Publisher's Synopsis
The NenetsÆ Song is the first book-length study of the epic song tradition that survives among the Nenets nation of Northern Eurasia, an area which is also the homeland of such widely known epics as the Finnish Kalevala and Yakut Olonkho. The book considers the NenetsÆ song tradition within its historical, cultural, social and political contexts, and focuses on its melodic system viewed as a manifestation of musical thought and knowledge. - - Alla Abramovich-Gomon provides a description of the NenetsÆ way of life and their song performances which she has observed while carrying out her field research. The book unravels the epic songÆs ties with the NenetsÆ shamanistic past and elaborates on a number of cross-disciplinary theories involved in shaping a holistic interpretation of the song tradition. The study concludes that the NenetsÆ song tradition embodies the whole of their traditional æmother cultureÆ and has contributed to the peopleÆs survival and adaptation.
