Nikolai Burlakoff

From Nomadism to Global Urbanism Nikolai Burlakoff

This is a catalog of an exhibit delineating the history of Kalmyk (Western Mongolians) people, as they migrated from the Altai Mountains to Russia, and subsequently to the U. S. Each of nine chapters represents the texts used in the exhibit's banners. Each banner represents a theme that is critical in the understanding of the process of evolution of Kalmyks from pastoral nomadism to today's global urbanism. The themes are: THE GER (YURT)-NOMAD'S HOME AND UNIVERSE KALMYK JOURNEYS KALMYKS IN AMERICA KALMYK LANGUAGE KALMYK LITERATURE (DZHANGAR) KALMYK WOMEN (DZHOMBA) KALMYK MEN (SOCCER) KALMYK RELIGION (END-OF-LIFE RITUALS) KALMYK CELEBRATIONS An afterword by the curator of the exhibit, Nikolai Burlakoff, touches, on the eight years of fieldwork that resulted in the exhibit, and is an invitation to further study the complex and painful process of cultural adaptation. The curator also expresses the hope that diaspora Kalmyks in the U. S. are ready to preserve and research their proud history.