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Learning About Mongolian Life and Culture

It is rare to name one's tribe

Many Mongolians in other countries, living among many peoples, feel that simply saying "Mongolian" is not enough and emphasize their tribe's name. In contrast, in Mongolia it is rare to name one's tribe. In daily life, apart from one or two such as the Buryats, people seem almost unaware of "tribe".

Why is tribal consciousness weak?

In Mongolia, the Khalkh make up an overwhelming majority. National language education has been developed based on the Khalkh dialect, and with public broadcasting such as radio and television and newspapers spreading across the country, assimilation to the Khalkh dialect progressed and the Khalkh dialect became, so to speak, the standard language. Cultural unification also progressed; in other words, each dialect weakened and the cultural characteristics of each tribe faded. For that reason, the tribal consciousness seen in other areas such as Inner Mongolia became weak.

There are no differences in appearance or dress, and unless someone deliberately speaks in dialect, you cannot even tell tribes apart. In particular, in urban areas such as the capital Ulaanbaatar, where about half the population is concentrated, life is far from one based on tribe.

In the western region

However, in the western region, where minority tribes are adjacent, there does seem to be some tribal consciousness. They seem sometimes to speak ill of each other, saying "that tribe is cunning" or "that tribe is lazy". There also seem to be fixed images of each tribe, and I have heard people say "that tribe is diligent" or "that tribe has a strong sense of kinship, so marrying into it is hard".

In any case, in Mongolia there is not as much tribal consciousness as in other regions, and it can be said that people live almost without being conscious of "tribe".

Tips for Guiding

On a trip in Mongolia you may have a chance to meet small groups such as the Buryats (Dadal, northern and eastern Khentii Province), Darkhad, Tsaatan (Tuvans who keep reindeer), Kazakhs in the west, Khoshuud and Zakhchin. Each has distinctive language, dress and way of life. For the Kazakhs, see the separately compiled "kazakh-mongolia.docx".