유목문화 속에 반영된 몽골의 낙타 민속

Abstract

As one of the five major livestock in Mongolia, camels are an important part of nomadic ways of living. So in this article Mongolian folklore will be analysed to find out, how and in which ways camels are reflected in folk-tales, proverbs and riddles, historical materials like “Secret History of the Mongols” and folk terms used in every day life. Firstly, once we investigate Mongolian camels inside folk-tales we will find out that most camels are regarded as physically tall and strong, but mentally stupid and stubborn. For this reason, in the course of competition camels are often loosing against physically weaker and smaller but sly animals like rats. Also it is interesting to observe that camels have got characteristic features from each of the twelve zodiac animals. Secondly, Mongolian proverbs and riddles concerning camels display their physical distinctions as well as their nature and habitude through sharp observations in the nomadic life. In particular, proverbs often compare camels with goats. This is because camels are believed to be big and tough whereas goats are small and weak. Thirdly, as far as camels are concerned, there are some written descriptions inside the “Secret History of the Mongols”. Most of these historical documents reflect that camels are closely linked to nomadic livelihood. Also several comments in the text mention that Tangut people definitely contributed to the wide spread of camels inside Mongolia. In addition, inside these materials, camels are used as precious contaminants, sent with an envoy or a diplomatic representative in the nomadic culture. Fourthly, folk terms about camels in daily life conversations are worthwhile to note. Those folk terms display not only camels' age and sex, but also their delicate physical motions and habits. Also some folk terms show nomadic livelihood associated with camels while other folk materials are connected to a camel-breeding tradition, that give us an unusual insight into Mongolian nomadic life.