The mediating role of Karachai-Balkar food in the rite of passage to the world of the dead in the late 19th - early 20th century

The article explores the role and functions of sacrifices and food gifts in the funeral and memorial rites Karachai-Balkarian people in the late nineteenth - early twentieth century. Sacrifices and gifts--with the aid of deceased relatives who have passed into the realm of their ancestors (ata-baba)-- help the community come to an agreement with the highest forces. In the ethnogenesis of the Karachay-Balkarian people, two components have played an equal role: the purely Caucasian substrate (the local Caucasian tribes, which are its ethnic core); and the nomadic steppe superstratum. Their common origin--one language, way of life, and national mentality-has led to the fact that by the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Karachai-Balkars, divided administratively, still constitute a single people and conside themselves as such. This study focuses on the role and functions of Karachay-Balkarian food in the rite of transition to the «world of shadows» (auan dunia). The author argues that in modern conditions, the scope of traditional rites is constantly narrowing; many of its elements disappear or are on the verge of extinction. In the twenty-first century, food is losing its magical function, which may lead not only to the waning of popular culture, but also to the erosion of ethnic and regional identity.