Nomadische Streifereien unter den Kalmüken in den Jahren 1802 und 1803 by B. Bergmann: The Description of Kalmyk Wrestling Revisited

Abstract

Introduction. In the Kalmyk Steppe, Benjamin Bergmann witnessed a wrestling contest held during the Kalmyk festivities of Ȕrs Sar. A corresponding description is contained in his eighth letter included in the four-volume work of his titled ‘Nomadische Streifereien unter den Kalmüken in den Jahren 1802 und 1803’ (‘Nomadic Travels among the Kalmyk in the Years 1802 and 1803’) and published in 1804–1805 in Riga. Goals. The paper aims at introducing data on essentials and rules of Kalmyk wrestling described by B. Bergmann in his landmark book mentioned above. Results. The scrupulous translation of the letter by B. Bergmann confirms the opinions of researchers that Kalmyk national wrestling was (and still is) distinguished from Mongolian and Buryat ones in terms of rules: the combat was over only after one of the wrestlers was seen down on his back. Conclusions. The introduced translation of B. Bergmann’s letter shows his four-volume treatise still remains a topical source on Kalmyk culture and customs of the past. A complete translation of the work would become most useful to further historical, ethnological and folklore studies of the 19th-century Kalmyks.