Mongolian Yangtuo Customs
01 · Historical Records
The custom of raising camels was fixed with the formation of the Alxa pastoral region. Here the camel had long been more than a mount: it was a composite source of pack transport, milk, wool, and meat, and a herder's yearly livelihood was tied to the camel herd. Thus the care given to the camels and the camels' return to humans brewed into a body of rites elevated into festival. The camel sacrifice is the climax of these: with the most solemn ceremonial forms it thanks the beasts that have borne heavy loads and served for years, turning animal labor into a celebration. Herding proverbs and oral praises spread along with it, and the layers of merit, endurance, and gratitude are all wrapped in the tunes sung to the camels.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Alxa League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has long been known as the "Land of Camels"; its unique geographical environment provides good conditions for the survival and large-scale herding of the Bactrian camel. In long-term pastoral production practice, the camel gradually became an important means of production and livelihood for the Heshuote and Torghut Mongolian herders of Alxa. On this basis, the craft of making camel gear in Alxa grew ever more refined, the range of products became increasingly diverse, and a systematic set of techniques took shape. The camel sacrifice is a folk activity circulating in Alxa, composed of the sacrifice to the male camel, the sacrifice to the female camel, and the sacrifice to the camel herd; the rites are very complete. The Mongolian camel-raising custom of Alxa integrates religious belief, humanistic thought, and production skills, permeated by the plain national spirit of the Alxa Mongols and distinctive folk cultural content. The continuing maturation of the craft of camel-gear making has had a profound influence on the economic and social development of the Alxa region. The human-centered content displayed in the camel sacrifice nurtured the Mongolian spirit of honesty, kindness, and perseverance. The large body of oral culture produced in the activities — such as the "Meritorious Camel," "In Praise of the Camel," "Benedictions," and "Milking Songs" — embodies the plain philosophy of gentleness and honesty, of repaying kindness and abandoning evil for good, and has become a life concept and cultural vehicle of the Mongolian people.
The rite for the leading camel
The family bows to the oldest and most serviceable camel, offering milk, wine and praise in thanks.
The rite for the she-camel
The she-camel is thanked for milk and the continuance of the herd, her milk poured on the ground.
The whole herd assembled
The herd is driven before the household and sung to, half ceremony and half fair.
Camel praise and the milking song
Improvised praise for the camel and coaxing songs for the she-camel precede the evening milking.
The parts of a camel saddle
Saddle, stirrup, bridle and girth are made of wood, hide or felt, each repairable on its own.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The herding of Alxa Bactrian camels is passed down from generation to generation among the Heshuote, Torghut, and other Mongolian herders; the camel sacrifice is divided into several levels — the sacrifice to the male camel, the sacrifice to the female camel, and the sacrifice to the camel herd — with the weight of the rite graded according to the animal's age and merit. Herding households mostly prepare it separately, household by household; the ceremonial segments move back and forth between the household and the camel herd, with daughters-in-law and children of the same household all taking part. The sacrificial period is often linked with camel racing and the balancing of dairy foods; it comes once a year, and it is a pastoral family's largest expense and liveliest gathering of the year.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present the camel-raising custom in the Alxa region shows a trend of gradual decline, and there is an urgent need to strengthen protective measures. Erdendalai (from the official archives of the associated representative inheritor): Male, of Mongolian ethnicity, born in March 1948, from Alxa Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. For decades he has devoted himself to breeding new varieties of the Alxa Bactrian camel and to camel racing and related activities; on this basis he successfully held the Hundred White Camels Festival in 2004, which drew attention from news media at all levels within the region. He has been invited to attend the region's camel culture symposium and programs on the Mongolian-language channel of Inner Mongolia Television, where he spoke mainly on camel-raising techniques and customs, contributing to the publicizing of camel culture. He published the photography album Animal Paradise on the theme of camel culture, and passed his skills on to his three sons and to apprentices including Erdenbatu. He is a representative inheritor of the Mongolian camel-raising custom, a project of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Eerdengdalai 05-3039
- Aoyunqimuge
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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