ALL
anklebone
ICH Elements 6
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Catching of anklenbones
Depending upon the quantity of anklebones, the number of players can be established. The players place a rug or quilted felt rug and scatter ankle bones over the rug and sit round the rug. The senior or honorary person starts playing. The players' play ankle bones alternate according to clockwise. There is a piece of mail imitating the armour of ancient warriors. This piece is called the "arrow" or piece of mail. The player tosses up the piece of mail toward the air. Before the fall of piece of mail, the player collects anklebones as much as possible and clenches them in the palm and receives the tossed piece of mail at its palm without letting the piece of mail fall on the ground. Each player passes its turn to the next player if touches other scattered ankle bones, ex-cept of its clenched ankle bones, anklebones slip out of the player's hand or the player does not receive the tossed piece of mail on its palm
Mongolia -
Mongolian traditional festival Naadam (Eriin gurvan naadam - Three manly sports)
The most important celebration for Mongolian people since ancient times is the traditional three manly sports (naadam). During this important celebration there is wrestling among men, which tests men’s strength and wit. Archery tests the skills of marksmanship. The horse race tests the racers’ swiftness and hardiness. They are performed according to the customary rules. The wrestlers are garbed in sporting uniform. The archers are garbed in specific dress. The manes and tails of racing horses are fastened together with strips as decorations. There are certain numbers of ceremonial movements. Every sportive feat is eulogized. These are rooted in very ancient traditions. Every winner in wrestling, archery, and horse-racing has titles and epithets.
Mongolia 2010 -
Multicolored turtle
On the eve of the lunar new year (Tsagaan Sar), Mongolian children play constructing Multicolored Turtle under the guidance of adults. The multicolored turtle consists of 92 ankle-bones. 36 anklebones are laid as a back of the turtle with 6 layers in each direction. In the four ends of shanks there are located 16 anklebones, and 4 clubfoot are presented by 5 and total 20 anklebones. The organs of the turtle are represented by the following number of anklebones: neck is 6, mouth is 3, eyes are two, ears are two, tail is three, kidney is two, heart is two, and bladder is two, and anklebones respectively. Kidney, heart and bladder are represented by vivid colored anklebones. They are lain on the back of the turtle. The person who had a same year with the coming new year has a priority to start the game.
Mongolia -
Melodies associated with labor and rituals
Melodies associated with herding of animals, coaxing rituals for baby animals and hunting are the common representatives of this element. Such intonations and melodies derived from the nomadic people’s mode of life are classified as melodies for animals such as gurii gurii for horses, oov oov for cows, toor toor for camels, and melodies for coaxing animals, melodies for milking the mother animals such as toig toigoo for coaxing baby sheep, for baby goat as cheeg cheeg, and for baby camel saying melody khoos khoos. There are also other melodies for hunting (melodies to call games, melodies to amuse games), melodies for uukhai or cheering up (uukhai for archery, uukhai for anklebone shooting, melodies for wrestler or race-horse title recitations, giingoo or zeengoo melodies of the horse-jockeys) are used for daily life of Mongolians. This the specific rite of psychological connection between herder and animals.
Mongolia -
Moson Shagai "Shooting of Ice Anklebone"
In autumn, when the surface of the water freezes for the first time, the opening games start. In most cases, the games start when the river surface freezes completely and turns into ice. And the last anklebone shooting on the ice game of the year is played when in the spring when the ice starts to melt. This last game is considered of great importance, therefore food is prepared and locals gather to celebrate the festive shooting. The shooters sit in a circle on the ice and draw lots to decide with whom they will become a team. This practice called “shugshikh” and it’s done by gathering and mixing the bullets of each player in a “deel” (Mongolian traditional cloth) and picking them one by one to decide who will be teammates. Two people team up, and each player shoots 36 bullets.
Mongolia -
Customs of anklebone games
In the culture of Mongolians, some of the bones of the animals are used and respected in the worship, ritual and traditional games. The anklebone of animals is one of these respected bones. Since Mongols have domesticated the livestock animals, they have created the culture of the anklebone as well. There are about 120 variations of anklebone games, such as “Horse race”, “Milking mare”, “Catching anklebones”, “Anklebone guessing”, “Flick anklebones”, “Throwing a khomboroo”, “Set four difficult”, “Birth of Camel”, “Multicoloured turtle”, “Anklebone shooting”, and so on. Playing games with anklebone is helpful to the nurture of children, and it gives them a chance to check their speed and sight, and let them recognize the appearance, age and sex of animal, and to learn the insight to love and protect animals, and to develop their language and mentality. Additionally, this game has an effective influence to the growth of creative and nurtured person through mother language, folk literature and folklore.
Mongolia