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Современные ономастические представления азиатских эскимосов
The article deals with the contemporary naming system and the variability of per-
ceptions of the personal name among the Eskimo. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of
the social life of the name and to the characteristics of the ‘traditional’ naming in modern
context. The set of Eskimos’ traditional perceptions of the personal name, the most important
of them being the naming, continues to be relevant practically among all of the groups of this
Arctic people on both continents, despite the long history of such processes as Christianiza-
tion and the introduction of passports as well as incorporation of European names and the
introduction of surnames. The name giving as a part of the ritual space is directly linked to
Eskimos’ perceptions of immortality of the soul and interaction between the world of the
living and the world of the dead.