Example of activities carried out recently by governmental organizations, NGOs and communities.

UNESCO accredited NGO in Mongolia – Foundation for the protection of cultural and natural heritage implemented several projects in close cooperation with National Center for Cultural Heritage and NGOs and communities associated with Airag making traditions and practices.

Project titled: “Reviving and promoting traditional technique of making Airag in Khokhuur”

In 2014 the Foundation invited the community-based organization “Airag Tour” to cooperate for initiating and implementing very important and urgent Project: “Reviving and promoting traditional technique of making Airag in khokhuur and its associated customs”.

Fig.3-Traditional technique of making Airag in Khokhuur

Unfortunately, during last half century, number of families and practitioners who used the khokhuur for fermenting Airag, has been dramatically decreased and along with this almost has been forgotten the traditional method of making and using the khokhuur even in core areas of Airag. The main reason of this is that for making Airag the people started to massively use a plastic vessel instead of traditional khokhuur. This has resulted in considerably decreasing very specific good quality of Airag and having lost its valuable characteristics and nice taste. Airag fermented in khokhuur always remains fresh compared to the Airag fermented in a plastic vessel.

Such phenomenon adversely affects the quality nutrition and taste of Airag, as well as, consequently decreases main source of cash and barter income of Airag making communities and sustainable subsistent livelihood.

Therefore, it was raised an urgent need to revive and bring back this valuable traditional technique of making khokhuur and fermenting Airag to daily use at least in core areas where live most of Airag making communities.

In framework of the project the Foundation in collaboration with local communities and authorities of such Airag making provinces as Bulgan, Uburkhangai, Arkhangai, Dundgobi, Tuv organized attractive and intensive campaign titled as “Let’s make Best Khokhuur and Tasty Airag” among Airag making families and soums (last administrative unit in Mongolia).

Fig.4-Making Airag in Khokhuur

One of the families which was actively involved in the campaign and participated in the Contest is called Saikhanbileg’s. This family belongs to what was nowadays known as Bayan-Ondor soum, Ovorkhangai province. His wife Gundegmaa is famous in her homeland for her method of making airag in khokhuur, lives in a group of gers with her mother, husband and children, passing on the tradition of making “Unkhan khokhuur” brand of Airag.

Knowledge and skills of making airag and khokhuur are orally and visually passed down from generation to generation through home-practicing by family members. From a tender age, children witness and learn the processes of caring horses, tethering foals, milking mares, churning airag and making a khokhuur from their elders. Since Saikhanbileg’s use khokhuur for three generations they enjoy the best of khokhuur and drink the best of Airag. Their sons wake up early and ride out to round up their horses which spent the night out in the country, they greet the sun rising in the steppe and enjoy the life of a horse herders and meet the new morning of their lives. This simple life, smell of dried cow dung fire, enclosure that smells of livestock has become living witness to this unique culture and inimitable way of life of Mongol herders. Mongols who utilize everything from the animals except their breath, make milk buckets and khokhuur for Airag themselves. Gundegmaa learned these skills helping her parents. Their family was famous for making khokhuur in their homeland and they lined them from the northern side of the Ger along the lattice wall to the entrance and made Airag in them. They still make and use their “Unkhan khokhuur” brand of khokhuur. 

The preparation of and making khokhuur is one of the oldest branches of Mongolian traditional handicraft. Venerable Sainbileg and his wife have made five cowhide khokhuur this year. His sons participate in this process each with their own roles. Animal skin becomes the best material for khokhuur. Since the skin breathes itself and with the help of this air exchange airag, and milk inside ferments and always remains fresh.  Herders who have used the big cow for their winter food keep the hide, soak it and scrape off the outside hair and prepare to turn it into a white flexible leather.

Many herder’s families such as Sainbileg’s family participated in the Campaign and Contest replacing plastic vessels with cowhide khokhuur and enjoying really tasty and sparkling Airag. Mare’s Airag plays an essential and honorable role during the various ceremonies, rituals and Naadam celebrations. During Naadam celebration days the dignitaries and honorable guests are served with aromatic and best Airag which is made in khokhuur and brought from different families who make famous and tasty Airag. A sparkling Airag is sprinkled down the head of winning swift horses and present cup of Airag to the winning wrestlers and winners-children jockeys.

Therefore, organizers of the Campaign have decided to hold the Show-Festival as a result of Campaign and Contest under title: “Let’s make Best Khokhuur and Tasty Airag” in honor of the Great Danshig Naadam dedicated to the commemoration of the 380th anniversary of Undur Geghen Zanabazar, First Bogdo, First religious Leader and Mongolian Great enlightener. The Danshig Naadam was held on the 25th July 2015 near the ancient Kharakhorum, Capital City of Mongol Empire, in Kharakhorum soum of Uburkhangai province which is famous for its best Airag.

On the eve of Great Danshig Naadam the opening ceremony of the Show-Festival of Airag was held which was well attended by representatives from almost all provinces and soums of Mongolia who came to enjoy the Great Danshig Naadam and Tasty Airag.

In order to participate in the Show-Festival of Airag and the Contest came more than 60 Airag making families from 25 soums of 5 provinces. Each family brought with them their own Ger (Mongolian felt shelter) in which they displayed their cowhide khokhuur with Airag, Airag related equipments and objects with various decorations and meanings. About 60 gers were erected in big circle in the middle of which participants performed odes, benedictions, rituals, practices, dances and games associated with Airag and sung long song with cup of Airag in hands and so on. Approximately 3500 people including foreign tourists and guests watched the Show-festival of Airag and selection process of the Contest. Happy local women accustomed to welcome the guests with cups full of Airag during that day have been taken care that their cups are always filled. Nowadays, such custom of hospitality is broadly used during visits of the foreign guests and tourists to Mongolian families of herders or Naadam festivals for introducing nomadic tradition and lifestyle. In such ways Mongolian Airag greatly contributes to the mutual respect and kind relationships not only among local communities but among different ethnic groups and people of different nations. During the festival special jury judged through the degustation of all Airags brought from families for selecting best Airags. The jury also selected the best khokhuur and Airag related equipments, best expressions and presentations of rituals, ceremonies and other ICH elements associated with Airag.

After this project has implemented, the consumption of Airag femented only in khokhuur has obviously been increasing and many Airag making families have replaced plastic vessels with nice khokhuur and this has been resulting also in increasing of revenues of families from selling good quality Airag.

Additionally, the documentary (30 minutes) titled as “Traditional technique of making Airag in khokhuur” has created under auspices of ICHCAP and the UNESCO accredited NGO in Mongolia - Foundation for Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage, between 2016 and 2018.

INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITIES, PRACTITIONERS AND RELATED NGOS

Within the frame of the registration and inventorying done by the National Center for Cultural Heritage between 2010 and 2016, the center has organized several meetings, seminars, field researches and festivals with practitioners, bearers, local people, and Local Administrations for supporting the nomination file “Traditional technique of making Airag in khokhuur, and its associated customs”.

Consents are able to see here the following links.

1. Consents from Ovorkhangai, Bulgan and Arkhangai provinces.

2. Consents from Dundgovi province and Ulaanbaatar city. 

INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITIES, BEARERS AND NGOS IN UPDATING PROCESS OF INVENTORY

The preservation of airag-making techniques has been a community-based effort. The all processes of active and free involvements of communities, groups, individual bearers is vividly shown in the documentary film submitted with nomination dossier. The proposed safeguarding measures have been discussed and planned through numerous consultations and will be implemented by community based NGO’s, along with the national and local governments and other stakeholders.

In the future, preservation associations, supported by local municipalities, will continue to play leading roles for the implementation of the proposed safeguarding measures.

Activities such as successor training, holding workshops, exhibitions and other public events, documentation and publication on Airag have been planned and organized by the members of community based NGOs by themselves. These activities have been undertaken with the assistance provided by the national and local governments. Each preservation association will continue their efforts and the national and local governments will further offer various supports for the safeguarding and transmission of the skills required to produce the necessary equipment and tools. Compiling inventories and offering various advice related to the safeguarding and transmission of the traditional techniques for making Airag will be promoted. 

Practitioners and bearers of the “Traditional technique of making Airag in Khokhuur and its associated customs” are living in the several soums of Arkhangai, Bayan-Ulgii, Bulgan, Dundgovi, Tov and Ovorkhangai provinces (indicated on the map). These bearers and practitioners who included in this inventory are the masters in making of Airag in khokhuur, and well respected in their living area.  

The list of the master practitioners and bearers of Traditional technique of making of Airag in khokhuur and its associated customs.

REGISTRATION OF AIRAG AND KHOKHUUR MAKING PRACTITIONERS

/Between 2010 and 2018/

The traditional technique of making Airag in Khokhuur and making of Khokhuur, both included in the domain “Social practices, rituals and estive events” and “Traditional craftsmanship” of Mongolia. As of 2018, total of 232 practitioners of which 226 are airag making practitioners and 101 are khokhuur making practitioners have been registered in the State Registration and Information Database of Cultural Heritage from the Arkhangai, Ovorkhangai, Dundgovi, Omnogovi, Tov and Bayan-Olgii provinces, which are recognized in Mongolia as places where the Airag was originated. Besides making airag in khokhuur, some of these practitioners are making khokhuur as well.    

The result of survey taken on airag and khokhuur making practitioners

The information of practitioners and bearers of “Traditional technique of making Airag in khokhuur and its associated customs” have extracted from the data collected from the registration and inventory of ICH elements and its bearers, sent by the initial units of the registration and information database of cultural heritage at soum/ province level to the State registration and information database of cultural heritage, in between 2010 and 2018.  According to the Para 20.1, 20.2. 20.3, 20.4 and 20.5 of “Protection Law on Cultural Heritage”, the initial unit of registration and information database of cultural heritage at soum and province level has to send the registration and inventory to the Registration and Infromation State Database of Cultural Heritage.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

1.  S.Badamkhatan "Airag" in "Traditional food and Beverages" in: "Ethnography of People's Republic of Mongolia", Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. State Press Agency. 1987. pp 177

2

2. GONGORJAV Gombojav "Mongolian traditional food and beverages: Airag (mare's fermented milk)" in: URTNASAN Norov,  "Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Mongols",  Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2010. pp 207.

7. 

7. SARUUL Arslan, NASANJARGAL Jargalsaikhan "Airag and traditional bevarages, its related customs - distribution map" in: "Reference book of the Intangible Cultural Heritage", Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2017. pp 116-121.