in 2019, as well as comparative information on similar rites conducted by other groups. I draw attention to the imprecise use of terms dagylga and dagyyry in ethnographic literature and argue that dagylga is in fact a calendar rite that may also contain elements of celebration. I further discuss the social composition of groups participating in the present-day rites, and point to the fact that the desire to restore or bring back a particular cultural experience of interacting with nature acts as a motivation for the Tuvans in their efforts to maintain the organization of dagylgda. Still, an examination of the forms that the rite has presently attained may be indicative not so much of the restoration of traditional rituals that once existed as of their novel versions that are being reconstructed.