On July 17 at 3 p.m., Zhanar Tuyakpayeva will be defending her thesis in a public viva-voce examination on zoom platform.
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7153877358?pwd=ZkFaWC8rTmVaK1N4RGhqeDk5dmlCQT09
Meeting ID: 715 387 7358
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Title: Landscape in the Perception of the People Living in the Altai Republic
This thesis examines the perception of the landscape by the people living in the Altai Republic. The religious practices of the Telengits – an ethnic group inhabiting the south of the republic – are examined in order to understand what the setting is for understanding the native landscape. The author aims to identify preliminary background that allows us to understand how the topic of landscape might be approached. This thesis approaches the landscape through understanding it through the Telengits belief or worldview, which embraces such religious practices such as jalama/kyira (ribbon tying) and ule/oboo (cairns). Although the Imperial/Soviet ethnography ideologically assigned these practices to be a part of shamanism – a term used for defining different practices among the people inhabiting Altai, this thesis re-visits this definition and gives another concept, which is Altai jan. Altai jan is said to be a genuine belief of the Telengits that embrace such practices jalama/kyira and ule/oboo and other, that conducted to placate spirits who inhabit places making whole Altai an entity before it is solid land. The thesis results in the statement that in order to maintain their landscape, the Telengits state that practices must be conducted. However, as the practices are being forgotten, the landscape is deteriorating, which causes the weakening of their ethnic identity too.
Internal Advisers: Daniel Beben & Eva-Marie Dubuisson
External Adviser: Jesko Schmoller, Center for Religious Studies, Bochum
Eurasian Studies at NU 