World History  Mongolia  The Felt Tent People   The ancient Mongols invented the ger - but what is a ger? Learn about whistle arrows, fabulous hats, horse head fiddles, well-wishing, salty tea, and the magical Shamas. Read the story of The Warrior Well. Meet the felt tent people. Welcome to ancient Mongolia! Who were the Mongols?   A nomad is person who moves from place to place, without a fixed home. A steppe is a landform - a dry plain with short grass and shrubs. The few trees you might find on a steppe are located near a creek or river. Around 500 BCE, a tribe of nomadic people called the Mongols lived in Asia. The Mongols were traders and herdsmen. They herded sheep and traded horses with the ancient Chinese and Persians. In the summer, they moved with their herds across the vast steppes of Asia, seeking fresh pasture land. They used dogs to help them herd the cattle. Archaeologists have found rock paintings that show nomads and dogs protecting their sheep. The ancient Mongols are sometimes called The Felt Tent People because their homes were round tents made of felt. What did they eat? White Food: Breakfast and lunch were the important meals of the day. Some of the things they ate were mutton, milk, rice, flour, and yogurt. Their food was called Tsagan-ide (white food).   Fire Stones: Food was cooked over a fire. To bake food, they placed meat and bread dough on hot stones that had been placed near or in the fire. To make fire, they did not use wood. Wood was scarce on the steppes. Instead, they used dried animal dung. If you were a Mongol child in ancient times, it would have been one of your jobs to collect animal dung and set it out to dry. Salty Tea: Tea with salt was their main beverage. Sometimes they added milk, butter and flour to their tea, which turned a cup of tea into a warm and nourishing soup. They drank tea at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even today, if you visited a modern Mongol family, you might be offered a cup of nourishing salty tea. What did they wear? Dels: Clothes varied from tribe to tribe. Both men and women wore leather boots. And, both men and women wore dels. A del is a wrap that looks like a dress tied at the waist. A man's del could be short or long. A woman's del was always long. Dels made of cotton fabric kept people cool in the summer. Dels were lined with fur for winter wear, to keep the people warm and toasty. There were no pockets in a del. Eating utensils and anything you wished to carry was hung from your belt. Applique: The Mongols invented appliqué. In the winter months, the women would cut shapes out of colorful felt and sew them onto clothing and wall hangings. Horses and cockerels were two of the most popular shapes. They also embroidered their clothing. Jewelry: Both men and women wore jewelry made of bronze and gold. They liked to wear wide bracelets and necklaces. Hairstyles: To the Mongols, hair was a symbol of honor and strength. In BCE times, the Mongols believed that hairstyles should look like the wings of an eagle. Women wore their hair pulled smoothly away from their face. They glued strings of decorated felt to hairbands. The men left a strip of hair down the middle of their head, and shaved their head bald on either side. They left the back hair long and braided it. Hats: They spent a great deal of time making hats and head-dresses. Hats were important. Both men and women wore hats decorated with fur - sable and silver fox especially. In the summer, they wore hats made from colorful fabrics. They made other kinds of hats to wear on various occasions. They had top hats, and plush velvet hats with turned up rims. They loved hats.   How did they live? Tribes: They did not live in towns. The Mongols were nomads. They traveled in small groups composed of perhaps only two or three families. You might travel 20 miles before you ran into another family group. Although the Mongols were nomads, they still had a royalty of sorts - chieftains, and later khans. These were the leaders of various tribes. In ancient times, a tribe did not necessarily travel together. But they did get together at festivals, and in times of need. Tent Homes - Gers (Ghers, Yurts, Yerts): A ger is a Mongolian tent home. Gers are shaped like hollow balls that have been cut in half, with the flat side resting on the ground. Each ger had one doorway, no windows, and a little peak at the top to let the smoke out. Imagine living in a home that looks like a piece of candy (a Hershey's kiss) 9 feet high and 15 feet around. A ger might look unusual but it was a comfortable home. Gers were so well constructed that it only took two hours to break down a ger, load it on one or two oxen, and be on your way, off to seek fresh pastures for your cattle. Every ger was set up in the same way. The door always had to face south. To enter the ger, you had to step over the threshold, not step on it. Once inside, furniture had to be arranged in a certain way. When you moved around inside, it was considered back luck to walk counterclockwise. (This belief possibly originated to get everyone moving in the same direction to avoid bumping heads.) Click here to see how a ger was arranged.   Toys: Puzzles were popular. Games included archery, horse racing, wrestling, and guessing games. Kids played many bone games - games they made up using the bones of animals. Bones were used as targets. Bones were used in races. Bones were used as a guessing game - kids guessed how many bones were in a pile. Mongol Kids: From a very early age, kids were taught to respect their parents. They were taught survival skills - how to collect dry animal dung for firewood, how to milk cattle, how to use a bow and arrow, and how to cook and sew. The most important things Mongol parents taught their children had to do with good behavior. Everything they did, including the toys they gave their children, and the stories they told, were designed to teach their kids to be ethical, honest, and skilled - to have good behavior. Well-wishing: One of the important customs kids were taught is how to greet people with respect and honor. Elders were greeted first with a verbal well wishing greeting. People, even today, greet each other with well wishes - "May your herd be peaceful."  "Let your journey be lucky."   Mongol Customs: Here are some of the rules of the ancient Mongol world: You may not beat horses, dogs, or animals. It would be the same as beating a close friend. You may not throw any waste into water including rivers and lakes. You must feed all guests, or at least offer food. You must build two bonfires with an open path between them and direct traders to walk along the path between the fires to be purified before trade can occur. Greet all people with a well wish. Deep respect can be shown by putting your hand on your heart and bowing. The highest form of greeting is to give a gift of a blue scarf. It is forbidden to be unfair. Here are two old Mongol sayings or proverbs: "Better the bone be broken than ones reputation." "Better to die with a good reputation than be alive with a bad one." The Mongols had an enormous number of taboos, restrictions, and unwritten laws. Each generation taught these rules to their children, who taught them to their children. It was not until the Mongol leader, Genghis Khan, came to power that these many rules were collected and written down. Genghis Khan (also spelled Chinggis Khaan) wanted to preserve good behavior and good management of self and family. He wanted to list the customs and traditions of all Mongolian tribes and nationalities in one place, to help pull them together as one people. He believed if every person grew up in a decent way - educated, just, fair, smart, energetic, honest, ethical - they would be successful in managing themselves, their home, their family, and whatever he needed them to do. Stories: One of the ways the Mongols taught their children good behavior was by using stories, myths, and legends to make a point. The Warrior Well is a story we created that is loosely based on an ancient Mongol myth. What do you think this story might teach an ancient Mongol child about his or her own customs? Music and Dance: Water was scarce on the steppes. The people knew it was important to conserve water. You can see this in Mongol myths and dance. One popular dance was performed with cups. While dancing, people balanced cups full of water on their head. The trick was to dance as lively as possible without spilling a drop. The Mongols invented an interesting instrument called the Horse-head fiddle to accompany their dances and stories. Click here to see a horse-head fiddle. Mongol Warriors: Horse Hats: Warriors rode horses into battle. The Mongols made hats out of colorful felt for their warrior horses. Most of these hats were designed with felt antlers similar to the antlers of a reindeer or stag. This was done in part to keep evil spirits away. They also braided their horses tails with long colorful pieces of felt. They made saddles. They covered the saddle with soft cushions to make the warrior's ride more comfortable. They put a colorful blanket under the saddle to protect the horse. It must have been an impressive sight. Whistle Arrows: The Mongols invented whistle arrows. What they would do is carve holes in the end of an arrow so that it would whistle in flight. When the Mongols had an arrow in the air, you could hear it. The more arrows in flight, the louder the noise. It must have been a terrifying sound for their enemies to hear. Mongol Men: Mongol men were herders. They were also warriors. It was not until the age of the khans that trained armies were part of the culture.   Mongol Religion: The ancient Mongols believed in many gods and goddesses and demons. Nature Worship: One of the reasons the ancient Mongols never became an agricultural society is that they believed it was terribly wrong to dig the soil or cut the grass. To them, these were attacks on nature. If you attacked nature, you would have bad luck. The ancient Mongols worshiped nature - they worshiped the sun, the moon, the planets, the earth, the sky, mountains, hills, lakes, streams, and animals. They also worshiped fire. There were a bunch of rules about fire. You were forbidden to throw dirt on a fire. You could not put a stick in a fire. You could not jump over a fire. The ancient Mongols made offerings to fire, which was usually a piece of grease. When the grease was tossed into the fire, it made quite a satisfying crackle and spitting sound. Shamans: Shamans were the holy men of the ancient Mongols. They were credited with special powers that allowed them to talk to the gods on behalf of their tribe. When someone died, for example, the tribal Shaman would go into a trance, so he could accompany the spirit of the dead person to the other world. Shamans also performed the Tsam, a dance the ancient Mongols believed would rid them of evil spirits. Some Shamans inherited their job from their father. Others found their powers after an illness or a calamity. Tsam Figures: These are little figurines that represent various gods and goddesses, along with famous Shamans of the past. Ovoos: Ovoos are little piles of stone that act as alters. Each tribe had its own style of building an ovoo. Offerings of food or other goods were placed on an ovoo to bring luck into your life. One of their many rules was that it was imperative to circle the ovoo three times in a clockwise direction when leaving an offering or you would never find luck. Today, the nomad people of Mongolia still build ovoos in the old way. As you travel, you might pass a small pile of rocks with an old bottle, a used car part, and perhaps a ribbon on it. This may not be litter. These may be meaningful gifts left carefully on a family ovoo, asking the ancient gods for a favor. Buddhism: Today, most of the Mongolian people are Buddhist. But the old ways are still amongst them as you can see in their festivals and customs.   Ancient Festivals: Tsagaan Sar: One of the biggest festival was Tsagaan Sar, or “white month”.  This was celebrated in January to welcome the new lunar year. Tribes would collect in huge groups. There would be drinking and eating and singing and dancing. This was one of the times the small bands of people could see relatives and meet new Mongol people. It was at the Tsagaan Sar that one often met their future husband or wife. This festival is still happening today. Tsagaan Sar - the New Year Naadam: Legend says that this holiday started around 3000 BCE. It might even be older. This is the mid-summer festival of the Mongolian nomads. It was at this holiday that the "three manly games" - horse racing, wrestling, and archery - were played. These were huge competitions. In the evening, the people would gather around the fire, have a huge meal, and tell tales of great horses, great deeds, and great winners of the Naadam games in the past. After the festival, and all year long, as people met in their travels, sooner or later talk would roll around to the game play at the last Naadam. And so continued until the next Naadam, when tales of new heroes were added to old favorites. This festival is still happening today. A written language: The Mongols did not have a written language until nearly the Middle Ages. Much of what we know about the customs and beliefs of these ancient people comes to us from their oral legends, myths, riddles, and proverbs.   Gifts the ancient Mongols gave the world: Appliqué, whistle arrows, felt gers, and the horse head fiddle   This is a photo of a real double hump camel.  Mongol Myths Mongolian Folk Tale - the Warrior Well (free powerpoint) The lazy owl How the camel lost his good looks Why the elk has such a long muzzle The Golden Pitcher The Seven Sons, The First Shamus, and more The Tiger King's Skin Cloak, A Mongolian Story (scroll down) The Twin Boys & Other Mongolian Myths Hear (and read) the Camel's Tale Links for Kids Funny Facts The Five Brothers (a short story) Explore Mongolia (game) The Story of Ogedei Mongol Games and Puzzles Wrestling and Horse Riding the Mongol Way   The story of the Weeping Camel Eye-Pleasing Nationally Famous Mighty and Invincible Giant Mongol names   Take a Look The Horse Head Fiddle Mongol saddle This horse racer is seven years old Links for Everyone Ming-Mang Game Realm of the Mongols - Emerging from the Felt Tents Chinggis Khan or Khaan/Genghis Khan - Many names, same man The Mongol Empire (Courtenay MS, links by subject)  The Land of Genghis Khan (National Geographic) Rise of Mongol Power (learning module) The Mongols in World History Map of the Mongol Empire Mongolian Empire 1269-1368 (Yuan Empire) Mongolian Mythology (gods and goddesses) Mongolia - A Country Study Felting in Mongolia Mongolian Links (Akron Edu) Lesson Plans Nomads, Where Boundaries Move Who's a Nomad (geography lesson) Just Like the Old Days Animals of the Nomads Natural Barrier - Gobi Desert The Silk Road (Donn) The Mongols (History Channel lesson plan) Mongol Unit (Era 5) Marco Polo Takes a Trip Mystery - The Seven Sisters (lesson, Peace Corps) Mongolian Museum Fall of the Mongol Dynasty Buddhism Classroom Activity Ideas Write Well-wishing Greetings Ovoo Luck - Messages to the Gods Direct your students to draw a picture of an ovoo with three items on it. Under their picture, have them explain what these items are requesting. For example, if you put a crutch on your ovoo, you might write: Seeking luck to fix an injured leg Give your students some time. Ask for volunteers to share their ovoo drawing and its meaning.   Post all ovoo drawings on the walls of your classroom. Create Mongolian Teaching Myths Working in groups, first create a list of good classroom behavior. Have each group select one or two items on their list. Direct each group to create a myth designed to teach that behavior. Have each group share their myth with the class. Myths can be accompanied by music if groups wish. Free Presentations in PowerPoint format  Free Clip Art  All Rights Reserved The Warrior Well written by Lin Donn    Clip Art Credit: Phillip Martin Have a great year!