Oirat-Kalmyk Folk Songs. Documentation, Publication and Research

Ghilyana Dordzhieva | Mongol-American Cultural Association: Kalmyks' and Western Mongols' Ut Dun/Urtyn Duu Long Songs

The Western Mongolian regional traditions of ut dun/urtyn duu long songs encompass the musical heritage of the Oirat ethnic groups in the Uvs, Hovd and Bayan-Ölgii provinces of Mongolia, as well as in Inner Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China and the Kalmyk Republic of Russia. This lecture will explore long songs as vital expressions of identity, shared history, collective memory, cultural customs and etiquette.

Chingis Azydov | Friedrich Schiller University Jena: Folk Songs Recorded Among Kalmyk Emigrants to Europe and America

The civil war in Russia caused widespread destruction and claimed many lives, forcing many Kalmyks to flee their homeland for survival. In 1920, some emigrated to Turkey, and later to Europe. After World War II, these Kalmyks, along with a new wave of refugees, ended up in displaced persons camps in Germany, from which they migrated to the United States in 1951-1952. Despite being far from their homeland, the Kalmyks made great efforts to preserve their language and folklore.