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TheSemeiskie are a community of orthodoxOld Believers who have lived in theTransbaikal since the reign ofCatherine the Great.[1] The sacred rites and rituals of the Old Believers came to be in opposition to those of the official state church after the introduction of the 17th century religious reforms known as theRaskol. Those who rejected the reforms became known as "Old Believers" (mostly, theRussian Old-Orthodox Church) and continued to practice their faith despite repression. The Semeiskie were a particular group of Old Believers who fled toGomel inBelarus (at that time part ofPoland).[1] Catherine the Great then exiled the group toBuryatia, on the pretext that they could there become farmers for theCossack guards who defended the borders of the empire. The descendants of these original Semeiskie have lived in the region ever since.
The Semeiskie have a long oral tradition, in speech[2] as well as vocal music. The Semeiskie songs are notable for their polyphonic dissonance[3] in both sacred and secular music. The themes of the songs vary widely, from religious texts to everyday songs.[3] The cultural space and oral culture of the Semeiskie was placed on the UNESCO List of theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2001.[4]
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