Tuvan English

proper name Great Yenisei River

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 Orion (literally evening Venus)

noun phrase name of the upper world - homeland of star shamans

noun phrase Mars (literally fire star)

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

noun phrase nine skys (in shamanism meaning nine worlds of the upper universe)

proper name name of the master of the under world

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)

verb get shaman’s illness (meaning become a shaman) (literally get possessed by devils)

noun phrase under world / hell

noun ritual of cleansing

noun phrase master of the spring water

noun phrase spirits of mountain passes

noun pl half-gods living in the higher world of sansara

noun travelling lamas walking around camps and reading prayers

noun wandering lamas tradesmen

noun phrase ritual of invocation for happiness

noun / verb animist ritual, tribal prayings (holiday)

verb phrase send curses

noun phrase a person suffering in his/her life of some kind of harmness / obsticle

noun doll mockup made out of dead person’s clothes

noun phrase middle soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun shaman drum

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

noun phrase master of camp

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

noun phrase black (dark) forces

noun phrase black asronomy

noun phrase main soul

noun mind, consciousness

noun phrase red breath (the last sigh)

noun phrase lama-astrologer

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

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthmark of a person

noun phrase bad soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

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

verb phrase ritual of burning memorial food in the sacred fire during the funerals

verb phrase drive an arrow (shaman technique to look for lost thing)

noun grave (literally hole)

noun universe

noun phrase middle world / universe (that is Earth)

verb phrase ritual of burning a sacral fire

noun defenders of teaching (Buddist faith)

noun phrase good soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun Buddgist concept of six worlds

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

noun burials of outstanding lamas

noun / noun phrase pyramidal stone burial constructions

noun / noun phrase soul

noun potential

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

noun sack of white color

verb phrase shaman ritual aiming the spirits of taiga

noun hell

noun phrase afterlife world for bad people

noun pl chiefs (referring to Soviet party top bosses)

noun mantra

noun small timpani

[tos-karak] n. a ritual wooden implement used to sprinkle milk or tea as an offering to the spirits, in the shape of a square spoon with nine holes and a ribbon

Source: First edition

noun phrase shaman of sky origin

noun phrase great shaman (literally big shaman)

noun phrase soul of a child (from newborn until 13 years of age)

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

noun phrase female shamans (collective meaning)

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

Source: Simchit 2010,

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 phrase boiled (cooked) sheep leg

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

noun small stones for fortune-telling (used by shamans)

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 tent (in modern Tuvan - barn)

noun phrase special stone (used to see the spirits even by ordinary people)

noun curse

noun phrase hair lasso of handicraft production

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

noun phrase cave (literally mouth of the earth)

noun phrase master of the land

noun luck in hunting

noun buddhist lamp (icon lamp)

noun doll figure symbolizing sign of illness

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

noun stick

noun scraper

noun phrase mourning, grave sign

noun phrase upper sky

noun phrase dead soul

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

Source: First edition