Tuvan English

noun phrase white sky (the origin of the strongest shamans)

proper name Great Yenisei River

proper name supreme god

proper name name of a supreme god (lireally sky)

noun phrase Milky way (literally road of sky)

noun phrase Milky way (literally top of sky)

proper name Little Yenisei River

noun phrase black sky (the origin of the strongest shamans)

noun phrase Milky way (literally road of darkness)

noun phrase Mount Suree - border between the worlds of life and dead

proper name alternative names of a supreme god

proper name Yenisey River (literally big river)

noun phrase hell (literally land of devils)

noun celestial bodies

noun blessed energy (coming from the depictions of saints in buddhism and from reading prayers)

noun phrase envy, slander (lterally white mouth-tongue)

noun phrase white soul (which comes to living relatives in the image of a dead person)

noun phrase under world / hell

noun phrase master of the spring water

noun phrase spirits of mountain passes

noun phrase lama-shaman

noun phrase ritual of invocation for happiness

noun / verb animist ritual, tribal prayings (holiday)

verb phrase get shaman’s illness (meaning become a shaman) (literally pass out)

noun board cut

noun phrase life soul

verb phrase send curses

noun phrase middle soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun honorable place of the master of the home

noun phrase wake (funeral repast) on the 40th day (literally 40 days)

proper name shamans and lamas who can see the spirits

noun blessing, parting wishes/words, wishes

noun phrase fights (quarells), scolding, scandals (literally black mouth-tongue)

noun phrase prohibited direction of funerals (literally mouth of a black dog)

noun phrase black sky

noun phrase black (dark) forces

noun phrase black astronomy

noun phrase black asronomy

noun big drum (used by lamas)

verb phrase shaman ritual of diverting anger

noun mind, consciousness

noun Tuvan flute

noun paper strips with mantras

noun phrase the direction of the end of the life (unfavorable geografical direction when calculating the element of the birth)

noun "birthmarks" - according to Buddhism every person has a certain set of birthmarks of different colors and numbers depending on the birth date according to the Luna calendar

noun phrase bad soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun phrase eternal universe (referring to upper and under worlds)

noun festivities for youth after harvesting (holiday)

noun universe

noun phrase middle world / universe (that is Earth)

noun defenders of teaching (Buddist faith)

noun phrase good soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun phrase ritual to remember those who died last year during the ritual of worshiping sacred tree in the fall

noun phrase yellow or exact astronomy

verb phrase ritual of making sacred bonfire or incense burner in front of a grave (literally put the bonfire)

noun phrase element (used at calculation to define the birthdate of a person by shamans)

noun phrase another world (literally Northen edge)

noun / noun phrase pyramidal stone burial constructions

noun spirit, life force

noun / noun phrase soul

noun bloodline (litreally bone)

noun phrase people who are engaged in transportation and burial (literally those who bury bones)

verb ritual of smoking near a grave so the dead one could smoke with the relatives for the last time

verb phrase shaman ritual aiming the spirits of taiga

noun hell

noun mantra

noun small timpani

noun phrase shaman of sky origin

noun phrase great shaman (literally big shaman)

noun pl children born from parents of different nationalities or ethnicities (somewhat pejorative)

noun phrase shaman tree

noun phrase shaman fight (literally shaman eating of each other)

noun phrase shaman’s fellow travellers (referring collectively to all mythical-spiritual beings with whom a shaman may interact)

Source: Simchit 2010,

noun smoke hole

verb phrase final stage of shaman ritual (literally closing of chimney (the hole on the top of the yurt))

noun devil (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun prayer service on recovery of a sick person

noun pl young acolyte

noun ritual of cleansing face and hands after the funerals

noun ritual of calling on happiness (in lamaism)

noun phrase master of lake

noun summer camp

noun phrase multiple spirits who give a shaman knowledge and visions

noun phrase under world / hell (literally bottom of the world)

noun phrase ending of life (literally earth instantly disappears)

noun phrase ritual of ’renting the land" (for burials)

noun phrase master of the land

noun luck in hunting

noun phrase agalmatolite (stone used in Tuvan stone carving)

noun hell

noun phrase spirits of the camp

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthdate of a person

noun buddhist fortune telling on bones

verb phrase suicide or death through the fault of doctors - euphemism (literally he/she couldn’t stand it any more)

noun phrase Orion (literally three elks)

noun phrase upper universe / paradise

noun destination and deeds

noun fate

noun phrase dead soul

[örgül] n. sacrifice, ritual of feeding the master spirits of a place

Source: First edition