Article, Historical

D.Sukhbaatar: Modern Buryat

Picture: https://ayurmedica03.com/ 

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and global communism was thrown into the dustbin of history. The Russian Federation has entered into new social relations, and the human rights issue has improved in Buryatia and Mongolia. Now Buryatia is restoring its native language, culture and religion. Since the Mongolian language has died out in Buryatia, it is very difficult to restore the original language. Buryats do not understand when they speak Buryat Mongolian, but when they speak Russian, children and old people understand. Now Mongolian culture, Mongolian language and Buddhism are being revived in Buryatia. Some important social problems are still not solved in Buryatia.

Since 1990, Buryat intellectuals have repeatedly offered to return the name of Buryat Mongol, but the Russian top leadership did not accept it, and the Russian government did not apologize or give compensation for the genocide of the Buryat people.

Ust-Ordynski and Agi district were not restored. Buryat devotees have invited Dalai Lama to Buryatia many times since 1993, but the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet given permission. In Buryatia, the Russian leadership did not allow Mongolian to become an official second language. The Buryats still have no right to reclaim their native lands from the Russians. The Russians control and privatize all lands of Buryatia.

An ordinary Buryat citizen cannot find a place to graze his cattle, get hay, or build his house. When an ordinary person borrows from a bank, the interest rate is insurmountably high. Russians and Jews continued to occupy leadership positions in all government institutions of Buryatia. So far, a Buryat has never been elected as the president of Buryatia. Living under the constant pressure of the Great Power, our Buryat Mongols still name incorrectly about Buryat language, Buryat culture, and Buryat poetry. They need to learn to call it Buryat Mongolian language, Buryat Mongolian culture.

Currently, the territory of the Republic of Buryatia, a subject of the Russian Federation, is 351,334 square kilometers, and the population is 974,000, of which 286,000 are Buryat Mongols. 65.0 percent of the population is Russian and 30.0 percent is Buryat Mongols. There are currently 440,000 Buryat Mongols living in the Russian Federation. Buryatia is a country rich in minerals. A total of more than 700 mineral deposits have been explored, including 247 gold deposits, 7 tungsten deposits, 13 uranium deposits, 2 molybdenum deposits, 8 fluorspar deposits, and 4 coal deposits. Economy of Buryatia is developing.

Buryatia is an industrial-agricultural country. More than 1600 factories work in Buryatia. In these factories, products such as aircraft equipment, road bridge parts, electronic tools, wood, cardboard, woollen cloth, building materials, canned meat, noodles, and cement are produced. Looking at the economic structure, 60.0 percent of the total domestic product is produced by industry and 27.0 percent by agriculture. 15.0 percent is occupied by construction and 20.9 percent by other sectors. Machine, metal processing, non-ferrous metal, food, fuel, forestry, wood processing and paper industries have developed in Buryatia.

After many years, I went to Buryat Mongolia. Recently. In 2018, the "Altargana" cultural festival of Mongol Ethnicity Buryats was held in Ust-Ordynski of Irkutsk. Hundreds of Buryats from Southern Mongolia, Shineheen Buryats, Mongolia's Khentii, Eastern Province Buryats, Ulan-Ude and Agi of Chita came to this festival. I participated in the Buryat poetry festival and read two of my poems.

Now, Mongolian customs have been revived in Buryatia, and young people are learning the Buryat Mongolian language well. Mongolian music and poetry are developing well in Buryatia. I am a Khalkh native of Khentii, so I am very interested in the history and culture of the Buryat people. Tseveen Jamsranov, Gombojav Tsybikob, Peter Badmayev, and Byambyn Rinchen  from the Mongolian Yenshoobu tribe... were born among the Buryat population. I have been to Soviet Buryat four times.

Went twice in the eighties and twice recently. In 2018, I went to the Ivolginsky datsan of Buryatia and worshiped Itgelt Khamba (Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov). Now this Altargana festival. I once went to Baikal lake with my family and rested for two days. Baikal is a beautiful lake. All the names of mountains, rivers and springs in the inner natural area are Mongol names. In 1700, Mongolia lost this beautiful native land with the mother Baikal Lake to Tsarist Russia. First of all, I asked a Buryat person with a higher education how well many Buryat people live in their native land in Buryat Mongolia.

That Buryat Mongol said: "Buryat people lost everything. "We have lost all our land pastures, language, culture, natural resources, and valuables to Russia," he said sadly.

But the Buryat Mongolian language and culture are only now recovering. I will suggest something suddenly. As a result of Russia's genocidal policy, the Buryat intellectuals and people still have the wrong idea that "Russia is good and Mongolia is bad" embedded in their brains even after the end of the twenty-first century and the end of communism. Because at that "Altargana" festival, a young man from Buryat asked me something very selfishly. That young man knows Russian very well, he knows the Mongolian language very well. He was a bright and smart student.

That Buryat Mongol guy once asked me, "Brother Sukhee. You are an experienced and intelligent person. Can I ask you something?” says. I said "sure". The young man said: "I am a student. I fell in love with a Mongolian student who studied with me at Ulan-Ude University and wanted to get married. But my parents said, "No matter what, don't marry that Mongolian girl." scolding me. Why can't I marry a beautiful girl from Khalkh Mongolia? How can I marry a Mongolian girl? Please tell me."

I thought to myself: "The father and mother of this smart Buryat young man must be intellectuals in their forties. "However, the fact that this beautiful son, who is only in his twenties, does not want to marry a Mongolian girl means that the evil of the current Soviet genocidal policy of "Russia is good and Mongolia is bad'' is still there." I told him, "You are a Mongol young man from Mongol. That girl is a Khalkh Mongol of Mongol Ethnicity girl. There is nothing better than people of the same nationality, language and culture marrying each other.

Well, just do the three things I tell you. And your wish will come true. First, you should go to Mongolia and ask for a bride in the Mongolian way with a gift to the parents of the girl you are going to marry. Second, you need to go to Mongolia, register your marriage at the Civil Registry Office and get a marriage certificate to become a legal family. Third, you need to have children. Show your children to your parents. If your parents aren't metal robots, why wouldn't they fall in love when they see their grandchildren?'' I know. Thank you very much brother Sukhbaatar" said the young Buryat, who was very happy.

Nowadays, Buryat Mongols have a chance to rise again. Inner Baikal, home of my ancestors, has many wonderful things. Many beautiful mountains, ridges, springs, rivers, the Baikal Mother Sea, the eternal meditation of the Itgelt Khamba, Ivolginsky datsan, Buddhist temples, Buryat dialect music, Buryat zone customs... all these are a guarantee that the big part of my Mongol Ethnicity is existing. May the Mongolian people of Buryatia revive their native language, culture and religion, live in peace and prosper.

Publicist: Sukhbaatar Dorj, lawyer, journalist, publicist, historian and theologian 

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