The Buryats were a nomadic people who often moved from one place to another. So as not to build houses anew, they carried with them small semicircular dwellings — yurts. One of them is displayed in the Transbaikal Regional Museum of Local Lore.

Yurts were made of felt and wood. They were composed of more than 60 elements that could be easily disassembled and transported on horseback to a new location. The proportions of the house were small, adjusted to the height of a human.

The walls of the dwelling were made of collapsible wooden grids, which were bound with horsehair ropes. By tightening or loosening them, the height and diameter of the yurt could be adjusted. The roof was made of flexible wooden poles. There was a hole of about one meter in diameter at the top, which provided light during the day and served as a flue.

The yurt was covered with felt — a thick milled wool material — on the sides. It let in fresh air well, but at the same time retained heat inside. Additionally, felt was soaked in a special antiseptic solution of tobacco, sour milk and salt. First, the southwest part of the yurt was covered with it, then the southeast part and only after that — the rest. Such order was associated with the direction of the cold wind: it blew from the northwest.

Inside, the yurt was divided into zones which resemble modern rooms. The northwestern side of the dwelling had a home altar where a table with drawings and statues of Buddhist gods stood. The left side of the house was considered the man’s side and the right — the woman’s one. There was a fireplace in the center.

Yurts were set up only in sunny spots, and the entrance to it was south-facing. The Buryats determined the time by the shadow inside the room: it was the longest in the morning and the shortest in the afternoon.

In the Buryat culture, there was a large number of rituals and traditions connected to the houses. For example, one could not receive guests on the left side of the house or step on the threshold when entering — it kept away evil spirits from the outside. If a visitor deliberately stepped on it, he thus communicated his evil intentions and was considered an enemy of the family. Guests also had to leave their knives and guns outside before entering the yurt.

Полное наименование: Buryat yurt

Serge is a long wooden pole to which a horse was tied. It was common among many indigenous peoples of Siberia, including the Buryat tribes, to erect them.

Such horse poles always stood outside, so they were made of strong wood that could withstand all kinds of weather. Most often, conifers were used: larch, pine or cedar.

The poles were supposed to be long and powerful so that they attracted attention. Some of them were up to two meters in height, but the serge presented in the museum is of average height, a little more than one and a half meters.

Since ancient times, only men have bred horses. The right side of the yurt and the yard was considered the man’s side, where paddocks for horses and foals, horse harnesses, carts, sleds, as well as the serge were placed. It was installed immediately after the dwelling was completed.

The nomadic Buryat tribes took the serge with them from place to place. It was never given to other families, as it was believed that it could bring bad luck.

Such poles had not only a practical but also a symbolic purpose — they were used in rituals and ceremonies. For example, traditionally, the Western Buryats always erected a birch pole on the second day of the wedding, when a son was getting married. This tradition was observed even when the groom’s family could not build him a separate yurt.

The eldest son’s serge was called a father’s one or personal one. It was high and had a two-tier cone-shaped top. Only the elders, honored guests and the master of the house tied the horse to the top. Young men and women used the lower parts.

A shorter pole without the top part was made for the wedding of the middle son. It was placed a little farther than the father’s serge. When the young couple had children, notches were made on the serge.

Also, the serge served as an invisible boundary between the private territory and the street. Guests were welcomed at the pole. Moreover, when the owners saw their guests off, they helped to untie the horse and get into the saddle.

In some districts of Transbaikal one can still see the poles which were installed several centuries ago.

Полное наименование: Serge
Техника: wood, carving
Коллекция: Ethnography
Размер: 154×21 cm

A traditional Buryat saddle used for horseback riding is displayed in the Regional Museum of Local Lore. The item has a wooden base with bent front and rear edges — the pommel and cantle. The protruding parts are decorated with black plates.

The back is bent at a 45-degree angle. This allowed the rider to lean back comfortably, but still keep his balance. For example, when the rider was performing a military maneuver, he could turn back and, while shooting a bow, he would not fall out of the saddle.

The cushion on the top of the base was fixed and covered with black leather. The side “tebenki” (flaps) — the long dangling edges of the seat — protected the rider’s legs from friction with the stirrup strap. They were decorated with round metal plates with plant-based ornaments and rivets.

Some Buryat tribes were nomadic herders. In summer, they herded their cattle to pastures in the taiga, and in winter — to river valleys and steppes. The horse was a means of transportation for the Buryats, an assistant for household chores and hunting.

The animal was so important to the residents of the Transbaikal area that a horse cult was formed in the region. The Buryats believed that the horse could see beings from the other world. If the animal stopped abruptly in the middle of the path, the stallion could not be punished. It was believed that he saw a spirit on the road and let it pass by.

Furthermore, it was believed that the animal always reunites with its master in the afterlife. That is why the Buryats were buried together with the horse they rode. Most often, the stallion was sacrificed at the master’s grave, skinned and hung on a pole nearby.

The ritual varied from tribe to tribe, but its significance was the same in all regions — the horse helped the deceased to cross over to the other world, to the spirits, and to meet his ancestors. It was believed that without a horse the nomads would get lost.

The horse was a helper of the Buryats, so it was treated with reverence. The saddle and harness were adorned with various decorative elements made of leather, beads and silver. There was a popular saying:

Полное наименование: Buryat saddle
Коллекция: Ethnography
№ Госкаталога: 9868032
Дата создания: the 20th century
Техника: wood, leather, metal; casting, carving, sewing, riveting
Размер: 35×52×44.5 cm