A.V. Cherkashin
N.D. Kronnikov
V.G. Nikitin
N.N. Rozhin
Institute of Physical Culture and Sport of North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov, Yakutsk

Keywords: Hapsagay, Ysyakh, Sakha people, FILA, United World Wrestling

Introduction

Traditional Hapsagay wrestling of the Indigenous Yakut people who live in the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya) of Russia is an ancient martial art that has been popular and traditional for ages and literally translated as a “competition of deft people”. The Hapsagay wrestling competitions have always been popular as a central event decorating the Yakut folk festivals of Ysyakh, the summer solstice celebration day since the ancient times. By the early XX century, the Yakut indigenous Hapsagay wrestling style has shaped up as a highly ethical, spiritual and intellectual martial art that is now valued high among the treasures of the national heritage of the Sakha Republic [1].

The indigenous Hapsagay wrestling sport has been subject to research and practical modern applications by many researches including N.B. Tarskiy, G.G. Androsov, V.P. Kochnev, N.K. Shamayev, L.A. Afanasiev et al.

There are still many outstanding aspects in the Hapsagay wrestling sport of the Sakha people, however, that have never been thoroughly studied, including, for instance, the centuries-old history of this traditional martial art, its specific techniques etc.; moreover, the sport science still fails to offer modern developments and practical recommendations to support the Hapsagay sport mastering and training processes; and it is only natural that these shortages are somewhat restrictive for the Hapsagay wrestling tradition being expanded on a broader scale and its educative potential being fully employed.

The purpose of the study was to provide a historical overview and explore the modern development prospects of the indigenous Hapsagay wrestling sport.

Study results and discussion

As mentioned above, Hapsagay may be translated as an appeal to the human deftness, speed, strength and endurance. Hapsagay competitions are traditionally held on a ground ring with spectators sitting around. Referee is elected from among the most respected people of the local community, and he is the only one who makes verdicts on the result of the bouts as required by the old verbal local tradition.

In good old days wrestlers entered the ground ring naked to the waist and barefooted, and were not allowed to see one another before the bout. They were kept in birch-bark tents and helped out being totally veiled in chamois leather. Prior to the bout, the athletes were positioned on the opposite sides of the ring, and it was the referee who called them both to the middle of the ring, unveiled them and gave a start to the bout.

Needless to say that no rating system has ever been applied to the Hapsagay wrestlers. Instead, champions of the competitions were glorified in folk songs as national heroes. Modern Yakut people are still very much devoted to the Hapsagay wrestling culture and values and firmly believe it to be a perfect tool for the young generation breeding and culturing.

Historically, being allowed to join the Hapsagay competitions meant for the young athlete being recognized as a mature member of the community. No one of the Yakut children would ever tell you the day or year when he/ she first entered the Hapsagay ring for the simple reason that wrestling is a lifestyle in this part of the world and they master it naturally all the year round. It is not only the male population that is allowed to compete in the Hapsagay events, and women’s competitions are quite common [3].

N.I. Ponomarev [4] points out that no one of the indigenous tribes dwelling in Siberia and the Far Northern areas of Russia stays apart of the local traditional physical practices. The Yakut/ Sakha, Evenk, Koryak, Nenets, Eskimo nationalities and other local tribes traditionally practise running, jumping, throwing, wrestling and shooting exercises, traditional game sports etc.

Traditional martial arts of indigenous people are being successfully supported and promoted by quite a few other countries including Bulgaria, Mongolia, Japan, England, Switzerland, Spain and Macedonia; and by nations of Celtic origin.

The Hapsagay wrestling tradition is so ancient that it is unlikely possible to find out exactly when its rules were first established. The local heroic epos “Olonkho” narrates a story of a “middle world” strong man who mastered Hapsagay techniques to defeat “dark force” fighters.

According to the local legends, it was many centuries ago that the Yakut people had developed a special system to breed and train warriors who formed an elite class in the society. One of the important goals of this training was to give the warriors necessary skills to fight without weapons. A child selected to join the class of future warriors and expected to evolve into a “baatur” (or strong man) was trained to master a variety of fighting skills and develop a set of physical qualities necessary to apprehend every secret of the national wrestling style. Every family had its own secrets how to master the skills and get ready for the competitions.

It was at the end of the XIX century and in early XX century that the public interest to the Hapsagay tradition surged all over the territory of the today’s Yakutia, and many famous Hapsagay wrestlers were formed at that time. The first formal Hapsagay wrestling competitions were organized back in 1932 to mark the tenth anniversary of the autonomous Sakha Republic foundation, and since then the competitions were put on a regular basis and formally recognized both as a core event of the local holidays and an official sport discipline of All-Yakutiya Sport Festivals. Female Hapsagay wrestlers were allowed to join the competitions, and in the year of 1944 the women’s Hapsagay competition was formally listed among the sport disciplines of the All-Yakutiya Summer Sport Festival.

In the Soviet Union period, the rural branch of the “Urozhay” Voluntary Sport Association ran regular Hapsagay wrestling competitions for athletes of the following different age groups: 18-35; 35-40; 40-45 and 45+ year-olds [5].

In the year of 1992, Sakhaada Sport Association was formed including eight National Sport Federations, with one of them  in charge of the Hapsagay wrestling sport discipline. It was since then that the Hapsagay competitions were on the rise under the auspices of the Wrestling Sport Federation of the Sakha (Yakutiya) Republic. On October  25, 2010, Hapsagay wrestling sport was formally recognized by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées – FILA) followed by a formal contract signed by and between the FILA and the National Sakhaada Sports and Games Association of Yakutiya. The contract provided for the Hapsagay wrestling sport being recognized by the FILA as a formal wrestling style recommended for promotion the world over. In the year of 2011, the Benin Wrestling Federation expressed high interest to the Hapsagay wrestling sport and the Federation President confirmed high appreciation of the sport on behalf of the Federation and its readiness to serve as a hub for the Hapsagay wrestling tradition being cultivated in Africa. It was in the period of December 22 to 25 of 2011 that the first African Hapsagay Wrestling Championship was organized on the continent [3, 6].

The first Asian Hapsagay Wrestling Championship was held on September 17, 2013 in the city of Aksai in China (Gansu Province) with participation of 58 athletes from 12 countries. The top twenty wrestlers including the national champions in Kazakh wrestling and the absolute 2012 champion holding the title of the “Kazakh Panther” were competing for the title of an absolute champion [7].

In the year of 2012, Yakut school students joined the World Cadet Traditional Wrestling Sport Championship in the city of San Paulo. Their main objective was to present their homeland Yakut traditions with the national Hapsagay- and Mas-wrestling styles, hold master classes and make preparations for the Foundation Conference of the Pan-American Sakhaada Sport Association. When the formal competitions were completed, a few tournaments were held on the multiple requests of the spectators, and many athletes, including the team managers, had a chance to demonstrate their martial wrestling skills in the events.

Pan-American Council of Associated Wrestling Styles (CPLA) President Francisco Eduardo Lee Lopes stated that he was going to establish under the Council (representing more than 30 countries of the North, South and Central America and the Caribbean Basin) a Department for Traditional Wrestling Styles to actively promote many traditional sports including the Yakut wrestling traditions. He was going to formally publicize the decision at the Pan-American Youth Olympic Wrestling Sports Championship in Guatemala scheduled for June 7 to 9 [8].

Since the date of its foundation and till September 2014, the international wrestling agency was known under the French name of the Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées (FILA) or the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, the last name being considered informal. On September 7 of 2014, the FILA Congress in Tashkent decided to rename the agency into United World Wrestling [1], with the French name being left the same.

Conclusion

Traditional Hapsagay wrestling style, a popular national martial art of the indigenous people of Yakutiya, has evolved in a sport discipline that helps open up and fully employ the best human resources and develop speed, deftness, strength and endurance in an athlete.  

References

1. Andrey Kul'yanov «Bor'ba za million» (Struggle for a million) // Gazeta.Ru (September 8, 2014). Retrieved December, 10 2014.
2. Iz istorii yakutskoy natsional'noy bor'by «Hapsagay» (From history of Yakut traditional wrestling "Hapsagay") // Wrestsakha. Archived from the original source September, 4 2013.
3. Korkin, D.P. Yakutskaya natsional'naya bor'ba «Hapsagay» (Yakut national combat "Hapsagay") / D.P. Korkin // Sportivnaya bor'ba: ezhegodnik (Wrestling: Yearbook). – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 1972 – P. 29–30.
4. Ponomarev, N.I. «Vozniknovenie i pervonachal'noe razvitie fizicheskogo vospitaniya» (Emergence and initial development of physical education) / N.I. Ponomarev. – Moscow: Fizkul'tura i sport, 1970 – 248 P.
5. Korkin, D.P. Sportivnaya i natsional'naya bor'ba narodov SSSR (Sport and national combat of peoples of the USSR) // «Sportivnaya bor'ba»(Wrestling) – P. 14. Archived from the original source September, 4 2013.
6. Hapsagay i mas-restling v Irane i Afrike (Hapsagay and mas-wrestling in Iran and Africa) // Ezhednevnaya respublikanskaya gazeta «Yakutiya» (daily republican newspaper). Archived from the original source September, 4 2013.

Corresponding author: Cherkav85@mail.ru