Traditional Buryat Burials: Changes and Stereotypes

Traditional Buryat Burials: Changes and Stereotypes

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2018.46.3.114-121

S.G. Zhambalova
Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sakhyanovoy 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047, Russia

Buryat burials are described with regard to the age and social status of the deceased. Changes and conservative features are evaluated, and cultural stereotypes are discussed. Certain novel traits are due to a recombination of traditional elements; others are caused by external stimuli. Environmental adaptations and the role of cultural factors are assessed. There are two traditional types of low-rank burials: above-ground under cover with accompanying goods; and cremation. Both were practiced throughout the Buryat ethnic area. The latter’s inclusion in the Russian Empire and the spread of Buddhism resulted in the emergence, in the Baikal region, of two major religious groups—shamanists in the Cis-Baikal region, and Buddhists living east of Lake Baikal. The changes affected burial practices as well. Under the impact of the Russian tradition, inhumation burials in coffins emerged. Under Buddhism, only members of the clergy (but not lay persons) had been cremated. Cremation became the principal rite west of Lake Baikal, while disappearing east of it. Above-ground burials from that time on may be divided into two subtypes—shamanistic and Buddhist, the latter being predominant in the Trans-Baikal region. Burials of children fall in several categories: air burial, cremation, both types of above-ground, and inhumation. Burials and commemoration practices relating to shamans and the Buddhist clergy are described. One evolutionary line demonstrates changes in burial practices concerning ordinary people, and contributing to the integration of the traditional culture into the outside world; another line highlights the sacral stereotypes, preserving the core of the traditional culture. Both opposing lines maintain the integrity of the Buryat ethnic tradition in both space and time.

Keywords: Buryats, burials, memorization, cultural stereotypes, cultural changes.