Mari Men and Women as Bearers of the Mari Language and Identity
N.Glukhova, V.Glukhov
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The integrity of the ritual forms has been broken (Kalinina, 2000:104-106).
Nevertheless, traditional holidays and rituals are
being gradually re-introduced into a system of the holidays determining
the unigue
character of the Mari nation.
The ideology of a rustic civilization is an all-round animism. It is
vividly seen by the
holidays' character. Even when the rural community adopts a monotheistic
religion -
Russian Orthodoxy - it appears to be polytheistic. At present there
is a revival of
paganism in Mari El, and 15.4% of the Mari consider it to be a uniting
factor in the
identity of the nation.
The village people's outlook showed all nature phenomena as a result
of
somebody's activities. Any person could cause an awful cataclysm either
by
ignorance or evil will. At present there are different types of praying
on the part of
pagan believers. People are still afraid of the evil eye and the evil
tongue, and widely
use different types of charms (Glukhova, 1997).
In the Republic of Mari El there are different confessions. Nonetheless
during the last
15 years Mari Paganism has claimed to be a consolidating force for
all the Mari. Mari
historians note that under the circumstances of the absence of the
nation's own
statehood, of a single administrative unit, of a written language,
in the period of
heavy spiritual oppression from the Russian Orthodox Church, the social
and political
yoke, it did play a significant role in the nation's consolidation.
This religion had for a
long time been a spiritual basis of the nation (Popov, 2000a:118-131;
Chemyshev,
2000:132-137). It was a bulwark against Christianization and Russification
as it
helped preserve the national world view. But, in our time, its integrating
function and
its role of expressing the national outlook has lost its former significance.
Today the
Mari people have achieved their own statehood, have reached another
level of
education and culture, are characterized by another trait of national
self-
consciousness that was formed under internationalism in all spheres
of the life.
Naturally, Mari spiritual demands and life are not determined by those
values which
were important in the epoch of the tribal society and patriarchal way
of life (Solovyov,
2000:22).
Another constituent of the national identity is a nation's character.
The Mari
discussing themselves note such positive character features as perseverance
and
patience, industry and diligence, stoicism and fortitude. Such qualities
were born
during many years of work on the land. Other positive features which
the Mari
possess and ascribe to themselves are: simplicity, sincerity, tolerance
and industry.
Negative features are: shyness, diffidence, timidity. People describing
themselves
indicated the absence of mutual aid (21.5%) and mutual respect, addiction
to alcohol.
In a word, one may speak of a national inferiority complex (Sanukov,
2002:21) which
includes an unduly low self-appraisal, characterized by a permanent
lack of self-
confidence, loss of initiative, indifference, feelings of shame and
anxiety.
The characteristics enumerated above are unique in their totality and
relationship
among themselves, and we can undoubtedly speak of a specific Mari national
identity.
Some well-known scholars, S. Kapitsa for example, say that history has
quickened its
pace, that the speed of historic events has been accelerated. This
has increased the
number of events happening in the same unit of time in comparison with
previous
centuries. Thus, the identity and mentality of a nation at present
are being more
strongly influenced by social and political changes in the country
and the whole
world. Thus, it is not enough to raise this question and consider it
settled. It is more
important to have a long-term identity-monitoring project than sporadic
articles on the
theme.
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