On the Mongolian steppe, knowledge about animals, weather, land and life has traveled the same way for centuries: from an older herder to a younger one, in stories told in the ger, the round felt tent, and on the move.
Batchuluun Yembuu studied this tradition for the International Journal of Lifelong Education. He spoke with 22 people: nomadic herders, their children and older city dwellers who went through more years of school.
Yembuu first describes what Mongolian herders know and how modern life is changing it. Then he shows how this knowledge fits into lifelong learning, outside the classroom, and how herders use stories to teach the young in the countryside.
He finds that the knowledge passes less easily between generations than it used to. His recommendation: learning programs that bring old and young together, with small rewards that encourage people to join.
Both sides benefit, the study stresses. Together, older and younger people pass on, and rediscover, knowledge and values that might otherwise be lost.
Sources
Yembuu, B. (2021). Intergenerational learning of traditional knowledge through informal education: The Mongolian context. International Journal of Lifelong Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2021.1967488