Different ethnic groups have different cultures. Different ethnic groups also have different cultural totems. So many times when we see the corresponding totems, we will know which ethnic group it is. And the totems of the Mongolian people are What? Below I have compiled the knowledge related to Mongolian national totems for everyone. I hope it will be useful to everyone.
Mongolian national totems
1. National totems
The totems worshiped by Mongolians include wolves, deers, bears, oxen, eagles, swans, trees, etc. wait. The first sentence of the opening chapter of "Secret History of Mongolia" reads: Genghis Khan's ancestors were born to receive the destiny of heaven and earth, including Techna and his wife Huoemalanle. The totems worshiped by Mongolians include wolf, deer, bear, Cows, eagles, swans, trees, etc.
In addition, influenced by the Han culture in the Central Plains, the Mongolian people also worship dragons, and some tribes worship tree totems, mango ox totems, etc. Various totem myths reflect the characteristics of the Mongolian nation and have many similarities with the myths of the northern ethnic groups, especially the Altaic ethnic groups, reflecting the close connection between them.
1. Wolf Totem
Mongolian Wolf Felt Painting The Mongolian wolf totem was originally the totem of the Borjijin clan of the ancient beggar tribe. This is mentioned in "The Secret History of Mongolia" and " It is recorded in "The Origin of Mongolia". After hundreds of years of interpretation, the wolf totem has been regarded as the totem of the entire Mongolian nation.
The opening chapter of "Secret History of Mongolia" clearly states: "The ancestors of Genghis Khan were born under the destiny of Heaven, Bor Techna (gray wolf) and his wife Huaimalanle (white deer). He crossed the Tengjisi Sea and came to live in front of the Burhan Mountain at the source of the Onan River. He gave birth to a son named Bata Chihan." It reflects the important historical fact that at the end of the Tang Dynasty, two Mongolian tribes with wolves and deer as their totems migrated westward from the Ergun River. The "Guoyu" and "Zhouyu" record: "Emperor Mu hunted Quanrong in the west, captured five of their kings, and returned home with four white wolves and four white deer." Historian Jian Bozan researched: "White Wolf and White Deer were the clan at that time."
"The Origin of Mongolia" records that during the hunt, Genghis Khan issued an edict to hunt two species of "Guo Omalal" (grass-yellow doe) and "Bult Keqinchunuo" (pale wolf). The release of wild beasts shows that they are protected as sacred beasts. "Duosang Mongol History" records that Wo Kuotai released a wolf in the hope of extending his life, but he did not expect the wolf to be "bitten and killed by a pack of hounds." Wokuotai felt that this was an ominous sign at the time. Sure enough, he died soon after.
2. Deer Totem
Mongolian shamans believe that deer can appear and can exorcise evil spirits. The hats worn by shamans in Barhu, Chahar, Horqin and other areas of Inner Mongolia are decorated with antlers made of iron sheets. The bronze mirrors and drums used also depict the image of deer, which illustrates that the Mongolian ancestors, especially the forest Hunters once regarded deer as their totem spirit.
3. Eagle Totem
Horqin’s right-wing Durbert Urtunasubei is the twenty-seventh grandson of Genghis Khan’s younger brother Hasar. Their clan calls itself Eagle. Clan, the eldest son and grandson of each generation are named after various eagles.
According to the "Secret History of Mongolia", the youngest son of the 10th generation ancestor of Genghis Khan, Boduanchaer Menghehei, was abandoned by his four brothers. When he was desperate, he hunted with an eagle to survive. His descendants The Jin family of Bo'er regards the eagle as a lifesaver and worships it as a protector. Before Temujin became Khan, he was framed by his "Anda" (brotherly best friend) Jamuka, and a falcon saved him.
Mongolian shaman tradition believes that Haiqing is the divine bird messenger from heaven. It was ordered to come to the world to marry the tribal leader, gave birth to a beautiful girl, and raised her to be the earliest "Woman" in the world. "Dugen" (Wizard). In the Buryat shaman myths and legends, the earliest incarnation of the male shaman is also related to the eagle.
4. Bear Totem
Buryat and Dalhat people often call bears ancestors and sacred, and call bears "Otogo", which means elder or old man. , they believe that humans evolved from bears, and call bears directly their grandfather, father, and ancestors. This is exactly how people regard bears as having a blood relationship with themselves, so they use corresponding kinship titles to call them, like Treat them like relatives. The Dalhat people follow a very special set of customs and etiquette when hunting bears. For example, male bears can hunt in all seasons, but female bears do not. They have to wait until they give birth to cubs and start hunting after they leave the cave in spring.
Mongolian religious beliefs
Shamanism is the ancient primitive religion of the Mongols. Shamanism worships a variety of nature spirits and ancestral spirits. Genghis Khan believed in shamanism and worshiped Tengri Khan, the "Eternal Emperor". Until the Yuan Dynasty, shamanism dominated Mongolian society and still had an important influence among the Mongolian royal family, princes, nobles and people. When the royal family worships ancestors, worships the ancestral temple, or when the emperor comes to visit the capital, shamans will preside over the sacrifices. Genghis Khan and his successors adopted an inclusive policy towards various religions. Popular religions include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity, Shamanism, etc. During the period of Mengge Khan, in addition to believing in shamanism, Mengge Khan and the royal family also supported Muslims, Christians, Taoist disciples and Buddhist monks, and personally participated in various religious ceremonies. The same policy was adopted during the Yuan Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty, Islamic temple-building activities spread all over the country, and Christianity was also valued and protected. The national teacher Phagpa had initiated initiations to Kublai Khan, his queen, princes and many others. Buddhism replaced shamanism in the court. However, the influence of Buddhism is limited to the upper ruling class of Mongolia, and most Mongolians still believe in shamanism.
In the second half of the 16th century, Alatan Khan of the Mongolian Tumed tribe welcomed Tsongkhapa's Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1578, Amada Khan and __ III Sonam Gyatso met at Yanghua Temple in Qinghai and held a Dharma conference. At the dharma meeting, Sonam Gyatso was conferred by Amada Khan as the "Holy Consciousness All Wazildala__ Lama" ", from which the title of Lama came into being. After that, with the support and promotion of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tibetan Buddhism flourished in Mongolia. However, shamanism has been preserved to varying degrees in the eastern region in the form of sacrifices, divination, and healing activities.
Under the initiative of the Qing government, temples were built throughout Mongolia, Buddhist statues were carved, murals were painted, gods were cast, and various metal crafts were developed. Lamaism became a tool to paralyze the Mongolian people in Mongolia.
Mongolian language and writing
The Mongolians have their own language and writing. Mongolian language belongs to the Mongolian language family of the Altaic language family, and has four dialects: Inner Mongolian, Oirat, Barhu Buryat, and Horqin.
The traditional Mongolian script can be traced back to 1204 AD. After the Uighur seal official Tata Tonga was captured by the Mongols, Genghis Khan highly praised his loyalty to the country and awarded him the same title. This is how the Mongolian script was born. In Uighur writing. It was written horizontally at first, but later became vertical. The Mongolian explanation for this is that when it is necessary to write on the horse's neck, it is more convenient to write vertically.
At the end of this century, Kublai Khan, Taizu of the Yuan Dynasty, created another "Basiba" character and made it popular. This intricate writing style was created by Luo Zhe Gyaltsen and middot Phagpa, a monk from Tibet who was Kublai Khan's imperial advisor. He hoped to use this script to bring a unified writing and communication method to Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian in the Yuan Dynasty. But this kind of writing is only available among the upper classes.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the Mongolian scholar Choji and Orsir reformed the original script and became the standardized Mongolian script that is still in use today. The Mongolian people in Yunnan speak Yi and Chinese, and their Mongolian language is roughly similar to the Mongolian language in the north. In 1368, after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the character "Basiba" also withdrew from the universal system.
In the 1940s, under the influence of the Soviet Union, Mongolia established a "Character Reform Committee" with writers such as Damuddin Suren participating. Soon after, it officially abandoned the Uighur Mongolian script and began to use Cyrillic letters. Based on Cyrillic Mongolian script.
After the 1980s, some junior high schools and high schools in Mongolia offered Uighur-style Mongolian courses, but the promotion effect was not ideal. Only some schools in Mongolia still offer Uighur-style Mongolian courses, but neither parents nor students pay much attention to the study of this course.
In 1979, China formally established the basic dialect and standard pronunciation of Mongolian. In 1980, the People's Government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region approved and forwarded the "Request for Instructions on Establishing the Basic Mongolian Dialect, Standard Pronunciation and Trial Mongolian Phonetic Symbols" of the "Eight-Province Mongolian Language Work Collaboration Group" and decided to use Chahar dialect as the standard pronunciation. In 1977, the "Regulations on Mongolian Language Punctuation Marks" were adopted at the Second Mongolian Language Professional Conference of eight provinces and regions. In 1991, the Ethnic Language Committee of the Autonomous Region issued the "Notice on the Trial Implementation of Mongolian Language Abbreviations and Abbreviations." In 1996, the "Mongolian alphabetical order" was standardized. In 1997, the "Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Mongolian Orthography Committee" was established and held its first meeting to standardize more than 3,000 non-standard basic entries into more than 1,500 entries and unify the writing forms of their derived words.
In 2010, Mongolian President Elbegdorj issued an order to resume and expand the use of Uighur Mongolian script. The order stipulates that when the President of Mongolia, the Chairman of the National Great Hural (Parliament), and government officials communicate with foreign officials of the same level, official documents and letters must use Uighur Mongolian; the birth and marriage certificates of Mongolian citizens, Relevant certificates and graduation certificates issued by educational institutions at all levels must use both Uighur Mongolian and Cyrillic Mongolian.