September 16, 2024
ULAANBAATAR – Mongolia has ten distinct types of traditional nomadic lifestyles, shaped by geographical location rather than ethnic traits. A detailed photo album, published in both Mongolian and English, showcases these traditions. The album includes nomadic lives across high mountains, plains, sand dunes, the Gobi desert, and the unique practices of the Darkhad, Uzemchin, Tsaatan, and Kazakh tribes, emphasizing the traditional seasonal movements like summer and winter nomadic lives.
The English version, Nomadic Wisdom of Mongolia, was released in England in 2022. Recently, a new chapter was added to the book Nomadic Wisdom of Mongolia, with updated photographs enriching the existing sections.
P.Battulga, author of the book, spent six years traveling over 100,000 kilometers since 2019 to document Mongolia’s nomadic traditions. P.Battulga’s work highlights the importance of understanding these traditions in a time when even the middle-aged generation, along with youth, lack knowledge of the detailed practices of nomadic migration.
Divided into ten sections based on geographic distinctions, the book reveals the subtleties in nomadic practices, which differ significantly in terms of the tools, languages, and loading traditions despite appearing similar at first glance. P.Battulga, a member of the Mongolian Photographers’ Union and leader of the Cultural Heritage Egel Project, emphasized, “Mongolians nomadize with their livestock, following ancient patterns that avoid modern machinery.”
People of Uzemchin and Kazakh ethnic groups have a unique tradition of wearing their finest clothes during nomadic journeys as a sign of respect for the journey. Darkhads, on the other hand, transport their houses on the backs of cows, leaving them untied. Different regions of Mongolia have their own nomadic customs shaped by local geography and climate.
Many traditional practices surrounding nomadic lifestyles have been forgotten over time. For instance, there was once a belief that if moved on dog day, people would fall ill the following day, and a snowstorm or rainstorm would occur. To avoid this, people would relocate the pillars of the ger on their dog and move.
The book also explores customs like the significance of the first camel in a caravan and the meaning behind the positioning of livestock, such as five camels and five oxen in a cart called Khusug. For example, when meeting a man, it’s customary to remove the nose-ring of the first camel and let it stand still. The five oxen each have roles, with one designated to help a fallen ox rise.
These traditions are largely unknown today, and as the risk of them being entirely forgotten grows, P.Battulga’s work aims to provide an understanding of these customs to all generations, children, youth, middle-aged, elderly, and those disconnected from the countryside.
P. Battulga, a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Mongolian Photographers and the initiator of the Cultural Heritage Egel Project, reflected on the words of ethnologist and cultural researcher N.Tangad, who noted that “25 years is enough for any ritual, nomadic lifestyle, or tradition to disappear.” With this in mind, P.Battulga stated, “So, 20 or 30 years from now, my book will be studied by students and researchers”.
His book, Nomadic Wisdom of Mongolia, stands out for its bilingual explanations in both English and Mongolian, detailing how Mongolians have scientifically applied land management principles throughout their nomadic history.