Mongolian
| Mongolian | |
|---|---|
| Category | ancestor |
| Description | Simplified cave art with morin khuur and throat singing circles |
Grail #507 · Ancestor · Browse all Grails →
[view source]Cultural Context
The primary visual lineage here anchors to the Khoit Trencher Cave, which is located in the Altai foothills of western Mongolia. It is one of the oldest painted rock art sites within the country, dated to nearly 20,000 years ago in the Upper Paleolithic. The hunter-gatherer ancestors would layer countless animals across the cave's surface in various mineral pigments. This art was interesting in that an overall single composition didn't carry much weight. The act of painting and the presence of quantity matters much more in this case.
Mibera's penchant for anachronism is present here though — the Morin Khuur (aka horsehead fiddle) certainly was not present around the time these ancestors were putting pigment to rock. The Morin Khuur started off as a medieval-era instrument and is now overall the national instrument of Mongolia.
Khoomei (throat singing) is also a slightly anachronistic addition within this piece, though a bit more grounded in reality than the inclusion of the instrument given that this distinction is by name only. The technique itself is seen as ancient, some asserting that it was learned from birds. Much like the cave art itself, Khoomei specifically originates within western Mongolia, in the Altai mountains.
[view source]Visual Elements
Mibera is seen rendered as Mongolian cave art, holding a Morin khuur. Circles are moving outwards from the figure's throat, indicating that mibera is also throat singing. The cave's surface is cracked, various small plants breaking through to the surface. The cave's wall is a darker brown, the Mibera's pigment a stark contrast with its off yellow/white.
[view source]Justification
Ancestors are a load-bearing trait in the Mibera system — each of the 10,000 Miberas inherits an ancestor as their cultural lineage. The ancestor grails represent each lineage as its own identity.