Brest Province, Belarus August 2011

Dynamics of Folklore Traditions – 2011

One of the branches of our research program is investigation and documenting of folklore traditions in Siberia villages which were settled as a result of the Stolypin land reforms of 1906-1916. In 2010, our research group conducted an expedition to an amazing Siberian village – Turgenevka – settled by Belorussian families in 1909.  In 2011 we traveled to Belarus to visit Turgenevka’s two mother villages – Soshitsy and Kabaki, to document their songs, stories and oral histories  and to compare them with the traditions of their Siberian offshoot.

Locating the villages proved to be something of a challenge, as administrative boundaries had changed since 1909.  But the most dramatic development was this– nearly everyone we talked to had grown up in one village and now lived in another.  Even though most residents had stayed in the same region, the turmoil of war, occupation and frequent changes in government meant that very few current residents of Kabaki or Soshitsy had actually grown up there.  Not surprisingly, we found almost no living memory of the emigration of 50 families 100 years ago from these villages.

We did record some excellent songs, as well as  heart-wrenching oral histories from people who had lived through the worst of the the 20th century.  And we documented a lively textile arts tradition (see our Folklore Archive section for examples).  But finding the relatives of the Siberian settlers will require another trip to the Beriozova region of Belarus.  We hope to do this in 2012!