Mongolian Boke
01 · Historical Records
Boke has a history of nearly two thousand years: it began to flourish in the early period of the Western Han dynasty, spread widely in the Yuan dynasty, and underwent unprecedented development by the Qing dynasty.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
“Boke” is a Mongolian word meaning wrestling. It is one of the “Three Arts of the Mongolian Man” and belongs to the traditional sports of the Mongolian people. The competitive form of boke is simple and solemn. Under the traditional Mongolian requirements, a competitor wears on the upper body a “zhuodego” — a close-fitting sleeveless waistcoat made of cowhide or canvas — leaving the arms and upper back bare. The edges of the zhuodego are fitted with copper studs or silver studs, and the middle of the back bears a round silver mirror or a design such as the characters for “auspicious”. Around the waist is tied a “ceribuge” (apron) of red, blue and yellow silk. The lower body is covered by the baggy “banzele” (trousers) made of 32 chi or 16 chi of white cloth, over which is worn an outer pair of trousers embroidered with patterns of various animals or flowers, and the feet are shod in Mongolian boots or riding boots. The winner is presented with a matching “jiangga” (neck ring) of five-coloured silk. It is the mark of how many times a boke wrestler has won: the more victories, the more five-coloured silk strips on the jiangga. Boke competition begins amid the stirring and impassioned “uriya” praise song. The ground has no special requirement — a piece of level grassland or beaten earth is enough to hold it. The competitors enter the ground swinging their brawny arms and stepping in a dance that imitates the postures of lions, deer and eagles. The rules of competition are simple and clear: there is no time limit, competitors are not divided by weight, and any part of the body above the knee touching the ground means defeat. Boke requires the competitor to coordinate the movements of the waist and the legs, fully displaying strength and technique in the contest.
The zodog, tserebpeg and banzal
Wrestlers wear the studded zodog vest, a tricolour waist sash and wide white banzal trousers cut from sixteen or thirty-two feet of cloth.
The jangga collar
Winners receive the jangga, a collar of five-coloured silk strips that grows with each victory.
The lion, deer and eagle entrance dance
Amid the uria song of praise, wrestlers enter with arms swinging in steps imitating the lion, the deer and the eagle.
The uria praise song
The contest opens with the uria praise song and needs only a patch of flat grass or bare earth.
No weight classes, no time limit
Bouts have no time limit and no weight classes; touching the ground above the knee loses, and one fall decides the match.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Boke is distributed extremely widely in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and its traditional form is found in the leagues and cities of Xilin Gol, Tongliao, Hulunbuir, Chifeng, Bayan Nur, Ordos and Alxa, among others. The various localities differ slightly in the cut of the wrestling costume, the conditions for awarding the jiangga and the step used for the entry; the differences in the rules between Ujimqin, Usu and Alxa in particular are the focus of researchers’ attention. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Sports Federation is the protecting unit, responsible for organising boke events throughout the region and for unifying the regulations.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Mongolian Boke · Mongolian Boke.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present boke is in vogue in every part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, especially in Xilin Gol League, Tongliao City, Hulunbuir City, Bayan Nur City, Ordos City and Alxa League. Practising boke develops physical qualities such as strength, agility, speed and endurance, and it also cultivates qualities of will such as resourcefulness, courage and tenacity. At the present time boke has become a form of recreation for the Mongolian farmers and herders after a day of hard labour, and at the same time it is an important element of the “Nadam”.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Hada 05-2540
- Mengkenasheng 05-2541
- Eridengbayaer
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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