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MONGOLIAN GER

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MONGOLIAN GER

Mongolian yurt “ger” is an amazing heritage of nomadic style of life, which has been transformed into present form and design since 3000 years. Mongolian yurt has always been an important part of nomads’ life as a dwelling, living place. The origins of the yurt go back to the beginning of the humanity when the people had to fight for life. Before they lived in a pile, then, the dwelling became a conical kind of tent, and finally a yurt came out. Mongolian ger passed many development stages during its origination process. It has been improved by people with various intellectual levels of many generations beginning from wooden dwelling built by ancient man. Even in the rock paintings left by ancient men found in Mongolia are shown the evolution of things. At early times when people painted dwellings, things and animals on the rock, they pictured the object so closely to reality that anyone could recognize. For example, when painting an animal, they carved it with as few movements as possible, and the horns, tail, head, legs and trunk with verity. Such piece of painting is considered to be of very ancient character. But in the next stage, animals were pictured with movements such as running and jumping. Further, artistic idea and portrayal began to evolve in artistic painting. From this originated the big kind of decoration art-patterns. Patterns are the main art of decorating the Mongolian ger. There are many types of Mongolian patterns. The instruments used for hunting by ancient barbarians were further developed to working tools necessary for daily life. The working tools were improved as the intellect of a barbarian developed. Thus, people living in holes, caves and awning started to change their living circumstances. People began to use a hut that is easily put up and demolished. This was the main basis of the origination of Mongolian ger. The ger passed centuries of development stages until it found its current form and structure. The yurt is the most suitable home for the nomads, who moved perpetually through the steppes queering for new grazing lands. The great warrior Chinggis Khan’s campaigns had also been accompanied with yurt camps. In medieval century, Mongolian ger was put up on a cart and was drawn by a cow or camel without demolition when moving. Cart-ger was widely used during the time of Great Mongol Empire, Chinggis Khan’s conquest of many states and his move through distant places. The cart-gers of Mongolians were of various size , and the number of camel or cow that would draw the cart was defined depending on the size. There was indeed a typical ger without a cart, and most people used such a ger. Ger’s size and whether to have a cart or not depended on the owner’s social status, position and wealth. The famous traveller Marco polo wrote in his book, “Mongolian ger is round and covered with felt. It is light and movable. Mongolians always move carrying the ger. They always set the door of the ger facing south”. For example, the custom of setting the door of Mongolian ger always facing south is related to the wind blowing from north in all parts of Mongolia. Felt cover is an insulator between the interior of a ger and the exterior natural influence. The door also made of felt, and typical citizens of the countryside used to have a hanging piece of felt as a door until the middle of the past century. The type and quality of the wood , forming the shape of Mongolian ger, are relatively different. The quality of wood has many advantages compared to other material like steel such as easily produced, with little warmth transition, light, stable and the wood resource is easily revived. Due to these many advantages, wood of the ger stands relatively stable under various loading, natural influence and other forces. On the other hand, stability of the ger is the proof of development during many centuries. This defines the expedience of the physical mechanical quality of the ger. Mongolian ger has been used for many purposes aside from a dwelling, such as working place, hospital, school, shop, storage and just a guest room. In some cases, it was even used as a lockup and called a “black ger”, where many males were imprisoned. Thus, the ger has played the most important role in nomads’ life. To live in yurt allowed to Mongolian nomads to live in perfect harmony with the nature and environment, to organize their life and livestock at the pace of seasons, to have a simple and healthy life. Air composition and moisture level inside the Mongolian ger have very little difference from those of outside atmosphere. Patterns and decorations of Mongolian ger have been a tradition since ancient times. When decorating the wood of Mongolian ger, most of the background is painted red and brownish red (toono, prop, poles, door), but only the trunk of the poles is painted green. Red and orange colors transmit the warmth of the sun into the ger. The green color weakens the sharpness of sunlight coming to earth and is the life supporting color. Components of the Mongolian ger are collapsible and assembled. They are all easily dismantled, made light and perfectly suited for moving. Walls of the ger were invented by making a collapsible lattice and further were passed on many generations. The size of the components varies according to the size of the ger. Typical ger is erected in a few minutes. But big gers of kings and lords were erected within one or two hours. Mongolian ger consists of two main parts: yurt’s wooden structure ”mod” (all wooden parts), which shapes the form of the ger, and soft parts and covers, tensing the wooden parts. In addition there are thick and thin, short and long ropes and strings, which tie up and fortify these parts. The ger has a shape of a cone with geometrical intersection. Components of the ger have a subtle order of assemblage. The set size of making components is defined depending on the size of a ger. Ger is erected by correctly assembling the components made with the defined size. Wall: The size and shape of a ger depend on the number of walls. They also bear the heavy loading compressing from the upper side of the ger. The top of the walls are bent inwards in order to bear the loading. The binding connecting the lattice wooden sticks makes the walls collapsible. The size of gers is various. Whether a ger is big or small depends on the number of walls(4,5,6,8 and 10). Thus, a four-wall ger can be though as the smallest Mongolian ger. The wall of the khatavch ( junction between the door and latticework) is a little shorter than the non-khatavch wall. The top of the wall is called “a head of the wall”, and the bottom is called “a shank of the wall”. The two sides are called “an intersection”. The walls are banded each other with ropes made by cattle hide. Khaalga (door): During early years people used felt shutters, lifting it up to open or close, and this acted as a door. Modern nomads began to have wooden doors. The wooden door of the ger bears the loading compressing from the upper part of the ger like the walls. The door is made stable and heavy. It is decorated with Mongolian patterns either by painting or engraving. Toono: Toono is the top point of the ger, surrounded and supported by the props and “uni”, and the route for the sun light and ventilation. Aside the walls, the toono also plays an important role of defining the round shape of a ger. The toono is glazed in order to keep closed during cold seasons. But it is open in warm seasons. It is common to see a toono decorated with Mongolian national patterns. The size of a toono is defined in measurements of the Mongolian ger. For transporting the ger, toono must be put on the top. Bagana (Prop): Props are the main vertical supporters of the ger. The gers with 4,5,6 walls have 2 props, and those with 8,10,12 walls must have 4 props. Two props of the ger support the toono from the bottom and keep all components immoveable. The bigger the ger, the taller is the prop. Uni (Poles): Uni are wooden sticks joining the “toono” with the walls. Pole tips go into socket holes of the toono, and surround and support the toono. The bottom tip of the pole joins the top of the wall with a loop called sagaldarga. The shape of a ger is formed this way. Poles support the components of the roof. Floor: In historic tradition of the Mongolian ger, nomads used to put up a ger directly on the ground or without a hard insulator. A floor was invented during the development process of Mongolian ger. The floor of a ger is round. The color of the wooden floor is warm such as yellow and orange. The floor can be made of wood and wood like materials. Internal cover and Tsavag: Internal cover is made by white fabric and tsavag made by felt. Traditionally, to lighten inside a ger, tsavag was made by white felt and placed on “uni” later on, upon development , an inner white cover called tsavag replaced the felt. There are blankets, which cover the wood of a ger. These blankets are made of felt and canvas. Blankets are put after the wooden part of a ger is erected. Roof: The roof is made by felt and shall be placed on the “uni”. The roof of the ger’s part situated behind the hearth can be two types: with “toono” burrow and without “toono” burrow. Mongolians have covered their huts and lodging with wool, skin and hair of livestock since ancient times. Mongolians make felt with sheep wool. Tuurga: Tuurga is a ger’s wall-cover made by felt. Walls of Mongolian ger are wrapped round with pieces of felt. While wrapping, a small part of the top piece of felt has to be fixed compressing the bottom of the poles. Mongolians have made different colors of felt: black, white and brown. White outer cover: White outer cover of a ger descended from the earlier stages of social development. This is used to protect the felt cover and to improve ger’s outlook. The last outer of Mongolian ger is entirely covered with white covering. Urkh: Urkh is a square felt cover used for covering “toono”. It has the main role of coordinating the dependence of the inward environment of the ger on the external natural effects: rain, wind, storm, cold and heat. Drawing the urkh is putting the front part of the rectangular urkh is tied around the ger clockwise and ended at the back. Curtain: Curtain is used to shield lattice walls inside of a ger. Curtains are fixed by hanging on the tops of the wall Curtains originated in order to create a pleasant environment inside the ger. Putting up a ger: Mongolia has 4 seasons and Mongolian herders constantly move following pastures. A household moves into a new place and puts up the ger at the foreordained spot. In warm seasons, a household moves closer to the river or water, but when the cold season comes, they prefer the downhill. When putting up a ger, the environment should be prepared and put a floor first. Before circling the walls ”toono, bagana” and other big items should be brought inside. After tying up the walls and while rounding up internal khoshlon (belt), it is necessary to prick khoshlon in some parts, from internal part of the walls. Before put up “toono”, top parts of “bagana”(pillars) must be banded with “toono”. Hoops of the uni must be hang on inner side of the walls tops. All uni must be covered by tsavag, two ends of which shall be joined by tying up its cords with the walls and belt. While putting tuurga, the 1st and 2nd, then 3rd tuurga must be put, and the ropes shall be tied with suitable points. Folded felt roof shall be put in the front and back centers of the ger, opened with help of long stick or uni, and the ends shall be put meeting each other. Outer white cover shall be put on uni part of “totgo”(horizontal top of the door), fitting to the square shape of the door, spread out to both sides of the ger without creases, and join the ends on back middle of the door. Recently white cover has been produced by water roof materials. Outer belt (khoshlon) shall be rounded up by adjusting its strength, providing firmness of the ger and nicely looking shape. The toono is covered with a rectangular urkh (cover of the hole in the roof). The urkh of a ger is made of felt with canvas or felt cover. The urkh is folded at the front pint and put on the toono. This looks triangle. The work of putting a ger is generally finished when the hoop ropes around the ger are drawn and tied and the ger is made wholly immovable. The ger is demolished in reverse order from putting it up. Cultural Taboos in the Mongolian Ger. In the Mongolian yurt, traditions give their tempo to life and many rules and taboos lead the domestic behaviors. Most frequent taboos are: To walk on the doorway. It is ominous to walk or stumble over the yurt’s doorway when you go inside. In the Middle Ages, the travellers who went to Mongolia told that anyone who walked over the yurt’s doorway was executed. To stretch out the arms in order to touch the two sides of the doorframe. This would represent a cross, and a cross outside the yurt’s door traditionally means that someone is dead and that the visitors must keep their distance. So touching the two sides of the doorframe is regarded as a bad omen. To throw some wastes in the stove. The fire is considered as the purest element and no waste must be thrown in it. To mix dirty things and clean things. Mongolian people have a great esteem for cleanliness and they think that if dirty things touch clean things, they will contaminate them. Thus, in accordance with this custom, it would be intolerable to put dirty clothes in the family chest. To walk or sit North of a person older than oneself. Although Mongolians believe in Confucianism with less strength than other Asian people, the elders are given considerable respect. The oldest and most respected visitors sit in the bottom of the yurt, and the other ones sit on the sides, from the oldest one to the youngest one. To walk between the fire and the bottom of the yurt because they are the two most sacred parts of the yurt. Nomads believe that energy passes between these two points and that we must not cut it off. So the visitors must go in and go out by the same side. To walk anti-clockwise. The “nar zuv”, literally “the good sense”, refers to clockwise. Mongolians think that everything in the universe belongs to the cycles of time and movement, so it’s important to mode in harmony with these cycles. For example, when we fold down the roof of the yurt, we must do it walking clockwise outside the yurt. To bring weapons in the yurt. Before going in the yurt, the visitor must remove the knife from his belt and hang it in plain view to prove his friendly intentions. Other customs rule the way guests are welcomed. Mongolians generally show great respect towards visitors and will house anyone with no preliminary appointment. When a visitor arrives, he must say “nokhoi khori!” which means, “hold your dog!” even if there’s no dog, in order to make a member of the family go out from the yurt and invite you to go in. The three main types of welcoming are tsaillaga, and daillaga, literally “offering tea”, “offering rice”, and “offering dinner”. Tsailaga is the most frequent one: when nomads have just set up camp and want to meet their new neighbors.

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