Mordovian “Lords” from the “Field of Armenian Miracles” by Ishkhan Chakhoyan: On the Unique Handicraft Production in the Republic of Mordovia

Статья посвящена потомственному обувщику из Армении И. Д. Чахояну, возродившему в Республике Мордовия ремесло, традиционное для армянского народа. Целью явилось выявление факторов, определяющих успех деятельности ремесленника, работающего в условиях иноэтничной среды и модернизированного социума. Анализ базируется на полевых материалах автора, сведениях из личного архива И. Д. Чахояна, исследованиях российских культурологов и этнографов и словарных источниках. Акцентировано внимание на особенностях воспитания мастера, охарактеризованы первые самостоятельные шаги И. Д. Чахояна в кустарном производстве. Показаны вехи его профессионального становления, обозначена роль маркировки и упаковки товара для формирования позитивного образа ремесленника и повышения престижности его изделий. Подробно описан прием продвижения продукта традиционного промысла посредством его показа в популярном вечернем телешоу. Определены основные факторы, определяющие успешность современного мастера традиционных промыслов. The article is dedicated to the hereditary shoemaker from Armenia, Ishkhan Chakhoyan, who revived in the Republic of Mordovia a unique craft, traditional for the Armenian people. The aim is to identify the factors that determine the success of an artisan working in a different ethnic environment and a modernized society. The analysis is based on the author’s field materials, sources from the personal archive of Ishkhan Chakhoyan, studies of Russian culturologists and ethnographers, and data from dictionary publications. The basis of the research was the methodological tools used in the study of ethnic identity, in particular, the ethno-sociological approach, reflected in the works of Leokadiya Drobizheva and Martyn Barrett. The author emphasizes the respectful attitude towards the profession of a shoemaker in the traditional Armenian society and its high status. Attention is drawn to the importance of revealing the moral, ethical and psychological foundations of economic activity, their connection with external forms of organization of labor and production. The author describes the process of educating a master in the spirit of respect for national traditions and work, characterizes the first independent steps of Ishkhan Chakhoyan in the handicraft, shows the process of the professional formation of the master who is reviving the traditional shoemaking craft. The author also indicates the role of presentable labeling and packaging for forming a positive image of the master and increasing the prestige of his products, reveals the techniques that expand the popularity of handicraft products on the market and ways for the master to broadcast his experience, describes in detail a way to promote a traditional craft product by showing it on a popular evening TV show. The memoirs of Ishkhan Chakhoyan about his meeting with Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, a famous Soviet and Russian actor of Armenian origin, are given. The study identifies the main factors that determine the success of a modern master of traditional crafts: education in the atmosphere of the values of traditional culture; positive personal qualities and an active social position based on creative principles; entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge of the market and possession of the basics of marketing activities; willingness to transfer skills and knowledge to the next generation of craftsmen – it is this mechanism that ensures the transformation of personal experience into an intangible heritage that is important for preserving the culture of the nation as a whole.