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Mongolian Nomads: Effects of Globalization and Social Change

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Everyday Knowledge, Education and Sustainable Futures

Part of the book series: Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects ((EDAP,volume 30))

Abstract

This chapter describes the changing lifestyle of nomads in Mongolia since the 1990s when social change was started from the former Soviet Union oriented socialism to the market economy. The description is embedded in a commentary on how local wisdom is interpreting modern society. For instance, young nomads are using cars for carrying their Ger (traditional housing) instead of caravans which are traditional transportation; using motorcycles for herding the animals instead of horse riding, and using refrigerators for keeping meats instead of drying meat, hence generating more waste than before. On the one hand, all these changes are getting closer to the Western living style but losing the sustainable traditional nomadic way of living. The framework of this chapter is the traditional way of nomads’ daily life focused on their basic needs: food, clothing, fuel, transportation and traditional tools.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Aimag divided by soums.

  2. 2.

    Bag is closest administrations unit to the nomads.

  3. 3.

    Administrative unit of Mongolia (as same as provinces).

  4. 4.

    Curdled milk.

  5. 5.

    Similar term used in Tibet.

  6. 6.

    Long traditional outer dress with a high collar.

  7. 7.

    Traditional festival.

  8. 8.

    Frozen dung.

  9. 9.

    Wooden basket for collecting dry dung.

  10. 10.

    Wooden fork for collecting dry dung.

  11. 11.

    Sheep or goat anklebones.

  12. 12.

    Traditional musical instrument, UNESCO registered cultural heritage.

  13. 13.

    Handmade rawhide lariat.

  14. 14.

    Braids rawhide rope.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mongolian State University of Education, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Batchuluun Yembuu

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  1. Batchuluun Yembuu
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Correspondence to Batchuluun Yembuu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Margaret Robertson

  2. The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

    Po Keung Eric Tsang

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Yembuu, B. (2016). Mongolian Nomads: Effects of Globalization and Social Change. In: Robertson, M., Tsang, P. (eds) Everyday Knowledge, Education and Sustainable Futures. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 30. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0216-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0216-8_7

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0216-8

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