Photoblogging: “Mongoliana”

I have been– I hope forgivably– absent, doing an article, a review, and a long shot (double? triple?) book proposal. As I type too slowly these days, and dictation is still slow for technicalia and odd language, I haven’t had the energy for much blogging; I have done over 12,000 words in the last week …

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Mongol Tazis?

I never saw a tazi in Mongolia but there is evidence they exist, as in this folk painting. It is a common genre but this is the only one I ever saw that had tazis, never mind a Kazakh eagler.Andrew brought me back this wonderful little study in another modern style– I have a horse …

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“Horned Rifles”

Central Asia is full of archaic survivals, which include old technologies (should that be “technologies” with quotes, to include animal memes like hawking and various “old ways“– thanks Liz Thomas!– with dogs and other animals as well as actual “tech”?) China controls guns but Tibetans actually still hunt with matchlocks (and tazi- like dogs though …

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(And re “Jingiz”)…

Re post below: some people think “Jingiz” (simplest spelling) is pretentious- also the other variations like Jengiz, Jengis, even “Chingiss”. Look, I’ll grant that English vowels for this name are arbitrary, and which you use are up to you. But if you look at old pronunciations, frickin’ “GENGHIS” is supposed to be pronounced with a …

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Vodka from our Mongolian “Home Town”

Lauren brought among other things (like eagle tack I have never seen– be patient!) a bottle of new vodka named after the capitol of Mongolia’s Kazakh “Aimag” or state, therefore the de facto “Berkutchi” capitol. The back is attractive enough, with a Berkutchi painted on it (all photos enlarge if clicked on): But the front …

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NPR on Mongolia

National Public Radio has a special series on Mongolia this week: Mongolia in Transition.

Sharing Mongolia’s beauty

I’ve been thinking about Lauren, and her upcoming journey to our eagle friends in Mongolia. Thought I’d share some random images from there, from my trip seven months ago. Enjoy.