Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (LIVESTOCK BREEDING/CAMELS): Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
Tatyana reminisces about her childhood experience of witnessing a camel being slaughtered. She also says that when a she-camel rejects her calf, Kalmyka sing a song called ‘Bodzhula’. While listening to this song, the she-camel weeps and lets her calf suckle her teats.
Vasiliy says the following: Many children today have never even seen a camel because almost no one keeps them anymore. In the past we had many camels that pulled carts and were used as a means of transportation. People also used camel hair. (Repetition) Once I saw two male camels fight with each other. In was in spring, and the camels got locked into each other. There were many men around, but noone dared to approach the beasts. One camel broke the jaw of the other. Since it would not have survived and died of hunger anyway, the injured camel was slaughtered for meat.
Sangadzhi-Garya reminisces about the camels that he saw in his childhood. Requiring no care or supervision, camels grazed by themselves. Since their tongues are hard, they could eat prickles. When on heat, they became dangerous. A male camel could bite a female until she lay down. Males also turned aggressive when females gave birth. Males spat, attacked, and could even trample people. Camel’s hair falls off by itself. Nomads did not have to cut it. Young camel babies cried when they were hungry. It was only after suckling their mothers’ milk that they calmed down.
This video features a camel race held at the hippodrome in Elista in May 2016. The race includes four camels.
Sometimes female camels reject their calves. Female camels are jealous and squeamish animals. If a child touched a calf, its mother could reject it. In order to help the calf young Kalmyk women go to the female camel and sing a song with the dombra: ‘When the crane leads its chick in the autumn, whom will you lead then?’ On listening to such a song, female camels indeed weep and accept their calves.
In the past, the Kalmyks ate beef and horse meat. The poor ate camel meat. People who ate camel meat had pimples on their faces. The camel’s pelt and humps were used to make vessels. The intestines were cleaned, stretched and dried. It was used to make strings for dombra instruments.
Valeriy says that there are only 5,000 camels left that can be described as of Kalmyk breed. The majority of them are in Astrakhan oblast’. Ulyumdzhi Mandzhiev adds that camels are not very well studied either. In the past, camel’s urine was used to treat skin inflammations, burns and cuts. When on heat, camels could be aggressive and chase people to death. A camel’s pregnancy is the longest among all livestock. It lasts for 13 months. By contrast, that of horses lasts for 11 months, cows - 9 months, and sheep – 5 and a half months.
A female camel is pregnant for 11 months. Sometimes female camels reject their calves. In order to make them accept their calves young Kalmyk women play on the dombra instrument and sing a song for the camel: ‘She female, she female, take your calf’. After some time, female camels weep and accept their calves.