From time immemorial , through the mists of countless centuries, human society slowly formed.
Those who found the Nomadic life too strenuous , or too unstable, became better suited for a sedentary life. The eternal dream, the dream of freedom, standing upright under a blue sky……. moving across the Earth, living of it’s bounty. Energized by nature, respectful, and one with the natural environment .
With the domestication of the horse in 3,500 b.c., a profound transformation began to take place, leading to the development of a dynamic “ Horse Culture”. With vast herds of animals,and now horses, tribes became wealthy,powerful, and influential . The knowledge that they possessed in metallurgy , pottery making, and the spread of their language, formed the “Bronze Age”.
In the Steppes of central Asia lived the “Kinsen” tribe, further east were the “Afanaciervo culture”. Nomadic peoples who had moved east to the Aitai mountains in Siberia.
Nomadic tribes soon conquered eastern and northern Europe, by 3,ooo b.c. their blood had been enfused into the population by an estimated 75%. This infusion created the “Slavic bloodline”.
The conquests of the Nomadic warrior “Sargan” , later to become the Emperor of “Akkadia” ( 2334- 2277 b.c.) expanded further Nomadic culture to the Arabian peninsula , and west into north africa. By 1,750 b.c. , the “ Elimites”, had conquered the “Alimites, and the Sumarians,” as well as the city of “Ur”. Using horse drawn chariots,with light spoked wheels, they were able to defeat their enemies , and revolutionized warfare for the next 1,000 years.
By the end of the “Bronze Age”, tribes like the “ Scithians”, “Sakas”, Sumarians”, “Xungnui”, “Xugmi”, all similar in tactics dominated a huge swath of territory from the banks of the Danube to the river Huang-Ho ! Their light armored cavalry, fluid and flexible, proved to be irresistible in victory after victory. The tribes Independence and self sufficiency ensured the maintenance and survival of the tribe and it’s army.
In the sixth century b.c. , the great chieftain “ Cyrus”, conquered the high grasslands of what is now Iran ,He founded the “Persian Empire”, known to have been a kind Ruler ,His “Cyrus Cylinder”, an early declaration of human rights, “ Enshrined his Rule”.
The Greeks and Romans, seeds of western thought and culture, had dominated Europe and the Mediterranean for centuries, but by 336a.d. , the power of Rome began to weaken , from within and without. The Nomadic tribes living on the steppe, vibrant, and alive, began to look south. After many battles and Roman defeats; theGoths,Huns,Avars, Celts , and Vandals, finally defeated Rome in 476a.d. With that combined force the Empire of a thousand years was brought down.
Small tribal federations and kingdoms in Eastern and Northern Europe formed after the Roman demise. The Czechs, Croati, Serbs, Dragoviti, grew as sovereign states.
The Verangians ( Vikings), arrival in the ninth century ushered in a new era on the steppes. Plying the rivers of the Volga,Don, and Dnieper, on raiding and trading expeditions in their longboats . In 862 a.d. the sedentary dwellers of the upper Volga, asked the Verangian Chieftain “ Prince Rurik “ to be their king. He accepted , and founded the “Rurikid dynasty , (862—1578)”. Novgorod was made his capital. His people became known as the “RUS”.
With the crowning of Charlemagne in the year 800 , as the” Western Holy Roman Emperor”, Europe once again became a growing world power. Naturally at odds with Nomadic peoples,and Muslims alike. This animosity with the Moors in Spain, who showed tolerance with Christianity, as well as Judaism,,proved to be a harbinger of the future. This rift would deepen ,and widen , culminating in the “Crusades”. This 200 year War on Islam, launched by the Pope in Rome,with support from Europe, further deepened the schism between Europe and much of the known world.
In 1206 the Nomads of Mongolia had become unified and powerful under Temugin, “Genghis khan”. The stage was set for conquests of China, the western steppe, Russia, eastern and northern Eaurope, much of India, founding the “Mogul Empire”, known to have been tolerant in religion and politics. In 1223 Genghis Khan commenced a raid from the Indus valley , crossing the caucasus mountains , north through the cCrimea towards Kiev, defeating the “Kievin Prices”, at the battle of “Kalka River”; He then mysteriously withdrew to the eastern steppe. Genghis Khan’s son Batu Khan returned in 1237 and by 1241 had conquered all or Russia. Novgorod, and a few small cities survived by paying “Tribute”, to the “Golden Horde”.
At this time the German Teutonic knights, under Von Bock, sensing an opportunity for conquest, attacked Russia from the west. At the famous “ Battle of the Ice”, on frozen “Cheskoya Lake”. The immortal Alexander Nevski and his army defeated the Germans on April 12, 1242.
In the end Russian Princes were able to co- exist with their Mongolian conquerers . The Russian Princes became their “Vassals” with a “Royal Pierrage “. The “Golden Horde”, ruled Russia from their capital at Sarai. For the next 200 years Nomadic culture and blood spread throughout much of the world.
After this period the “Golden Horde”, began to disintegrate into separate Khanates ,. After 1480, Mongolian control of Russia ended. These loosely knit, Nomadic Confederations , known as Khanates, ruled the steppe from east to west. The Khan’s tolerated all religions : Tengri, Bon, Buddhist,Sunni, Shiite, Shamanist ,Pagan, Christian, Jew,Animist, Taoist, Hindu.
In 1295 “ Mahmus Ghazan” became Khan , and declared himself a Muslim , bringing Islam to many tribes. All across the steppe, from Uzbekistan,Kazakstan , to Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan, Islam spread. From the Ukraine,Cossacks of the Zaporizija, and the lower Don into the Crimea ,Nomadic life continued as it had for centuries , in the ways of their ancestors. For the last one hundred years Nomadic life had been in decline, but in the last 35 years a natural resurgence has taken place, due largely to the fall of the Soviet system, bringing independence to the steppe , once again. Independence movements in North Africa, and the middle east have also brought freedom.
Today in Kyrgyzstan , much has changed in the last 30 years. With independence has come a return to the Nomadic ways.
In the heights above Bishkek,the capital of Kyrgyzstan, a French film crew encountered a Nomadic herdsman tending his flock . He was asked to comment on his life, He replied : “ I am Noak, I am a Nomad, we have been Nomads since the time of our ancestors, we live in the mountains, we are Nomads. We move with the animals from one place to another. From the summer pastures to the winter pastures. It’s in our blood and so it should remain. We Kyrgyz were born and raised on a horse, we were born of animals and the soil, how could that all disappear ? I can’t drive a car, I only ride a horse, but different kinds of horses, race horses, work horses. I don’t like the city , it gives me a headache ,I just go to market to buy clothes. I prefer staying in the mountains where the air is fresh. The Earth will never be fully covered by the city, even though Bishkek may expand, it will never fully cover the Earth.
Further east a woman of the steppe was encountered milking mares she explained,” This is a new job for me. Before I was a mathematician , a computer engineer . During the Soviet Union, I worked in statistics, reporting to the calculation center, but their is no choice now. We must follow the path that allows us to live . Someone with real personality goes up into the mountains to preserve the purity of his soul,to live from his strength, from his own work , thats what freedom is.”
Shamanism, and healing are also part of the Kyrgyz tradition. Moving from magical place to magical place, the smoke of burning herbs fills the air. She spoke,” My children, My people,God, I ask you to protect us,protect us.” Thus cleaning herself and the place with smoke. We are the “ Kirkum tribe”. My grandmother was a “ Kosachik”, a clairvoyant, and that has been passed down through the generations,. When I was young, I had the “Evil eye” very badly. I couldn’t move or get up. A woman, Grandmother Ottoskool healed me, and from that moment I knew with all my heart in the power of Kyrgyz “Chilik”, Kyrgyz Shamanism. A patient of hers recalled,” I don’t often go to hospital,I prefer to come to this woman, and afterwards I feel lighter. She is someone to trust, and helps a great many people. Kyrgyz “Chilik” is a wealth of knowledge that comes from our ancestors. Because of our Nomadic heritage , out in nature we treat ourselves.”
Further south in Tajikistan , clans come together every year after “Ramadan”, before going their separate ways, these feasts help keep tribal unity intact. Deeper into the country we find groups of people and vehicles a small green valley where “KOK—BARU”is being played. This sport of Kings,a tradition among Nomadic warrior tribes, is light on rules, but big on action,commands the moment,reminding one of freedom and independence.
Today, further east in Mongolia , the phrase “ Independence and Freedom”, are not just empty words. With the end of Communism ,a new sense of openness ,and an influx of new ideas, with a reverence for the old has created a new dynamic . Mongolia stands today at the crossroads of a new future .With a new counter—culture, and respect for their past,Mongolians can look to the future with pride.
Independence from China and Russia at the end of the nineteenth century had been a Mongolian aim. They were helped in their quest by the Finnish adventurer and linguist “Ramstadt”, although full independence would take another century. Ramstadt’s expeditions helped expand awareness of the country to the rest of the world.
On his arrival to Mongolia, he wrote” I felt like a person who had just woken up,my soul was an old Mongolian soul. The Finn had entered Mongolia, bearing a “Diplomatic passport, in four languages”,stating the reason for his visit as being”To Search for Knowledge”. The Mongolians were pleased beyond measure with this “Seeker of Knowledge”. He became known as”BALIK TU BOCHE”, “Teacher or Great Knowledge”.
He once witnessed a Norwegian missionary trying to explain to a group of Mongolians, that for them, Christ would set them free, and open up the doors to heaven. One of them asked,” What happened to those who had died before his arrival in Mongolia,were they all lost? “Yes, he replied”. They all shouted, “ His God was too cruel, it was not their fault, that he had come too late.”!
He once asked a group of Mongolians about owning land. One of them asked” How is it you can buy land and not take it with you? “ With the bill of ownership, written on a piece of paper, “ Ramstedt replied. Someone suggested that he buy the Moon,and he promised to draw up the papers, as long as he gave him the money. Owning land was backwards to them, if anything, the land owns the person.
In an important Buddhist center ,and thriving Mongolian city,the Monks expressed to Ramstadt , their feeling that, Evil was stronger in the city. The people they said, were plagued by all sorts of visions, and vicious spirits.
Sleeping out on the steppe,wrapped in his fur coat, he felt as though he was one with the soil and the sky. Traveling from village to village, he collected many stories,proverbs, poems, riddles, puzzles, and songs.
The village in our valley
We consider our home
Our village we say with conviction
What a mistake
The hillside where the cattle
Is good to herd
We call it our land
Playing cheerfully
What a mistake
You pass away
When the lively days
Soon fall behind you
Our village, our land
You lose
And the mistakes end
The Mongolians say,” The arrival of the “Universal Buddha, in the world, will be preceded by the downfall of Humanity.
These are the immortal words of a Great North American Tribal Chieftain: “ The white man is a stranger,who comes in the night, and takes from the land whatever he needs. The Earth is not his brother,but his Enemy, and when he conquers it , he moves on. He leaves his Fathers grave behind, and does not care. He kidnaps the Earth from his children, and treats his mother the Earth, and his Brother the Sky, as things to be bought, plundered, and sold, like sheep, or bright beads. His appetite will devour the Earth, and leave a desert. The sight of your cities pains the eyes, there are no quiet places in them. The Whites too shall pass, perhaps sooner than other Tribes. Contaminate your bed, and one night you will suffocate in your own waste”.
——-ORACION——-
My mother who nourishes me
I can always come home
All around me
Awe, My delight at life
Harmony is here
Balancing everything
——-TAO——
Knowing ignorance is strength
Ignoring knowledge is Sickness
If one is sick of sickness
Then one is not sick
The Sage is not sick
Because he is sick of sickness
Therefore He is not sick