Funeral Ceremonies of the Tatars-Mishars of Mordovia in the Late 19th – Early 21st Centuries

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2023-2/169-183

Abstract

The focus of the study is the funeral and memorial rites of the Tatar population of Mordovia of the late 19th — early 21st centuries. It should be noted that they were last studied in the middle of the 20th century. In this regard, the analysis of the material collected by the author during field surveys in 2002–2005, 2008 and 2021 on the territory of residence of this ethnic group in the Republic of Mordovia will undoubtedly be in demand not only among ethnographers, but also among everyone interested in the traditional culture of the Tatars-­Mishars. The study was based on the commonly used methods of ethnographic science: field observation, surveys and photo recording. Particular attention was paid to the work of scientists of Kazan University (R. G. Mukhamedov, R. K. Urazmanov) devoted to the studied problem. The article describes the main elements of the funeral rite: the main stages (pre-funeral, funeral and memorial rites), the participants, some transformations of the ritual, and the consequences of the cultural interaction of the Tartars-­Mishars with the neighboring ethnic groups, in particular with the Mordovians. The results confirm that the funeral, memorial and mourning still occupy an important place in the family and social life of the Tatars-­Mishars of Mordovia. This complex of customs and rites is mainly Islamic in nature and is close to the rites of other Turkic peoples. The similarity is manifested in ideas about the soul, death and the afterlife, in the design of graves, the presence of a savan and a funeral stretcher, in the rituals of farewell to the deceased and taking them out of the house, in the order of remembrance.