Mongush Borakhovitch Kenin-Lopsan (russian: Монгуш Борахович Кенин-Лопсан; 10 April 1925 – 10 February 2022) was a Russian writer, poet, historian, archaeologist, famous Tuvan

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

researcher, and leader who lived in

Kyzyl Kyzyl (; Tuvan and russian: Кызыл; , ) is the capital city of the republic of Tuva, Russia. The name of the city means "red" or "crimson" in Tuvan (and in many other Turkic languages). Its population was History The city was founded in 1 ...

, the capital of Tuva, Russian Federation. Kenin-Lopsan was born on 10 April 1925, at Chash-Tal,

Tuva Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...

, Chöön-Khemtchik district to a family of Bora-Khöö. His grandparents/parents were

nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

, cattle breeders, herders, blacksmiths as well as storytellers and shamans. Kenin-Lopsan was educated at ground school in Chadan, later on colleges in Kyzyl. He studied philology at Leningrad (today St. Petersburg) University and received a master's degree in 'Eastern Sciences'. Being back in Tuva, he served as a teacher of Tuvan as well as of Russian language and literature besides working as an editor for a publishing company in Tuva. Among his first books was ''The Big Way'' (1956) as well as other novels like ''The Currents of the Big River'' (1965), ''Dance of Capricorn'' and ''The Yurt of the Horse Herder''. He won several Russian and Tuvan prizes. Throughout his whole life, he collected stories from his kinsmen, storytellers, shamans, workers, herders and poets. For his research on shamanism, he was persecuted during

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

times. His grandmother shamaness Kuular Khandyshap died after being imprisoned by

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

for 15 years. Kenin-Lopsan died on 10 February 2022, at the age of 96.

Publications

*Algyshi Tuvinskich Shamanov (Songs of Tuvan Shamans), Novosti, Kyzyl 1995. - Schamanengesänge aus Tuva (translation into German), Lamuv, Göttingen 2013. *Mifi Tuvinskich Shamanov (Stories of Tuvan Shamans), Novosti, Kyzyl 2002. - Calling the Bear Spirit (translation into English), Kjellin, Kristianstad 2010. - Schamanengeschichten aus Tuwa (Translation into German), Lamuv, Göttingen 2011. *Hoppál, Mihaly (ed.): Shamanic Songs and Myths of Tuva (selected stories and songs out of "Algyshi" and "Mifi", English), Istor Books #7, Budapest 1997.

References

1925 births 2022 deaths Ethnographers People from Kyzyl Russian male poets Russian archaeologists Shamans Tengrist religious workers Tuvan people {{tuva-stub