Category «Qot» Is Fundamentals of Bashkir Traditional Etiquette

This article is devoted to the research of universal category "Qot" which to these days plays an important role in the organization of behavior and arrangement of relationship of people-society-nature. Category "Qot" penetrates all spheres of the Bashkir spiritual and material culture. Category "Qot" is still not sufficiently explored so it is of current interest. Special determination of its role and value in traditional etiquette of the Bashkir requires proper studying. This category is important for a description of a holistic picture of ethnoetiquette. The aim of the article is to analyze the behavior of the Bashkir directed to preserving "Qot" of the person and animals for reconstruction of sources of traditional etiquette. The following tasks were solved for achievement of our purpose: the etiquette situations which directed to preserving "Qot" of person and animals were analysed; semiotics loading of separate attributes of etiquette was revealed. The integrated approach assuming the analysis of historical, philosophical, ethnographic works and folklore texts allowed to study versatily category "Qot" in traditional culture of communication. The research is executed with attraction of a wide range of the unpublished and published sources. The main of them is the field data gathered by the author in 2000-2013; from the published sources valuable material is extracted from the Bashkir folklore. To sum up, 8long with ancient representations and religious views of the people the belief in an existing "Qot" is the cornerstone of the Bashkir traditional etiquette. Materials of the research show archaism of meaning. The analysis of folklore texts has allowed to reveal the centuries-old experience of the people concerning preservation, retention, augmentation "Qot" which is the vital strength of the person and animals, soul, soul germ or the mysterious force, happiness, livelihood, grace, abundance, prosperity, destiny, a share. Materials of the research show that the regulations and the bans directed to preservation «Qot», up to date, on the one hand, act as a social and ethnic code, and on the other hand, as the behavior strategy focused on preservation of the standard norms, etiquette. During the research also it has been revealed that the signifancy of cattle breeding in life of the Bashkir people has stipulated development of complicated system of the bans and instructions which directed to preservation «Qot» of animals. To the ancient Bashkir's point of view, one of the animals has wellbeing of the whole herd. The animals which granted by the nature with power and luck (animal with "Qot") wasn't sold and warded of the evil eye. It is established that in the Bashkir folklore there is the whole cycle of unique epic works about sacred animals where we can find ancient points of view about category "Qot".

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