Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (GAMES): Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
In spite of the universal education that the state provides to children, the role of domestic education remains important for what Kalmyks call ‘growing up to be a Kalmyk’ which prepares children for adult life in society. Folklore, beliefs, practices related to pastoralism and hunting, and many other kinds of knowledge are taught in the family environment through various games. Games, however, are not exclusive to children. For adults, games also bear educational, entertaining, aesthetic, and bonding significance. Many traditional games reinforce social norms and values. Dramatic social, cultural, and economic changes that took place in Kalmykia over the past century, however, have reshaped and re-prioritized many aspects of traditional domestic education as well as social values, which can be also seen in the changing pattern of games. Here you can view and listen to stories about traditional games that are rapidly losing their popularity and educational significance.
Ivan says that in his childhood he played with ankle bones. Boys also played by ramming each other with their foreheads. In the past, sheep were killed for food only after it reached 5 years of age. The 25th bone in the vertebra of the sheep was used to play a special game.
Maria says that in her childhood she played various games involving animal ankle bones. Each side of an ankle bone has a name: alts, takh, bek, chokh. One game involves knocking out small ankle bones from the row with larger ones. Children throw an ankle like a dice to determine who moves first.
Yefrosinya reminisces about her childhood. In 1941 they lived in Elista. She was the only girl in the family. Her father, who often went to other cities to study, bought her dolls, cars and other toys. In contrast, other children in her neighborhood only played with hand-made toys and did not call Efrosinya to join them. In 1943, after the German Army had retreated, Kalmyk children played with ankle bones. Efrosinya played with others a game called ‘lapta’. She met her future husband while playing this game.
Efrosinya says that this game, known among the Tersk Kalmyks, involves a metal pot. Words used in the game are as follows:
What I was And what I have become? In which year Did I become so obedient?
The bazaar is really big And full of corns. A Russian lady is walking towards you, Hey, give her a way.
A Kalmyk woman has died, Lying in a coffin, A piece of bortsok biscuit Is what she keeps in her mouth.
Why the lamp is not burning? There is no kerosene! Why my sweetheart is not coming to see me? He is not around at home!
What I was And what I have become? To what a stupid man I became so obedient!
Vasiliy says the following: In my childhood I played with my brothers various games involving ankle bones. Our grandmother had a big bag where she kept ankle bones of sheep, goats, cows, camels, and horses. She taught us how to play with the bones. She also knew yas kemyalgn (reciting the signs of the twenty-fifth vertebra of a sheep bone) which I have already forgotten.
Ivan reminisces that in his childhood he liked to play with ankle bones. The most difficult game was knocking a row of ankle bones with other ankle bones from a distance of about 3 meters. The bones that were used for throwing were made heavy by drilling a hole inside the bone and filling it with lead. Another game involved throwing bones like you would throw a dice. The number of points depended on which side the bone fell.
Sangadzhi-Garya talks about games that children played in his childhood. He reminisces: When we were small, we played a catch-up game. Holding each other’s hands, we used to run around the tent. Also, we played with a ball made from white wool. People played this game in the evening. The rule was: whoever found the ball in the dark, that person won. People also played with balls made from horse hair. We often played with ankle bones. There were no other toys.
Ivan talks about a game with ankle bones and explains how to make playing balls from cow’s hair.
Dzhidzha talks about two games that she played in her childhood, namely ‘shaga’ and ‘tsagan modn’. The former involves ankle bones, and the latter is a game played in the evening. A game testing one’s speed, tsagan modn involves throwing a stick and chasing it. Whoever gets the stick first is chased by others who try to take it away.
In the past children played with ankle bones. My father was very good at weaving whips. In Siberia he worked in a factory that produced felt boots. In Siberia there were no toys, we made toy houses and little men from clay. In spring we played in the gardens.
In childhood we played a lot. I had male and female dolls, I sewed clothes for them, fed them and played weddings. Interestingly, we distinguished them by khoton, this is our khoton, that is yours and we visited each other. We played how our parents lived, we imitated them. Also, we played hide-and-seek and racing. There was a game called Tsagan monda (white ball). In the evening we would make a ball out of rags. At dusk or at night someone would throw it and we would search for it. The one who found the ball was the winner, and then the winner throws the ball. We also played lapta. These games have been forgotten now. In Siberia we played hopscotch. We also made dolls out of old pieces of fabric. We made doll’s hair using threads, tied a shawl on its head and painted its face. We sewed dresses and skirts for the them. My doll had many dresses. I used to sew doll clothes until the twilight. We gave names to our dolls. Our dolls had parents and siblings. This is how we played.
Vladimir says that 'nyarn shinj' is a riddle that helps to improve one's memory and skills. The number of rings in the riddle can be 8 or 12. The rings are made from a horn. The winner is the one who finishes the riddle first.
Vladimir says that today not many children play with ankle bones. He recalls when he was young, children played with bones more often. According to Vladimir, various games using ankle bones develop flexibility, agility, and muscle in children’s hands. Ankles bones are taken from the back legs of a cow or a sheep. It is possible to determine the age and health of animals by examining this particular bone.
Nikolai says that Vladimir Baglikov, who is a physicist, created a new game with wooden blocks with Kalmyk letters on them. Nikolai himself improved the game which can be used in the teaching of Kalmyk.
In Siberia Kalmyk children played with ankle bones. Ankle bones needed to be prepared for games first by drilling a small hole inside and filling the bones with melted lead. It was usually boys who played with ankle bones. Girls played with dolls made from cloth and also liked making up stories.
Alena talks about traditional games, including khorma khotn, tsagan monda, mongn bus, nyarn shinj, and games played with ankle bones. Tsagan monda was a game played at night by several people. The rule is simple: A ball made of white cow skin is pushed into a hole. Games with ankle bones were reserved only for boys. Girls did not play such games.
In his childhood Anatoliy played with ankle bones. First, the ankle bones were polished with a stone and then a small hole was made in the middle of each ankle bone which were filled with lead. This was to make ankle bones heavier. These bones were used in the ‘who will throw it the furthest’ game. Anatoliy reminisces that children walked with their pockets full of ankle bones.
Zurgada says that in her childhood she played with balls made from the dung of cows, sheep or camels. Children, usually boys, played with ankle bones. Each side of the ankle bone had a name. Children also made figures and objects from mud to play with. At night children played with balls made from cow’s hair.
‘Dugrul’ is a game played by boys of about the age of 10. The player hits a whirligig with a whip so that it whirls. In the past, this game was used as training for future wolf hunters who used whips. ‘Drag the rope’ is known among many peoples. The Kalmyk version differs in that the winners not only have to pull the rope to themselves but also seize a handkerchief from the opposing team. ‘Nyarn shinj’ is played by two people. The winner is the one who first arranges the nyarn shinj i.e. by putting metal rings into the rod and then pulling out the rod from inside the rings.
Tatyana says that in Siberia children played with ankle bones, a game which was also helpful in learning arithmetic. Colorful ankle bones were dyed with various herbs. Also, these bones were used in divination.
Bulya explains how to play the following games: ‘silver belt’ (a game played with a belt), ‘khorma khotn’ (a pulling game) and ‘dule modna’ (a game with a ball).
At the beginning Alexandra explains the rules of each game in the video to the pupils. The game called ‘Shoot out’ is played by two teams, consisting of two to four players in each.