Torghut Songs Recorded by G. J. Ramstedt in China

Abstract

The article analyzes a small work of the Finnish scholar G. J. Ramstedt Torgutische Lieder published by Pennti Aalto, a student of the latter, in 1962. Those are field materials collected by G. J. Ramstedt during his 1905 linguo-folklore expedition sanctioned by the Imperial Academy of Sciences that form the basis of the book. The linguist was able to record six songs from Xinjiang Torghuts. The paper draws parallels between the songs of China’s Torghuts and their suggested versions that used to exist among the Torghuts of Kalmykia.

Keywords

• folk song
• oirats
• kalmyk folklore
• torghuts