The ‘Language’ of Forest in Information Space of Nomadic Culture: A Case Study of Turkic and Mongolic Peoples

Abstract

Introduction. After Turko-Mongols inhabited forest landscapes of Siberia, positions of such primordial nomadic occupations as livestock breeding and hunting became somewhat equal. The ambiguous perceptions of forest also resulted in special attitudes towards the latter as an information space. So, in man-forest communication important messages would be articulated via a special ‘language’. Goals. The article attempts insights into this ‘language’ across different traditions of Siberia’s Turko-Mongols, examines diverse means of communicating and interpreting such information in traditional worldviews. Materials and methods. The study analyzes historical and ethnographic data published in works of researchers — ethnographers, historians, linguists, folklore materials. Particular attention is paid to the author’s field observations. The work employs both general research methods (analysis, analogy, etc.), and specifically those of historical science (e.g., historical-comparative one). Results. A surrounding world serves as a complicated information space abundant in various communication channels. Animals, birds, trees, atmospheric and natural phenomena tended to be perceived retransmission units. Conclusions. Man was to develop this information space through all senses. In communication with forest, representatives of the Turkic and Mongolic peoples attached great importance to visual, acoustic, olfactory, and sensory data.