Foundation started by SIT Study Abroad alumni protects Mongolian culture
Thursday, February 3, 2005
By: Tristan Roberts

Itgel Foundation working on projects to preserve music, reindeer herding heritage

Morgan Keay and Liliana Goldman are co-founders of The Itgel Foundation, a "non-profit organization based in Boulder, Colorado, committed to protecting Mongolia's cultural and environmental legacy through grassroots projects."

Keay and Goldman founded Itgel following participation in SIT's Mongolia: Culture and Development program in 2002. They were struck both by the urgent need to preserve Mongolian culture, and also the simple projects that could help this mission. Goldman, who studied traditional music in Mongolia, helped open a school run by her mentor, Dadsuren.

Following is an OurWorld interview with Keay, who among other projects is working on efforts to protect the Tsaaten reindeer-herding culture of Northern Mongolia.

OurWorld: What would you describe as the essence of your mission?

Keay: The essence of The Itgel Foundation's mission is to protect Mongolia's cultural and environmental legacy through grassroots projects. We believe that the loss of cultural traditions affects the global community, and that communities have the right to preserve even the smallest and most localized of their traditions.

We also believe that big things can happen at the grassroots level, and responding to the requests of individuals who are struggling to maintain their cultural heritage can mean effective action. Our programs were initiated in response to direct appeal for assistance from friends in Mongolia. These were people who asked us to help protect their endangered traditions as Mongolia faced rapid development and transformation in these dynamic post-communist years. Having connected with these people as friends, and having witnessed their passion for preserving their cultural heritage, Itgel was formed with the commitment that we would offer assistance to protect Mongolia's precious cultural traditions before they are lost forever.

OurWorld: What inspired you to start a foundation?

Keay: Probably what inspired us most was the personal appeal for assistance that came from people whom we considered friends. After living with Mongolian families, such as the Tsaatan reindeer herders in the far north, I saw that many of them were literally desperate to prevent their unique culture from becoming extinct. The things they requested were easy, do-able, and very specific. Itgel was formed to meet those requests, not to tell individuals what they should be fighting for, or even how they should be doing it, but to listen to what they were telling us.

For example, a master Long Song musician by the name of Dadsuren, approached Itgel's co-founder Liliana Goldman saying he needed a building, a physical place, to establish a music school to revitalize the teaching of th Long Song tradition. With a little money, we knew we could give Dadsuren that building...and we have. The Dadsuren Traditional Music School is now up and running in Mongolia's Gobi desert, with ten students engaged in learning Long Song, a tradition that has been approaching the brink of extinction for years.

Another motivating factor for me was that I wanted to give back to the country that had made such a profound impact on my life. In a way, Itgel's work is like a big "thank you" to our friends in Mongolia who gave us so much hospitality, warmth, and experience during our first six months there.

Finally, when we realized how realistic it was to establish a foundation and make a tangible difference in preserving Mongolian culture, we couldn't walk away. Of course the journey has been extremely demanding, and has meant 80-hour plus work weeks for little to no pay, and many sacrifices along the way, but it has all paid off.

Our work has already made a difference, and we have been able to accomplish much of what we set out to do. All it took was passion and commitment, and the rest has fallen into place. People often say to us "I could never do it," perhaps thinking our goals are too lofty, or the magnitude of our work too great. We always try to tell people, "just find your passion, and you can do anything." It's amazing how far you can come with a little money, hard work, and a lot of devotion.

OurWorld: What impact have you made so far?

Keay: In regards to our Reindeer Life Project: Itgel is proud to report that we have already made progress towards protecting the unique Tsaatan reindeer-herding culture of northern Mongolia by improving the health of their reindeer, without which their culture would cease to exist.

We have conducted first-ever research on the Tsaatan reindeer herd, offering valuable information to inform future relief projects, and assess the risk of the dwindling reindeer herd. This means that we can provide the Tsaatan people with what they need to revitalize the health of their herd, and maintain their reindeer-herding way of life. We have provided medicine to the herd to alleviate acute ailments, andwe have provided the first ever herd record-keeping book to the herders at their request, so that better management practices have been initiated.

We have conducted vet training seminars for herders so that they can be effective caregivers to their animals, and provided supplies and resources for them to continue to provide carewhen our team is not on-site. We sponsored the visit of a world-leading veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Haigh, who has offered new resources to the Tsaatan through training and seminars, and new hope to the herd through cutting-edge treatments and research. Our project has meant action and results that maintain and improve the sustainability of the Tsaatan's most important resource, their reindeer, thereby giving their cultural legacy a chance at survival.

In regards to our Dadsuren Traditional Music Project: Itgel is proud to report that we have successfully established the first-ever music school in th Mongolian countryside for the preservation of Long Song. As there are only a handful of Long Song masters that remain after the communist suppression of the tradition, the tradition has faced an uncertain future as there are few resources available for the next generation to learn the vocal tradition.

However, our school has enabled ten young students the opportunity to learn Long Song from one of the greatest living masters, a musician named Dadsuren. The school not only promotes Long Song education, but through our program, we have supplied the school with recording equipment that will facilitate the preservation of Long Song in recorded format. We have also initiated plans for exchange programs so that students can share their new skills with the broader Mongolian community through special concert events, and singing seminars. We have given Long Song a future by enabling the next generation tobe the carriers of this valuable tradition.

OurWorld: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Keay: Yes. I think it's important for me to say that The Itgel Foundation would have never been what it is today had it not been for the skills and confidence that SIT's program gave us. SIT Mongolia allowed Liliana and I to access Mongolian culture in an intimate way, but also in a way that equipped us with the motivation and tools to initiate action.

The program put us face to face with government officials that have become close business contacts. It trained us in Mongolian language, which continues to be perhaps our strongest resource. The program showed us the way Mongolia works in such an in-depth and meaningful way, that when it came time to implement aid projects in that country, we knew what we were doing. SIT built the foundation on which The Itgel Foundation was established, and offered us the skills we needed to be effective leaders, and catalysts for cultural preservation in Mongolia.

In addition, I hope to generate some new support for our organization, as I think the SIT community is a like-minded body of individuals who would be interested in the work we're doing. Our work is made possible through the support of many caring individuals and volunteers, and it would be wonderful if this article could help facilitate that in some way.

Thanks so much, and let me know if there is anything further I can provide you with. Our website is a great resource for background info and organizational info as well. http://www.itgel.org/.

OurWorld: Thank you, Morgan. Best wishes on your projects.

Learn more about Itgel from stories about them featured on National Public Radio and in the New York Times.