Tuvan English

proper name supreme god

proper name Little Yenisei River

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

noun phrase Orion (literally evening Venus)

noun phrase Orion

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

proper name name of the main god (literally universe-world)

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

proper name alternative names of a supreme god

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

proper name name of the master of the middle world (literally earth-water)

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

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

noun ritual of cleansing

noun pay for shaman services

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

noun travelling lamas walking around camps and reading prayers

noun phrase middle world / universe (literally this universe / world)

noun phrase ritual of invocation for happiness

noun phrase round bread

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

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)

proper name shamans and lamas who can see the spirits

noun blessing, parting wishes/words, wishes

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

noun phrase black sky

noun phrase black (dark) forces

verb phrase shaman ritual of diverting anger

noun mind, consciousness

noun phrase red breath (the last sigh)

noun phrase red caragana (Siberian peashrub)

verb healing with a help of a shaman mirror kyuzyungyu

noun phrase lama-astrologer

noun Tuvan flute

noun paper strips with mantras

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthmark of a person

noun phrase bad soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

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

noun festivities for youth after harvesting (holiday)

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

verb phrase ritual of burning a sacral fire

noun buddhist monk community

noun local spirit-master

noun phrase middle world / universe (literally yellow universe / world)

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 ritual of reading prayers and offering ’prayed’ vodka to the local spirit-master

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

noun phrase another world (literally Northen edge)

noun burials of outstanding lamas

noun spirit, life force

noun / noun phrase soul

noun potential

noun phrase ways of soul to extract the curse out of a body practiced by shamans

noun bloodline (litreally bone)

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

noun sack of white color

noun phrase afterlife world for bad people

noun mantra

noun small timpani

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 she-shaman (literally shaman-woman)

noun phrase shaman tree

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 phrase life energy

noun devil (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun phrase boiled (cooked) sheep leg

verb phrase to pay for shaman services (literally to whiten hands)

noun phrase white caragana (Siberian peashrub)

noun prayer service on recovery of a sick person

noun summer camp

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

noun curse

noun phrase multiple spirits who give a shaman knowledge and visions

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 the direction of thу evil spirits / devils (unfavorable geographical direction when calculating the element of the birth)

noun luck in hunting

noun phrase agalmatolite (stone used in Tuvan stone carving)

noun phrase spirits of the camp

noun doll figure symbolizing sign of illness

noun stick

noun scraper

verb phrase euphemism - die suddenly (literally gone with smoke)

noun phrase mourning, grave sign

noun phrase Orion (literally three elks)

noun phrase upper sky

noun phrase wake (funeral repast) on the third day (literally three days)

noun phrase wooden spoon or trowel used to "feed" (coax) the spirits of dead people (literally three eyes)

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