Altai Pilgrim

A decade in the Altai Republic, Russia by writer & translator Joanna Dobson

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Category Archives: More from the field

Snow Leopards: ‘Seek and Ye Shall Find’

Featuredby Joanna Dobson 6 Comments

My closest encounter with a snow leopard took place in the Altai Mountains with an ink brush in hand. My eyes locked onto the powerful hind legs and broad paws […]

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More from the field, People, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery, Snow leopard & other animals, Travel & Exploration, Travel Writing

3/3 Snow Leopard – Hero of the bio-cultural landscape (previous posts continued…..)

September 14, 2012by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

What I Have Heard and Seen of the Snow Leopard (Letter from a reader, A. Kachakov, UlaganVillage, 2012) “Altaidyn Cholmoni” Altai Republic Newspaper, № 127, 10th July 2012. Translated from […]

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Interpreting in the Field, More from the field, Snow leopard & other animals

2/3 Snow Leopard – Ancient Hero of the Bio-cultural Landscape (previous post continued…)

September 14, 2012by Joanna Dobson 1 Comment

This image is copied from a tattoo image worn by an individual from the Pazyryk culture. The tattoo was found on mummified remains excavated by researcher Rudenko from a permafrost […]

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More from the field, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery, Snow leopard & other animals

1/3 Snow Leopard – Hero of the bio-cultural landscape

September 14, 2012by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

Photographs of snow leopards have recently been published on the UNDP Altai-Sayan Ecoregion site. The fact that snow leopards still inhabit the Altai Mountains fills the soul with hope. Not […]

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More from the field, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery, Snow leopard & other animals

As Eternal Glaciers Melt, the Soul Freezes

August 27, 2012by Joanna Dobson 2 Comments

This week travelling into the valley I followed the line of the horizon waiting for the sacred mount to appear round the corner and greet us. Finally, there it stood. […]

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Altai People & Culture, Life in the field, More from the field

Happy Christmas from Russia – ‘keeping the arrow poised’

December 23, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

     There are some things that I really miss about England such as ‘fish ‘n’ chips’ and a pineapple fritter served in newspaper, Cornwall and the sea but most of […]

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Life in the field, More from the field, People, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery

Ice-Hole in Altai

December 5, 2010by Joanna Dobson 1 Comment

There is a well-known eastern proverb that goes: ‘Before enlightenment, chop wood, haul water; After enlightenment, chop wood, haul water. This is my friend Vitya, my neighbour, who helped me haul water in the short, […]

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Diary Entries, Life in the field, More from the field, People

‘El Oiun’ Altai National Festival

November 14, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

Every two years the Altai Republic holds an annual, national festival called ‘El Oiun’ which means ‘the people’s games’. The festival which was originally created by Nogon Shumarov used to […]

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Altai People & Culture, More from the field

‘Ceok’ – Indigenous Altai Social Structure

November 14, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

‘Ceok’ (clan/tribe) in Altai means ‘bone’ Ceok is the word used to mean kin, clan or family. The Altai people attribute themselves to a Ceok. When they introduce themselves they […]

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Altai People & Culture, More from the field, People

‘Kalbak-Tash Rock Art Sanctuary’

November 14, 2010by Joanna Dobson 1 Comment

‘His soul lies in a gold box hidden in the belly of three small spirit deer.’ Kalbak-Tash Rock Art Sanctuary – Using theatre to interpret ‘narrative composition’ in rock art […]

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Altai People & Culture, More from the field, Projects, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery

GPS Training (Photo journal)

November 14, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

GPS Training for Nature Park Rangers, FSDA, July 2006      Early July I was asked to translate for an expedition group intending to set off for twelve days on […]

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Interpreting in the Field, More from the field, Snow leopard & other animals, Travel & Exploration

Pilgrim’s Pages April (UNESCO Conference on Permafrost Burials)

November 13, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

Pilgrim’s Pages April 2006  UNESCO conference, Gorno-Altaisk, “The problem of preserving permafrost burials in the Altai” Unesco have just held a conference at the Gorno-Altaisk (capital) state university on “The […]

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Diary Entries, Life in the field, More from the field, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery

Carved Standing Stones ‘kameniye baba’

November 13, 2010by Joanna Dobson 1 Comment

 Many of the carved standing stones from the Turkic period have been removed from the steppes and  meadows of Altai. The Altai people deeply feel the loss of these ‘monuments’. […]

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Interpreting in the Field, More from the field, People, Rock Art & Ancient Imagery

Global Warming and Spiritual Values

November 13, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

Living in the Altai Republic, Siberia one hears little mention of global warming. Of course everyone discusses the weather and compares last years temperatures with this years; how high the […]

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Altai People & Culture, More from the field, People

Belly of a Whale – a learner guide at an Altai nature park

November 12, 2010by Joanna Dobson Leave a comment

When I first visited the lands of Altai, I dreamt of one day, riding a horse freely through a particular sacred valley; never though, did I dream, that I would conduct an […]

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Interpreting in the Field, More from the field

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Video post: Capoeira Meets Siberian Throat Singing

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Pure Connections, Vital Words

On Writing About Altai

“It is hard to describe Altai or indeed anything which moves one so deeply in a place that is unaccustomed to words. It is not enough to describe the colours, the light, the people one meets or the landscape. This would be relatively easy. One tries as much to capture that which Altai touches in oneself that one did not know was there, and the wholeness or mystery of Altai which lies in no one thing and can be elucidated by no one field of knowledge.” Joanna

Comments

  • Saiffe on A Note of Confidence
  • archecotech on In God’s Back Door
  • Santari on On Writing
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  • Sergey on On Becoming A Translator

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