Natural Objects in the Ethnocultural Landscape: Historical Legends of the Gurvan Tulga Area in Bayangol

The article deals with toponymic stories and legends of the Oirat people inhabiting the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang. The work is based on the author’s field materials and some literary sources. Toponymic legends and tales belong to the genre of oral non-fictional prose. Those are stories about geographical objects and natural monuments of a particular area. The main feature of toponymic tales and legends is that they reliably explain the nature, origin or names of natural objects. They are often associated with the names of historical characters and deeds attributed to them. Their main purpose is to preserve the memory of important events and figures in history. The dominant function of legends and fables is recognized as a cognitive one. Reference to the toponymic stories and legends of the Oirat people of Xinjiang makes it possible to peer into the distant past and better study the peculiarities of life and household activities of the Oirat people. The former reflect many aspects of spiritual and material life of the people. This article for the first time examines and analyzes the local originality of subjects, and motifs of toponymic tales and legends of the Bayangol Oirat, associated with the name of the Oirat warrior and commander Galdama. New field materials which are the witnesses of the historical memory of the people are introduced into scientific discourse.