EVENT: MONGOLIA: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GHENGIS KHAN

David Bellatalla presents a detailed portrait of the modern day descendants of Genghis Khan, their history and cultural traditions, drawing on his unique personal archive of photographs and films recorded during 11 years of anthropological fieldwork among Mongolian nomads.

Lecture 1 and 2: Introduction to Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan. Our journey will begin in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, as we examine archaeological and historical evidence to provide a context for understanding the history of nomadic societies in Mongolia. We will then move on to the steppe lands to visit the ancient city of Khara Khorim and then investigate the culture, social organisation, and economic systems of modern day Mongolian nomads, exploring the their animistic religious beliefs and the unique strategies they have developed over millennia to survive within their ferocious natural environment. As we travel through Mongolia, we will cross steppes, deserts and mountains to meet many of the eighteen different ethnic minorities represented in the country who to this day maintain their unique cultural identities and traditions.

Lecture 3 and 4: Shamanism and spirituality Here we will enter the extraordinary world of Mongolian shamanism, as we meet a small clan of the nomadic Aghin-Buryat people, who still live with their herds in the North-East of the country. We will investigate the special characteristics of the shaman, who may be either a man or a woman, and who plays a fundamental role in the spiritual life of the clan. Each religious ceremony, whether of healing or invocation, creates a link between the human and spirit world, and is performed by the shaman. Using trance or altered states of consciousness, the shaman attempts to mediate with various spirits to produce beneficial outcomes for the community.

Lecture 5: The Tsaatan: the last reindeer men of the taiga Only two hundred of this very isolated Tsaatan ethnic group still practice their traditional lifestyle, tending their reindeers in the taiga (pine forest) region of northern Mongolia. They still follow the ancient traditions of nomadic life, moving from one campsite to another and sheltering from the freezing temperatures in their traditional reindeer skin tents known as yurt

David Bellatalla is an anthropologist, member of the International Institute for Mongolian Studies and the Mongolian Academy of Science and has carried out extensive fieldwork in Mongolia since 1992, working with the Aghin-Buryat, Tsaantan and other nomadic groups throughout Mongolia.

Course code 052022 - booking essential 7.30-9pm Wednesdays March 2 9 16 23 30 $119