SACRED MOUNTAINS IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN NATION: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION OF LANDSCAPE IN MONGOLIA1

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyze the relationship between the landscape and the process of building national identity in Mongolia in the context of political transformation. I describe contemporary practices related to the public tachilga offering intended for the guardians of the most important mountains with national status in Mongolia. I consider how the local ontology based on the relational interaction between human and non-human entities is reflected at the level of state activities. Discussing the issue, I refer to the category of landscape and show how it has become a major actor in contemporary national discourse in Mongolia.

Keywords

• Mongolia
• Altai
• tachilga ceremonies
• invented tradition
• landscape