Legends of Cape Shaman

The Shaman Cape as well as his numerous namesakes, for instance, the Shaman Stone in the head of the Angara and the cape at the Olkhon Island, is connected with some geological and social mysteries. On the one hand, the cape is located in the place that some scientists believe to be an ancient estuary of the Irkut that now flows into the Angara. This view that first mooted in the mid XIXth century was supported by P. Kropotkin, A.L. Chekanovsky and I.D. Chersky. This can be proved by the fact that in the continuation of the Irkut valley towards Lake Baikal a broad swampy area is located and along which River Kultuchnaya flows; it is a too small river for such a broad valley. 

On the other hand, the Shaman Cape is known for shaman rituals that were held there and that brought a mystical fame to the place. Curious is the fact that in the Buryat legend, recorded by D. Lorov in 1928, these two sacraments of the Shaman Cape are combined. A cruel and treacherous old shaman, rejected by a steppe beauty, organizes a devilry there, and it led to a natural tragedy – the land gap and the raging disaster, killing people. 

Kultuk is one of the oldest Russian settlements at the Baikal. The appearance of the village is considered to be connected with the name of the mentioned above – Ivan Pokhabov. In Turkic Kultuk means “bay, corner, deadlock”, but here it also names a village and a wind spreading onto a large part of the lake. The south-western extremity of Lake Baikal is very beautiful, especially if it is seen from the mountains and hills located nearby. 

The road from Kultuk goes to the Tunkinsk valley. At the very beginning of the valley there is a Russian village called Tibelti, and its name is also connected with legends about Mongols. The residents of the village assert that the small hill in the center of it with an old cemetery is nothing but the residue of an ancient Mongol-Tatar army leader burial of Genghis Khan Period. He was buried with military honors by his troop of many thousands; each warrior poured a helmet of sand on the ashes of the leader; as a result a small hill was formed over the grave. Some findings such as a Mongolian gold mouthpiece of a pipe, tobacco pouch, and gold coins show that the legend has some ground. All these things people leave in the ground; nobody wants to take the sin upon him. This fact proves the residence of the Mongols at Lake Baikal, and all this casts further analogies. Taking into consideration all these facts the hypothesis about Genghis Khan tomb being located somewhere near the lake, or even directly on the Olkhon, rings true. The latter supposition is confidently supported by the writer and traveler B. Burlak. 

In August 27, 2008 the shores and people in the surrounding of Kultuk and Slyudyanka witnessed one of the strongest in recent years earthquakes that was about (the epicenter was in the depths of the Baikal) 8 points, and in the surrounding areas, for example, in Irkutsk it equaled to 6 points. In the village of Kultuk several constructions were ruined, chimneys of many houses were broken or badly damaged. The population of Kultuk, Sludyanka, and especially Irkutsk was in panic. It was rumored all over Irkutsk that even a more devastating earthquake could occur any minute, so people left their apartments, offices, shops, etc. and for a long time  were standing outside to be on the safe side. The mayor of Irkutsk announced evacuation. In the beginning the Ministry of Emergencies didn’t take any measures. The communication was destroyed because of the huge amount of calling people who did not know what to do and tried to get through to inquiry and emergency services. So everything was in a mess. So we see that the break where the Baikal is situated can still bring its surprises, and people must be ready for it.  

See also

• The Many Faces of Multilingual and Mysterious Baikal. A.D.Karnyshev

Literature

1. A.D. Karnyshev "The Many Faces of Multilingual and Mysterious Baikal"© BSU Publishing House, 2011