As daylight fades over Mongolia’s grasslands, a mother camel turns her back on her newborn calf. Herders know what to try next: a song. UNESCO ’s listing for the coaxing ritual for camels describes how the mother is tied close to the calf while a singer begins a monotone melody, adding gestures and chanting. The aim is to persuade a female camel to accept a newborn or take on an orphaned calf.
UNESCO placed it on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2015, under oral traditions, performing arts, social practices and rituals, and knowledge about nature and the universe. The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage explained its decision to inscribe the ritual in decision 10.COM 10.A.5 , adopted at its session in Windhoek, Namibia. The committee also commended Mongolia for improving a nomination first submitted in 2011, noting that renowned tradition bearers initiated the process and that practitioners and local government leaders provided their consent. 15, 2019, and Dec. 15, 2023, with the next report due by June 30, 2027.
The singer does not stick to a single tune. If the mother is aggressive at first, the coaxer shifts the melody and slowly wins her over. The ritual takes place at dusk or twilight and requires skill with camels, along with a talent for singing and playing the horsehead fiddle or flute. Most herders practice coaxing methods. When a family has no singer or musician nearby, a professional coaxer can be called in. The skills pass from parents and elders to young people through instruction at home. The ritual also helps nomadic families build and maintain ties with their wider community . It found that the nomination met all five criteria for the urgent safeguarding list. Passed on orally from elders to young people, the ritual reflects the bond between people and animals in a pastoral community facing a harsh climate . It also teaches younger generations about nomadic culture and the economy while giving the community a sense of identity and continuity. The committee recognized Mongolia ’s efforts to safeguard a tradition from a culture facing rapid changes to its social and ecological systems. Mongolia’s safeguarding plan centers on apprenticeships in coaxing and music-making led by tradition bearers, an in-depth study by a team of scholars, and awareness activities at local and national levels. The practicing community helped plan these measures and will play a significant role in carrying them out and monitoring their progress. Government bodies will coordinate the participants and manage resources. UNESCO’s records show that Mongolia must periodically report on the condition of the coaxing ritual and the progress of its safeguarding measures. Reports were submitted on Dec. These updates allow UNESCO to monitor the tradition’s viability and the implementation of measures intended to preserve it. To an observer, the ceremony may appear straightforward: a singer, an agitated mother camel and her calf at sunset. However, without younger generations learning the songs, Mongolia risks losing an element of its nomadic cultural heritage.
