STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE «YIRKAPA» SKI USED BY THE FINNO-UGRIAN PEOPLE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The research purpose is to study of the structure of the surface of the ancient ski «Yirkapa» and the region where for the first time an ancient man began to use a device for moving through the snow in the form of skis.

Methods and organization of the research. The authors of the publication carried out studies of scientific research, in which the results of archaeological excavations in the territories of the north of the Ural Mountains and Siberia were discussed. To substantiate the structure of the ski surface, modeling and a multistage experiment with a sample of a Yirkapa snowshoe ski were carried out.

Results and their discussion. In the conditions of the late Mesolithic and Neolithic, the ancient man possessed the skills of making sliding skis, as well as primitive metal tools for their manufacture. The origin of the oldest specimen in the form of a fragment of a ski found in the area of Lake Sindor, as well as an experiment refuting the previously put forward hypothesis of the purpose of an important part of the sliding surface – a hook-shaped protrusion (anchor-brake), which is present on the original – a fragment of the Yirkapa ski, should be considered that the device, with a greater degree of probability, had a utilitarian value and was used by an ancient person for transporting goods or the skis themselves, but not for braking on slopes. Giving the «anchor» the shape of an elk’s head is an adornment of ski equipment, originality and self-expression of the personality of an ancient man.

Conclusion. To date, researchers do not have a common opinion about the time and region of the appearance of the first skis, as well as their shape. Among some peoples, the shape of walking skis was similar to a modern tennis racket with a leg attachment, others glided through the snow on one long ski, the second small ski was used only for repulsion.
The age of the Yirkapa ski fragment, according to research, is 7 thousand years; the material of manufacture is pine. In our opinion, the location of the «anchor» in the toe of the ski had a utilitarian meaning and was used by an ancient person for transporting goods or the skis themselves, but not for braking on slopes. 

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