Fishing by sakha method Munkha

“Munkha - ice fishing for crucian carp - is translated into Russian as“ seine. ”Preparations for fishing begin in advance, and the process itself turns into a holiday, which involves almost the entire population of the village. The tradition of celebrating fishing with the whole world has come since ancient times. The beginning of the fishing season was always accompanied by feeding the spirits of the reservoir, asking Bayanai (the owner of the forest, the patron saint of hunters and fishermen) for a successful fishing. In the old days, during the munkha, competitions were held among olonkhosuts-improvisers (storytellers of the Yakut heroic epic Olonkho), young people showed prowess in national sports. Now forgotten traditions have been revived in some areas. Ice fishing for crucian carp is a laborious business, it requires the synchronous and well-coordinated work of many people. At the head of each brigade (15-20 people) is a "senior" - usually an elderly man respected by everyone, who knows the area well and is an expert on the munkhi. He, acting by intuition, indicates the places where it is necessary to cut openings in accordance with the depth and topography of the bottom of the lake and the presence of algae in it. Each ulus has its own peculiarities of fishing, but the essence remains the same. So, first, some prepare the net for the descent. At this time, others cut through large ice holes "chardaat" at the places of descent and pulling out of the net with prey. Holes are made between them longitudinally on both sides, along which the so-called “wings” (ends) of the seine will be dragged. Ropes with sticks are tied to them. When a seine is lowered into a large hole, the sticks go under the holes, where they are caught with a wooden hook and allowed further. And so on until the very place of pulling out the "uterus" - the center of the seine. While the net is moving, a separate brigade with noise and shouts, tapping on the ice with a pole, drives the fish to the main hole, where it meets those who pull the net. Both "wings" must be pulled apart to avoid entanglement of the net. It often happens that the seine runs into a snag or twigs, then you have to pull it out and repeat all over again. Of course, the catch is not always successful. It all depends on the size and topography of the lake and, of course, the skill of the fishermen. In some villages, experienced people are advised to give the reservoir, from where they have taken a rich catch, "rest" for a year, or even more years, so as not to disturb the ecological balance of the lake. Be that as it may, after fishing for carp, even a bag, it will always be there. And the most successful fishermen can get from ten to one hundred sacks of selected sobo (Yakut name for crucian carp). But even with large prey, it is not customary for the Yakuts to express joy too loudly, it is believed that Bayanai can upset. By the way, when, before the start of the muncha, you can see how a crow is circling, or even better a few, then this is considered a good omen, they say, the birds know that they will not be left without food. But when a woman steps over the nets or an unfortunate fisherman drops an ice pick into the water, then do not expect a rich fishing, experts say. And most importantly: there is a firm rule - to give a catch to everyone who was present at the big munch, regardless of whether the person participated in the fishing or not. This tradition came from time immemorial, when people who for one reason or another could not fish (the elderly, the poor, the disabled, single women) came to the munch and watched the process, but after the end they took home fresh carp. " Author Alexey Tolstoukhov