Novye Issledovaniâ Tuvy (Dec 2018)
The Extraction of Chonar-Dash: traditional technology and a part of Tuvan environmental culture
Abstract
The article examines the traditions of excavating and extracting the Chonar-Dash (agalmatolite) in Tuvan culture – a process, including, inter alia, a concern for preserving the agalmatolite deposits and keeping them renewable. We have studied methods and ways of extracting the resource, as well as the educational impact of the tradition of environmental management and protection. The Chonar-Dash, or ‘soft stone’, is used in the art of stone carving, which is an ancient and popular form of Tuvan applied art. Master stonecutters believe that the quality of the product directly depends on the conditions of the stone’s ‘birth’, i.e. how it was extracted and what attitude to the stone the miners had. The deposit used in the past and at present is the one on the Saryg-Haya (Yellow Rock) mountain located on the territory of the Bai-Taiga kozhuun of the Republic of Tyva. The process of extraction, starting with specific rituals, is described hete in detail. It includes several stages: preparatory; the extraction proper; the selection of stones; returning some of them into the pit for “saving”; and finally, the closure of the pit. The descriptions are illustrated by schemes, drawn by the author. Of highest importance is the issue of contemporary mining without following these rules. This leads to the depletion of the deposit and a waste of resources, to which old masters react with a righteous anger. The author believes that the rules of engaging with the environment, as demonstrated by this old Tuvan technology, are a lot stricter than the modern environmental standards followed at large industrial enterprises dealing with nature. This is why it is difficult for local residents to accept innovations advanced by proponents of industrialization. These contradictions lie at the heart of many problems of the republic’s economy. The study has been based on the field materials collected by the author in 1960-2018, as well as those preserved at the National Museum of Republic of Tyva and other archives.
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