Paper short abstract:

I will analyse the way in which the Komi hunters in the Russian North discuss their world perception and animistic basics of their ideas and behavioral routines. I will also consider possible impact of new animistic movements and ideas on the Komi hunters' discourse.

Paper long abstract:

The aim of my study is to analyse animistic ideas and behavior among the Komi hunters. The Komi inhabit the north-eastern corner of the European Russia. They were baptized in the 14th century and scholars usually consider that traces of animism are almost extinct among the Komi. On the other hand, long essayist tradition perceives a Komi forest as a mystical source of Komi identity. I have done ethnographic fieldwork among the Komi hunters since the mid-1990s and recorded numerous narratives with animist substrate. Besides, everyday conversations with the hunters serve as a source for my understanding of Komi hunting practice, motivated by animistic ideas. I also consider impressions from hunting trips for assessing the way in which animist conduct is actually present in a Komi hunting practice. My ethnographic explorations enable to confirm that the Komi hunters' world perception and practical behavior have a certain animistic background. However, it is complicated to establish the state-of-art of the Komi vernacular animism. Even after two decades of investigations, the occurrence of it remains rather vague and ambivalent to me. It may be that this vagueness of my impressions has something to do with the mode of Komi animism as such. There are only scarce explicit evidence of actual animistic ideas and ways of behavior but, at the same time, the animistic code of conduct prescribes evasive presentation of one's potential convictions. Anyhow, this tangible animism differs clearly from a mystical approach of urban animistic ideas that also circulate among the Komi.