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Bazhei Zhatukhayev (1891 - 1983) was born in the village of Khaitag of the Tangut locality, now the Tunka district, Ust’- Orda Buryat autonomous district of the Irkutsk region. His ancestors coming from the khulmengge kin were famous storytellers of the Unga valley. His father Yegor Zhatukhayevich well knew all the ‘anches’ of the “Geser” epic, the uligers “Khatuu Khara khan”, “Altai Segsei Mergen”, “Altai Gurgaldai bator” that he performed in singing.
Afterwards the storyteller himself admitted that his father knew well the “Geser” epic and its chapters presenting in essence independent poems, all in all 15 uligers. One work such as “Geser” Yegor Zhatukhayevich sang for nine evenings running.
Really, it was hard to overestimate the role of the storyteller’s father, Yegor Zhatukhayevich in forming his son as uligershin. The knowledge of the people’s poetry spread on all their family the memvers of which were the first and the most active listeners of their father-uligershin. It was not accidental that all his sons, ANtroopka (1876-1945), Kiriil (1886-1920), Bajei and Baadi (1893 1960) were storytellers.
B. Zhatukhayev himself since the age of ten began to tell the uligers and fairy-tales having memorized by heart a few people’s works. Afterwards he learned the whole repertoire of the father, told also the fairytales, performed the songs, well knew the legends. When he was young he performed uligers exclusively singing to the music of the khur and later on he began to perform in recitative and declamation.
According to S.P. Baldaev’s data the storyteller when young had a nice voice and was considered the best singer in the kulmet kin, particularly well he performed the uligers. In his repertoire there were such uligers as “Geser”, “Altan Shagai mergen”, “Mungen Shagai mergen”, “Khukhoosei mergen”, songs, fairy-tales, good wishes, curses, etc.
Besides, in his repertoire there were many tens of lyrical, round dance, dance, drinking, wedding and historical songs of the Buryats and not only songs. The uligershin was also an expert in history of the Buryat kins and uluses, legends and shaman invocations.
B. Zhatukhaev according to S.P. Baldaev well knows the mythology of the western Buryats: the struggle of the grandmothers Manzan Gurme and Mayas Khara toodei, Esege Malan with Khamkhir Bogdo, Khan Khurmasta with Atai Ulan, Khan Khormusta’s sons with the sons of Atai Ulan and so on, including the myths and of the collisions of the secondary tengris and their sons.
As the writer A. Balburov recalls, the native village of storyteller B. Zhatukhayev “was three kilometers off our Khursanga. The appearance of the uligershin in our house was expected and desirable and was taken as holiday. Sitting on the leather old pillows Bajei-Akhai began in his high good voice to sing “Abai Geser”. A surprising memory of that man kept twenty four thousand lines of the famous uliger.
He had his own singing manner of performing “Geser”. It was very nice therefore I was bathing since young years in the sea of the people’s poetry and as a charmed one wandered about the fairy woods and valleys, jumped over very high mountais…” (Balburov A. My twelve jewel; gems) –M., 1975. – P.9, 35).
The opinion of a well-known writer might be associated with the description of the performing manner of B. Zhatukhaev given by the researcher of his biography and creative activity R. A. Sherkhunaev. As he writes the storyteller does not make the listeners wait for a long time (this not the case in such situations), begins the “Geser” uliger at once. The storyteller knows all the nine anches, in the other words, the whole of the grandiose epopee.
This is his favorite work. It is only fair to say that in the 20-30th of the 20th century there were not so many storytellers performing the whole of “Geser”. Those performers were called ‘gesershins’. The gesershins were taken to be the best, outstanding storytellers.
The performing of the uligers by way of exclusively singing is regarded as a very complex and complicated art. Later in his life Zhatukhaev sang less and passed over to a combined way of performing by way of singing, reciting and declaiming. At first he sings the beginning of the epopee or song where described is the hero’s going hunting, then passes over to recitative and declamation and then again sings of the trip of the bator to ing his intended or promised wife and of some other important things. In the places where the uliger is given in declamation B. Zhatukhaev speaks energetically, giving it mouth.
The storyteller was often addressed to by the writers, scholars, collectors of the folklore pieces, students, school children. S.P. Baldaev writes: “In 1940 A.A. Balburov wrote down from him the first two of the “Geser” chapters, the third chapter was written down by me a year later”. A.A. Balburov’s records kept in the Manuscript Department of the Buryat anch, the Siberian department of the USSR Academy of sciences were made use of by N.G.Baldano when compiling the combined text of “Geser”. In the sixties I. E. Tugutov made from the storyteller a tape recording of many of the anches of “Geser” (that are kept now in the personal archives of the collector).
In the opinion of the researcher D. A. Burchina B. Zhatukhaev’s variant recorded by A. Balburov is quite original and is unlike the rest of the Unga variants. It contains about 2800 verses, the contents consists of the two chapters: 1) The quarrel and the battle with Khan Tyurmas tengri with Atai Ulan, 2) The calamity and disaster of the earthly people. Geser descends onto the Earth.
In “chapter” 3 recorded by S. P. Baldayev the plot is similar to that of the Mongolian Geseriade. This chapter is entitled “Abai Geser khubun (Nyukhata Zura)”, consists of about 1400 verses. It comprises the following plots: 1) Testing of the sons by Sugle Noyon, 2) Of the victory of Nyukhata Zura over the nine devils-shulmuses, 3) On the hero’s marriage to Tumen Zhargalan and Urmai Gohon.
Bajei Zhatukhaev is one of the illiant representatives of the Unga epical tradition. He greatly contributed to the treasure house of the Buryat Geseriade and culture of his own people.
