Overall Picture of Shirak’s Folklore Collection from the Mid-19th up to the Beginning of the 21st Century
Overall Picture of Shirak’s Folklore Collection from the Mid-19th up to the Beginning of the 21st Century

Summary/Abstract: The article explores the collecting of folklore intangible heritage of the Shirak region. The authors have studied the historical processes of traditionality, mutual influences, formation and application of orally transmitted folklore genres among the present-day population of Shirak. According to Alan Dundes’s approach of viewing folklore as a mirror of culture, the folkloric materials from Shirak are not only artistic expressions but also symbols of cultural identity (Dundes & Bronner 2007). Over the course of more than a century, diverse folklore materials have been recorded, published and studied in the Shirak region, with a significant portion of the original works being preserved in the archives of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of NAS RA.The folklore heritage of Shirak encompasses the centuries-old history of the region, the movements of the local population, traditional practices, original ideas and accumulated knowledge. It reflects the process of formation of human society, and within this folklore heritage one can find remnants of forgotten fragments of mythology, customs and beliefs, providing an opportunity to observe the historical and cultural journey of the present-day population of the Shirak region, along with their spiritual and material achievements and losses in various expressions of the epic folklore. The analysis of the study was primarily carried out by historical-comparative, historical-geographical, and anthropological methods.

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