«Let us Glorify the Land of Akpars»: the Legendary Prince in the Modern Folklore and Ethno-Regional Identity of the Hill Mari People

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2021-53-1/275-287

Abstract

On the basis of ethnographic data, the author examines the representation of the ethno-regional identity of the Hill Mari people in the development, translation and interpretation of the folklore tradition concerning the legendary ruler Akpars. The correlation of the ruler’s name and functions is analyzed in the texts of non-fairy prose (legends), interviews, media and scientific discourses, and commemoral practices of the modern Hill Mari people. The author identifies two interpretative models of describing Akpars in different discourses: the historical-realistic and the mythological ones. The image of Akpars acts as a tool for the formation of ethnic identity and at the same time as its symbol. The existence of the folk character demonstrates an association between respondents’ belonging to a particular ethnic group of Mari people, their administrative region, and the accentuation of their “specific” folklore. The author also considers the ethnosymbolic role of this image in the strengthening the “we–they” dichotomy in the context of the folk authenticity: the character Akpars acts as a marker of the Hill Mari culture both for the Hill Maris themselves and for neighboring ethnic groups.

For Citation: Ustiantsev, G.Yu. 2021. «Let us Glorify the Land of Akpars»: the Legendary Prince in the Modern Folklore and Ethno-Regional Identity of the Hill Mari People. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 1 (53): 275–287.

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