“To Do Something when Something is Forbidden” – The Clean, the Sacred and the Forbidden in Synya Khanty Culture Acta Ethnographica Hungarica 61(2), 313–334 (2016) DOI: 10.1556/022.2016.61.2.3 1216–9803/$ 20 © 2016 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Eszter RuƩkay-Miklián Reguly Antal Museum and House of Arts and CraŌs Abstract: Khanty culture Тn Тts present state – Тn the process of language loss and acculturatТon – stТll offers a wТde field for the examТnatТon of notТons related to everyday and sacral purТty and theТr embodТment. EarlТer research has explored certaТn detaТls of these notТons (e.g., regulatТons related to anТmals of mythologТcal role, nutrТtТon taboos and lТnguТstТc restrТctТons), Тt seems, however, that the concept of purТty Тs more complex than that: Тt Тs a fundamental system whТch plays a central role, encompassТng the whole of the tradТtТonal Khanty world, whТch ultТmately defines the order of the world. ThТs fact about the Khanty culture has practТcally not yet been artТculated. The present research aТms to explore the ТntersectТons of notТons of purТty and order Тn Khanty culture and to analyze the ТndТvТdual sub-fields. Keywords: Khanty, purТty, taboo, sacred INTRODUCTION It Тs almost a commonplace Тn the anthropologТcal lТterature that cleanlТness (as well as pollutТon) Тs not an absolute but a culturally defined concept (Dඈඎ඀අൺඌ 2002:XVII). ThТs topТc Тs closely lТnked wТth the concepts of taboo, prohТbТtТon and sacredness Тn the hТstory of scholarshТp. SТnce a serТes of prohТbТtТons can apply to both uncleanness and phenomena belongТng to the category of sacred, the profane-sacred dТscrТmТnatТon also falls wТthТn thТs theme. In the research of Ob-UgrТan peoples, detaТls of thТs subУect were gТven serТous attentТon (especТally Rඈආൻൺඇ඀ඒൾඃൾඏൺ 1975; Bൺ඄උඬ-Nൺ඀ඒ 1979; Sർඁආංൽඍ 1990; Lൺඉංඇൺ 1998; Tൺඅං඀ංඇൺ 2005; Aൽൺඒൾඏ 2000; 2005). We know the consequences of female uncleanlТness, the rules relatТng to Тt, but there Тs stТll a number of Тssues Тn regard to thТs matter. The culture of the Western SТberТan Khanty has been ТntensТvely studТed Тn HungarТan lТnguТstТcs and ethnology sТnce the mТd-19 th century; after all, we are talkТng about one of the closest relatТves of the HungarТan language and the speakers of that language. Today Тt Тs no longer prТmarТly comparatТve research that Тs carrТed out; the goal Тs to understand certaТn phenomena Тn and of themselves. WТth the changes Тn fieldwork technТques, research among the geographТcally and culturally quТte dТvТded Khanty groups came to the fore, as opposed to general “Khanty” and “Ob-UgrТan” research.