The Clothes Of The Wealthy Tartars Are For The Most Part Of Gold And Silk
Stuffs, Lined With Costly Furs, Such As Sable And Ermine, Vair And
Fox-Skin, In The Richest Fashion.
NOTE 1.
- There is no reference here to Buddhism, which was then of recent
introduction among the Mongols; indeed, at the end of the chapter, Polo
speaks of their new adoption of the Chinese idolatry, i.e. Buddhism. We
may add here that the Buddhism of the Mongols decayed and became
practically extinct after their expulsion from China (1368-1369). The old
Shamanism then apparently revived; nor was it till 1577 that the great
reconversion of Mongolia to Lamaism began. This reconversion is the most
prominent event in the Mongol history of Sanang Setzen, whose
great-grandfather Khutuktai Setzen, Prince of the Ordos, was a chief agent
in the movement.
The Supreme Good Spirit appears to have been called by the Mongols
Tengri (Heaven), and Khormuzda, and is identified by Schmidt with the
Persian Hormuzd. In Buddhist times he became identified with Indra.
Plano Carpini's account of this matter is very like Marco's: "They believe
in one God, the Maker of all things, visible and invisible, and the
Distributor of good and evil in this world; but they worship Him not with
prayers or praises or any kind of service. Natheless, they have certain
idols of felt, imitating the human face, and having underneath the face
something resembling teats; these they place on either side of the door.
These they believe to be the guardians of the flocks, from whom they have
the boons of milk and increase. Others they fabricate of bits of silk, and
these are highly honoured;... and whenever they begin to eat or drink,
they first offer these idols a portion of their food or drink."
The account agrees generally with what we are told of the original
Shamanism of the Tunguses, which recognizes a Supreme Power over all, and
a small number of potent spirits called Ongot. These spirits among the
Buraets are called, according to one author, Nougait or Nogat, and
according to Erman Ongotui. In some form of this same word, Nogait,
Ongot, Onggod, Ongotui, we are, I imagine, to trace the Natigay of
Polo. The modern representative of this Shamanist Lar is still found
among the Buraets, and is thus described by Pallas under the name of
Immegiljin: "He is honoured as the tutelary god of the sheep and other
cattle. Properly, the divinity consists of two figures, hanging side by
side, one of whom represents the god's wife. These two figures are merely
a pair of lanky flat bolsters with the upper part shaped into a round
disk, and the body hung with a long woolly fleece; eyes, nose, breasts,
and navel, being indicated by leather knobs stitched on. The male figure
commonly has at his girdle the foot-rope with which horses at pasture are
fettered, whilst the female, which is sometimes accompanied by smaller
figures representing her children, has all sorts of little nicknacks and
sewing implements." Galsang Czomboyef, a recent Russo-Mongol writer
already quoted, says also:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 455 of 655
Words from 237559 to 238080
of 342071
