Psykheghe: Circassian Ritual Melody for the Drowned | Nukh Kondokhov, 1949

https://circassianworld.com/articles/... This rare recording preserves the instrumental naigrysh associated with Psykheghe, a Circassian rite performed in connection with the search for a drowned person’s soul. The recording was made in 1949 in the aul of Koshe-Khabl, Khabez district, Karachay-Cherkessia. The performer was Nukh Kondokhov, born in 1878, who played the kamyl, the Circassian reed flute. The recording was made by folklorist A. T. Shortanov. Psykheghe, from псы — “water” — and гъын — “to weep” — may be understood as a “lament over the water”. The rite was connected with old Circassian beliefs concerning water, the soul, and the boundary between life and death. Archival information: Performer: Nukh Kondokhov Instrument: Kamyl, Circassian reed flute Recorded: 1949 Place: Koshekhabl, Khabez district, Karachay-Cherkessia Recorded by: A. T. Shortanov Archive: Phonogram Archive, Institute for Humanitarian Research, Nalchik Catalogue number: No. 86/6