Video: Mongolian yurt-building is a master class in cooperation
The Nomad’s Ger
Roughly 30 per cent of Mongolians live nomadically or semi-nomadically, and the region’s history of nomadism has left an indelible mark on the country’s culture. Easily portable traditional huts known as gers (more commonly referred to by their Russian name, yurts) are still a common sight throughout the Mongolian steppe, and continue to be a practical form of shelter for many people, thousands of years since they were first developed. Set to traditional throat singing, The Nomad’s Ger uses time-lapse video to convey the dazzling, deeply rooted skill and efficiency with which a Mongolian family assembles its home on the open plains in just over an hour.
This ger was moved by the family of Shagdarsuren Herelchuluun, on the east side of Lake Hovsgol, in northern Mongolia, not far from the Russian border. The sound track of this video is music recorded at the Choijin Lama Temple Museum in Ulaanbator, the Mongolian capital. For another example of Mongolian throat singing, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQREyg…
Producer: Daniel Grossman
An Aeon video
Running time: 2:08
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