Religious and mythological aspects of national consciousness (on the material of the Republic of Altai)

The article deals with the processes in the religious life of the Altai people, the titular ethnic group of the Altai Republic. It is noted that there is an active process of formation of the national form of religion, called Burkhanism or White Faith, among the adherents of which two versions struggle for dominance. The first of them considers Burkhanism as a regional variant of Buddhism, the second — as the original “Altai faith”. After its emergence in the early 20th century, Burkhanism played a decisive role in the formation of the Altai ethnos and became a key factor of national self-consciousness and identity. Thanks to Burkhanism, the Altai people (Southern Altai or Altai Kizhi) began to contradistinguish themselves from other autochthonous peoples inhabiting the mountainous region. Burkhanism became a mark of separation from the foreign and the first manifestation of a young ethnos. Modern Altai society is in the process of developing a common pantheon, dogma and ritual practices of Burkhanism. The national, primarily urban intelligentsia offers several variants of understanding Burkhanism and codification of its doctrinal provisions. Burkhanism still remains one of the main pillars of Altaian national identity, although its justification, offered by local intellectuals, takes mythological forms called “Altai philosophy”. It is pointed out that the current stage of Altai national consciousness can be called ethnosophical, because it is based on mythological models disseminated and supported by the national intelligentsia. Burkhanism and the practices of its mythological justification retain a potential for conflict and lead to further ethnic differentiation within the Altai ethnos itself. The future of the people itself depends on which version of Burkhanism prevails: either inclusion in the context of one of the world's civilizations, or isolationism and conflictual existence.

national identity, national consciousness, Burkhanism, Altai, ethnicity, ethnosophy