The Evenks lived in the taiga. They lived and lived and hunted animals. The Evenks from the Turuyagir clan will come to the Chalchigir people - there will be a big holiday. Evenks from the Malyukchen clan will come to the Kindygirs - there will be a big holiday. There is a hook hanging above the fireplace in the tent, and a cauldron is hanging on the hook. The meat of musk deer, elk, or wild boar is cooked in a cauldron. Evenki loves to hunt. Whether it’s frost or blizzard, he still walks along the hills. He looks at the trees and looks for a squirrel. He looks at the snow and sees tracks of a wolverine, a lynx, or a weasel weed.
One day the Evenks gathered to spend the night, and then they did it. They broke the Ernik, put bipods, guns and bows in the storage shed. We fried wood grouse and talked.
Suddenly the Evenks look and are amazed. The moss rises, and from under the moss a deer comes out. The deer has a golden mane and silver antlers. And the warrior-hero Kuladay Mergen sits on that deer.
The Evenks chew capercaillie meat and are amazed.
“How is that possible?” they say. “Our grandfathers lived, our fathers lived, they never saw anything like this.”
And Kuladay Mergen deftly sits on a deer. He holds a bow in his hands, with arrows in his belt. The high fur boots are embroidered with beads, and the clothes are gilded from rovduga and sewn.
Kuladai Mergen addresses the Evenks:
“You kill animals in the hollows of the mountains, and your veins dry out.”
“It’s true,” say the Evenks.
- Produce deer, but your herds are small.
“That’s right,” the old men answer.
- It’s cold for you, the snowstorm is howling, the children are sick, it’s dark all around. But there is sun in the world. Anyone who believes that there is a sun will live a bright life, will live well.
We arrived at the Evenki camp. They told their relatives that they had seen a miracle.
-What is the sun? Why was there a wonderful deer? Why was there a wonderful warrior-hero?
Everyone asks this, but no one believes it.
“They say there was a dream, we were sleeping.” We saw everything in a dream.
So they lived and lived. Seventy years, and another seventy years, and another seventy years. We lived poorly. In spring it is dark, in summer it is dark, in autumn it is dark, in winter it is dark.
They forgot about that deer, they forgot about that warrior-hero.
Chakulai was born into the Chalchigir family. That Chakulai was a hero. He was strong, nimble, and brave. He ran faster than a deer and killed goats with a bow while running.
Chakulai approached the storehouse and said:
- I believe that the sun exists, I want light. It became difficult for the Evenks to breathe, their veins were drying up, and it became completely dark.
And again a golden-maned deer with silver horns appeared. And Kuladay Mergen sits on it, covered with arrows.
Chakulai approached the warrior-hero, greeted him and spoke to him.
Kuladai Mergen says:
“I know, Chakulai, that you have fame among the Chalchigiri people. Evenks of all kinds know you. Everyone talks about your strength and courage. You now believe that there is a sun. Weave a box from Evenki hair, then come to me. We will get the sun.
Kuladai Mergen disappeared again.
Chakulai is walking and sees a fire in the taiga, the fox cubs are burning. He grabbed the fox cubs and saved them.
“We will help you,” they say.
Chakulai is coming, in a hurry.
He looks - the wolf cubs are burning. He saved the wolf cubs.
“And we will help you,” they say. It approaches a large lake - the crucian carp lies on the sand, suffocating. He pushed the crucian carp into the lake.
“And I will save you,” he says.
Chakulay began to collect his hair and weave a box. I weaved for a long time, I weaved for seventy years, I made a box.
He goes to the storehouse. There is a mountain ahead.
“How will I cross the mountain?” says Chakulai.
The fox cubs came running and turned into deer. Chakulay sat on them. Then I went. It goes and goes. The forest is impenetrable. Kolodnik, the stones are big. It's impossible to travel.
The wolf cubs came running, turned into eagles and carried Chakulai on their wings. They dropped him in a wide clearing. He moves on. The lake is big. There is no shore in sight.
“How will I cross?” says Chakulai. The crucian carp came out and took Chakulai across the lake. He crossed the lake, there was a storage shed. He looks and the moss rises, and a wonderful deer comes out, and a warrior-hero sits on it. Kuladai-Mergen greeted Chakulay and drove him through the taiga, towards the sun.
It took a long time to travel: we traveled for three years. We've arrived. We reached the sun. A piece of the sun broke off and ended up in the box.
Again, it took three years to get to the warehouse. The wonderful deer disappeared and went under the moss.
Chakulai brought a box. The shulengs (chiefs) ran out. They began to take the box away. Chakulai fought with the Shulengs. If he shoots an arrow, the shulenga falls. Chakulay's arrows are not taken. He was nimble. Then an arrow from one shulengi hit Chakulay’s right hand.
“Don’t believe him,” the Shulengi shout. “There is no sun.” And the box needs to be drowned.
The shulengs rushed towards him. Then Chakulai threw the box onto the tall larch tree. She crashed. Immediately the sky lit up. It became warm. Taiga lit up with light. The deer all came running to the camp.
The Evenks are amazed. Men run with bows, boys grab their mothers' hands. The Shulengi were scared. And the sun floats across the sky like on a lake.
- Do you believe that the sun exists?
- How not to believe! We see for ourselves. True, we see. That's right, the sun. We are amazed.
Moss is rising. A wonderful deer comes out, and the warrior-hero sits on it.
Deer are running from all pastures. Evenks from all clans gathered. The warrior hero addresses them:
- I see that you believe. You know what the sun is. Everyone get on the reindeer.
The Evenks sat on the reindeer. Men - for bulls, women - for queens, children - for deer. All the deer are walking nearby and the forest is parting. The sun fell on the antlers of the deer. There were one hundred thousand Evenks. There were one hundred thousand deer. Kuladay Mergen rode ahead. That warrior-hero received a different name. The people gave him a name. The people called him Lenin.
Now the Evenks live well and talk about Lenin. It was he who brought the sun to the Evenks. And Chakulai was that big boss. He did good to the Evenki.
Then Lenin left for the big city. Lived there. Chakulaya called. I learned everything about the Evenks. I asked about everyone. Lenin loved the taiga. Now in every plague every day everyone talks about Lenin.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru