Tuva.Asia / The New Research of Tuva

At the 12^th Congress of the Khakass nation, which took place on 18 March, the participants confirmed a list of sacral locations in Khakassia. Director of Khakass scientific research institute of language, literature and history, Doctor of historical studies Valentina Tuguzhekova explained to the correspondent of "Abakan" why such a list is necessary and which objects are included on the list.

The creation of such a list is necessitated by socio-economic changes of the past several years. Today it is possible for private entities to rent huge territories (taiga, fields, etc.), where objects sacred to the Khakass people may be located. And it is necessary to do everything possible  for these places to remain accessible for performance of ritual practices. At this congress, we have confirmed this list of 96 sacral locations of the Khakass nation, and we will submit it to the Supreme Council of the republic. We hope that in the future, under the law about historical-cultural heritage, the sacral places of Khakass people will be taken under the protection of the government.

Respected colleagues, our journal's authors!

Because of organizational necessity, the next issue of our journal will be a double issue -  Numbers 2-3, which will be published on September 1, 2011. However, we will continue accepting material for publication during this period. Keep sending your articles and asking questions (see "Feedback") - we will be happy to answer every letter.

We would like to turn your attention to the fact that our publication is interdisciplinary and open not just to scientists and scholars, but also to writers, journalists, and anybody who would like to write about such relevant matters as social and cultural development of Tuva as well as of other national regions of Russia, and countries of SNG with Eastern, nomadic culture. For reporting to grants, we can issue receipts of confirmation to the authors about accepting the article for publication.

Active materials may be placed in the news strip of our site.

 On 27 March 2011 an ethnocultural event "Siberian shamanism" took place in Tomsk. Anybody could participate in it for free.

The event took place in the conference hall of Student business-incubator of TUSUR at 15:00 hours. Scientific reports of ethnographers and students who research shamanism had been presented in the program. The guests learned about the stories of descendants of real shamans of Buryatia, Tuva and Yakutia, they saw scenes from documentary films about shamanism, were able to take a workshop in playing the khomus (jaw harp, vargan) and to try folk dishes, the recipes for which, according to the organizers, have been handed down from generation to generation.

The event was prepared by a group of Tomsk residents led by Elena Popova, representing an initiative group of the project "Center "Friendship of peoples", and Evgeniy Kurochkin, who represents an Art-partnership "Novaya zemlya".

79 years ago, in March of 1932, Buyan-Badyrgy was executed.

When he found out that we intended to go to the temple complex "Ustuu-Khuree", Vladimir Kombuy-oolovich was transfigured. His face became inspired and open, and his look even more good and respectful.

- That is good, even very good, - he said.  - Only be sure to get there before sunset.

The Chadan native Vladimir Kara-Mongush has a special relation to the Buddhist holy place. Ustuu-Khuree is not simply a place of pilgrimage for the believers, and the ruins of the temple's walls is not just a "wall of tears"; it is his clan's home territory. It was precisely here where the encampment of the last hereditary ruler of Tuva, Buyan-Badyrgy, was located. And Vladimir Kara-Mongush (according to his passport - Mongush) is Buyan-Badyrgy's grandson.

Famous Tuvan throat-singer, Merited artist of Russia Kongar-ool Ondar today, on 24 March, together with other prominent activists of the country participated in a meeting with President  Dmitri Medvedev. It took place at the multi-media art museum "Moscow house of Photography". The head of the state evaluated problems of development of contemporary art and culture.

As Kongar-ool Ondar informed gov.tuva.ru,  he presented  the problems of pension security for performers of Tuvan throat-singing, and was assured by Dmitri Medvedev that the matter will be studied. The artist  stated that he would like to initiate an amendment in Russian laws, which would permit an early retirement for throat-singers, and  pointed out that Mongolia has already compared its throat-singers to miners, and allowed early retirement for them.

It is quite possible that the 90^th anniversary of the founding of Tuvan people's Republic will be welcomed with a new national anthem. The necessity of composing a new chief song of the republic, with words and music that would correspond to contemporary realities was discussed at a common conference of the Soviets of the Government and the Supreme Khural, which took place on 21 March.

"Despite all the beauty of the folk song "Cedar-nut taiga" it simply does not sound like a national anthem. It should elevate the mood and spirit, unite the people in love of their native country and in their pride of it,"  - said Premier Sholban Kara-ool - to compose such a work is a serious task for professionals."

At Tuvan State University, a final meeting of Tuvan scholars  with representatives of South Korean educational canal EBC ltd. Production Purme took place. At this meeting, the guests shared their impressions of Tuva after a two-week stay in the republic. Remember that the guests arrived to the republic at the end of February to film a fifty-minute documentary film about Tuvan culture, shamanism and way of life.

During their stay in our republic, Korean reporters visited a shepherds' camp at Aldy-Shynaa near the town of Shagonar, ascended to the top of Mt. Buura, met with shamans and learned about Tuvan folklore.

Today the head of Tuva, Sholban Kara-ool met with Japanese musicians who arrived in Kyzyl on the invitation of  the Center of Tuvan-Japanese Friendship  "Kargyraa". Yanagiya Koharu, Makigami Koichi and Udai Shika left Tokyo  next day after the earthquake. Sholban Kara-ool, first of all, expressed through them deep condolences to the entire Japanese nation.

-  We live right in the heart of Asia, and  we feel special pain for the tragedies that happen to our Asian friends, - said the Premier . - I have been to Japan, and I know what a courageous nation strong in spirit the Japanese people are. We, in our turn, are prepared to offer any kind of support and help to Japanese families who were impacted by the elements.

45 kilometers from Kyzyl in the west direction of Kyzyl-Shagonar highway by the Ulug-Khem river at the place "Balyktyg-Kharaar", there has been constructed an ethno-cultural complex  "Aldyn-Bulak" .  Yesterday, the official presentation of the complex took place; it is expected to become one of the strategic objects of tourism business, as well as to make a substantial contribution into the piggy-bank of tourist attractiveness of Tuva.   More than 30 million rubles has been allocated for its  construction out of the republic's budget. The finished ethno-cultural complex has become the last note of the Year of Tourism.

The school memorial museum of Nadia Rusheva published a set of postcards of the young artist's drawings - devoted to her illustrations to Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "Master and Margarita". This is already the second postcard set; the first was published in 2009 (for the occasion of  the 40^th anniversary of N. Rusheva's death), and consisted of reproductions of drawings of various of Nadia's series.

In the words of Natalia Usenko, the head of the museum, the aim of publication of the sets  is to make people acquaintanced with Rusheva's work or to give her fans an opportunity to see their  long-loved drawings. The series "Master and Margarita" was scanned at  A. S. Pushkin State Museum, where the drawings are kept.

Before he left for Sakhalin, Premier-Minister of RF Vladimir Putin went to Abakan, to the Khakass sanctuary. Under  the aegis of the Premier, there are many programs in protection and study of animals, including the rebirth of leopard population in Sochi and snow leopard in Khakassia and Tyva. He also initiated the allocation of means in the form of grants to the Russian Geographic Society.

Several days ago, a male snow leopard was captured. He was documented by photo-traps several times before; he has been walking around with a poacher's noose around his neck for six months. The scientists found wounds on him, and  treated them for a few days. The head of the government took a look at the animal and listened to the specialists.

The former successful mathematics teacher of Elista intermediate school No.3, Ekaterina Adyayeva, after she left for her well-deserved retirement, was not confused, as so often happens in our times. Since she knew how to do practically everything at home with her own hands, she became involved in in learning folk crafts - Kalmyk embroidery and a type of handicraft that is very exotic today - felt-making.

- I became enthusiastic about felt-making the first time I saw it done, - says Ekaterina Lidzhievna. - in winter of 2009, together with doll-maker Elena Lukina,, we took part in an international symposium "The art of felt in the Turkic world: history and the present", which took place in Kazan.

Not just folk craftsmen were there - there were scientists, scholars and officials, who were all seriously interested in the rebirth of felt-making.

It was sad to hear that this type of decorative-applied art belongs to Bashkirs and Tatars. After all, this is a traditional occupation of many nomadic peoples, including the Kalmyks.

A miracle? Yes, to a certain extent it is a miracle. The group performs very rarely in Eastern Siberia, and  in Russia in general. It is not surprising that even professional musicians in Buryatia do not know Albert Kuvezin, and if they have heard of him,  it is only  in  connection with world rock-festivals and European charts.

However, Albert Kuvezin's name is well known in Germany and Belgium, Spain and France, USA and Canada.  Already by the late 90's, "YAT-KHA" participated in  world tours with some of the best known American and European rock groups. That is super-level!  All concert halls of "Carnegie Hall" class! There were recordings of discs in Toronto and London, films, clips and soundtracks in Japan, France, Hong-Kong.

The condition of the snow leopard population in the south part of Shapshal ridge and on the Tsagaan-Shibetu ridge in Tuva is favorable, but the main menace to the irbis still comes from poachers. That is the conclusion reached by the experts of the expedition which took place with the support of the Altai-Sayan section of WWF after calculation of the numbers of snow leopard and mountain goat. The participants in the project, which ended on March 6, were workers of the "Ubsunur depression" preserve and inspectors from State Committee of Republic Tuva  for Hunting and Fishing. Evidence of irbis activity was found in all the observed river valleys - from the upper Khemchik and Shui, and also in the basins of rivers Toolaityg and Barlyk. 23 tracks were found, which, in the opinion of experts, belong to 15-17 leopards, and one visual sighting of this rare predator was registered.

Today, on 14 March 2011, Japanese musicians came to Kyzyl, despite the destructive earthquake which took place in their native country.

On 18 March 2011 at the House of National Art,  a major concert of Tuvan-Japanese music, "Music without borders", will take place, dedicated to the opening of the regional public organization  "Center of Tuvan - Japanese  friendship "Kargyraa".

The chief founder of this organization is the famous musician Otkun Dostai.