Alexei Naranov, About a Temple, the Bagud Clan and Lagan'

In this interview Alexei talks about a temple that was in his native place, about the origin of the Bagud clan whose members used that temple and about digging wells in Lagan’. Darina: Did you have a temple in your native place? Alexei: Yes, we had a temple in a place called Khure, in Yandyko-Mochazhnyi ulus of Laganskiy rayon. There is a tower that stands on that spot today. Many people from the Bagud clan gathered in that temple, including members of the Iki Bagud, the Shars Bagud and the Shin Bagud. The Bagud clan originates from the 7 sons of Doida. When Doida became old, he called all his sons to give them their inheritance. The oldest son, from whom originates the Ik Bagud clan, moved in the direction of Yandyki. Another son moved to Dolbanskiy rayon to the village of Promyslovka. Today this village is called Limannyi. That place has water and a lot of wild cane. Our clan moved to Lagan’ where we built a fishery. We dried fish and sent them to Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhniy Novgorod. Darina: Where does the name Lagan’ come from? Alexei: According to one version, there was a man called Lag who set up a fishing brigade there and started to catch fish. According to another version, it derives from the word lagun’ which means ‘still water’. The second version is not as well-shared as the first one. Darina: Is it possible that this name derives from a well called Lagan’? There must have been people who owned wells back then. Alexei: No, I don’t know about this. Darina: Did you have wells in your place? Alexei: Yes, we had. Darina: How did people dig these wells? Alexei: Back then there was no machinery. People dug wells with their hands. There were special digging brigades that transported water. Darina: How did people know where to dig for a well? Alexei: People asked lamas and astrologists. They would approach astrologists and say: ‘We breed livestock in this or that place, we want to dig a well. Can we dig it there?’ Astrologists showed them where to dig, where the water was better and grass richer.Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin