Tuvan English

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

proper name Great Yenisei River

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

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

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)

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

noun phrase golden breath (balanced condition of an organism)

noun travelling lamas walking around camps and reading prayers

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

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

noun phrase lama-shaman

noun phrase round bread

noun / verb animist ritual, tribal prayings (holiday)

noun smal drum (used by lamas)

noun board cut

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 shaman drum

noun honorable place of the master of the home

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

noun Mongolian calendar

noun blessing, parting wishes/words, wishes

noun phrase black (dark) forces

noun phrase black astronomy

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

verb phrase shaman ritual of diverting anger

noun mind, consciousness

noun phrase red caragana (Siberian peashrub)

verb healing with a help of a shaman mirror kyuzyungyu

noun phrase lama-astrologer

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

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthmark of a person

noun phrase bad soul (used by Southern Tuvans)

noun phrase silver breath (good physical shape)

noun festivities for youth after harvesting (holiday)

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

noun universe

noun phrase middle world / universe (that is Earth)

verb phrase ritual of burning a sacral fire

noun buddhist monk community

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)

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 phrase master of taiga

noun pl chiefs (referring to Soviet party top bosses)

noun ritual of healing heavily sick people with aim to decieve ill spirits haunting sick people

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 / noun phrase breath of life / soul

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 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 smoke hole

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)

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

noun phrase white caragana (Siberian peashrub)

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

noun prayer service on recovery of a sick person

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 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 ritual of ’renting the land" (for burials)

noun luck in hunting

noun phrase agalmatolite (stone used in Tuvan stone carving)

noun hell

noun doll figure symbolizing sign of illness

verb phrase ritual of fixing the birthdate of a person

noun phrase afterlife world for good people (Shambala)

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

noun stick

noun phrase Orion (literally three elks)

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 phrase dead soul

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

Source: First edition