Carole Pegg: Re-sounding the Spirits of Altai-Sayan Oral Epic Performance

Duration: 30 mins 41 secs

Share this media item:

Embed this media item:

<iframe width="_width_" height="_height_" src="https://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/756551/embed" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Choose size:

About this item

Available Formats

About this item

Carole Pegg: Re-sounding the Spirits of Altai-Sayan Oral Epic Performance's image

Description:	My paper argues that, when collecting and re-presenting traditions based on orality, we need to consider the challenges of transferring from one medium to another, for instance, from sounds experienced within a performance complex to a potentially isolated written text or recording. Drawing on fieldwork among Altaians and Khakasses of the southern Siberian Altai-Sayan mountains, I illustrate the sound-power of the epic when performed within enabling events. In these societies, the kaichy, like the shaman, is chosen by spirits and, together with vocal tone (kai), event, words, instrument and music, each has its own ‘master-spirit’. Only by producing kai, enlivening his instrument and uttering the ‘correct’ words can the kaichy travel with his hero to other worlds or ease a dead soul from one dimension to another, and thereby rebalance cosmic and social relations. How do we ensure retention of the sound and performance spirit of oral literature?

Description:

My paper argues that, when collecting and re-presenting traditions based on orality, we need to consider the challenges of transferring from one medium to another, for instance, from sounds experienced within a performance complex to a potentially isolated written text or recording. Drawing on fieldwork among Altaians and Khakasses of the southern Siberian Altai-Sayan mountains, I illustrate the sound-power of the epic when performed within enabling events. In these societies, the kaichy, like the shaman, is chosen by spirits and, together with vocal tone (kai), event, words, instrument and music, each has its own ‘master-spirit’. Only by producing kai, enlivening his instrument and uttering the ‘correct’ words can the kaichy travel with his hero to other worlds or ease a dead soul from one dimension to another, and thereby rebalance cosmic and social relations. How do we ensure retention of the sound and performance spirit of oral literature?


Created:	2010-04-22 14:25
Collection:	World Oral Literature Project Workshop 2009
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	Dr Mark Turin
Language:	eng (English)

Available Formats

Format	Quality	Bitrate	Size
MPEG-4 Video	480x360	1.84 Mbits/sec	424.40 MB	View	Download
WebM	640x360	1.99 Mbits/sec	460.12 MB	View	Download
Flash Video	320x240	504.44 kbits/sec	113.67 MB	View	Download
iPod Video	480x360	505.22 kbits/sec	113.85 MB	View	Download
QuickTime (for download)	384x288	848.83 kbits/sec	191.28 MB	View	Download
QuickTime (for streaming)	480x360	907.04 kbits/sec	204.40 MB	View	Download
MP3	44100 Hz	125.01 kbits/sec	27.97 MB	Listen	Download
RealAudio		582.03 kbits/sec	130.23 MB	View	Download	Stream
RealMedia		878.26 kbits/sec	197.91 MB	View	Download	Stream
Windows Media Video (for download)		477.2 kbits/sec	107.53 MB	View	Download
Windows Media Video (for streaming)		448.52 kbits/sec	101.07 MB	View	Download	Stream
Auto *	(Allows browser to choose a format it supports)