Harutinsky Komi

In mid -March 2016, together with a colleague, candidate of historical sciences, a leading researcher at the Ethnography sector of the Institute of Language, Literature and History of the Komi NC V.E. Sharapov conducted field research in the village of Haruta Nenets Autonomous Okrug to collect materials on the spiritual culture of the Izhemian Komi. The settlement is located on the territory of the Intinsky district of the Komi Republic, but administratively belongs to the NAO Zapolyarny district.

The village arose near the village of Haruta, located on the left bank of the river Adzva at the mouth of Harutay. The founder of the village is the Izhemian peasant Fedor Anisiforovich Kanev, who moved to the rich fish and game in 1892 from S. Izhma, along with his wife and three children. The village has significantly increased during the period of enlargement of reindeer breeding collective farms and the elimination of unpromising villages, when in the 1960s. The inhabitants of the village of Khoseded-Khard-the former district center formed in 1926, the villages of Yogor-Van, Syavta and others were moved to Kharuta.

The history of the emergence and abolition of settlements has become one of the main topics of the Haruta population. Through the memories of the inhabitants, it was possible to restore the oral history of the village. They were interested in the national composition of the settlement, ethnic self -awareness, and knowledge of languages. Despite the fact that many prefer to sign up with Nenets, they are well speak the Izhemian dialect of the Komi language. It is gratifying that in the Komi secondary school, the language is studied on an optional basis in primary grades according to a program prepared by Galina Ivanovna Kozhevina. She also leads the school folklore team "Pӧlӧznich" (Vasilek) and the team "Voyvyov Dzoridz" (Northern Flower), working at the House of Culture.

Rich material is collected in reindeer herding, terminology, ornaments, clothes and deer skins. We met with craftsmen who worked in reindeer herder for many years, and found out about the secrets of sewing Pim, Malitsa, Parks, a cloud and a padco. New information is recorded by the power supply system of reindeer herders in harsh climatic conditions: the use of wilderings, deer and fish, prohibitions and prescriptions related to nutrition. Of particular interest are oral stories about revered places, unclean power in the forest and rooms, the evil eye, the harbinger of the death of Ures . According to the inhabitants, the appearance of a pile of mice in the house portends the death of a loved one.

They visited the school museum working on a voluntary basis since 1982. Now they are led by Anna Alexandrovna Durnkina. The museum stores many ethnographic items used in the everyday life of the Izhemian Komi in the 19th - 20th centuries: fishing items (floats with the initials of fishermen, needles for networks), reindeer husbandry, hunting (Tasma) and household utensils. A native of the village of Yogor-Van Ilya Rokin spoke about the use of dog teams, selection, training and nutrition of sled dogs. Especially for the expedition participants, he harnessed the dogs and demonstrated sledges. Unfortunately, in the age of the “snowmobile revolution” the tradition of dog teams leaves everyday life.

The folklore-ethnographic expedition was organized as part of the project “Komi OLӧM” (“Life of Komi”), initiated by the head of the Komi department of the ethnocultural center of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug O.M. Kotsyuban and funded according to the State Program of the NAO "Development of Culture and Tourism". Earlier, a group of researchers worked in the village of Volokova (in 2014) and the village of Karataika (in 2015). The materials of the expeditions were used in a number of articles, and a collection of folklore texts “Folklore of the Izhemian Komi in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug” (2014) was also published.