Song Folklore of the Cossacks of the Omsk Irtysh Region in Recordings from the Late 20th and 21st Centuries

The subject of the study is songs recorded from representatives of Cossack surnames in settlements that previously formed the Gorky fortified line of the Siberian Cossack army. The source of the material was E.Ya. Arkin's collections "The Cossack sings a song. Songs of the Cossack villages of the Omsk region" (1999) and "Songs of the Siberian Cossacks of the Gorky Line. Late recording period" (2024). The purpose of this work is to examine the features of the variation of Cossack song texts in the context of the migratory culture of the Middle Irtysh region. Comparative material recorded primarily in the regions of Siberia, as well as folklore collections containing song texts recorded in the places of the Cossacks' original residence, was used for variational analysis. The Cossack song tradition of the Omsk region is represented by a variety of genres, including wedding songs, non-ritual lyrics, and songs of literary origin. Its local specificity is formed on a common Slavic basis as a result of the interaction between various regions. In its modern form, the traditional Cossack song is a complex synthesis of texts, both in terms of genre and authenticity, as well as intergenerational continuity. The Omsk texts reveal common features of Cossack folklore songs: historical and military themes, and local references. The novelty of the study lies in analyzing late recordings of the local song tradition and examining its specifics in the context of changing historical conditions of the migrant culture. This allowed us to identify the main trends in text variation: first, the adaptation of songs to new living conditions by introducing local place names or details into the text; second, the simplification and reduction of texts to match the changing conditions of Cossack life; and third, the strengthening of the lyrical element by reducing narrative and descriptive episodes.

Cossack folklore, genre, wedding song, combat song, songs of literary origin, local variant, regional tradition, variational analysis, Siberian Cossacks, migratory culture