Plural World Interpretations: The Case of the Tyvans of South Siberia

Abstract

Plural World Interpretations are part of our everyday life even if we are not aware of the fact. The different models of interpreting the world are products of human constructivity and coexist as parallel realities, complementing and contradicting each other. Based on fieldwork among the Tyvans of Southern Siberia, the article shows how individual actors oscillate fl exibly between two of many possible models for interpreting specifi c situations and act on them. The rules that Tyvans apply in varying contexts, the reasons behind their choices, and the consequences they have to deal with, are analyzed.