In Search of the New Old Believers*

How folklife research happens in Siberia

Two women photograph each other before Ivana Kupala celebrations in Topoln'oye, Altai Krai, Russia

This post helps you understand folklife research and what I was doing in Siberia in the first place.

In Search of the New Old Believers

In 2018 I received a scholarship from the American Friends of Russian Folklore to join a research expedition to Russia's Altai Krai region. We spent two weeks gathering information on Old Believer traditions in Топольное (Topol'noye; top-OL-no-yeh), a village in Siberia.

The location of Topol'noye village, in Russia's Altai Krai region.

A Very Brief History of the Old Believers

In the 1600's the Russian Orthodox Church decided to re-align itself with the Greek Orthodox Church (considered to have the most original practice). A schism formed between those who supported the re-alignment, and a minority who felt the liturgy and ritual should not change. This minority became known as the Old Believers, and they were heavily persecuted. Many fled for their lives, finding solitude and therefore safety in Siberia. Like the Amish or Mennonites, Old Believers continued to practice and live in the "old" ways.

Communism found its way to even the most remote Russian settlements. Old Believers, though not the only people persecuted, found themselves under pressure to change. Some moved to other countries, and most quietly took their practice underground.

Some Old Believers, like those in Topol'noye, stopped practicing. Their children and grandchildren stopped wearing traditional clothing, took jobs outside of the community, and integrated with mainstream Russian culture. Those children and grandchildren never learned much of the rites, rituals, and reasons behind the religion.

Dr. Alevtina Tsvetkova, the lead researcher, has spent years studying what remains of Old Believer culture in Siberia.

How Research Happened

There are many ways to approach folklore research. For our purpose, there's the library way, and the folklife way.

Before leaving for Russia, I read articles and books about Old Believers and superstition in Russian culture. I watched documentaries. I "studied." I have a BA in Anthropology and was trained in participant observation. I expected to receive a list of not-too-leading questions that we would ask people; not so in folklife research.

Most interviews happened in the form of discussions. Dr. Tsvetkova would ask our participant one or two questions about things their grandparents taught them, and memories they had. And then we'd talk and talk and talk.

These discussions happened over tea (gathered by our hosts from the forests, or their gardens). Often we had full meals; soups were most common, and always delicious, and accompanied by homemade, fresh, bread, butter, and jam.

These discussions and meals changed the relationship. We were no longer observers studying an alien culture, we were welcome guests, and friends. Our new friends pointed out what they thought would most interest us, saved us the best bites of jam, pulled out their relic collections, showed off their accordion skills, laughed at our fumbling Russian, and patiently repeated stories over and over.

Research had never been this joyful. It didn't feel scholastic enough. Surely we can't have been engaged in proper, correct research?

Nikolai Burlakoff gifts our Siberian friends with a bit of American history: a Kennedy half dollar.

Experience and Inspiration

Nikolai Burlakoff, a member of our team and an experienced folklorist, explained that folklife research was more about letting an experience be than encapsulating it perfectly or gathering information. He taught us that the best information comes from letting participants "do their thing". In terms of photography, that meant not posing people, but filming and photographing them as they were. Nikolai also suggested that I not maneuver myself too much, but that I shoot from wherever I stood, even if I wasn't in an ideal vantage point.

This unique approach to photography sometimes went against my instincts as a cinematographer. I didn't it follow it perfectly (as you'll see in my more technically perfect photos). In retrospect, I love what Nikolai's advice did for my style, and for my overall experience photographing in Siberia.

My photos sometimes feel incomplete, or unfinished, and that makes me think more deeply about what's happening in the images. To me this unfinished-ness reminds me that there is so much more to explore and to understand. It reminds me that the human experience, and our understanding of each other, is likewise unfinished. It teaches me that there is beauty in a less-than-perfect perspective, because it's only one perspective. There will be, and I will have, many more perspectives. Folklife is constantly changing and it's best to experience what you can, when you can.

*Credit for the title In Search of the New Old Believers goes to the American folklorist Nikolai Burlakoff.