Religious and mythological aspects of national consciousness (on the material of the Republic of Altai)
Research Article
How to Cite
Malinov A.V. (2025) Religious and mythological aspects of national consciousness (on the material of the Republic of Altai). Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii (The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology), 28(1): 208–231 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.31119/jssa.2025.28.1.9 EDN: CPRPKE
Abstract
The article deals with the processes in the religious life of the Altai people, the titular ethnic group of the Altai Republic. It is noted that there is an active process of formation of the national form of religion, called Burkhanism or White Faith, among the adherents of which two versions struggle for dominance. The first of them considers Burkhanism as a regional variant of Buddhism, the second — as the original “Altai faith”. After its emergence in the early 20th century, Burkhanism played a decisive role in the formation of the Altai ethnos and became a key factor of national self-consciousness and identity. Thanks to Burkhanism, the Altai people (Southern Altai or Altai Kizhi) began to contradistinguish themselves from other autochthonous peoples inhabiting the mountainous region. Burkhanism became a mark of separation from the foreign and the first manifestation of a young ethnos. Modern Altai society is in the process of developing a common pantheon, dogma and ritual practices of Burkhanism. The national, primarily urban intelligentsia offers several variants of understanding Burkhanism and codification of its doctrinal provisions. Burkhanism still remains one of the main pillars of Altaian national identity, although its justification, offered by local intellectuals, takes mythological forms called “Altai philosophy”. It is pointed out that the current stage of Altai national consciousness can be called ethnosophical, because it is based on mythological models disseminated and supported by the national intelligentsia. Burkhanism and the practices of its mythological justification retain a potential for conflict and lead to further ethnic differentiation within the Altai ethnos itself. The future of the people itself depends on which version of Burkhanism prevails: either inclusion in the context of one of the world's civilizations, or isolationism and conflictual existence.
Keywords:
national identity, national consciousness, Burkhanism, Altai, ethnicity, ethnosophy
References
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Kleshev V.A. (2011) Folk religion of the Altai people: yesterday, today. Gorno-Altajsk: IP Vysoczkaya G.G. (in Russian).
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Kushnerik R.A. (2024) Main periods of adaptation of Buddhist culture on the territory of the Altai Mountains. In: Scientific and cultural-historical significance of the Central Asian Expedition of N.K. Roerich. Proceedings of the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of N.K. Roerich and the 100th anniversary of the expedition. Novosibirsk: SO RAN: 142–148 (in Russian).
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Mujtueva V.A. (2004) Traditional religious and mythological picture of the world of the Altai people. Gorno-Altajsk: IP Vysoczkaya G.G. (in Russian).
Ojnotkinova N.R. (2021) Color terms in the mythological discourse of the Altai people. Tomskij zhurnal lingvisticheskix i antropologicheskix issledovanij [Tomsk Journal of Linguistic and Anthropological Research], 1: 47–63 (in Russian).
Ojnoshev V.P. (2008) The system of mythological symbols in the Altai heroic epic. Gorno-Altajsk: Gorno-Altajskaya tipografiya (in Russian).
Tadina N.A. (2013) Two perspectives on burkhanism and altai-kizhi. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology], 4: 159–166 (in Russian).
Tadina N.A. (2020) Modern Burkhanism through history in the ritual life of the Altai people. Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya Geoarxeologiya. Etnologiya. Antropologiya [News of Irkutsk State University. Series Geoarchaeology. Ethnology. Anthropology], 31: 31–40. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2020.31.31 (in Russian).
Hvastunova Yu.V. (2019) A new type of religious leader in neo-paganism on the example of the Altai Jan Ak Jan group in the Republic of Altai. Narody i religii Evrazii [Peoples and Religions of Eurasia], 1(18): 104–112 (in Russian).
Sherstova L.I. (2013) Burkhanism and the problem of new identities of the peoples of the Altai Mountains. In: Peoples and Religions of Eurasia, 6: 243–250 (in Russian).
Shodoev N. (2009) Foundations of Altaic philosophy. Bijsk: Tipografiya «IP Kudrin E.I.» (in Russian).
Shodoev N.A., Kurchakov R.S. (2003) Altai bilik — ancient roots of folk wisdom of Russia. Kazan: Centr innovacionnyx texnologij (in Russian).
Shebrova S.Ya. (2023) Grigory Gurkin: national images of the world. St. Petersburg: Intersocis (in Russian).
Shhebrova S.Ya. (2024) Oblastnichestnichestvo in the fate of Grigory Gurkin. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Istoriya [Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. History], 1: 75–88. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2024.105 (in Russian).
Yudanov A.V. (2008) Sacred Kaan-Altai-Shambala. In: Malinov A.V. (ed.) Culture and Traditions of Indigenous Peoples of the Northern Altai. St. Petersburg: Izdatel’stvo Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta: 371–391 (in Russian).
Yanutsh O.A. (2023) Personalization of historical and cultural experience as a basic mechanism for constructing national identity (on the example of the Altai Republic). Obshhestvo. Sreda. Razvitie [Society. Environment. Development], 3: 123–129. https://doi.org/10.53115/19975996 (in Russian).
Yanutsh O.A. (2022) Ethnosophy: 100 Years in Search of Self. Obshhestvo. Sreda. Razvitie [Society. Environment. Development], 4: 11–14 (in Russian
evelopment], 4: 11–14 (in Russian).
Alekseev-Apraksin A.M. (2023) Ethnosophy. Mezhdunarodnyj zhurnal issledovanij kultury [International Journal of Cultural Studies], 1: 6. https://doi.org/10.52173/2079-1100 (in Russian).
Artamoshkina L.E., Kirshin V.A. (2023) Image in Culture: The Silver Age as a “place of memory”. Filosofskij polilog [Philosophical polylogue], 1: 157–174. https://doi.org/10.31119/phlog.2023.1.198 (in Russian).
Atkunova D.A. (2023) Ritual and festive activities in socio-cultural practices of the Russian region (On the example of the traditional holiday Jylgayak). Mezhdunarodnyj zhurnal issledovanij kultury [International Journal of Cultural Research], 1(50): 56–66. https://doi.org/10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_56 (in Russian).
Atkunova D.A. (2022) Ethnographic tourism: experience of development on the example of small indigenous peoples of Northern Altai. Ethno-cultural heritage of the Altai peoples. In: Collection of materials of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference devoted to the 70th anniversary of the Research Institute of Altai Studies named after S.S. Surazakov. S.S. Surazakov. Gorno-Altajsk: NII Altaistiki im. S.S. Surazakova: 166–179 (in Russian).
Bocharov A.B., Volodin A.V. (2023) A.F. Losev's “Dialectics of Myth” as a theoretical basis in the approach to ethnosophy. Mezhdunarodnyj zhurnal issledovanij kultury [International Journal of Cultural Research], 1: 19–32. DOI: 10.52173/2079-1100_2023_1_19 (in Russian).
Zimin O.I. (2015) The influence of religious myth-making on Mongolian ethnic identity. Abstract of dissertation. ... candidate of philos. sciences. Chita, 2015 (in Russian).
Kleshev V.A. (2011) Folk religion of the Altai people: yesterday, today. Gorno-Altajsk: IP Vysoczkaya G.G. (in Russian).
Kosmin V.K. (2024) Ak Dian: to the question of traditions. In: Scientific and cultural-historical significance of the Central Asian Expedition of N.K. Roerich. Proceedings of the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of N.K. Roerich and the 100th anniversary of the expedition. Novosibirsk: SO RAN: 136–142 (in Russian).
Kurchakov R.S. (2003) Foreword by the editor. In: Shodoev N.A., Kurchakov R.S. Altai bilik — ancient roots of folk wisdom of Russia. Kazan: Centr innovacionnyx texnologij: 4–21 (in Russian).
Kushnerik R.A. (2024) Main periods of adaptation of Buddhist culture on the territory of the Altai Mountains. In: Scientific and cultural-historical significance of the Central Asian Expedition of N.K. Roerich. Proceedings of the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of N.K. Roerich and the 100th anniversary of the expedition. Novosibirsk: SO RAN: 142–148 (in Russian).
Mamyev D.I. (2003) Spiritual ecology and culture in the twenty-first century. In: Shodoev N.A., Kurchakov R.S. Altai bilik — ancient roots of folk wisdom of Russia. Kazan: Centr innovacionnyx texnologij: 93–105 (in Russian).
Mujtueva V.A. (2004) Traditional religious and mythological picture of the world of the Altai people. Gorno-Altajsk: IP Vysoczkaya G.G. (in Russian).
Ojnotkinova N.R. (2021) Color terms in the mythological discourse of the Altai people. Tomskij zhurnal lingvisticheskix i antropologicheskix issledovanij [Tomsk Journal of Linguistic and Anthropological Research], 1: 47–63 (in Russian).
Ojnoshev V.P. (2008) The system of mythological symbols in the Altai heroic epic. Gorno-Altajsk: Gorno-Altajskaya tipografiya (in Russian).
Tadina N.A. (2013) Two perspectives on burkhanism and altai-kizhi. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology], 4: 159–166 (in Russian).
Tadina N.A. (2020) Modern Burkhanism through history in the ritual life of the Altai people. Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya Geoarxeologiya. Etnologiya. Antropologiya [News of Irkutsk State University. Series Geoarchaeology. Ethnology. Anthropology], 31: 31–40. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2020.31.31 (in Russian).
Hvastunova Yu.V. (2019) A new type of religious leader in neo-paganism on the example of the Altai Jan Ak Jan group in the Republic of Altai. Narody i religii Evrazii [Peoples and Religions of Eurasia], 1(18): 104–112 (in Russian).
Sherstova L.I. (2013) Burkhanism and the problem of new identities of the peoples of the Altai Mountains. In: Peoples and Religions of Eurasia, 6: 243–250 (in Russian).
Shodoev N. (2009) Foundations of Altaic philosophy. Bijsk: Tipografiya «IP Kudrin E.I.» (in Russian).
Shodoev N.A., Kurchakov R.S. (2003) Altai bilik — ancient roots of folk wisdom of Russia. Kazan: Centr innovacionnyx texnologij (in Russian).
Shebrova S.Ya. (2023) Grigory Gurkin: national images of the world. St. Petersburg: Intersocis (in Russian).
Shhebrova S.Ya. (2024) Oblastnichestnichestvo in the fate of Grigory Gurkin. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Istoriya [Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. History], 1: 75–88. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu02.2024.105 (in Russian).
Yudanov A.V. (2008) Sacred Kaan-Altai-Shambala. In: Malinov A.V. (ed.) Culture and Traditions of Indigenous Peoples of the Northern Altai. St. Petersburg: Izdatel’stvo Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta: 371–391 (in Russian).
Yanutsh O.A. (2023) Personalization of historical and cultural experience as a basic mechanism for constructing national identity (on the example of the Altai Republic). Obshhestvo. Sreda. Razvitie [Society. Environment. Development], 3: 123–129. https://doi.org/10.53115/19975996 (in Russian).
Yanutsh O.A. (2022) Ethnosophy: 100 Years in Search of Self. Obshhestvo. Sreda. Razvitie [Society. Environment. Development], 4: 11–14 (in Russian
evelopment], 4: 11–14 (in Russian).
Article
Received: 11.11.2024
Accepted: 25.03.2025
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ACM
[1]
Malinov, A.V. 2025. Religious and mythological aspects of national consciousness (on the material of the Republic of Altai). Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii (The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology). 28, 1 (Mar. 2025), 208–231. DOI:https://doi.org/10.31119/jssa.2025.28.1.9.
Section
Sociology of Religion
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