OLONKHO
the Yakut Heroic Epos

(Short description)

Olonkho gave birth to Yakut philosophy. Olonkho is a powerful, optimistic, creative literary monument based on the belief in kindness and beauty, maintenance of a man's power and search of true sources of life. This is the richest achievement of a creative potential of people. This is a peak, an apex of evolution of Yakut oral poetry. It contains the best features of the spiritual culture of our people.

The Yakut epos Olonkho occupies a special place in the richest treasury of epic literature of Turkic-Mongolian peoples. Olonkho is a general name for numerous Yakut heroic poems containing from 10 to 50 thousand lines. It appeared in ancient times and is considered to be the most ancient epic monument of literature of Turkic-Mongolian peoples. Scientists estimate its origin some where between the 6th and 7th century.

Olonkho is the brightest example of the oral creative work of people. It reflects in art forms life, moral principles, customs, history and philosophy of the Yakut people.

The Yakut epos was transmitted orally from generation to gen eration. Olonkho is executed without musical support. The internal essence of the Yakut people, its inner kindness, friendliness and proud soul is revealed through Olonkho. Those features have helped the Yakuts to preserve their self-conciousness, national language and culture.

At present the Institute of Humanities keeps more than 300 records of texts of Olonkho, including 227 complete items. Only 20 of them are published. The victory of the light power over the dark power is always sung in Olonkho.

Olonkhosut (olonkho-performer) is a person with a special gift. He knows by heart up to fifty thousand lines. He can recite the most charming olonkho stories for days on end, without interruption. He sings about fantastic and heroic battles of glorious Yakut warriors in the name of victory of kindness over the dark powers and evil to defend their Motherland. Powerful metaphors and hyperbolas, bright fascinating pictures of fights, travels and hol idays hold the listeners spell-bound.

Olonkhosut does not simply recite poems but he also describes each character by singing and improvising. The stock of fairy tales, legends, rapid speeches and puzzles of a talented olonkhosut is inexhaustible. People hold the olonkhosuts in great esteem. These people have special natural powers. Each of them is unique; each has its own way of singing, a manner of performing which can not be imitated, as well as words and songs which belong only to them.

Author: Michael E. Nikoaev, the first President of the Sakha Republic.
Resource: 'UNESCO at the Ice Cap', Moscow, 2004.
Translated by M.I.Yegorova.