Shor Shamanic Epic Folktales

The Shor are a small indigenous minority in southern Siberia occupying southern Kemerovo Oblast. Their population numbers under 12,000. The Shor language belongs to the Khakass subgroup of the Uyghur-Oguz group of Turkic languages. Only about 1,000 people speak the native Shor tongue today. The Shor heroic tales are the largest and most long-standing genre of Shor folklore. They were generally performed at home in the evening or at night. They not only served as a relaxing activity for people, influencing their spiritual peace, but also served a magical role, protecting them from evil spirits. As with the oral traditions of original cultures, these tales exemplify the Shor’s connection to ‘story’ as something tangible, corporeal and animate. This very special manuscript depicts and preserves two of these epics.