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This article presents a comparative study of ritual and playful aspects of the creation and use of dolls in Nenets and Korean culture. The doll could have seen from ancient times, in that time doll was not made for use of nowadays as an amusing aspect  or training acquainted with the world around, but for the subject of worship, as a mediator between man and the world of spirits. However, some people, especially the nomadic people of Siberia, have preserved such ideas and even associated specific types of dolls up until now. This article studies the religious significance of the Nenets dolls, as well as its comparison to the role of dolls in traditional Korean culture. The Nenets reindeer herders still use dolls, which are specifically designed for the religious practice, preserving the forms of ancient times. Research of such rites is important to understand the traditional culture of the nomadic people of Siberia and its place in the modern world. The comparison of this phenomenon among the Nenets reindeer herders to the same phenomenon among the Koreans allows us to look at the phenomenon in a different way and draw new kind of conclusion.

Keywords: religious puppet, religious dolls, shamanism, Confucianism, puppet theatre, Korean, Nenets reindeer herder, idol 

 

DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662.2018.4.73-79

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About the author

 

Jung Gon Parkpostgraduate, The Russian Academy of Sciences N.N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (IEA), member of Presidential committee on northern economic cooperation Republic of Korea, 121374, 2 Modzaiskoe shosse str. 143, Moscow, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.