National Celebrations among the Teleut in the 20th-21st Centuries

Abstract

The article inquires into the history of formation of present-day national celebrations among the Teleut, one of the numerically small native peoples of Southern Siberia. It demonstrates the connection between these celebrations and, on the one hand, Christian celebrations which grew in popularity among the Teleut as Christinaty was spreading among the people in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries; and, on the other hand, official holidays of the Soviet period. The author examines the structure and functions of modern Teleutian celebrations and pays attention to the recent practice of organizing kin congregations/celebrations as well as holidays of “native numerically small peoples”.