Tuva.Asia / The New Research of Tuva

A new book by Theodore Levin, professor, well-known producer, ethno musicologist, researcher, and promoter of the musical culture of the Inner Asia, will catch the interest of those, who live in Tuva and will be read over by everyone, regardless of their relation to music. The book under the title Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond was published in America in 2006.

Theodore Levin presents several points of view of different scientists on the fate of nomad musical art and, especially, of the gained worldwide popularity, the art of throat singing. The author anticipates and fears the commercialization and the loss of genuine nature of khoomei because of the music performers chasing the inviting success.

The Russian version of the book called Музыка новых номадов. Горловое пение в Туве и за ее пределами has just been released in Moscow. 

A ceremonial celebration was held in southern Siberia on Monday (July 23) to mark the opening of a newly rebuilt Buddhist temple - Ustuu-Khuree.

Some ten thousand people travelled to Chadan in Russia's Tuva region to attend the opening festivities, which included a procession with people carrying 1,000 Buddha statues led by a green horse, in addition to a prayer service and music festival.

The new temple is an exact replica of a Buddhist temple which was built in 1907 but destroyed in 1937 during the Stalin regime's anti-religious campaigns. It takes its name 'Ustuu Khuree' from the name of one of these destroyed temples. Ruins from the original building still stand in the region, marked by Buddhist prayer flags.

A traditional music festival was held there every year, but in 2008 construction of the new building began in a field near the destroyed temple.

"Now our new temple is the only Buddhist temple in Eurasia that has been rebuilt after being destroyed 75 years ago. No one thought that it would be restored - like a phoenix from the ashes - and with a thousand Buddhas!", head of the Ustuu-Khuree music festival Igor Dulush told Reuters.

Naadym-2012, the holiday of Tuvan animal herders, will take place on August 3-4 in Bai-Tayga district, which won the honor to host the final and most spectacular part of the chief holiday of Tuva, for the successes in the socio-economic development. Naadym will consist of two parts6 the first one related to the herders’ achievements – in Bai-Tayga, the second with sports events – horse-races, wrestling, achery – in Kyzyl attached to the Day of the Republic on August, 17-18.
“The main idea of Naadym is to honor the workers of the villages, who by their daily work secure the basic necessities of life for us, - says the premier Sholban Kara-ool. - Animal herding remains one of the most important branches of Tuvan economy, and not only because of the economics. Cattle husbandry forms the basis of life of a significant proportion of the population, and the basis of behavior towards the surrounding nature, rituals, ceremonies and traditions. That is why this holiday is truly national.”

There is no end of miracles in Chaa-Khol district, just as throughout the entire republic. However, yet another place worth seeing will emerge around this area very soon. It is already being there. If you go from Chaa-Khol village towards the Shagonar water basin, you can see through the split of one of the rocks a large grayish niche. Its’ contours resemble Buddhist niche closely. It is not the old and well-known Buddhist shrine with ancient Buddha rock engraving, which is, on the contrary, located deep down and constantly gets flooded by waters of the artificial sea. This is entirely new creation – a new rock-cut Buddhist shrine, where the works have launched.

The projects of saving the ancient bas-relief have been discussed for a long time, and eventually only three of them remained: to cut it out of the rock and to place it, for instance, in museum or temple; to imbed it in clear plastic; to make a copy and sanctify it. As a result, the third option has been chosen.

The Minister of Education and Science of Tuva, Doctor of Letters, Buddhist Kaadyr-ool Bicheldey has started implementing the project. The idea, as he says, belongs to His Holiness Dalai Lama XIV.

Traditional culture is what helps a nation to stay unique. The newly built Aldyn-Bulak ethnic cultural centre in Russia’s Tyva Republic in southern Siberia aims to study and promote folklore, traditions and customs. The name ‘Aldyn-Bulak’ means ‘golden spring’. Located 45 km from the capital Kyzyl, the centre is expected to boost ethno tourism in the area. The centre welcomed its first visitors earlier this month.

The construction of the Aldyn-Bulak started last June. While working on the project architects relied on two major principles: environmental awareness and ethnic flavor. The complex is made up of a yurt-style restaurant, four presidential VIP yurts, seven economy-class yurts, fivechums (tents) with a fireplace, a sports ground, pergolas, saunas, souvenir shops, administration building and parking lots. Apart from this, there is a school where one can learn the art of Khoomei,a Tuvan variant of throat singing. Khoomei is when a singer produces two or even three distinct pitches simultaneously.

The centre has recently launched a symbol of throat singing – Ovaa Khoomei, depicted in the form of a golden arrow targeted upwards. 

The grand opening of the International Festival of Throat Singing Performers Dembildey – 2012, with participation of guests from Japan, Mongolia, Canada, America, Norway, Spain, Australia, and Finland took place in Kyzyl, at the Tuvan National Theatre on July 6.

Joan Feynman, sibling of Richard Feynman, the founder of Friends of Tuva, physicist and Nobel Laureate, became the dearest guest of the Festival. Joan Feyman came to Tuva with her husband and friends. The Head of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool, speaking at the event, warmly expressed Joan and Richard Feynman the gratitude for their love, attention and deep feel for Tuvan culture, as well as for their contribution to popularity of Tuva.

The Premier emphasized the special role of the prodigiously talented sons of Tuva - Kaigal-ool Khovalyg and Kongar-ool Ondar. Both of the performers are the Honoured Artists of Russian Federation, the National Khoomeizhys and favourites of Tuvan fellow citizens.

Lazo Dovuyevich was a participant in the Second International theatric - educational festival "Nauruz", which took place last week in Kazan. On one of festival nights, he performed an old shamanic ritual kamlanie on the shore of Lake Kaban. The purpose of the ritual is to bring health to the people of our city, and that they would all live in harmony. And that children would be born intelligent, healthy and talented. Several days ago he visited the editorial office of newspaper "Kazanskie vedomosti". - Lazo Dovuyevich, was the invitation to the theatrical festival "Nauruz" unexpected for you? - Yes, I was a little bit surprised, even though I have some relationship to art. Earlier I used to play with an amateur group, with an agitation team, and in the well-known state ensemble "Sayany". I worked in the capacity of both a leader and a soloist. Generally, I had to learn many professions. My older brother taught me to work with wood, my mother - to sew and cut. When I got married and had children, I sewed their shirts and diapers myself, using an old foot-pedal sewing machine. At home, I also made everything myself - the bed, furniture. A shaman has to be able to do everything.

Legendary physicist and Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman’s sister Joan Feynman  arrived in Tuva. It was his love to Tuva which encouraged most Americans to visit this amazing place of the world. 84-year-old Joan Feynman will visit the festival of throat singing “Dembildey”, which will be held in the capital from 6 to 8 July. The festival is devoted to 50^th anniversary of  Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ool Ondar who has a close relations with the Feynmans. In 2010, Richard Feynman’s daughter Michelle visited Tuva.

Joan Feyman is a famous astrophysicist, who specializes in interaction of solar wind  and Earth’s magnetosphere. Her son is an editor at the "Popular Science Magazine". He published memoirs -  "My mother is a scientist" - about his famous  mother, where he described her thorny path to success in science.

Richard and Joan’s mother was smart and understanding, she had marched for women’s right to vote when she was young.

Producer Alexander Cheparukhin is the first man among Russian music industry representatives honored with the WOMEX Award, the International World Music Support and Development Exhibition (World Music Expo).

The WOMEX Award was established in 1999 and has been presented to its winners only 13 times, Mr. Cheparukhin told the RIA Novosti. The producer receives theProfessional Excellence Award, and there is the Artist Award as well.

Mr. Cheparukhin admitted he had been amazed by the news, especially since he had become the first man not only from Russia, but also from all over Eastern Europe to receive the Award.

“As I was informed in the letter from the Award administrators, I’ve received the prize for contribution in Russian music propaganda and for the promotion of the best world music standards in Russia,” said Mr. Cheparukhin.

The producer added, he was very pleased to get the music community recognition and he “will try to keep it up”.

On the course of the past 10 years, Tuvan folkloristics, in the context of ethnography, has changed in a significant way. More exactly, it has changed under the influence of interest of Western culture in our unique folk culture. I have not thought before that the Japanese, Americans and Germans would show any interest in it or in our language.
Now, representatives of these nations study Tuvan language at the TGU base with great interest. This is evidence that they, first of all, are searching for the secrets of a method of learning khoomei. Khoomei and stone carving attract great interest of many people in various corners of the planet.
In the Valley of Tsars, unique cultural artifacts of ancient peole made of pure gold were found in one kurgan during a single summer. All right, let's admit, gold was well protected by the earth. But it is surprising how an intangible particle of culture, khoomei, survived throughout centuries and wars. It is the spirit of our ancestors. It is like the echo of caves and gurgling of innumerable tiny streams pouring from the crags of Silver Mountains (Mongun-Taiga - name of a mountain in Western Tuva).

The  book “Spiritual principles of Eurasianism. Cultural and civilizational aspects” was published in the German publishing house  Lambert Academic Publishing . The author of the book – Lena Fyodorova is the director of  Tengri Research International Foundation, the deputy director of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Olonkho Theater, organizer of  international cultural expeditions to North India, Nepal, Tibet, Xinjiang, Central Asia, Siberia and Mongolia.

Referring to the works of famous religious scholars, particularly of the Kazakh Scientist N. G. Ayupov, the author of the book considers tengrism as a holistic worldview which reflects the unity of the world and man, the unity of their essential power, which includes religious and mythological convictions as well as the results scientific and practical works. The book also includes  the cognitive images of psychic and intellectual activity of man as well as the metaphysics of exchange. This allows to show all the aspects of tengrism in their unity and variety, universality and uniqueness.