Storytelling in Siberia : the Olonkho epic in a changing world / Robin P. Harris. [print]

Includes bibliographies and index.

Introduction : encountering olonkho -- Epic traditions, performers, and audiences -- Effects of change during the Soviet era -- Esteem for a masterpiece : the quest for recognition -- Examining the role of UNESCO and intangible cultural heritage -- Elements of resilience : stable and malleable -- Epic revitalization : negotiating identities and other challenges -- Ensuring sustainability through transmission and innovation.

"Olonkho, the epic narrative and song tradition of Siberia's Sakha people, declined to the brink of extinction during the Soviet era. In 2005, UNESCO's Masterpiece Proclamation sparked a resurgence of interest in olonkho by recognizing its important role in humanity's oral and intangible heritage. Drawing on her ten years of living in the Russian North, Robin P. Harris documents how the Sakha have used the Masterpiece program to revive olonkho and strengthen their cultural identity. Harris's personal relationships with and primary research among Sakha people provide vivid insights into understanding olonkho and the attenuation, revitalization, transformation, and sustainability of the Sakha's cultural reemergence. Interdisciplinary in scope, Storytelling in Siberia considers the nature of folklore alongside ethnomusicology, anthropology, comparative literature, and cultural studies to shed light on how marginalized peoples are revitalizing their own cultural heritage."--Page 4 of cover.