Material resources and general uses

This list is a general outline of the common material resources used and produced by Mongolian pastoralists, including both natural resources and livestock products. The list can serve as a prompt for discussions on natural resource use and production strategies.

• Rangeland plants (Ой, хээрийн ургамал)
  • grazing livestock
  • hay preparation
  • herbal tea
  • mixing with food (herbs, pickles, etc.)
  • medicines
  • flour (from wild grains)
  • jam (from wildberries)
  • incense (juniper)
  • spiritual interaction with sacred groves
• Trees and woody plants (мод)
  • fuel

  • tools and equipment (e.g., uurga, buil, saddles)

  • musical instruments
• Wells, oases, springs, rivers (Ус)
  • watering livestock
  • collecting water for human consumption (drinking, cooking)
  • washing and cleaning
  • medicine and therapy (mineral springs)
  • spiritual cleansing (rashaan - water from sacred springs)
• Rocks and minerals (Эрдэс чулуу)
  • raw minerals (sale esp. of gold and fluorspar gathered artisanally from open sites and mine tailings)
  • medicines (especially in the Gobi; includes use of dinosaur fossils and therapeutic mud)

  • offerings at sacred mountains and rocks (uul ovoo)

  • rock art
  • use of semi-precious stones (e.g., for snuff-bottle production)
  • collection and sale of fossils
• Wildlife (Ан амьтан - gazelles, marmots, etc.)
  • meat consumption
  • medicines (derived from meat, fat, or specific organs of certain animals)
• Livestock (Таван хошуу мал - horses, cattle/yaks, camels, sheep, goats)
  • milk and dairy production
    • milk
    • curd products (aaruul, eezgii, etc.)
    • fermented drinks (airag, tarag)
    • distilled alcoholic beverages (shimiin arxi)
    • cream products (butter, clotted cream, etc.)
    • milk and dairy products used in offerings to mountains, etc.
  • wool and felt production
    • wool
    • cashmere
    • felt (for the yurt; embroidered cushions and rugs; felt handicrafts)
  • meat production
    • dried meat (borz)
    • fresh meat
    • salted meat
  • hides and leather production
    • raw hides
    • sheepskin
    • leather lace
    • leather
  • fat rendering (used ultimately for cooking or soap production)
  • bones (used mainly for tools and children's toys)
  • dung (for fuel and for livestock pens)
  • thread from sinews
  • horsehair (for ropes, brushes, musical instruments)
  • transport (horses, oxen, camels)
  • symbolic uses, esp. of horses for racing

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