2026-09-22T00:08:03Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132597 2026-02-20 col_2142_5131 col_2142_14832 com_2142_5130 com_2142_14831 com_2142_5126

application/pdf en text Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms The student, Benjamin Michels Wheeler, accepted the attached license on 2025-12-09 at 15:46. The student, Benjamin Michels Wheeler, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-12-09 at 15:57. This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-12-10 at 07:31. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #23114 on 2026-02-19 at 18:30:10 Lion-hearted Zezva: musical memorial at a funerary horse race Wheeler, Benjamin Michels 2025-12-10 Buchanan, Donna A. Musicology Georgia Tusheti Mourning Ritual eng This thesis is focused on the memorial practices of the Tushetian community of northeastern Georgia, in particular their annual, commemorative festival known as Zezvaoba. Through an analysis of Zezvaoba’s structure, rites, and sounds; an explanation of local histories and beliefs; and personal accounts derived from my ethnographic experience, I contextualize Tushetian practices (musical, equestrian, and culinary) within a broader conversation about regional identity, the politicization of memorial practices, and the utilization of musical performance as a means to both remember the past, and comment on the present and future. 2025-12 Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132597 Copyright 2025 Benjamin Michels Wheeler Music Musicology University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign M.Mus. Thesis