Wladimir Karuev, National
Djangartschi
by Jan Scheerder (Visitor Submitted), 10/28/01
During a folkloristic festival in
Holland in 1995, I came in contact with a very interesting Kalmyk. Now he is my best
friend. His name is Wladimir Karuev.
In 1943, the Kalmyk people were exiled to Siberia by Stalin. In 1957, they returned to their homeland at the Caspian Sea.
In that year, Wladimir Karuev was born, his mother gave him his Kalmyk name: "Okna Tsagan Zam," which means "The White Road." In a free translation it could mean "The Way to Freedom."
In 1987, he was listening to a grammaphone record with music from Tuva, and he thought to hear the voices of his forefathers.
As soon as possible he went to Tuva and stayed there with famous Tuvan/Mongolian singers to learn the old traditional techniques of throat-singing. After one year, he went back to Kalmykia and studied all about the old texts from the Djangar epos.
Now he is the National Djangartschi of Kalmykia. He is traveling all around the world and brings the old tradition to everyone who wants to hear it.
I visited him several times in Kalmykia where he is building a Yurtcamp on the steppe. For this, President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov offered him 1300 hectare on the steppe.
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Tsagan Zam on the steppe with his dombra. |
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Tsagan Zam with his wife, Maya. |
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Kalmyk dancing. |
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Children near the Yurt. |
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Group of children (Jan Scheerder in white shirt). In summer vacation, a group of children stay here for a few weeks. Tsagan Zam teaches them in the Kalmyk language, history, Djangar epos and old sports such as wrestling, spear throwing, horse riding, etc. |