Based on the field material collected from the Komi-Izhemians of the Lower Ob region in 2009-2010, the article examines medical culture and its functioning in synchrony and diachrony. Traditional medicine of the Komi-Izhemians is closely connected with religious rituals, in particular, with the practice of prayer and vows, the phenomenon of holy water, and with the object-object world. The paper considers the features of the "intersection" of these elements and medical culture (their functions and semantics). Data on sacred topography, such as votive crosses and water springs, which play an important role in the religious practice of Izhemtsy and are aimed at maintaining physical and spiritual health, are given.
Keywords: Komi-Izhemtsy, traditional medicine, religious rituals, sacred topography.
In the system of knowledge of the Komi-Izhemians of the Lower Ob region, an important place was occupied by the magic and medical complex, which contributes to the adaptation and self-preservation of the people in the new territory of residence (relocation of this group of Komi from Arkhangelsk to Tobolsk province. It began in the first half of the 19th century). All its elements were formed in natural, cultural, and social conditions in which a person had to not only survive, but also be a part of society with all its attitudes, roles, and requirements. The magic and medical complex of izhemtsev included knowledge about healing with the help of massage, surgical manipulations, herbs, minerals and other products of organic origin. In the treatment of certain diseases, magic techniques were also used. Izhma reindeer herders and livestock breeders had developed veterinary medicine [Ermakova, 2009a-b; 2010a, b]. According to a number of researchers, the structure of magical and medical knowledge of this group of Komi was dominated by rational methods of treatment and prevention of diseases. I. V. Ilyina notes the rationalism of traditional medicine of Izhemtsy, their indifferen ...
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