MONGOLIA Global Kids Mongolia Where the Winds Meet is the story of a wind that wanders over Mongolia, a country that is well known for its deserts and grasslands. We travel with the wind to see how Mongolians live day by day. WHERE THE WINDS MEET Where thewinds Meet Written by Mi-hwa Joo Retold by Joy Cowley Illustrated by Oh Lee BIG & SMALL
Where thewinds Meet Written by Mi-hwa Joo Retold by Joy Cowley Illustrated by Oh Lee Mongolia Where the Winds Meet is the story of a wind that wanders over Mongolia, a country that is well known for its deserts and grasslands. We travel with the wind to see how Mongolians live day by day. Original Korean text by Mi-hwa Joo Illustration by Oh Lee Korean edition Aram Publishing This English edition published by Big & Small in 2014 English text edited by Joy Cowley English edition Big & Small 2014 Printed in Korea All rights reserved ISBN: 978-1-921790-49-2
I am a wind of Mongolia, the country of endless grasslands and far-reaching deserts. I travel everywhere. 2 3
There is no place in Mongolia that I have not been to. I often meet up with other winds and at night we chase each other. It is then that people go in their ger and the kid burrows into mother goat. Left alone in the dark grasslands, we winds show off our strength. Ger is a Mongolian mobile home. Frames made of wood, are covered with leather or felted wool. 4 5
I knew the Mongolian hero Genghis Khan. The day when the young Genghis Khan learned to ride his horse, I recognised him as an unusually brave and strong boy. I blew a fierce breath on him when he rode, and when he grew up, he rode his horse around the continent, like the wind. Genghis Khan was a king who built up the Mongolian Empire that stretched from Asia to Europe. His real name was Temujin. Mongolian children learn to ride a horse at a young age. Their mothers usually teach them to ride. 6 7
I am on my way to meet a child. As I go over the hills, I stroke the grass and tickle the nose of a man resting beside his flock of woolly sheep. The man sneezes and lifts his face to feel where I am coming from. He says, There will be a strong wind from the north tonight. Mongolians often forecast the change in weather by observing the change in the wind. 8 9
I continue to cross the grassland. A woman and a young girl are working, picking up lumps of dried cattle dung. People light their fires with this dung. Drying cattle dung is one of my jobs but it doesn t interest me at all. From August to September, women look for dried, light and odourless animal dung. They use it to light their fires, and they store it under their beds to block coldness. 10 11
On the ger ceiling, a window called a tono lets the air and daylight in. People open or close the tono depending on the season and weather. Due to lack of water, people cannot wash clothes too often. But thanks to the dry windy weather, they don t sweat much and feel fresh all the time. I arrive at a ger with a yellow door and enter through the ceiling. I see the child sitting down. He is cute, with cheeks like red apples but he has wet clothes. I throw myself into his clothes and soon they become dry and soft. 12 13
The child s mother has fresh milk that she boils on the stove. The smoke escapes through the tono. I blow on the stove to help the fire and soon everyone in the family will drink breakfast by the stove. Mongolians say drink breakfast. In the morning they usually drink boiled milk from their livestock, including sheep, horses and goats. 14 15
There is a sound like the cry of a horse. Actually, it comes from the Morin Khuur that the Grandfather is playing. A mother camel, suffering birth pains, may reject its approaching baby. That s why the Grandfather plays these sad notes on Morin Khuur strings. The camel blinks its big eyes and tears roll down its face. Now the baby will be cuddled by its mother. Morin Khuur is a Mongolian traditional musical instrument with strings like that of a violin. It is said that when you play a Morin Khuur made with horsetail it sounds like the cries of a horse. There is a legend that a mother camel, rejecting its own baby, heard the sound of Morin Khuur and accepted her little one. 16 17
The sun shows its big forehead over the hill. The winds rise up to greet it, making a fuss. They create a dust storm, and a traveller gets off his horse and lies flat in the ground. 18 19
The child sees the traveller covered in dust and brings him back to the ger where the Grandma gives him Suutei Tsai. Oh, thank you, Madam, says the man. For days I have been working hard. I was tired but I wanted to see my daughter. Then I got caught in the dust storm. We all help each other, says the Grandma. Mongolians have great vision. They can recognize things from a far distance. Suutei Tsai is a Mongolian traditional tea mixed with animal milk and salt. 20 21
I feel sorry for the traveller but every time I come near him, he looks uneasy. He says to the Grandma, I cannot stay. The face of my daughter is in my mind. I appreciate your hospitality, Madam but I must be on my way. 22 23
I have an idea. I am the wind so I can go to the traveller s house faster than an arrow from a bow. I whisper in the daughter s ear. Don t worry! Your Dad is coming! Wait a while and he will be here. A smile spreads over the girl s face and a rainbow appears in the sky. I will wait for the traveller here with his daughter. 24 25
About Mongolia Country of Grasslands and Deserts On the Mongolian flag, red symbolizes joy and victory, and blue means being loyal with body and mind. The yellow pattern is a traditional Mongolian pattern: it represents Mongolia s freedom and independence. People Who Travel after Grass It is difficult to farm crops in Mongolia due to long winters and low rainfall. Therefore, Mongolians breed livestock. When the grass for their animals runs out, they must move to new grasslands, and old people with lots of experience, play an important role in this. Therefore Mongolians greatly respect their elders. Ger, the Round House Mongolians regards the circular ger as the universe. Looking northwest from the ger doors, is the place to perform ritual services. On the left there are hunting tools and seats for men and on the right are kitchen tools and seats for women. The stove heater is in the centre. The ger is easy to erect and knockdown and it is perfectly suited for Mongolia s tough weather. In summer when it is 40 degrees outside, it is cool in the ger. In the cold winter the ger is warm because the heat does not escape the tent. A Second Family Mongolians regard their livestock as very important. Water is scarce in Mongolia so they drink livestock milk and cook with it. Amongst the animals in their household, the horse is considered the most important. In Mongolia there are old sayings, Learn to ride the horse before walking, and I won t sell my horse saddle, even if I starve. To travel in such a vast land, horses are essential. Often people pay for purchases with horses instead of money. Young children ride horses well in Mongolia The Great King of Mongolia, Genghis Khan (1162-1227) Genghis Khan spent his childhood in poverty because his father died early. But he grew up well and united many separate Mongolian tribes. They gathered strength and expanded their territory to China, South-West Asia and Europe, to build a huge Mongolian Empire. As water was scarce in Mongolia, Genghis Khan set strict rules about its usage: Punish those who urinate on water or ash harshly. Hands must not to be dipped in water. Water must be used in a bowl. Clothes must not be washed until they are worn out. Mongolian Empire A map of the Mongolian Empire established by Genghis Khan The inside of a ger 26 27
Are There Only Grasslands in Mongolia? In northwest Mongolia, there is the deepest lake in Central Asia, Lake Hovsgol. Around this freshwater lake live many wild animals including goats, reindeer and bears. The northern area is mostly grassland, but Mongolia cannot be defined only by grassland. There are the high Altai Mountains to the west, and the vast Gobi Desert to the south. The clear, deep Hovsgol Lake A Letter from Mongolia Hi! My name is Minghan, I am eight years old and I live in Partizan village in Ulan Bator. I was born in a place called Ubuuz but I moved here with my family when I was two. Mongolians move house often. I live with my dad, mum and my brother. My family is my treasure. We have cows, goats and sheep, and my favourite is the cows. This is because cows give us yummy milk each day, I help to milk the cows, and drink two cups of Suutei Tsai every day. People Help Each Other Mongolia is vast but its population is small. Mongolians consider teamwork more important than individual talent because it is essential for them to help each other. My favourite food is Buuz, steamed dumplings with lamb filling. I like to play ball games with friends, and I like reading poems. I am good at mathematics and Mongolian but I want to be best at singing. It s my dream to become a brilliant singer. What is your dream? Hello! People working together to build a ger Naadam Festival The Naadam festival takes place every year on the 11th July. During the festival, various sporting events take place such as wrestling, archery and horse races, as well as cultural events like musical performances, plays and poetry reading. In horse racing, young boys and girl aged four to seven compete and they prepare for the race 3 to 4 months in advance. Many people come to Ulan Bator to enjoy this festival. Mongolian boys and girls compete in a horse race 28 29
Russia * Khövsgöl Nuur Ölgii Ulaan Goom *Mongolian Horse A small horse with short but strong legs and a large head *Goat Almost 50% of the livestock in Mongolia are goats The largest fresh water lake in Mongolia *Amarbayasgalant Monastery One of the three largest Buddhist centres in Mongolia, built to honour Zanabazar the Buddhist leader Darkhan *Gandantegchinlen Monastery The biggest temple in Mongolia, meaning Great place of complete joy Ulan Bator *Turtle Rock A famous rock in Terelj National Park, where people make wishes Choibalsan Mongolia Name: Mongolia Location: North of Central Asia highlands Area: 1,564,116 km 2 Capital: Ulan Bator Population: Approx 3 million (2008) Language: Mongolian Religion: Lamaism Main exports: Copper, cashmere, sheep wool, gold, bronze *Mongolia *Genghis Khan memorial monument The memorial monument that commemorates Genghis Khan * Coal Mongolia has a lot of reserves of coal China *Ger The traditional Mongolian dwelling *Gobi Desert *Two-humped Camel Two-humped Bactrian camels are close to extinction in Mongolia Saynshanda *Bökh Dalandzadgad Mongolian wrestling *Morin Khuur Traditional Mongolian instrument *Khongoryn Els The biggest sand dunes in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains 30 31