Authenticity and adaptation: the Mongol Ger as a contemporary heritage paradox

Abstract

The Mongol Ger is a transportable felt tent deriving from an ancient nomadic civilization. The structure encapsulates a specific Mongolian nomadic cultural identity by encompassing a way of life based upon pastoral migration, complex familial relationships and hierarchies, and spiritual beliefs. As Mongolia has rapidly urbanised over the past century, the form and function of the ger have changed, with some of the integral facets of the structure lost with a view to commercialising and/or adapting a nomadic symbol for modern consumption. This paper will explore the ger as a vernacular and globally recognised form, assessing whether its nomination by the Mongolian State Party on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a craft-skill is either sufficient or indeed appropriate. It will further be argued that to understand the ger in its totality requires an understanding also of the concept of authenticity to disentangle variations between the ‘livingness’ of the ger and its appropriation for a wider audience.

Keywords:

• Authenticity
• ger
• yurt
• Mongolia
• craft skills
• intangible heritage

Acknowledgements

This paper has its origins in postgraduate study undertaken by CP at the University of York in Cultural Heritage Management in 2013–2014, under the supervision of JS. We are grateful for the comments of two anonymous referees which have strengthened the paper and added clarity. We are also grateful to Al Owald for his skilful reworking of the original to produce Figure 4.