Tuva.Asia / The New Research of Tuva

Today, the head of Tuva Sholban Kara-ool has endorsed the law concerning the introduction of amendments to the regional languages law. The amendments mainly affect the use of Tuvan language in naming geographical objects, inscriptions, road signs and other signage, as well as studding the language in early childhood education centers. The previous law was only proclaiming that Tuvan language study started in pre-school centers, while the new version of the law outlines the way of realization of the norm. According to the law, a founder or a bylaw of a preschool institution determines the inclusion of the elements of traditional ceremonies, customs and ethics into the studding and educational process. From now on, all the geographical names, inscriptions, and road signs that had been written only in Russian, must be duplicated in Tuvan. Authorized bodies of the executive branch, ministries of culture, education and science, are obligated to monitor the right appearance and the maintenance of the signs and inscriptions.

The genes of Alan-Goa, the mythological great-grandmother pf Genghis Khan and his son Jochi, were discovered by Kazakh geneticists in contemporary Todzhans - descendants of "Royal" Scythians. When I found out that my genetic tree, which was kindly worked up for me by the molecular genetics laboratory in Alma-Ata, contains the genetic group "Rib", which is typical for representatives of descendants of the Celts (Irish, Scottish, and other Western Europeans) as well as Basques and Bashkirs, I was very surprised at first, because there were no migrants from Western Europe among my ancestors. But Siberian Scythians, Uighurs, Uriangkhai, Eastern Khakassians and Genghis Khan's "Mountain Mongols" were completely plausible. However, as I analysed the probable genetic ties of my ancestors, especially their descent from their common great-great-grandmother Alan-Goa ("Mother-Deer"), whose name itself points to ethno-genetic ties to the "Royal" Scythians,, whose first legendary King-Sun was Koloksai, who is the legendary ancestor of Kol and Kular lineages, I came to the conclusion that the presence of Celtic genes in my own generic make-up is completely justifiable. Just like the presence of "signs" of "Arian" genes in Genghis Khan himself, which also appears to be a sufficiently well known historical fact (light hair, white skin, green eyes, etc.).

September 11, is the 80^th birthday of Khunashtar-ool Surun-oolovich Oorzhak, a recognized Tuvan performer of Tuvan original art form - throat-singing. His name is included in the State Book of Republic Tyva "People of merit of Tuva in XX Century". Khunashtar-ool Oorzhak was born in 1932 in Mungash-Ak village of Barun-Khemchik district. After having served in the Soviet Army, he returned to his native Mungash-Ak, and then moved to Sut-Khol kozhuun with his family. For many years, Khunashtar-ool Surun-oolovich worked as a sheep-herder. When herding his sheep in a valley, Oorzhak, just like many other herders, sang various melodies and composed his own. His singing attracted the attention of other herders and milk-maids. At that time, Khunashtar-ool was 35 years old. Culture workers of the district informed Kyzyl, that in the "Aldan-Maadyr" kolkhoz, there is a talented master of throat-singing in the sygyt and kargyraa styles. A science worker from TNIIYaLI came over, and made tape-recordings of Khunashtar-ool Oorzhak. Before half a year passed, he was famous throughout the republic.

On September 15, it’s going to be the 100^th anniversary of Maksim Munzuk, the People’s Artist of RSFSR, and Tuvan ASSR, who played the title role of Nanai hunter in the Oscar-winning film of Akira Kurosava Dersu Uzala.

Today, Dersu is the embodiment of the world soul, living in harmony both with himself and with the surrounding nature; he is the embodiment of unselfish and faithful friendship between people of different nations. By stepping from screen to reality, Dersu has aroused concern in the audience for the purity of human soul.

Centennial anniversary of Maksim Munzuk is not just an anniversary; it is the grounds for the further relationship and friendship development with other regions. It is the chance to talk about eco-tourism development in Tuva, about spiritual and moral education of younger people, and it is a great matter to familiarize once again the younger generation to the history of the THEATRE – the cradle of all the professional arts in Tuva.

Today the Russian Exhibition Center within the framework of the XXV Moscow International Book Fair held a presentation of the book of the famous journalist and TV presenter Sergey Brilyov “Forgotten Allies in World War II” (Moscow, 2012). The book was presented to readers and journalists on the exhibition place of publishing house “Olma Media Group”, which had published S. Brilyov’s work.

The author of the book pointed out that this book was not about the great powers that were traditionally considered as the victors in World War II, but it was about the smallest states, who had also participated in the war, and who had also made a great contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

S. Brilyov said that “of course, the losses of the small allies against our losses look like trifle, and I do not for a second lower the Soviet Union’s role in the fight against fascism, but if you look at the statistics, for example, New Zealanders at that time lost every fifty taking into account a tiny population of New Zealand. They secured the victory in all corners of the world and they fought for us. Having used them up, we just “threw” them later on; I apologize for the contemporary expression. But what to do with it now? I believe this is the part of the war history which deserves to be registered at least. And it is up to everyone to admire it or not”.

The highest preparedness for the introduction of a new course included in the school curriculum as a federal component was demonstrated by the schools in the capital of the republic. According to the Deputy Head of the Department of Education of the City Hall of Kyzyl Angelika Dietrich, the preparation for the introduction of "Basics of religious cultures and secular ethics" was launched in the February of this year. The new course shall be introduced from the fourth grade in 12 secondary schools of Kyzyl and shall be taught by 43 teachers and each of the school representatives took refresher courses. All necessary textbooks were received and e-learning resources for teachers, pupils and parents were prepared. The parental choice of one of the six modules included in "Basics of religious cultures and secular ethics" is as follows: the basics of the Buddhist culture have chosen 34.1% of the parents, the basics of the Orthodox culture - 15.2%, the basics of the Islamic culture - 0.3%, the basics of the world religious cultures - 26.8%, the basics of the secular ethics - 23.6%.

Dear colleagues and dear readers!

Wishing you all the best on the Knowledge Day, September 1 we would love to present you the new issue of our magazine. The articles concerning development prospects of the particular fields of tuvinology (mongolology, ethno-politology researches); proceedings of the conference dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of  the turkologist Nadelyaev V.M.; the article on the protest movement in 1930s in Tuvan People’s Republic; very vivid report from the last Ustuu-Khuree festival and many other materials are of special interest in the magazine. The volume of the PDF-version of the journal is 166 pp, and it’s as always downloadable in a single file. When necessary, it is possible to get a PDF-file of any particular article on request for printing, reporting, or other purposes. We would much appreciate if any interested and concerned reader writes an issue review (with some thoughts on the read articles such as pros and cons, what you like or dislike, inaccuracies, usefulness of the information, etc). 

XIV international music festival "Spirit of Japan" will take place at the Moscow conservatorium. The first concerts will begin in early September. On September 7, at the Rakhmaninov hall in a program "Where the gods live", gogaku music, shigin singing, shibu dance and calligraphic art will be introduced by the ensemble headed by Okabayashi Yaeko (from Miyazaki in Kyushu).

On 9 September, a program "Unexpected Japan" will be shown by an ensemble with Kano Taeko, Kuzume Junichi, Terada Ryohei, and Yoshino Akira. They will introduce songs from Okinawa and Tuvan throat-singing. One pf the performers, Terada Ryohei, has long been practicing khoomei in its homeland of Tuva. He speaks fluent Tuvan and has Tuvan friends, including those on his page of VKONTAKTE.

Festival "Spirit of Japan" has been held at the Moscow conservatorium since 1999. It was initiated by the Center "Music cultures of the world", on which basis, by the joint efforts of Moscow composer Dzh.K. Mikhailov (1938-1995) and the famous gogaku music performer Iwahori Keiko, classes in Japanese music were began at the Moscow conservatorium (1993), and the ensemble of Japanese music "Wa-On" (1996) and Russian-Japanese center of music culture (1998) were founded.

For the first time, medical research study in field conditions was organized in Tuva at the remote arzhaan "Choigan". The medical team consists of eight practicing specialists from various therapeutic-prophylactic health care centers of the republic. The team includes a physiotherapist, neuropathologist, surgeon, a specialist in clinical laboratory diagnostics, otolaryngologist physician's aide-laboratory technologist, and one student of Republic medical College.

The study was performed during the summer season of active visiting by vacationers seeking healing at medicinal springs of arzhaan Choigan, from 9 to 23 July 2012. This research used instructions for examining patients, tests, questionnaires, worked out by I.N. Smirnova, the head of the therapeutic department of Tomsk institute of balneology and physiotherapy. Medical-clinical studies of all parameters of function were performed on 93 patients twice: when they arrived at the arzhaan, before beginning therapy, and just before departure (after the course of therapy. Consequently, varying periods of therapeutic procedures were noted, but in most cases the vacationers came for a week's stay.

A notice about a find of an ancient burial came to the editorial office of "Plus Inform". Because the information arrived through three or four different hands, it was not clear at first who and how discovered the burial. It was something like: somebody dug and uncovered some bones by chance. In reality, it was something quite different. But it was very strange anyway.
A team of workers from the Service for protection of objects of cultural heritage went to Mezhegei, where the announcement originated. And young people from the village took us to examine the "autopsied" kurgan. It was quite a long trip through the steppe. Suspicions began creeping up: but just what could they have been digging "by chance" in the steppe?
They stopped. Not far from the road, we could see a white flat round area, with a little bit of grey. Maybe there was a salt lake here, which had dried out?

Yesterday was the birthday of one of the best known Tuvan throat-singers - Kaigal-ool Kim-oolovich Khovalyg. On the occasion of his 50th birthday, which was widely celebrated in the republic in 2010, his colleague khoomeizhi Otkun Dostai took an interview with the celebrant. It was published in the Live Journal on the tuvamedee page.. We are now publishing this material in full.
He was born on 20 August 1960 at the foot of Mt. Bayan-Dugai, near Chadaana river in the deepest night, and sang khoomei.
His father was of the Bora-Khol Khovalygs. Kim-ool Chaptygbayevich Khovalyg was born in 1935 in the Bazhyn-Alaak village of Dzun-Khemchik kozhuun. He was a teacher at the local high school. He taught children to understand automobiles in the villages Bayan-Tala, Chyrgaky, and Bazhyn-Alaak. People said about him that he could diagnose a car problem from its sound at a distance.
His mother, Chudur Enchek-Kulakovna Oorzhak, was born in 1936 in Dzun-Khemchik kozhuun.

The NTV, one of the largest Turkish television channels, intends to make a film about Tuva. The news was announced by Elena Kara-Sal, the manager of the Consular section of the Russian Embassy in Turkey, during the meeting with the Head of Tuva Sholban Kara-ool.

According to Elena Kara-Sal, the management of the NTV channel had contacted with the Russian Embassy requesting assistance in initiation of friendly ties with Tuva that could help to make more productive filming and to show different sides of the Tuvan culture. The journalists are interested in the republic, its history, its cultural potential and, particularly, in the phenomenon of the throat singing that hands down from generation to generation. Interestingly, the Turkish journalists know about distinguished Tuvan khoomeizhi Kongar-ool Ondar, the Honoured Artist of Tuva and Russia. They would love to get to know the performer and to present him to Turkish people.

On the way to Kobdo, on the mountain where the Tuvan Arats Rebellion against the Manchu-Chinese invaders took place, starting from July, 8-10 the International Festival of Mongolian throat singing was held. We were invited to the ceremony. The Culture Minister of Tuva Vyacheslav Dongak led the delegation, comprised of the Dyngylday ensemble, the members of Khoomei center, and the National Orchestra of the Republic of Tuva. Descendants of Kobdo battle participants (already being elderly people), writers, and a group from Kyzyl City Hall were on a visit to Mongolian people apart from us.

Officially, I was invited as a khoomei expert. Many professors and academicians gathered at the event, and it was a great pleasure to get on well with all of them and to find a common language. Ingenious throat singing performers being the guardians of music treasures and poetry of the peoples of Mongolia used to be highly respected persons among all the social stratums and the communities of Kobdo.

The 3nd International Felt Festival "Patterns of Life" will take place on 15 August on Arat square within the framework of Naadym, cattle-breeders’ holiday. It will be possible to see and obtain felt products and souvenirs made in various corners of Russia and Mongolia. Master craftsmen from Kazachstan, Republic Altai, Bashkortostan, Khakassia, as well as from many aimaks of Mongolia will participate in the festival. There will be an exhibition and sale of yurts, a fair of folk industries products, felt-making workshops by artisans who have preserved traditional methods, and competitions.

The aim of the festival is to develop international co-operation, widening the scope of possibilities of utilization the valuable raw material by exchange of experiences and establishment of working relationships, renewal and further development of traditions of decorative-applied art, increase in the professionalism if the artisans who produce felt and products made of it.

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.