This silent black and white film compiled by Harvard University’s Department of Anthropology and distributed by Pathé Exchange, Inc. shows early footage of Mongolians riding horses, wearing traditional hairstyles and clothing, and demonstrating the customs of their nomadic tribal lifestyles (TRT 12:41).

Opening titles, “Passed by the National Board of Review” (0:14). Title card: “In the heart of Asia lie the upland steppes of Mongolia” (0:50). A simple map of Asia. An animated arrow draws a dotted line and indicates Mongolia. Another arrow shows the Eastern Gobi Desert steppe (0:54). “Since this was the original home of the horse, the people have long been fine horsemen” (1:18). Horsemen wrangle horses in a dusty field, diving and falling to the ground, shaking long whips, pulling stubborn animals with ropes, and wrestling them, grabbing at their manes. Horses are herded into a cluster (1:27). Title: “The Mongols catch their horses with loops attached to the ends of long poles.” The scene continues. More struggling horses are ensnared. One horse kicks its hind legs as a man raises his arms intimidatingly. Piles of firewood are stacked in the background (1:54). Title: “Mounted, they line up for a race.” A new scene shows a circle of men on horseback, riding slowly in careful precision. A closeup shows young men with shaved heads wearing loose-fitting robes, seated upon thin leather saddles. In a jump cut, the horses charge ahead, speeding into the desert scrub. The riders whip their small horses frequently. “The victor” is shown, riding solo (2:57). A young man in closeup, pulling the reins of his standing horse (4:23). Title: “In Mongolia the purest type of Central Asiatic man is found…” and a stereotyped description of facial features (4:37). A montage of diverse men of East and Central Asia. Fur hats, braided hair, shaved heads, trimmed beards, hats with earflaps, and heavy robes are modeled by elders (4:51). Title: “This is a rich man. His face and nose are longer than those of most Mongols.” A man wearing a hat and long braided hair is seen sitting on the front steps of a building. Another man sports a more complex fur hat and hair covering combination (5:43). A man in profile smokes a long pipe, then turns to face the camera (6:21). An intertitle describes a nomadic lifestyle of wandering across arid landscapes, requiring various methods of transportation to find pasturage for their flocks (6:30). Mongols carry loads strapped to their backs (6:55). Yaks haul logs while crossing a shallow river, driven on by a horseman with a whip. Logs are loaded onto the back of a Yak (7:10). Title: “The camel can carry a heavy load for long distances.” A long caravan of camels fills the frame. In closeup, camels sit upon commands, lowering large loads of cargo to the ground. Men remove the parcels from a camel’s back, and the camels rise again (7:44). Title: “Wheeled vehicles were probably first invented here.” A small spotted dog and a group of carts pulled by oxen. A village of single-story buildings is visible in the background (8:42). Title: “Sheep provide the chief necessities of life, furnishing meat and wool.” A flock of sheep is tended to by a group of shepherds, who harvest and felt wool by hand. A sheet of felted wool is stretched out upon the ground (9:12). The felted wool is sprinkled with water and rolled up onto a stick. A man on a camel tows the roll of felted wool behind him (10:00). An intertitle introduces “the Mongol yurt… built with an eye to lightness and mobility” A yurt is carried on the back of a horse (10:33). Sheets of felted wool are lashed to the pole frames of a round yurt. The completed shelter. Children carry livestock inside and a door flap is affixed to the entrance (11:13).

Today, the term Mongols refers to an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia and China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com