Initiative group of Buryat cultural practitioners Yazguur
The initiative group Yazguur unites young enthusiasts, representatives of artistic Buryat youth, working on the core issues affecting not only Buryats, but also Indigenous Peoples all over the world: self-determination, cultural continuity and restoration, safeguarding of sacred landscapes and indigenous lands, teaching native languages and ancient ways of knowing to our youth, and cross-cultural exchange. The group members are young people with Darkhan (black- and silver-smith) lineage, the descendants of uligershiin (epic storytellers) and spiritual practitioners, as well as artists, poets, and musicians. The dialogue, promotion of traditional philosophy via forms of modern esthetics became for them an important tool for reconnection with their own roots, enhancement of native identity, and better understanding of oneself and the world around. They work as an independent, non-officially registered group of artistic practitioners. The group is led by Rinchin Garmaev of the Darkhan lineage and Maria Azhunova, the descendent of spiritual practitioners of the Ekhirit clan.
There was significant interest in the arts. The essential rules of the Buryad Zurag art tradition were learned. Children are doing creative work using this new knowledge. We developed an innovative program based on indigenous approaches to education and raising children. The rebirth of a traditional artistic expression of identity has been activated.gender balance was 50/50. All children recognized themselves as indigenous residents of Buryatiya and eagerly absorbed this new information.
Buryats – one of the largest Indigenous Peoples of Inner Asia – today has a population of approximately 500,000 members. The Nation with incredibly rich and ancient culture, history and spirituality has experienced deepest disturbances, especially during the past century. Because of political power struggle, a strong Buryat union of nomadic Mongolian-speaking tribes with one culture, one landscape, spirituality, worldview, and lifeways ended up being forcefully divided among three neighboring nation-states: Russia, China and Mongolia. Today, many communities of the torn-apart Buryat Nation are facing serious issues of self-determination, massive assimilation, loss of the sense of identity, loss of traditions, and native language. In the heart of our Yazguur (roots, sources) program lays our commitment to assist the modern Buryat youth in search of identity, their rightful place in the modern world, as well as in the lineage of generations of their people. Due to notorious historical reasons, the continuity of knowledge and value systems has been interrupted and needs urgent recreation. The goal of the project is re-awakening of indigenous creativity, original “off the bitten track” thinking, and the sense of belonging to culture, history and traditions of native people, strengthening the ties to the native land among Buryat youth. Methods of work: immersion into the cultural space of nomadic Buryats of Mongolia, direct interactions with elders and indigenous cultural practitioners, restoration of relationships with nature and connections to native landscapes through special programs of Nomadic Schools of Creativity and Arts.
