Spiritual culture

Historically, the supreme deity of the Enets was Nga , the demiurge living on the upper level of the sky. Nga was the master of both people and nature; he was the master of the deer and decided when to give people good weather for plying their trades. The central female deity was Dya-menyuo (“Earth the Crone”). Dwelling on earth, she could rise to heaven, where she would meet with Nga . Nga 's eldest son, Todote , was a malevolent deity, the evil incarnate. He ate people, hunting them the same way people hunt animals. The amuks (“grasping spirits”) under his control helped him in this. The youngest son of Nga was Minley , who was associated with the spirit of fire in the chum and the “heavenly fire” of the Sun.

The numerous kikho/kakha spirits of the upper world were benevolent and could ask Todote or Nga to heal a sick person. A lower level was occupied by the deities and master spirits of water, forest, and stone, as well as the deities who controlled animals and plants. Although these master spirits were benevolent in general, they demanded obligatory offerings before fishing, hunting, and other activities. If denied an offering, they became just as merciless and cruel as the amuka , and allegedly could deprive one of luck in hunt or make one get lost in the tundra.

The Enets imagined the universe in the form of several worlds (i.e., levels or lands), located one above the other. The upper world consisted of seven heavens, and the lower one (the underground) had seven layers of ice. The supreme deity Nga lives on the topmost tier. Dya-menyuo (“Earth the Crone”) was the mistress of the middle world. The earth was flat, with a hill in the middle that the rivers originated from.

The master spirits of natural phenomena live on earth surrounded by the sea, in which there are other lands and islands. The north was considered by the Enets to be the “cold side” where the souls of the dead went. Therefore, the living should never lie down with their feet towards the tundra.

According to the Enets’ beliefs, a person has several souls (i.e., a “soul-breath,” “soul-shadow,” etc.). Together, these souls constitute a person’s “vitality,” without which life is impossible. The abdomen was the dwelling place of the soul-breath. When one dies, the soul-breath is the first to leave the body and go up to Nga .

Shamanism reflects the Enets’ mythological worldview very vividly. Only the chosen people with outstanding personal abilities could become shamans. Traditionally, Enets shamans were divided into three groups: the ngatode could contact the heavenly spirits; the diano treated the sick, provided assistance during difficult childbirths, and found missing deer; the savode communicated with underground spirits and their main function was to participate in funeral rites. If, after the death of a person, his family suffered from various misfortunes (for example, bad luck in fishing), then the savode would contact the spirits, found out the reason and helped eliminate it.

The holidays among the Enets were of a ritual nature. They involved the participants asking the deities and spirits for well-being and good luck in trade, and trying to find out whether the coming year would be a happy one. One of the main celebrations was Medode , the Clean Chum holiday, which was held at the end of the polar night (late February - early March). Its goal was to contribute to the spring revival, ensure good luck in trade (hunting, fishing, etc.), and the general well-being.

The Clean Chum (a tipi-like abode) was installed in the appointed place, for which new poles and nyuks (roof-covering skins) had been prepared in advance. At the same time, the ritual of kue-posu (“birch gate”) was held among the forest Enets. At one birch tree, each family would sacrifice a deer; another, split and spread apart in the form of a gate, was a portal through which the shaman would pass, followed by the rest of the participants. They would then visit the sacred birch tree throughout the year and sacrifice deer to it, asking for something important.

The Enets had specific rituals for weddings and funerals, however, they did not have a specifically assigned place for childbirth. Normally, it took place in the chum, but the men could not be present in it. When a woman was ready to give birth, the partner would send for a midwife, sbita menyuo , and an itede woman, whose responsibility was to prepare food for the woman in labor.

This horizontal bar was tied at such a height that the woman in labor, kneeling, could lean with her chest on it during childbirth. After cleansing the newborn, the mother and the household items with a special infusion, the husband invited the relatives to the naming celebration. The baby was named in honor of some famous place, or after one of the ancestors.

Usually, the Enets had several names. In addition to the Russian one received at baptism, there were two more Enets ones: one given at birth, the other one was given in adulthood.

Picture 24. Sacrificial place in the tundra. Author Verbov, 1938. MAE. And 788-16