G. V. Ksenofontov's Legends and Stories about Shamans among the Yakuts, Buryats and Tungus, published in Moscow in 1930, is the largest surviving collection of first person shamanic narrative gathered directly from Siberian informants, recorded by a Yakut ethnographer between 1921 and 1926. Its authority rests on Ksenofontov's own fieldwork among the peoples he describes and its status as an irreplaceable primary record. The book was withdrawn from circulation after Ksenofontov was executed in 1938 during the Stalinist purges and was not republished in Russia until after 1990, a history that affects its availability and transmission but not the authority of the fieldwork itself.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
G. V. Ksenofontov's 1930 collection of first person shamanic narrative gathered directly from Siberian informants, the top tier reflecting Ksenofontov's own fieldwork among the peoples he describes and its status as an irreplaceable primary record. The book was withdrawn after his 1938 execution during the Stalinist purges and not republished until after 1990, a history affecting its transmission but not the authority of the fieldwork itself. NotesThe largest collection of first-person shamanic narrative taken in Siberia. Withdrawn after the author was shot in 1938 and republished in Russia only after 1990.
Citation
AuthorG. V. Ksenofontov
PublisherBezbozhnik, Moscow
This entry's own 1930 year is the second, supplemented and revised edition (printed at the "Gudok" printing house); the original edition was Irkutsk, "Vlast' truda", 1928. Publication Year1930
Source TypeEthnography
Connections
Associated With
Moscow, Cities This source names Moscow directly: "Buryats and Tungus, published in Moscow in 1930, is the largest surviving collection of first person shamanic narrative gathered directly from Siberian informants, recorded by a Yakut ethnographer..."
Source Legends and Stories about Shamans among the Yakuts, Buryats and Tungus (Legendy i rasskazy o shamanakh u yakutov, buryat i tungusov)G. V. Ksenofontov
This source names Russia directly: "purges and was not republished in Russia until after 1990, a history that affects its availability and transmission but not the authority of the fieldwork itself."
Source Legends and Stories about Shamans among the Yakuts, Buryats and Tungus (Legendy i rasskazy o shamanakh u yakutov, buryat i tungusov)G. V. Ksenofontov
Claims Backed By This Source (14 claims)
This source backs 14 claims across the atlas. As facts: 9 well-attested. As cited relationships: 3 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 9 claims: 7 well-attested, 2 holds.
- Historical Figures, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Articles, 1 claims: 1 well-attested.
- Cultures, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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