Mongolian Pet Culture

Mini Mew with her mousey

A couple weeks ago, I received a package containing catfood for my little kitten (Thank you, Mary and James!). My kitten, affectionately called "Mini Mew", has been living with me for over a month now, and her presence in my life has engendered all sorts of reactions from Mongolians and has increased my knowledge of pet culture in Mongolia. The arrival of catfood has brought into stark focus the difference between how Americans and Mongolians generally view animals.

If you ever travel to Mongolia, particularly outside the capital, you're pretty unlikely to find anyone who likes cats. The general response when people meet, hear about, or see pictures of Mini Mew is "I don't like cats." Pretty much unanimously.

My hashaa dog, Simba

Cats are viewed with perhaps a grain of suspicion and superstition. In Mongolia, there is the widely held belief that a cat is merely watching their owner, waiting for him or her to die. Unlike dogs, which protect the hashaa ('yard'), or livestock, which provide meat and milk, cats are seen to be fairly useless, bringing no value to humans.

In Egypt, cats were viewed as sacred and wise; but in a culture that has traditionally not been a grain-growing culture, this perception seems to have never caught on. Mongolians are traditionally nomadic herders, primarily eating meat and root vegetables like potatoes and onions. (In fact, some say one reason for Chinggis Khan's successful campaigns in China was because the bones and teeth of his warriors were strong from a lifetime of eating meat and milk-products, while the Chinese's high consumption of carbohydrates like rice, which rotted their teeth and lacked sufficient protein, made them weak. I can't say with certainty if this is true or not, though.)

Of course, Mongolia is not the same country it was 800 years ago. Wheat is now a major crop, particularly in Selenge Aimag. And there ARE mice here. But people still don't like cats. Perhaps mice aren't populous enough to pose a real problem, but regardless of the reason, it seems that for many, cats haven't redeemed any value.

In a society where life is hard and value is gained through practical or monetary benefit, cats aren't held in high regard. While dogs are seen as more valuable, even they receive a much different kind of treatment than in America. Winters here are freezing cold, but dogs are never allowed indoors; like cows, sheep, and other lifestock, they must hold their own against the cold, without the warmth of a house as a reprieve.

Stray dog looking for food around a food store.

Dogs are fed whatever scraps are left over from meals, or given the unappetizing bits from a butchered animal. They are almost never neutered, and certainly never spade, and so stray puppies abound from spring through autumn. The canine population is kept in check by various purges, where stray dogs and puppies are shot. Those who have permits from the government to shoot dogs stand to gain a little extra cash per dog they shoot. The bodies of dogs are burned outside of down. These dog-shootings happen about twice per year, I'm told: once in the spring and once in the fall. I've heard of Peace Corps Volunteers and Mongolians alike losing their dog when he or she got caught up in the purge.

Mini Mew with her mousey

As far as Mini Mew goes, I get the feeling a lot of people are surprised I have a cat (and not in a good way). But despite her incessant meowing and occasionally frustrating behavior, her adorable antics and unabashed affection delight me. Every evening she greets me when I get home, and every night she curls up in my sleeping bag with me. She brings a lot of joy, not just to me, but to the other Peace Corps Volunteers here (she occasionally attempts to play Settlers of Catan with us, but she seems to be a bit hazy on the rules). So, despite what people think of my decision, I'm glad to keep her.

Many Mongolians might be bewildered over my having a cat--but I am just as bewildered that anyone couldn't love a face like hers:

Shamanism in Mongolia

She says that when she closes her eyes, she sees trees and mountains and woods--and her grandmother. "Grandmother angry," she tells me. When I ask why, she says with jocund frustration, "I don't know!"

Her name is Batdelger on paper and outside the home, but to me she is Ulaana--a name meaning "red." She was my host sister during my Pre-Service Training in the small village of Javkhlant in Selenge Aimag. She is five years my junior, but with my broken Mongolian and naivitee of the customs and cultures here, I've often felt that I was the younger sister.

Though she tells me it is her grandmother she meets in these visions, she really means great grandmother. I think. When I asked, she describes her as her "Eejiin eejiin eej," or "mother's mother's mother." Like Ulaana, this grandmother practiced shamanism, and as Ulaana seeks to become a buuh, or shaman, her grandmother is her blood link to a culture and tradition that is flourishing in this Land of Blue Sky.


The Growing Popularity of Mongolian Shamanism
My fascination with Mongoliam shamanism leads me to bring up shamanism with many people I meet, including my Mongolian language teacher, Nina. A hilariously animated and energetic woman with a round face and plump figure, Nina knows very little English, but explains that only five years ago, there weren't many shamans in Javkhlant. "Now," she tells me in Mongolian, "There are maybe 10 in Javkhlant... three in one family!"

While native beliefs and traditions around the globe seem to be declining, shamanism in Mongolian is on the rise. More and more Mongolians, including young people like my host sister, seek knowledge in ancient customs in order to become shamans and shamanesses. Though I left Javkhlant for my assignment in Uliastai in Zavhan Aimag, I still seek answers and information regarding the beliefs and practices of Mongolian shamanism.


The Reason for the Growing Popularity
From the small 1800-population village of Javklant, I moved to Uliastai (population ~16,000), into a wooden house directly next to (technically in the same building) as a Mongolian couple. The husband, a 48-year old man named Tsogbayr (Tsogoo), is an English teacher with over 26 years experience and former Dean of the Foreign Languages Department for my university--not to mention one of my counterparts and friends. For the last three years, he's also been a practicing shaman. When I discovered his association with Mongolian shamanism, the reason for its rise was one of my first questions.

"Right now, the doors of heaven are open," he told me. "For nine years, open. Next year, they close, I think." He explained that when we are born on the earth, God hides all the memories of where we came from, all knowledge of our past lives. But when the doors are open, some people can access those memories and that hidden past, connecting them to heaven and to those that call heaven home, including their ancestors. All shamans have an ancestor with whom they can connect and who can briefly occupy their bodies to provide wisdom and advice to others.

For Ulaana, this is her great, great grandmother; for Tsogoo, it is an ancestor he refers to as the "old man"--an ancestor he says was a high-ranking general in Chinggis Khan's army. [As a note, Chinggis Khan regularly sought the advice of shamans in planning his campaigns.] During the shaman ceremony, the old man comes into Tsogoo's body to answer questions and offer advice.

A Mongolian shaman's demeanor and voice change when he or she is possessed by their ancestor, and one shaman may be inhabited by many ancestors, both male and female. Sometimes the same shaman summons multiple ancestors during the same ceremony. Other shamans may require different ceremonies to summon different ancestors and may wear different clothes based on what part of heaven the ancestor lives in. Regardless, all ancestors are all Mongolian.


Mongolian Shamanism and Nationalism
While there may be cosmological explanations for the rise in shamanism, I think the fact that all shamans must have a Mongolian ancestor is significant. With the mining boom in Mongolia, companies from around the world (including the UK, China, Japan, Canada, etc.) have come to pull the wealth from Mongolia's land. Historically, nationalism tends to bubble up in countries faced by threats from the outside, particularly economic threats (for example, Japan in the late 1900s and Germany after WWI). Foreigners can come to Mongolia and take out the country's ore, but no foreigner can come to Mongolia and take up Mongolian shamanism. When asked by one of my Peace Corps friends if he could be a shaman, Ulaana responded, "No, because you not Mongolian person."

Tsogoo tells me shamanism is on the rise world-wide... but only among those than can claim Mongolian heritage, who have a Mongolian ancestor with whom they can communicate. He says there are many people with Mongolian blood living outside the country--which, from what we know about Chinggis Khan's campaigns across Asia and Europe, is likely true. In fact, Tsogoo's teacher, a high-ranking shaman who reads palms and sees the past and future, lives in Russia but claims Mongolian blood; Tsogoo confirms that his features are Mongolian.


Shamanism in Mongolia ties Mongolians and Mongolian communities to ancient traditions: shamans here often determine when a child's first hair cutting will be (the first time a child's hair is cut is considered very important for their future health and happiness, and the time for hair cutting ceremony is determined by a shaman or a Buddhist lama). Occasionally, shamans also give a child his or her name--sometimes very old names belonging to ancient ancestors. They offer explanations for illness and give advice on how to proceed. For example, Tsogoo was advised not to hunt animals and Ulanaa was told to only eat white-colored foods like bread and rice.


Shamanism's Rise Among Younger Mongolians

But I think the new interest in shamanism can also be linked to the ways in which the practice has transformed itself--or been transformed--by the younger generations. While in Javkhlant, I attended the village's Naadam festival, which celebrates the 'Three Manly Sports' of wrestling, archery, and horseback riding. During the opening ceremonies, two young men, one in a purple-blue robe and the other with a wolf pelt over his shoulders, sang a rather modern-sounding song, which included throat-singing. I later learned that these two men, Baatar and Bombo, were both shamans.

Unlike in many other religions where there is a lot of pomp and formality, there is something very organic and fluid about Mongolian shamanism. It lacks rigidity, strictness, stringency. And most shamans, like Tsogoo, practice in their free time while working other jobs (like Dean of the Foreign Languages Department or University English Teacher). While Tsogoo spoke in mind-boggling and specific terms about the practice (i.e., the different heavens and types of shamans), I think a lot of the beliefs and practices are malleable. Like many shamanistic belief systems, much of the teaching has come down through the ages orally, and as you practice, you listen to the melody sung by the ancestors and find your own harmony.

The result? Younger generations have stepped in to adapt, personalize, and make Mongolian shamanism not just relevant but... well... really freakin' cool.


For every question I manage to get answered about shamanism, I seem to have a dozen more (and not enough language skill to properly express my questions or receive their answers). However, the more I discover, the more I realize that this system of belief is meant to be a journey of reflection, meditation, remembrance, and self-discovery. So perhaps it's all right if I haven't got all the answers quite yet.

Until next time!

Cheers,
Karen

PS: In the middle of writing this, Ulaana hopped on my computer and wrote a short message in English. I just thought I'd share: "hey my sister.my name is btdlgr my hobby is singing and play volleyball.I like the color blue I dont like pink .because tsagaana like!!!!!! I love my family . I am a shamaness .my grand mother is angry.because I have not met with her for a long time .now my grand mother sometimes angry,many angry my body bad,hey karen do you understand me!!!!!!!"