Maggie s Activity Pack! Name Date The Nomad s Home Daybreak on the Steppe The hot sun rises on the vast, dry grasslands of Central Asia. It lights up the bright orange-colored door of a Mongolian herder s home, the ger. The herder has hundreds of sheep near this round home. These animals are beginning to wake up and feed on the short grass of the steppe. The ger is also surrounded by horses and camels. When the grass is eaten, the camels and horses can be loaded with the Mongolian ger. The herder s family, animals, and home will move. This scene has played out for thousands of years. The Central Asian Steppe, a huge expanse of dry grasslands and rolling hills has been home to nomadic peoples for thousands of years. Mongolia, a country between Russia and China, is in the heart of the Asian Steppe. The Mongolian people thrive in this often harsh environment. The summers are hot and dry. The winters are very cold and windy. But, the people have adapted a unique way of life to survive on their land. The Land of Nomads Mongolia has mountains, deserts, and the great grassland plain, called the steppe. The steppe has few trees and is an ocean of grass that feeds wild and domestic animals. There is no private land outside of the cities. You will not see any fences. That is because animals must roam freely. This is the way of life on the steppe. The grassy steppe is shared by many animals. Wildlife, such as Mongolian gazelle and red deer, roam on the steppe. Domestic animals like cattle, yak, sheep, goats, horses, and camels are at the center of the nomad s life. Rains are few and the grass can only support the herds for a part of the year. When the herd has eaten all the grass in a grazing area, it is time for the nomadic herder to move. For thousands of years, nomads have moved with their herds across the steppe to new pastures. The animals provide meat, milk, wool, skins, and everything else needed for survival on the steppe. The life of nomadic people is very different from that of a farmer. Farming is based on land ownership. Crops are grown. The crops feed people and livestock. Farmers need to work the same land year after year. But the harsh climate and lack of water on the steppe does not support a farming culture. Instead, nomads graze their herds until the grass is eaten. Then they must move on to new pastures. This nomadic culture has been around for thousands of years. It is still alive today. More than 30% of Mongolian families today are still nomadic herders. Many aspects of the nomad s lifestyle have changed. Now some people use trucks and electricity. But, there is one thing that has not changed over the centuries, the Mongolian ger, the nomad s house.
The Ger (or Yurt): A Nomad s Special Home Many western people are familiar with the word, yurt. Yurt is a Russian name for a nomad s house. The Mongolians call their nomadic house, a ger. Ger or yurt it s the perfect house for nomadic people. In fact, the ger hasn t changed much since the reign of Genghis Khan in the year 1206! The reason a ger is such a good home is because it can move across the steppe with the people. They just put it on the back of pack animals like camels and horses. Adding to its usefulness is its ability to withstand the weather on the steppe. It is comfortable in hot and cold temperatures, and it keeps out the strong winds of the steppe. A ger may look like just a round tent, but it is really a complex wood, felt, and canvas structure. What if you were to put together a ger? What would you need? What would you do? The first thing you need is a khana! Don t worry this is just the Mongolian word for frame. The frame looks like the lattice you might find in a garden. It has a criss-cross pattern of wooden strips that are joined at each cross by a leather tie. This criss-cross pattern allows the frame to collapse and expand like an accordion. A piece of frame that is 12 feet wide folds to less than 2 feet for easy packing! This is important when you need to move your home many times each year. You know a ger is round. How do these wood frames form a circle? Usually 3, 4, or 5, frames are tied together to form this shape. Don t forget the door! You must put in a doorframe before the circle is closed. Now that you have the frame, what do you cover your ger with? Remember those sheep? You have lots of wool. Your ger will be covered with felt that is made from that wool. Today most gers also have an outer canvas cover, too. Every ger needs a roof. Think of an umbrella with two poles instead of one. This is what a ger s roof looks like. There is a center ring called a tuune. This ring is like a wheel. The spokes of the wheel are smaller poles that come out from the tuune. A large circular piece of felt is put over the small poles. But wait, what about smoke from the fire? There is a hole left open in the roof for the smoke to rise out of the ger. Most people paint the wooden poles and tuune with bright colors such as orange and yellow. The patterns are very detailed and colorful designs. Today you might see a truck or car parked outside a ger. You may even see solar panels and small buildings by a ger. Many things have changed in nomadic lives, but the ger is essentially the same with a few modern conveniences added.
Inside the Ger: Customs and Traditions Enter a ger and you are walking back in time to age-old traditions. The ger is usually placed in its new area so the door faces towards the sun, usually south. The men s side of the ger is to the left (west) and the women s side is on the right (east). The back or north side is considered the most sacred area in the ger. This is where the altar is placed. Religious, family, and other important items are placed on the altar in this area. It is considered impolite to sit in the ger with your back to the altar. There are usually two small cabinets painted orange with beautiful designs that are also part of the ger furnishings. The center of the ger is the place for the fire or stove. Mongolians burn either wood or dung from the livestock to heat the cold Mongolian nights. The fire is also sacred. Trash is never burned in the fire. Mongolians believe the ger is more than a home. It is a symbol of the universe. Many people believe the ger has special spiritual energy. Sometimes western people build their own ger to be closer to nature. Mongolians have done this for centuries. Now the sun sets on the Mongolian steppe. The sheep and goats have settled for the cold night ahead. The horses and camels are tied. The Mongolian family has taken their places in their ger. The rhythm of the nomadic life rests once more until the sun rises again.
Expanding Your Vocabulary In this social studies article, you read several words that relate to Mongolia, the steppe, and gers. Look at each word below. Find it in the article. Reread the sentences around it. You can use the context to help you write a good definition for each word. 1. ger - 2. steppe - 3. nomads - 4. yurt - 5. khana - 6. tuune - Thinking About It You read about a way of life that is likely very different from your own life. Answer each question to show your understanding of life on the Mongolian steppe. 1. Why do you think the Mongolian people developed these unique homes?
2. Explain how the life of a farmer is different from that of a nomad. 3. If you were setting up a ger, how would you do it? Using Your Social Studies Reading Skills Look at each paragraph in the article. Find the topic sentence (the sentence that contains the main idea). Underline each topic sentence.
Dear Colleague, My class has enjoyed studying about both Russia and Mongolia this year. In fact, we set up a ger right in our classroom. We used lattice work, lumber, and an old sail. The children made their own ger decorations and even researched and posted the rules of the ger. It was great fun and, of course, the class loved being without desks and sitting crosslegged inside this huge circular structure. Recently my husband returned from Mongolia with a real ger in tow! That s a picture of him standing in front of a ger in Mongolia. I guess next year s class will get to enjoy the real thing! I thought it would be fun to write about gers and show children the important social studies concept that there are many types of homes and ways of life around the world. The questions in Thinking About It will help your children to think carefully about these ideas. We all know the importance of integrating reading skills into the content areas. The Expanding Your Vocabulary and Using Your Social Studies Reading Skills activities will give your students needed practice with content reading skills. I have purposefully written this article for children to find topic sentences in each paragraph. There may be lots of discussion about this and the other activities. I encourage you to have partners or small groups compare answers and discuss reasons for writing specific definitions or why a certain sentence was underlined. Hmmm.do you have students you need to give summer work to? Give them a Maggie s Activity Packet! Kathy I have not included a specific answer sheet as some of these answers may vary. Goals: Students read an article about gers, the home of the nomads of Mongolia. They demonstrate their literal and critical comprehension skills by answering comprehension questions. Reading in the content area skills are also developed as students are to underline the topic sentence in each paragraph of the article. This activity is available on two levels, primary and intermediate. The activity correlates with the National Social Studies Standards: Culture and People, Places and Environment.