Title: Burning Wild Rue

General Information about Item:

• Ritual, Superstition
• Language: Kazakh
• Culture of Origin: Kazakh
• Informant: JN
• Date Collected: 11-05-2021

Informant Data:

JN was born and brought up in Kazakhstan. She is ethnically Kazakh and enjoys learning about different cultures and mastering various languages. She is a junior at Dartmouth College and studies biomedical engineering. She can speak 4 languages: English, Russian, Kazakh and German. In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing piano.

Contextual Data

Cultural Context: Kazakhs are historically nomadic people, so nomadic practices related to livestock have been central to their culture for a long time. Islam arrived in Kazakhstan during the 8th century, and Islamic religious beliefs combined with the animistic beliefs of the local nomadic cultures and shamanic traditions. Kazakhstan was also part of the Soviet Union before gaining independence in 1991, so its culture has been greatly influenced by its neighbor, Russia, as well. Nowadays, Kazakhstan’s modern culture is influenced by the West and all of the above mentioned cultures. The devil, demons and evil spirits are the most popular supernatural creatures that are believed to bring distress in Kazakh culture. 

Social Context: JN learned about this superstition from her parents, who are Muslim and believe in the existence of the devil, demons, evil spirits and other supernatural beings. JN thinks that this practice is pretty common among religious Kazakh people, and she believes in the efficacy of this ritual herself.

Item: 

In order to ward off the devil and other evil spirits, you need to burn a plant called Peganum Harmala, commonly called wild rue. While the plant is burning, you need to walk around a room you are trying to clean and let the smoke disperse.

Collector’s name: Amina O