The next stop on the “artist’s tour” was Arburd Sands ger camp. This was more a “cultural” stop, than for wildlife viewing, but we got some of that, too.
This was the third time I had stayed at the camp and it was great to see owners Batbadrakh and his wife, Densmaa, again.
Little by little I’m getting caught up, but there are a couple of really interesting irons in the fire that I’ll be posting about in the weeks ahead that have taken a fair amount of email time.
In the meantime, there’s this trip I just took, during which I managed to find some sketching time, both in my journal and in my iPad.
First are the ones I did in my Moleskin sketch journal. They were pretty much all done in five minutes or less for the small ones and maybe twenty for the one that crosses both pages. Some were done during lunch stops, some at camp between drives. The cows and sheep were done at the home ger of my driver, where I got to stay overnight. That wonderful experience will rate its own post:
Since no one pestered me while I did the above sketch, I got out my iPad and did a couple more quick studies.
Before we left on our “wildlife tour”, Pokey and I had time to wander around UB. I took her to the Museum of the Chojin Lama. Since I had been in the temples before, I got out my iPad and did a little sketching of a few of the statues flanking the entry stairs of the main temple.
I’ve come to believe that one way to learn about someone else’s culture is to find out what some of the popular proverbial sayings are. Mongolia is no exception.
A Mongol Facebook friend has been posted proverbs from what seems to be a new book. Fortunately, he has translated them into English, which means I can read them myself and share them with you.
If the mind is clean, fate is good (Sanaa sain bol zaya sain)
Greed keeps men forever poor, even the abundance of this world will not make them rich.
Wise men talk about ideas, intellectuals about facts, and the ordinary man talks about what he eats.
One who has strong body will be a warrior for a generation
One who has a great wisdom will be a hero for thousands of generations~Injanashi
Easier to love a dead hero than a live king
This is the biggest holiday in Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar pretty much shuts down for a few days while everyone celebrates and attends competitions in the Three Manly Sports: horse racing, wrestling and archery.
I got to see all of it, including a local celebration, in 2009. Here’s some photos, ending with a wonderful music video by one of the most famous singing groups in Mongolia, Nomin Talst. The group is no longer together and this video was made some years ago, but it still gets played on the music video channel around this time of year. And it’s one of the things that hooked me on Mongolia. I had to find out more about the kind of people who are shown in it and who clearly know how to have a good time today, while preserving their ancient traditions and sports.
And now….Nomin Talst singing “Minii Mongol Naadam” (My Mongol Naadam):
Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. We’re 235 years old. Not bad, all things considered. It marks the date of our Declaration of Independence from England and the British Empire and states the reasons why this was necessary.
The Declaration was largely written by Thomas Jefferson, who also became our second President, and its first sentence was one of the first times that human rights were proclaimed.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
By way of contrast, the Great Mongolian State in 805 years old this year, counting from 1206, when Chinggis Khan was declared the Great Khan of all the Mongols. There have been difficult times, including a loss of independence more than once, but in 1990 Mongolia had its own Democratic Revolution. The Mongols today enjoy the same basic freedoms as Americans, including freedom of the press and assembly, one of the few Central Asian countries whose citizens can exercise these rights.
Some of who we are as Americans can be traced back to the Mongol Empire. Some of what Mongolia is becoming can be traced to what America has always stood for. It’s obvious to me that our countries should be good friends now and in the future.
When gorgeous summer starts,
on the gorgeous Hangai ranges,
the cuckoos sing out sweetly-
oh, how lovely this world is!
A green haze hangs in space, a delusion of mirages,
and a horse neighs, longing for home.
A rain of flowers purifies the face of the world,
and young people cram their minds with one another.
In summer, the mountains teem with fresh waters.
Mongolia takes pleasure in her three manly sports, and
children sing their horserace song through the valleys.
These swift and gleaming horses are admired by all.
Festive melodies echo across the vast steppe.
Livestock graze the countryside, and
the scent of airag fills everyone’s nostrils.
Everywhere is so lovely, such happiness everywhere!
One of the fun things about exploring and learning about other cultures is seeing how familiar things like rock music are taken up and reinterpreted.
I’ve found a number of gems on YouTube:
A Sound, a particular favorite of mine who I would love to see live sometime, takes on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George Harrison and pulls it off very nicely:
Another group, Signal, created this dramatic video cover of Daughtry’s “Over You”:
A Sound seems to have gotten their start on the Mongol version of American Idol, “The Universe’s Best Songs”. Fun to see them in the beginning and how polished they’ve become in the first video above. Here’s their performance of Maroon 5’s “This Love” from the tv broadcast:
Finally, this young Mongol guy kept it simple. Nice voice, a guitar, the Mongolian flag in the background and Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”:
Hard to believe it, but I have reached 400 posts. I started my blog on December 10, 2007. It doesn’t seem like it has been that long. It’s become part of my weekly routine and a fun way to share my art and my travels.
I also really appreciate the support and comments that I get from my readers. Thank you!
Now, on to Mongolia Monday! Today I’m going to post links to 10 of my favorite sites, ones that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning about Mongolia or who is planning to go there.
1. News.mn: http://english.news.mn/home.shtml– News.mn has consistently been the best place I’ve found for keeping up with what is going on in Mongolia. There is also the UB Post, which is better known, but the load time on the site is glacial.
2. Asian Gypsy: http://asiangypsy.blogspot.com/– He doesn’t post nearly enough, but this is definitely my favorite blog written by a Mongol. I get the email feed so that I don’t miss a post.
3. Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/44292.html– Want to know what the weather is like in Ulaanbaatar? Here it is.
4. Altan Urag: http://www.altanurag.mn/en.html– One of the best known groups to come out of Mongolia, Altan Urag (which means “Golden Lineage”, a reference to the family and descendents of Chinggis Khan), describes themselves as a “folk rock band”, which means an amazing synthesis of modern western and traditional Mongolian music, including morin khuur and khoomii (horsehead fiddle and throat singing). Their music can also be heard in movies like “Khadak” and “Mongol”. And their website is waaay cool.
5. Ganbold: http://www.ganbold.com/– Ganbold, who currently lives in the USA, is a graphic designer and artist with a very impressive client list. I had clicked on a banner ad he had placed on a Mongol site and really liked what I saw. Then, sometime later, a “Ganbold” left a comment on this blog. I clicked the url in the commenter info. and. low and behold, it was the same person! We’ve stayed in touch on and off since then. The home page of his website is, literally, a work of art. Click “Enter”. Highly recommended for bird lovers.
6. Budbayar Boldbaatar: http://www.budartist.com/– I absolutely adore his work, but Budbayar is also standing in for the many, many excellent artists that Mongolia produces and who deserve to be known to the world.
7. Circle of Tengerism- http://www.tengerism.org/– One thing that many westerners do know about Mongolia is what we call “shamanism” and the Mongols call “Tengerism”. “Tenger” is Mongolian for “sky”, also known as The Eternal Blue Sky or Eternal Heaven. This ancient belief system has survived centuries of persecution and suppression and today is an active part of the culture of the country.
8. Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve- http://www.ikhnart.com/home.html– My entry point into Mongolia in 2005, Ikh Nart is where I’ve been able to become actively involved in conservation and working with local herders. The reserve is home to the world’s only argali research project.
9. Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve- http://www.argalipark.com/– Very different habitat from Ikh Nart, but also home to a population of argali sheep. This reserve was set up by the local government and is administered by a community association. Visitors can ride a horse or in a yak cart, try Mongol archery, take a boat out on the river and hike the surrounding area.
10. Nomadic Journeys- http://nomadicjourneys.com/– Finally, a tip of the hat to the tour company that I have relied on to get me around Mongolia since 2006. The website not only describes their trip offerings, but is a wealth of information about Mongolia, the country, land, people and wildlife.
I’ve posted a number of music videos here on my blog, but it occurred to me this morning that so far I’ve not posted any spoken work. I happen to love listening the Mongols speak their language, even if I mostly don’t know yet what they are saying. I thought that you might enjoying hearing what it sounds like.
Here’s a YouTube video of the recitation of a famous poem “Love One Another, My People” by one of Mongolia’s most beloved poets, O. Dashbalbar. It is followed by an English translation.
It’s accompanied by “White Stupa No. 1” from one of Mongolia’s favorite composers, N. Jantsannarov. The images are a wonderful look at Mongolia. I recognized quite a few of the places.
Love one another, my people, while you are still alive.
Don’t keep from others whatever you find beautiful.
Don’t wound my heart with heedless barbs, and
Don’t push anyone into a dark hole.
Don’t mock someone who’s gotten drunk,
Think how it could even be your own father.
And, if you manage to become famous,
Open the door for happiness to others!
They should also not forget your kindness.
To someone who is lacking a sngle word of kindness,
You should search for it and speak it out.
Whether outside in the sun or at home when it’s cold,
Don’t spend one moment at rest.
Don’t use harsh words to complain, you women,
About the kind young man you remember.
Speak lovingly to those who loved you!
Let them remember you as a good lover.
Our lives are really similar,
Our words constrict in our throats the same way,
Our tears drop onto our cheeks the same way –
Things are much the same as we go along the road.
Wipe away a halt woman’s tears without a word,
Talk your lover up when she’s tripped and fallen!
Today you’re smiling, tomorrow you’ll be crying.
Another day you’re sad, and the next you’ll be singing.
We all pass from the cradle to the grave –
If for no other reason, love one another!
People must not lack for love on this wide earth!
I grasp happiness with the fire of my human mind,
The golden shines lovingly upon us all the same, and
So I think that loving others in the path of life,
I understand that to be loved by others is great joy.
You can find out more about Dashbalbar here.
Susan Fox, American Artist 