The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire (44 page)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

T
HE GLORY OF
M
ONGOLIA IS BEST APPRECIATED THROUGH
the three treasures that bring the Mongols the greatest joy and pride: the splendor of their landscape, the magnificence of their history, and the grandeur of their music. While writing this book, I spent as much time as possible in the Mongolian countryside with my wife, Walker Pearce. When we could not be there, I relied upon the music to re-create the landscape and to summon the images of the past.

Throughout the writing of this book, I repeatedly found inspiration in the songs written about Manduhai and, most important, in the symphony written in her honor by N. Jantsannorov, one of the greatest composers of our time. In researching this project, I realized how much the Mongolian people have preserved their history through song, despite the historical censorship of documents. Sometimes, they were not allowed to publicly perform the songs, as in the case of a beautiful song written in tribute to Manduhai Khatun by composer and musician D. Jargalsaikhan in the 1970s. Like many musicians working under censorship, he had to leave out her name and change the words slightly to disguise the song’s subject matter.

I received great inspiration from the voices of Shurankhai: B. Nomin-Erden, D. Uriintuya, and G. Erdenchimeg, and I benefited greatly from the performances of D. Odsuren and T. Batbayasgalan.

The portrait of Queen Manduhai on the cover of the book was made by Kikutake Yuji. Throughout the writing of this book I used it as the screensaver on my computer because it represents the dynamic nature of Manduhai while also reminding me that, like the artist, I too am a foreigner trying to interpret Mongolian culture.

It is not surprising that with so much censorship of the written history of the Mongol queens, no portraits of them are known to exist
from their lifetimes. For Mongols, however, the essence of a person persists not so much in the physical features of the body as in the sound of the spoken name and the appearance of the written name. They summon this fundamental nature through calligraphic drawings that simultaneously record the name and the general form of the person. The artist N. Bat-Erdene made the name drawings that illustrate this book. Borte appears at the opening of Part One, Sorkhokhtani Beki of Part Two, and Queen Manduhai of Part Three.

The symbol on the epigraph page is a
tamgha
designed and given to me as a gift by Z. Purev, who also sculpted it in metal for use as a brand. It, too, is a special form of Mongolian calligraphy, and represents the three basic letters of my first name. All of the images and symbols used in the book were combined through the creative design of Leonard Henderson.

I appreciate the support of my daughter, Walker Buxton, and son, Roy Maybank, as well as their spouses, J. Edward Buxton and Amanda R. Maybank, and my granddaughter Walker Buxton during sometimes difficult circumstances in Mongolia. I look forward to one day traveling in Mongolia with our other granddaughters, Pearce Buxton, Lavinia Maybank, and Rhett Maybank, as well as our grandsons, Edward Buxton and Roy Maybank.

At Macalester College, Professor Sonia Patten was one of the consistently most helpful and encouraging supporters of this project from its inception. I benefited tremendously from the tireless service of the DeWitt Wallace Library staff, as well as from my colleagues Naran Bilik, Dianna Shandy, Arjun Guneratne, Martin Gunderson, David McCurdy, Mahnaz Kousha, Karen Nakamura, Olga Gonzalez, David Lanegran, Ahmed Samatar, Mary Lou Byrne, Juanita Garciagodoy, Wang Ping, and Lee Olson.

In Mongolia, the faculty and staff of the Chinggis Khaan University, under the direction of Kh. Lkhagvasuren, diligently assisted in my work. I was aided by the enlightened work of Professors T. Bold, D. Bold-Erdene, Davaadulam, O. Sukhbaatar, B. Baljinnyam, Oi. Daghadorj, T. Namjil, Kh. Shagdar, A. Shagdarsuren, and J. Saruulbuyan, as well as
Mr. Barudas of the South Gobi. Also in Mongolia, I very much value the support and encouragement that I received from O. Batnairamdal, Lauren Bonilla, Roger Chilton, Martha Crunkleton, E. Enerelt, D. Enkhchuluun, S. Erdenebold, B. Erdenesanaa, B. Ganhuyag, U. Gereltod, Tjalling Halbertsma, D. Javkhlan, William Kennedy, Bijani Mizell, A. Mungunzul, Susan Murphy, B. Narankhuu, Axel Odelberg, Catherine Sepulveda, S. Soyoljin, E. Soyombo, Robert Stroozas, and Rochelle and Rebecca Tschida. Merely listing their names can in no way express the appreciation I have for what they have done for me or the emotional bonds that I share with each of them in a different way.

Producing a book depends on far more than writing. It is a group endeavor in which dozens of people contribute crucial pieces, but, in the end, the author, somewhat unfairly, gets the credit. In thirty years of work together, my agent, Lois Wallace, has always guided and encouraged my work. I have been with Crown Publishers almost as long as I have been with Lois Wallace. I have benefited from working with some of the finest talents I have known in my career. In our generation together, many have married, given birth, or adopted children, and some have retired or moved on to new challenges. Yet they all remain a part of my work. Rachel Klayman took a chance in accepting this book for publication, and Lucinda Bartley put in tremendous work to edit it repeatedly. Their diligence and enthusiasm made it possible for me to complete this project.

The nation of Alan Goa, Genghis Khan, Manduhai Khatun, and Dayan Khan still lives today. As in any democracy, the people have different views and ideologies, yet they are all united in honoring the history and culture of their Mongol ancestors. They have helped me in seemingly every way that they could. From the guards at the doors to the ministers of parliament, from teachers in the rural classrooms to the ministers of state in Ulaanbaatar, and from library clerks to the president, first lady, and prime minister—all encouraged and assisted me throughout the six years of work on this project. They made my work possible, and, more important, they are the ones who give it meaning.

From herders to parliament members, Mongolians never tired of
teaching me about their culture and place of birth,
torson nutag
, within Mongolia. Because of the subject of my investigations, individuals frequently wanted me to tell the story of a particular queen, hero, or divinity for whom their mother or daughter was named. Sometimes they encouraged me to meet their grandmother as the best living example of the true ideal of Mongol womanhood. They wanted to highlight the importance of their home area or to stress the neglected virtues of a special type of camel or way of singing. They had a preferred spelling or pronunciation of a name, or hoped I could explain that the milk of their district had just the right amount of fat and the best flavor, and was used in the past by doctors to cure certain diseases. I treasure each of these accounts in my memory even if, in the end, I was not able to incorporate them into this book.

Throughout my research, I relied upon scholars whom I never met and who often work in anonymity without receiving the attention and honor that they deserve. They glean the historic and linguistic fields searching for grains of information about Mongolian life, history, and culture. They study, translate, catalog, and preserve the texts and manuscript fragments of the past. They analyze archaic scripts, compare spellings, and chase down the etymologies of unusual suffix combinations. I greatly admire and appreciate their scholarship.

I hope that the readers of this book will go on to explore the many works about Mongolia, listen to the music of its great artists, and perhaps one day find the white road that leads them to visit the beautiful land and taste the pure water of Mongolia.