Tuva.Asia / The New Research of Tuva

"Life can't be stopped, that means that time can't be stopped either. The saying - a time for everything - is not in vain. It really is like that: everybody is born in his own time and lives in his own times.

Do we have the right not to respect the past times? Do we have the right to pass judgment on the past?

Do we have the right not to forgive mistakes?

We have no such right. But we do have the right to analyze, to make choices and to prevent repeating mistakes. And mainly - to remember and to keep."

 This quotation comes from Maxim Munzuk's notes from 1994. He had such a habit to first concentrate the ideas on small fragments, then to develop his ideas based on these notes on  large pages.

A huge kurgan wit a diameter of more than 100 meters, where, possibly, the very same people are resting who raised Arzhaan-2  - that is the so-called elite funerary-memorial complex Chinge-Tei I.  South-Siberian archeological expedition headed by Konstantin Vladimirovich Chugunov has been occupied with study of this historical monument already for three years.

This year, 25 scientists have been working on excavations of this monument. So far, only a small proportion of the work has been finished. In three years, a small part on the edge of the kurgan has been dug up, it is still far from the center, and to excavate that, technology has to be brought in.  Financing of the project, performed by the State hermitage is not that large, and the work moves only slowly. However, the scientists are glad: nobody hurries them, and it is possible to study the object in  scrupulous detail.  There is plenty to study. The kurgan is interesting both by its structure and by the finds. Chugunov himself speaks of the results of his studies willingly, even though he does not consider them to be something special.

Today Tuva lost one of the most vivid representatives of the traditional school of Tuvan khoomei, the owner of  inimitable performance mastery of kargyraa style, National khoomeizhi of Republic Tyva, Aldyn-ool Sevek. In the words of  musicologist Valentina Suzukei, his manner of throat singing was unique to such an extent that it was unmistakably recognizable, just like Soruktu Kyrgys, Ak-ool Kara-Sal, Maxim Dakpai, Kyzyl-ool Sanchy Khunashtar-ool Oorzhak, Gennady Tumat and many of our prominent khoomeizhis.  He was the only khoomeizhi whose performance so far nobody in the world could copy or imitate, despite all striving.

Today's issue of  "Russian reporter" journal, which compiled a rating of the ten most successful ethnic musicians, had a pleasant surprise for fans of Tuvan music. The boom of ethno-music or "world music" took place in the entire world in the 90's; the main supplier of stars of this genre to the world scene turned out to be the disintegrated Soviet Union. As the author of the material, Natalia Zaitseva, believes, this was due to a coincidence of two factors:  the fact that the borders opened, and a search for national identity of the populations of the former empire. At the same time, national traditions, which grew from the fragments of USSR, often first developed  in the West; then the musicians by origin from the former Soviet republics toured in Russia - already in the capacity of stars from abroad. 

One of the most vivid representatives of the traditional school of Tuvan khoomei, who is the possessor of  inimitable mastery of performance in the kargyraa style, is the National khoomeizhi of Republic Tyva Aldyn-ool Sevek. 

His way of throat-singing performance is unique to such an extent that it is unmistakably recognizable, just as Soruktu Kyrgys, Ak-ool Kara-Sal, Maxim Dakpai, Kyzyl-ool Sanchy, Khunashtar-ool Oorzhak, Gennady Tumat, as well as many others among our prominent khoomeizhis were unmistakably recognizable. The it was impossible to mistake the performance of each of these khoomeizhis with that of anybody else. It is precisely the recognizability and uniqueness of the manner of performance that is the most highly prized quality of traditional khoomei, which, unfortunately, is being gradually lost in our times. 

President Elbegdorj has walked in the steps of his country's history.

Born into a nomad family, he spent his young years on horseback as a herdsman. It was a life he loved with his parents and brothers. He could have stayed but change was sweeping across Mongolia.

After a stint in the army and university in Ukraine to study journalism he was swept up in his country's revolution over throwing decades of communist rule.

Now years later as President, the 48-year-old Elbegdorj is retracing his steps.

Dear friends! Our greetings to all those who strive  for knowledge, with the holiday that starts off the new school year!

We are happy to announce the release of a new, double issue 2-3 of our publication. As usual, we present articles on the subject of  ethno-social problems by our permanent authors, as well as on various aspects of Tuvinology. New authors with new approaches to problems appeared as well, which will definitely prove to be interesting to tuvinologists.

In this double issue, you will be able to read materials devoted to the 90^th Anniversary of Tuvan Statehood, (a conference to be held), as well as of past academic forums:  ethno-sociology seminar in the framework of  the work of the 9^th Congress of Russian Ethnologists and Anthropologists, and a Tengrianism research conference.

Students of the IIMK team led by V. A. Semyonov and M. E. Kilunovskaya  opened a burial at Eki-Otuk site. The work was conducted in unusual and even extreme conditions; an underground river flows right through the burial - one of branches of river Eerbek , which flows along all the digs on the surface.

During investigations of this burial, a Chinese buckle was found with an image of Teo-te mask. Presumably the find can be dated to  19^th-6^th centuries before our era. It needs to be noted that this is the first time in his lengthy working experience that V. A. Semyonov has seen a buckle of this type in Tuva. 

Everybody wants to know what was found  during the digs in Eerbek district. After the sensational finds in the Valley of the Tsars, many want to know if these burials also contain gold. What did they find, and what are the most valuable finds? Gold is not that valuable. No matter how strange it sounds, it is true. Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei says: "We are praying that they don't find gold here. Gold is always a problem and it attracts unhealthy interest. "

Gold served ritual purposes or else it was simply an adornment - that is all.  The material culture is much more interesting. To reconstruct the epoch, to visualize the life of the Scythians, one has to find work tools and armor.

Our republic is rich in natural water therapy (balneology) resources. To date, more than 100 water springs and water bodies have been identified, that have some degree of  therapeutic properties. Every year several tens of thousands of people undergo therapy at our arzhaans. The phenomenon of "arzhaan therapy", which has been a fundamental component of the culture and tradition of Tuvan nation since the most ancient times, is a unique phenomenon preserved on a large scale only in Tuva among SNG countries and Russia.

On the eve of the official start of the next mass season of therapy at the arzhaans, we decided to talk with one of the few researchers who specialize in the study of hydromineral resources of Tuva, candidate of  chemistry, K. D. Arakchaa.

Publishing house "Voskhod-A" in Moscow just released a new work of a Tuvan physician and writer, Anna Lamajaa - a novel "Paths of Silver Shamanesses" (M. 2011). The work is devoted to the hard life of  one f members of an ancient shamanic lineage of Tuva - the family of Silver Shamanesses, and its members in 20^th century. Traditional existence of Tuvan nomads is shown, and changes resulting from transition to settled way of life; Soviet realities of life in Tuva and new changes in the lives of  Tuvan population associated with reforms of the 1990's .  All these events obtain new meaning when seen  through the veil of the mysterious, mystical worlds inhabited by the main heroine - the heiress of the shamanic lineage, and other people with  extraordinary abilities.

The 2^nd International Felt Festival "Patterns of Life", dedicated to the 90^th anniversary of Tuvan People's Republic will take place on 15 August on Arat square.

It is the only place where it is possible to see and obtain felt products and souvenirs made in various corners of Russia and Mongolia.

Ministry of Culture of Tuva is the organizer of the contest, with financial support of Ministry of  agriculture and provisioning of Republic Tyva. Master craftsmen from Republic Altai, Bashkortostan, Khakassia, as well as from many districts of Mongolia will participate in the festival. An exhibition and sale of yurts will be organized, a fair of folk industries products, felt-making workshops by Tuvan, Khakass, Altai and Mongolian artisans who have preserved traditional methods, of production, and decoration of  souvenirs. There will be a contest for the best felt artifact, the best presentation and the best yurt.

At  "Aldyn-Bulak" ethnocultural complex, tomorrow at 19:00 hours,  there will be an official presentation of a statuette of  "Green Tara" Goddess by Sainkho Namtchylak to the 'Aldyn-Bulak" complex. The ancient statuette of the Goddess has traveled through the largest monasteries of the Buddhist world, and finally will receive a place of honor at "Aldyn-Bulak".  Green Tara is a beloved goddess of the Buddhists. She brings freedom from sorrow, poverty and  pain, brings joy and destroys evil. Visitors may touch the holy statuette and ask for help for themselves and their close ones. This event so significant for Tuva will be associated with a concert performance by the national artist of Tuva.

Scientists have determined that the most ancient domestic dog of Asia, as known up to date, lived about 34 thousand years ago in Altai, as the Center of public relations of Siberian section of RAN announced. The conclusions of Siberian scientists were published on Thursday in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

This dog skull was found in Bandits' Cave in Ust-Kansk district of republic Altai back in early 1970's.

At that time scientists concluded that the find is about 18 thousand years old.

In 2008 scientists requested their American colleagues at University of Arizona to perform a mass-spectrometer dating of a bone fragment from the skull; the lab established that the remains are about 34 thousand years old.

During the work of the field team No.1 of the Sayan complex expedition at Bai-Dag-1 cemetery (in the construction zone of Kuragino-Kyzyl railway), in the largest of the kurgans of this system, unique objects were found - two iron daggers and two iron axes. This information was confirmed by Director of TIGI K. Bicheldei and expedition member S. Skobelev.  All four objects were found in the upper part of the kurgan, closely adjacent to one another. Their state of preservation is very good.

These objects may date to the last centuries before our era. This find may help with more accurate dating of this burial complex, as well as cultural affinity of these artifacts; because previous finds of similar artifacts were known, predominantly, from a number of random finds. The discovery of these rare objects happened thanks to the attention to detailed work by the participants of the expedition, members of two colleges - TuvGU and NGU.