Material culture in Tuva Epos

As a product of oral culture, epics bear crucial traces of a society which they originate from. Not only the protagonists but also the environment, circumstances and everyday life are mentioned in heroic sagas in particular. Thereby debouch material and non-material cultural elements such as people's living, the things they use, their Weltanschauung and socio-economic status. The Tuvans who border Mongolia to the south, Krasnoyarks and the Republic of Khakassia to the north, the Republic of Buryatia to the east and the Altai Republic to the west have a highly rich oral tradition. Heroic sagas have a special place in their oral tradition. There are a great number of epics/sagas which legendarily reflect the beliefs, traditions, customs, social life and previous struggles of the Tuvan people. Tuvan sagas have been construed and written down since the second half of the 19. century. A good part of these sagas have been translated and published in Turkish. This study incorporates an analysis of material cultural elements and the place of wares in human life by examining 17 sagas (Alday-Buuçu, Boktu-Kiriş, Bora-Şeeley, Kangıvay-Mergen (2), Aldın-Çaagay (2), Aldın-Kurgulday, Erelzey-Mergen, Haragalzay-Mergen Alkışlar, Han-Şilgi Attıg Han-Hülük, Arı-Haan, Arzılan Kara Attıg Çeçen Kara Möge, Şöögün Bora Attıg Şöögün-Köögün, Mögaa Şagaan-Toolay, Tanaa-Herel, Ton-Aralçın Haan, Bayan-Toolay, Haan Tögüldür) published in Tuvan and Turkish languages by Metin Ergun-Mehmet Aça, Ekrem Arıkoğlu-Buyan Borbaanay and Salih Mehmet Arçın. Key Words: Tent, Object, Material Culture, Arrow-Bow, Tuva.