The funeral rite of the Don Cossacks: raw headstones and related concepts

The article examines the tradition of placing uncut stones on graves in the Lower Don region. It presents testimonies from local residents regarding the significance of the ritual actions associated with these stones, along with evidence of the ritual's execution. Findings from ethnolinguistic field studies conducted by the SSC RAS and SFU (RSU) between 2002 and 2017 enable the author to identify the locations of graves marked by uncut stones across the former Don Host Oblast. The discussion includes a concise overview of the population that practices this custom, highlighting confessional characteristics due to the stable coexistence of Old Believer and Orthodox communities in the examined areas. Furthermore, an analysis of Cossack funeral rites, coupled with a review of literature documenting similar rituals across various regions of Russia, provides a foundation for comparative research and supports a hypothesis regarding migration patterns from the Moscow, Ryazan, and Nizhny Novgorod regions, among others, to the Don, Khoper, and Medveditsa rivers, as well as the role of these settlers in shaping the Don Cossacks subethnic group.