Mongolia

Mongolia Monday- “From the Top of a Camel the Sun Seems so Near” by Zhanchvyn Shagdar

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Today’s post is a poem about the Gobi and a “sandalwood brown camel”, but I also want to remind you that the deadline for the Mongolphile Quiz is this Friday at 5pm, Pacific time. Twenty questions here and here.

“From the Top of a Camel the Sun Seems so Near” by Zhanchyvn Shagdar

Bactrian camel, Arburd Sands, Sept. 2008

Gobi of exquisite mirage
Has the seven colors of the rainbow.
And my brown camel with graceful legs
Can travel for a month without rest.

Gobi bactrian camels, July 2010

When I ride my sure-footed brown camel
The sun in the sky seems so near,
Oh, I’m on my way, my sweetheart,
And I’ll be with you at sunset.

Saxaul forest with the Flaming Cliffs in the distance, Sept. 2006

Gobi, with its bushes of saksaul,
You are renowned in this wide world,
And my sandalwood brown camel
Can jog faster the longer the road.

Arburd Sands, Sept. 2008

When I ride my sandalwood brown camel
The moon in the sky seems so near,
Oh, my love, linked to me by fate,
I’ll be meeting you when the moon rises at night.

Moonrise over the Flaming Cliffs, Sept. 2006

Gobi in the radiance of pure gold
Is beautiful like a new family tent,
And the jogging of my straight humped brown camel
Can reach the distant horizon.

Saxaul forest near Orog Nuur, July 2010

My Gobi with its bushes of saxaul,
You are renowned in this wide world,
And my sandalwood brown camel
Can jog faster the longer the road.

Arburd Sands, Sept. 2008

Mongolia Monday- Twenty Questions For Mongolphiles, Part 2

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Mongol child, near Hustai National Park, Sept. 2006

You can find Part 1 of the quiz here.

Take the quiz and find how much of a Mongolphile you REALLY are. Post your answers in the comments. Below are the second ten questions. Answers will be accepted until March 30, then I’ll do a tally. The person with the most right answers will receive an 8×10″ print of Mongol Horse #3-Young Stallion :

Good luck!

1. What is a “morin khuur”?

2. From what people did the Mongols get their classical vertical script?

3. What are each of the four sides of a sheep’s anklebone called?

4. Name the Five Snouts.

5. Which ikh khan founded Kharkhorin?

Herder's ger, Gobi, July 2010

6. Which direction do gers always face?

7. Who is the lead singer of Hurd? For bonus points, what does his name mean?

8. What is the name of the mountain where Temujin took refuge?

9. What are The Three Manly Sports?

10. Name the two main political parties in Mongolia.

Mongol script used on advertising banner, Ulaanbaatar, Sept. 2006

Mongolia Monday- Twenty Questions for Mongolphiles, Part 1

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Rounding up yaks in the Hangai Mountains

You love Mongolia. You’ve traveled there. You’ve studied the history and have learned quite a bit about the culture. You love buuz and airag and mutton. You even own a del.

Take the quiz and find how much of a Mongolphile you REALLY are. Post your answers in the comments. There will be ten more questions next Monday. Answers will be accepted until March 30, then I’ll do a tally. The person with the most right answers will receive a print of Mongol Horse #3-Young Stallion :

Mongol Horse #3-Young Stallion 8x10" print on paper

Onward and good luck!

1. Who demonstrated the strength in working together using arrows?

2. What form does the tea used for milk tea traditionally come in?

3. What side of a Mongol horse does one always mount from?

4. Mongolia became independent in the early 20th century from what other country?

5. What two animals do the Mongols claim descent from?

6. What was the real name of the “mad monk of the Gobi” who wrote the famous poem “Perfect Qualities”?

Display of Mongol saddles at the Union of Mongolian Artists' gallery

7. What is the traditional greeting when approaching a herder’s ger?

8. From what people did the Mongols get their classical vertical script?

9. Why did the Mongol army leave Europe and return to Mongolia?

10. Who created and bestowed the title “Dalai Lama”? For bonus points, what does the world “Dalai” mean?

Ikh Bogd Uul near Orog Nuur in the Gobi

New Painting Debut! “Zun Odor (Summer Day)”

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And here it is the "real" finish again for comparison.

I was coming down out of the mountains north of Tsetserleg with my guide and driver while on a one week camping trip last August and off in the distance we saw a large herd of yaks. Of course we stopped so I could get some photos. The three herders who were with them spotted us and came riding over. I asked the guide to ask them if I could take their pictures and they said yes. I knew while I was snapping the shutter that I was going to get multiple paintings out of this chance encounter, typical of travel in Mongolia.

Here’s a step-by-step of my newest painting “Zun Odor (Summer Day)”:

The three yak herders, Arkhangai Aimag, chatting with Puugii, my driver
The idea of the painting (and a good painting has only one) was the casual way the herder had laid his leg across the neck of the horse, who seemed to be totally unconcerned. The Mongols' relationship with their horses is really something special, going back, as it does, over 1000 years. They know each other pretty well at this point. The composition was allowed to resemble some I've seen of American cowboys and cattle, only in this case it's malchin (herders) and sarlag (yaks).
This is after the first pass of laying in color on the herder, horse and landscape. It lets me see how the shapes of the yaks are working. This was the most animals, by far, that I've ever put in a painting, so it became a pretty intense juggling act, making sure that all the parts worked together.
One to two passes of color overall. I'm also using my reference to make decisions about what colors the yaks will be. I wanted the right amount of variety, but not to the point where it drew attention away from the herder and his horse.
Continuing on, working over the whole canvas.
The finished painting. I thought. But I decided that I needed some fresh, knowledgeable eyeballs on it, so I emailed a jpg to two colleagues who, among other things, pointed out that the yaks in the background were not in correct scale. And they were right. They also thought the grey yak's head on the right was odd and I found that, after going back to my reference, that I agreed with them about that too. Back to the easel. One of the reasons I have the working process that I do is to provide the flexibility to make whatever changes or corrections are necessary at any point, even when I think I'm done and have signed the piece. I have no compunctions whatsoever about wiping out or scraping down any part at any time if it's not right.
"Zun Odor" (Summer Day) 30x40" oil (price on request)- the "real" finish again. Notice how the yak on the right at the herder's waist changed color twice.

Here are some detail close-ups so you can get a better look at my brushwork:

The herder
His rain slicker and sash
Boot, stirrup and tack
The horse's head
One of the yaks

Mongolia Monday: 6 Great Mongolian Art Sites

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One of the best-kept secrets about Mongolia is how important art is to Mongol culture. It reminds me of what I’ve heard about Bali, where it seems that everyone does something creative. I’ve found that as soon as someone in Mongolia finds out that I’m an artist, I come into focus and more or less jump to the head of the cultural line.

Artistic expression in Mongolia ranges far and wide, from traditional painting and sculpture to singing, music, dance, calligraphy, leatherwork, feltwork, embroidery and more.

One of the gallery areas in the Modern Art Gallery, with a large shaman's drum

Mongol painters have been able, for the past seventy or so years, to travel to art schools in Eastern Europe, including Russia, where they have learned classical academic methods at a time when that instruction was impossible to find in the United States. The results can be seen today, especially in the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery. which is really a museum with a permanent collection.

Horses Hooves by P. Tsegmid, Modern Art Gallery; a personal favorite

There is also a national organization, the Arts Council of Mongolia, which runs a variety of programs to support young and emerging artists. I spent an hour with the director of the Council this past trip and came away very impressed by the quality of the programs and the staff.

Political commentary from an artist who was part of a group show at the Union of Mongolian Artists' gallery last year

There are also at least a couple of artist-run organizations. One of them, the Union of Mongolian Artists, has excellent light-filled exhibition space in a building just south of Sukhbaatar Square. I go there every time I’m in UB and the current offering is always interesting and of good quality.

Mongol calligraphy by Sukhbaatar Lkhagvadorj

Some of the artists have their own websites. Here’s one from an incredible Mongol calligrapher, Sukhbaatar, who I have gotten to know on Facebook. He and his fellow calligraphic artists use the ancient Mongol vertical script which Chinggis Khan got from the Uigher people since the Mongols had no writing at the time he established the empire. The script also exists in type fonts and is taught in the schools.

Tsagaandarium Art Gallery and Museum

There are also a few commercial art galleries where you can see a very wide range of contemporary Mongolian painting, sculpture and other media. I’ve been to the Valiant Art Gallery a number of times. It  has two locations: one in the same building as the famous expat restaurant, Millie’s, which is right across the street from the Museum of the Chojin Lama and the second near the State Department Store. Last, but certainly not least, is the Tsagaandarium Art Gallery and Museum, which is located on a corner in Zaisan, across the river from the main part of Ulaanbaatar. They not only have great art, but offer all kinds of community events and art classes.

Mongolia Monday- Wildlife Profiles: Takhi

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Takhi stallion, Hustai National Park, 2010

Species: Takhi or Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii)

Takhi, Khomiin Tal, 2006

Weight, height: approximately 300 kg or 660 lbs.; 13 hands (52 inches, 132 cm)

Takhi, Hustai National Park. 2005

Conservation Status: Endangered (IUCN Red List)

Takhi, Hustai National Park, 2011

Habitat Preference: Steppe, semi-desert; now also mountain steppe (Hustai)

Takhi group, Berlin Zoo, 2004 (first time I ever saw the species)

Best places to see takhi: In the wild: Hustai National Park, Mongolia. Captive animals: Many zoos and some reserves, including: San Diego Zoo, Denver Zoo, the National Zoo, the Berlin Zoo, the Wilds (near Cincinnati, Ohio)

Takhi leg stripes, Hustai National Park, 2005
Domestic Mongol horse with leg stripes, 2011

Interesting facts:

-Takhi are the only surviving species of true wild horse. What are called “wild horses” in the USA are feral domestic horses.

-The last wild takhi, a lone stallion, was spotted at a waterhole in the Dzungarian Gobi in 1969, and not long after the species was declared extinct in the wild. After WWII, only 55 survived in captivity, all descended from 13 founder animals. Today there are approximately 2000 takhi of which, as of 2011, 360 were at three release sites in Mongolia.

-Their range originally included, along with Mongolia: Belarus, China, Germany, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine.

– Takhi have 66 chromosomes. Domestic horses have 64. They can mate and produce fertile offspring. It is estimated that they diverged around 500,000 years ago, so the speciation process is not complete. Domestic Mongol horses with takhi characteristics like carpal and tarpal leg stripes are fairly common, indicating a cross at some point in the past. Modern horses are not descendents of takhi.

-Other than a few instances of intensively hand-raised foals who would tolerate a rider while young, no one has ever “tamed” a takhi.

-They became known in the west when Col. Nikolai Przewalski brought a skull and skin, which had been presented to him at a border crossing between far western China and Mongolia, back to Russia. The official description was published in 1881.

Mongolia Monday- Proverbs About Being A Mongol

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Buddhist priest chats with two women, Baga Gazriin Chuluu mountain blessing naadam, July 2009

There are many proverbs in Mongolia concerning good and bad character traits. Many are meant to teach children how they are expected to act. Others are intended as reminders about how to get along in life.

A good character and name is very important and is shown (or not shown) in one’s actions:

Take care of your deel when it is new
Take care of your name when it is clean

Person who has bad character loses his name
Person who works hard will tell his name

Being humble is considered a very good character trait:

A large sea is calm
A knowledgeable person is humble

Many proverbs encourage people to work hard and finish what they start:

If you are bold, work will be finished
If you are persistent, happiness will come

New Drawings of Takhi

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It’s been awhile since I’ve done some finished graphite drawings and that’s what I’ve been doing this week. I’ve always loved to draw, so it was fun to just sit with a pencil (a General’s Draughting Pencil) and paper (Strathmore 300 vellum bristol) and work from some of the takhi photos I’ve shot during my trips to Mongolia.

Tahki Stallion
Takhi foal
Takhi Stallion Head Study
Takhi Stallion "Snaking"

A French equid researcher I know told me that this body position is  known as “snaking”. It’s purpose is to get the stallion’s harem moving quickly. His low body position is suggestive of a stalking predator and triggers the response he wants from his mares. I’ll probably be doing a painting of the whole scene at some point, so this is a useful study.

All of these horses were photographed at Hustai National Park, which is an easy two-hour drive west of Ulaanbaatar.

Mongolia Monday- Ethnic Folk Group Altain Orgil

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Mongol ethnic folk group Altain Orgil is essentially the house band at the City Nomads restaurant in Ulaanbaatar. I had never heard of them until I bought one of the CDs on a whim at the HiFi shop on Seoul St. Wow. I will be at City Nomads at 7:30pm sharp next time I’m in UB.

There are a number of these groups around, young people who are not only preserving traditional singing forms and instruments like khoomii, long song and morin khuur, but adding their own individual vibes and twists. What makes Altain Orgil interesting to me, besides loving their music, is that they often wear authentic-looking Mongol shamanic clothing when they perform. Unfortunately, I could only find a couple images of the group, but there are a number of videos on YouTube and I’ve posted a few of them below.