GENGHIS KHAN'S LEGACY IN SAKHA CULTURE: MYTHS, NATIONAL IDENTITY, AND POST-SOVIET NARRATIVES

The Chingissid are descendants of Genghis Khan. In addition to the Mongolians, Kazakhs also consider themselves Chingizids, not by bloodline but because they were part of the Genghis Khan empire. Nevertheless, it is a little-known fact that the Sakha people in the Russian Far East see themselves as descendants of the great Mongol ruler. In my paper, I will explore historical myths, cemented with some ethnographical and archaeological facts, on how this narrative came to life. I also give an overview of how this myth (sometimes to absurdity) is used in theatre, cinema, and even in advertising. Ethnographically, Sakha people are different from other indigenous people of the region, and their interaction with nature is different; which has led to the creation of a different national narrative. I also explain how the history of being under Russian colonization contributed to such beliefs. At the end of my paper, I show how this myth was utilized in the post-Soviet period, to demonstrate Sakha superiority over other Indigenous groups in their republic, and how this is channeled into the ideology and activities of today’s Sakha nationalists.

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