Oirat Sources in Mongolia (preliminary outcomes of the 2013 expedition to Western Mongolia)

Abstract

The study of the written heritage of Mongol ethnic groups has a long tradition. The largest collection of Mongolian manuscripts and xylographs in Russia are concentrated in St. Petersburg and Ulan-Ude, some are stored in Elista and Kyzyl. In Mongolia the richest manuscript collections can be found in the State Public Library and the Institute of Language and Literature of Mongolia in Ulan Bator. During the last few years, the researchers from the Institute of Language and Literature and the Institute of History at Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Center for Study of Oirat history and culture, Mongolian State Pedagogical University as well as from other institutions have been actively conducting integrated ethnological, linguistic, historical, ethnographic, folklore and other types of fi eld studies. This article is based on the findings of the field research within the International Scientific Expedition to Uvs (in Russian - Ubsunursky) aimag of Mongolia in July-August, 2013. Its participants investigated the Oirat culture, traditions, manuscript heritage and the history of Buddhist monasteries. The materials on the written heritage of Western Mongols were gathered both in monasteries and private collections and filed in the electronic sources. Out of 18 monasteries existing in Uvs aimag, the expedition members visited three. Each monastery has its own library where mainly Tibetan xylographs are stored. In Uvs aimag the most interesting collections have been found in the private libraries of some of the somons’ residents most of whom are so called arats herders - the guardians of the book culture. According to our survey, the manuscripts were passed down from generation to generation. As a rule, the books are kept in the honored place in the yurt (either in a box or wrapped in cloth) in one of the son’s family (not always in the youngest) and read on a regular basis. If the owners do not know the Tibetan or Oirat languages, translators or Lama are invited to read them. Tibetan texts are often transliterated in Cyrillic. One of such collections is held in Mr. Battsogta’s family and includes one Oirat manuscript as well. This manuscript was translated by the famous Oirat educator, politician, founder of the Oirat writing (1648) Zaya Pandita Namkaydzhamtso (1599-1662). Thus, the preliminary analysis of Mr. Battsogta’s private collection allows to make the conclusion that those manuscripts are primarily either didactic sources or religious and ritual literature or ethical and edifying texts related to household in Uvs aimag. Further research and description of the written heritage of the Western Mongols is anticipated within this study.