Olonkhosut, a performer of the Yakut heroic epos

If Olonkho was proclaimed as the Masterpiece of an oral non-material heritage of mankind, then performers of the Yakut heroic epos are non other than geniuses. There are few poets who could continuously read the verses for five, and even for twenty hours and, certainly, there is no parodist in the world who could transform into fantastic images with such speed. For example, in a legend there are not less than two tens of characters with various voices, character, a mimicry, a manner of speech and performance. However Peter Egorovich Reshetnikov doesn't think he is ingenious. « I cannot name myself even as olonkhosut of average level », - he speaks, whereas he is almost unique olonkhosut in Yakutia, so and all over the world.

As you know, the president of our republic Vyacheslav Shtyrov declared a decade of “Olonkho” by his decree and appointed a lifelong monthly personal grants to two alive carriers of epic tradition - to 76-years old hero of our publication and 92-years old Daria Andreevna Tomskaya from Verkhoyansk region which because of the age doesn't perform Olonkho nowadays.

Biography

Peter Egorovich Reshetnikov was born on June, 8, 1929 in Kyuneyskiy village (Borobul nowadays) of Taatta region. His father Egor Petrovich Reshetnikov (born in 1870) belonged to notable family of Magaas, and mother Evdokija Isaevna Novgorodova, (born in 1888) was from the village Boltongo of Boturussky region.

In 1953 Peter finished Yakutsk teachers institute and leaved for far Zhigansk region to work as a teacher of physics and mathematics. He was working as a director in Lindinsk seven-year school for seven years. And here began his public work from post of a secretary of local Komsomol organization. In 1954 entered Communist party. Since 1961 worked in Zhigansk high school and was the secretary of the shop party organization. In 1969 was transferred in native region and taught in Cherkyokh high school. He didn't give up the party work, he was the secretary of Cherkyokh party organization and a chairman of school local trade-union committee. Since 1977 he was the chairman of State farm (sovkhoz) “Taatta” local trade-union committee. He was awarded by Certificates of honour of Supreme Soviet of YaASSR, of regional committee of the Party and two medals: « Veteran of labour » and « For valiant labour ». He is a honourable citizen of Octyabrsky region. Peter Egorovich and Anna Spiridonovna have four children and nine grandsons.

He was waved from side-scenes: « Stop! » for the first time

Peter Egorovich began to perform Olonkho rather recently. There was always a lot of work when he was young, and it wasn't given a special value to epos. And only when the national consciousness began to rise, about twenty years ago, some inspiration appeared.

At a festival of national culture Olonkho was included in a program, and Peter Egorovich was asked to protect honour of the village having performed epic work from a stage. It was the only way not to lose precious points. Beginner olonkhosut composed a small epos specially for this event.

- And when I've just started to perform, - Peter Egorovich is laughing, - they started to wave to me from side-scenes, they say let's be brief! My turn was just in the middle of a concert and, certainly, nobody supposed, that it will be so long. This was my first experience. Then on celebration of Zverev 100 th anniversary I performed with 40-minute Olonkho. Subsequently I expanded and amplified it. Turned out that the work had four and half an hour length.

Cherkyokh performer has two eposes in his repertory now. The first - « Suurer sulus syryyta syryylaakh Syyjylla Suuruk khara attaakh Ahynygas sanaalaakh Ajyy Djurakhastaj bukhatyyr», that can be translated approximately like: « Bogatyr with sympathetic heart Ajyy Djurakhastaj on fast, as a falling star, black horse Syyjylla Suuruk ». The second epos - « Akhys kyos siri atakhyn annygar araldjyta uktuur, tokhus kyos siri atakhyn annygar tuorata uktuur Djoruo khara attaakh Uordaakh kylanyylaakh Uordaya Khaan bukhatyyr» consists of two parts. This name is very difficult for translating into Russian.

Who is Iye (mother) Olonkhosut ?

- Iye Olonkhosut is a narrator, capable to make up just at the moment of performance - Peter Egorovich explains, - olonkho is a very capacious work which cannot be completely,entirely kept in memory, and there is no time to think of forgotten names and districts names. Olonkho lasts for five or six hours, and even more. There are two Iye Olonkhosuts now in the republic: Daria Tomskaya and I. Daria does not perform olonkho any more, it's impossible at her age. That's why the most attention of the public, linguists, culturologists and other scientists is concentrated on me. Visitors from Yakutsk and other regions come to me regularly, they try to write down olonkho … In general, after a recognition of olonkho as a Masterpiece, there is an obvious interest in it. For example, our native village theatre is going to perform my work by the Olonkho Day.

When and where appeared olonkho?

- Some scientists consider that the Yakut epos appeared about two thousand years ago, - the narrator shares with thoughts. - Our ancestors worshipped the nature because their life, well-being entirely depended on it. There were necessary favourable natural conditions to live on hunting, fishing, and to keep cattle, and consequently they animated all natural phenomena, gave them ichchi (spirits) and esteemed in every possible way. The biggest sorrows were droughts, and when summer was rainy moderately, people spent winter well. Therefore our ancestors piously trusted that there live gods in the sky who help people and care of them. In their opinion, all the illnesses, failures, hostility, and bloodsheds were sent on people by abaahy - inhabitants of the Bottom world. So, on the basis of own belief, own opinion about origin and structure of the terrestrial world, the best minds, talents composed olonkho.

Other scientists think that we brought olonkho from Central Asia . But to my mind, it could appear only on this land. When our ancestors arrived these severe places, faced a great deal of problem and started to survive. They needed belief in the best life, forces of person, his opportunities. I think that the belief of Sakha people was born here, as well as olonkho. Probably, originally there was a legend, and maybe a true story, passing by word of mouth, enriched itself by some new details, plots, heroes. Also another genres of oral creative work of the people appeared: toyuk, songs, riddles, fairy tales, rapid speeches … Olonkho reached its final form or the supreme degree of development at the end of nineteenth and the beginning of twentieth centuries. At that time great olonkhosuts lived. They knew up to thirty eposes. That was “golden age” of olonkho, because there was corresponding environment. Then olonkhosut was almost the only source of information. Good narrators were taken from village to village, from region to region. The most important thing that they had grateful audience! And now who will listen to a 10-hour epos? Especially with desire to read it. So there are no olonkhosuts almost any more.

- Can it be true that there won't be those who wish listen to real olonkho now? Maybe it won't be such opportunity in the future?

- Well, there are people who are very fond of olonkho now -, and not only interested in it(researchers, specialists in folklore), but also ordinary citizens. Olonkho attracts attention of person very quickly and at once carries away in its world, because almost each word of it is magical, strong, effective.

- Peter Egorovich, whether you heard in the childhood how famous narrators sing olonkho?

- Certainly, I had the honour to listen to Darabyan Dmitriev, Denis Elberjakov, well-known olonkhosut Procopy from village Myryla … And during the Soviet authority olonkho was considered as survival of old times. To put it mildly, nobody welcomed the creative work of olonkho-singers. But Oyunsky knew the true sense of the Yakut epos and attached great importance to it. There were another researchers, and by results of their works we have about two hundred olonkhos. I'm confident that they will be actively issued in the future.

The longest olonkho

- I am not so sure that somebody could sing olonkho non-stop for nine days, as they say in legends. It is impossible. But there are eposes, which performed for five or six hours three days long. It means that one olonkho took about twenty hours. Somebody will say: and that's it? And try to keep a text of such size in your head! Do you think it isn't a masterpiece?

In fact, olonkho became a masterpiece not only for size, but also for other reasons. The meaning of life, the idea of human existence kept there: struggle for happiness, for worthy life, a difficult way of their achievement. The one who aspires to the goal, always will achieve it! And one more telling argument - complicacy of a genre. There are all genres of oral creative work of the people in our epos – though it were a song, the most complicated toyuk or a rapid speech of a whole story length. Besides, there are 30 or 40 characters in one epos, absolutely different which should be performed in different voices and mimicry. Non every actor can do it.

About family

Now Peter Egorovich and his wife live in village Cherkyokh of Taatta region. Their children have own families for a long time. Grandsons come there frequently, in summer, during holidays and vacations, Reshetnikovs' house changes. It becomes cheerful and crowded.

Peter Egorovich never has nothing to do: he does a work about the house, likes to fish, hunted earlier. Every summer he always works on a haymaking.

- Whether there will be somebody from your children or grandsons who follows in your footsteps?

- I think, no - Peter Egorovich laughs, - if only the youngest grandson who is two years. He tells about me: « The Grandfather speaks: "y-y-yyy". Maybe he will be my follower?

Written by Masha Pavlova,
Translated by a YSU student, Translation Department
Resource: GazetaYakutia.Ru
Photo from personal archive.