Zhukova L.N.  

Folklore texts of forest yukagirs about weapons and household items

Scientists correlate the Late Neolithic Ymyyakhtakh cultural complex of Northeast Asia with the Early Yukagir culture. The medieval history of the Yukagir people, their hunting, combat and household tools have not been studied enough. This gap is filled by folklore texts of the forest Yukagirs of the Upper Kolyma to some extent, containing certain information about weapons and household items of past eras. Samples from two sets of texts recorded in the late XIX - early XX centuries showed the presence of specific tools, their types and significance. The characteristics of piercing, cutting, chopping objects made of different materials were obtained. A bow, a quiver with arrows, a spear and a knife are included in the ammunition of a warrior and a traveler. A bow and a knife accompanied the fisherman an axe is a household item. Natural materials (stone, bone, wood) were used for the manufacture of arrowheads and spears, knives, large knives and axes mentioned in the early layers of folklore. There is no doubt about the chronological depth of these objects, which has its roots in the archaeological cultures of northeast Asia. The next research step is supposed to be a typological binding of Early Yukagir and Yukagir artifacts.