Paper short abstract:

Ysyakh, traditional summer festival of Sakha people has recently gone significant transformations. Reflecting on an ancient carving of the festival, made by a Sakha craftsman 150 year ago, the paper analyses the festival's transformations and discusses the power of an object to tell story.

Paper long abstract:

Yhyakh is a traditional summer festival celebrated by native people in the region of Sakha (Yakutia), Siberia. This festival has gone tremendous transformations from a pagan ritual of giving offerings to deities, to an ideological celebration under the watchful eye of the Communist regime, to a large spectacular show of wealth and proud ethnic identity.

In the centre of this paper is a unique model depicting the festival. Carved out of mammoth tusk circa 1867 by a Sakha craftsman, the model, belonging to the British Museum collection, depicts in miniature various activities that are central to the celebration of yhyakh. These activities include making ritual offerings to the spirits, athletics contests, and making kymys (a drink of fermented mare's milk), all significant elements of the festivities.

In 2015 Sakha people were able to see the model displayed in Yakutsk where it was on a loan at a temporary exhibition at the local National Museum of Arts. The paper reflects on how Sakha people view historic artefacts and the role such artefacts play in revitalizing Sakha artistic and cultural traditions. The paper also highlights how the model's display prompted recollections about transformations yhyakh has undergone within living memory. In so doing the paper reveals the power and potential of historic artefacts to narrate a story.