Within the framework of the ethnographic expedition, organized by the Ministry of Culture jointly with the Academy Sciences, the specialists of the National Institute of Manuscripts and specialists of libraries, archives and museums of the country visited the settlements in the Balkan Velayat.
The unique materials from the treasury of the oral folk art, including proverbs, sayings, jokes, ritual songs, lamentations among others were collected in the etraps of Magtymguly, Esenguly, Etrek, S.Turkmenbashi, the cities of Balkanabat, Khazar and Turkmenbashi. Ethnographic findings were certified. The questionnaires were filled with biographical data of custodians of valuable information and their predecessors. In the process of collecting the findings were audio and video recorded.
Riddles, proverbs, sayings and other genres of oral art are an inexhaustible fount of folk wisdom, a recognized standard of poetic thought with unsurpassed artistic means of expression. Small forms of folklore are included into the school curricula, contribute to the development of human mental activity, and enrich style of speaking. They cover all aspects of a person's life - from character traits and everyday life to the sublime concepts and spiritual values.
In the village of Okarem, a collector of small folklore - Ashir aga impressed the members of the expedition with proverbs and sayings that were born among local fishermen at different times. He shared the fishing tips that help the inhabitants of the sea coast to choose the right place and time for fishing and hunting.
On the Cheleken Peninsula, in the settlements and the city of Khazar, the main theme of the ‘folklore festival’ was the kushtdepdi dance in its numerous classical variations and modern interpretations, which were described by People's Artist of Turkmenistan Suyunmamed Khudaiberdiyev. An energetic, expressive dance attracted scientists' attention with the rituality and lyric poetry perfected by centuries.
These themes were continued in S.Turkmenbashi etrap on the island of Kyzylsuv in the fishing village of the same name. In the administrative centre of the etrap, a school teacher Gulbibi Mammadgylidjeva described the local peculiarities of the rite ‘Ak goýun toýy’, dedicated to the attainment of the age of 63 (the age of Prophet Muhammad).
An unexpected finding awaited the members of the expedition in the village of Kurujdei in Matymguly Etrap. Suleiman Ovezov, a teacher and local historian, who is fond of the history of nokhur and their lullabies, handed over the original destan “Arzy and Gammar” to the folklorists.
Over a number of years, he collected the fragments of the epic work, listening to the performances of musicians-storytellers - bagshi. In addition to this, retellings of long-livers in the etrap, who remember some chapters by heart, were used to revive the destan. Ovezov joined the found parts of the work and recorded them, restoring the destan.
The materials collected by the expedition will be handed over to the Institute of Manuscripts of Turkmenistan. Having passed the identification and confirmation of originality, the newly found folklore works, including small ones, can be published in a separate edition in order to further replenish the academic publications of Turkmen proverbs and sayings.
The unique materials from the treasury of the oral folk art, including proverbs, sayings, jokes, ritual songs, lamentations among others were collected in the etraps of Magtymguly, Esenguly, Etrek, S.Turkmenbashi, the cities of Balkanabat, Khazar and Turkmenbashi. Ethnographic findings were certified. The questionnaires were filled with biographical data of custodians of valuable information and their predecessors. In the process of collecting the findings were audio and video recorded.
Riddles, proverbs, sayings and other genres of oral art are an inexhaustible fount of folk wisdom, a recognized standard of poetic thought with unsurpassed artistic means of expression. Small forms of folklore are included into the school curricula, contribute to the development of human mental activity, and enrich style of speaking. They cover all aspects of a person's life - from character traits and everyday life to the sublime concepts and spiritual values.
In the village of Okarem, a collector of small folklore - Ashir aga impressed the members of the expedition with proverbs and sayings that were born among local fishermen at different times. He shared the fishing tips that help the inhabitants of the sea coast to choose the right place and time for fishing and hunting.
On the Cheleken Peninsula, in the settlements and the city of Khazar, the main theme of the ‘folklore festival’ was the kushtdepdi dance in its numerous classical variations and modern interpretations, which were described by People's Artist of Turkmenistan Suyunmamed Khudaiberdiyev. An energetic, expressive dance attracted scientists' attention with the rituality and lyric poetry perfected by centuries.
These themes were continued in S.Turkmenbashi etrap on the island of Kyzylsuv in the fishing village of the same name. In the administrative centre of the etrap, a school teacher Gulbibi Mammadgylidjeva described the local peculiarities of the rite ‘Ak goýun toýy’, dedicated to the attainment of the age of 63 (the age of Prophet Muhammad).
An unexpected finding awaited the members of the expedition in the village of Kurujdei in Matymguly Etrap. Suleiman Ovezov, a teacher and local historian, who is fond of the history of nokhur and their lullabies, handed over the original destan “Arzy and Gammar” to the folklorists.
Over a number of years, he collected the fragments of the epic work, listening to the performances of musicians-storytellers - bagshi. In addition to this, retellings of long-livers in the etrap, who remember some chapters by heart, were used to revive the destan. Ovezov joined the found parts of the work and recorded them, restoring the destan.
The materials collected by the expedition will be handed over to the Institute of Manuscripts of Turkmenistan. Having passed the identification and confirmation of originality, the newly found folklore works, including small ones, can be published in a separate edition in order to further replenish the academic publications of Turkmen proverbs and sayings.
