Tuvan English

proper name Great Yenisei River

noun phrase Milky way (literally road 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 Orion (literally evening Venus)

proper name names of the main god

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

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

proper name Yenisey River (literally big river)

proper name name of the master of the under world

noun phrase hell (literally land of devils)

noun celestial bodies

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 ritual of cleansing

noun phrase master of the spring water

noun pay for shaman services

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

noun wandering lamas tradesmen

noun phrase grey soul (which stays on earth and bothers life relatives)

noun phrase lama-shaman

noun phrase ritual of invocation for happiness

noun smal drum (used by lamas)

noun board cut

noun phrase life soul

verb phrase send curses

noun doll mockup made out of dead person’s clothes

noun phrase middle soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun shaman drum

noun honorable place of the master of the home

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

noun phrase master of camp

noun phrase black soul (which guards the grave of a dead person)

noun phrase black sky

noun phrase under world / hell (literally dark world / universe)

noun big drum (used by lamas)

verb phrase shaman ritual of diverting anger

noun phrase main soul

noun phrase red breath (the last sigh)

verb healing with a help of a shaman mirror kyuzyungyu

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 silver breath (good physical shape)

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

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 buddhist monk community

noun Buddgist concept of six worlds

noun local spirit-master

noun phrase yellow or exact astronomy

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

noun liver pieces wrapped in interior fat

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

noun bloodline (litreally bone)

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

noun sack of white color

noun hell

noun pl chiefs (referring to Soviet party top bosses)

[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 / noun phrase breath of life / soul

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

Source: Simchit 2010,

noun phrase blood related people who inherit the knowledge and experience of noble bloodline of shamans

noun phrase life energy

noun devil (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun phrase boiled (cooked) sheep leg

noun phrase white caragana (Siberian peashrub)

noun summer camp

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

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)

verb to fight (literally eat each other)

noun phrase agalmatolite (stone used in Tuvan stone carving)

noun hell

noun basics of buddhist astrology

noun phrase spirits of the camp

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthdate of a person

noun phrase afterlife world for good people (Shambala)

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 stick

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

noun phrase upper universe / paradise

noun phrase upper sky

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

noun destination and deeds

noun phrase dead soul