The Izhma-Kolva epos: meeting of traditions

Representing the Izhma-Kolva epic tradition in all genre variety of folklore works fixed in the Komi reindeer breeders, the author shows its initial biethnicity and biculturalism. Mutual convergence of two absolutely different cultures - the Komi-Izhma people in a short time have mastered reindeer breeding and the world of the nomads, and the Kolva Nenets have passed to a settled way of life, have adopted the language and customs of the Izhma Komis - has got systemic effect. On the basis of the generalized data on the tradition, the necessity of the systemic approach to studying this culture in interrelation with variety of specific above-folklore factors is substantiated, among them the occurrence of special religious-mythological two-worlds (combining paganism of the Nenets and the Orthodoxy of the Komi-Izhma people adapted for fast perception by adherents of different faith and corresponding to a new way of life). Here special "intra-family two- worlds" emerged (the Komi-Izhma girls, marrying the Kolva Nenets, brought in a new life their language, their customs, their lyrical perception of the world, and menbearers of the epic world, epic knowledge - at that remained the Nenets). The semi-nomadic reindeer breeding combining rural space and the world of the nomads, created both two epic perceptions of the world, and two audiences the executors oriented at. All these processes are deeply interrelated with the life of folklore culture as that. Namely they, having incorporated in a culturogenic impulse, have caused an explosion-like (just a few generations) birth of a new folklore aesthetics and a new tradition not separable on ethnic components.