The New Life of the Yurt

The yurt has always been a crucial element of Tuvan culture and the economy of cattle herding, especially for those who keep up the herding tradition. However, their number is small, with most Tuvans living in villages or towns and working in other industries. But the yurt has never been forgotten even by settled Tuvans. The article examines the presence of the yurt (Tuvan ög), the traditional dwelling of nomadic cattle herders in the various spheres of the socio-cultural life in the Republic of Tuva. It is an anthropological study of nostalgic nomadism, a contemporary aspect of nomadism when descendants of original nomads remember the past of their ancestor, feel nostalgic about and accept its elements as their own contemporary cultural values. The study is based on observations made in Tuva from 2014 to 2021 and interviews with Tuvans of different generations in 2021–22.