Tigers and the Internet
Story, Shamans, History
The traditional folktales and modern-day testimony of the Udege of Russia’s far east.
The Udege, a small Indigenous group in the Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai regions of Russia, have a rich oral storytelling tradition. They speak the Udege language, and their religious beliefs include animism and shamanism. Over two decades, Kira Van Deusen travelled across Russia interviewing Udege storytellers in order to record their folktales.
Tigers and the Internet recounts individual storytellers’ lives and the stories that they related to Van Deusen. Combining the translated stories with detailed commentary, background information on the storytellers, and historical context to the themes they explore, Van Deusen provides a rich and moving text that allows the reader to travel with her through time and space. She respectfully shares the stories with a wider audience and preserves them in English for future generations. Readers will learn about the folktales of the Udege, but also about their contemporary lives and connections with other Indigenous groups.
The Udege are not widely known outside of Russia. Tigers and the Internet provides a valuable collection of first-hand stories that shows this fascinating culture to those interested in folklore, Indigenous histories, and cultural studies.
"This book offers English speakers a memorably authentic portrait of what has been preserved of Udege narrative heritage in the 21st century. Based on years of travel and original research through personal connections, Van Deusen ... has compiled excellent translations of stories recorded from traditional storytellers. Her commentary bridges past, present, and future to provide unique glimpses into the culture of a people who have managed to survive modern intrusions into their traditional world. This fascinating and well-written study is excellent for folklorists, ecologists, and social scientists interested in the Indigenous peoples of Asian Russia. Highly recommended." CHOICE