SOJVCS. MONGOL WOMEN. 69 



former for praise, the latter for blame. He addresses 



his equal as nokor, i.e. ' comrade, ' as we should say 



( • > 

 sir. 



Their songs are always plaintive, and relate to 

 their past life and exploits.^ They usually sing on 

 a caravan journey, and occasionally in the yurta, but 

 the women's voices are not heard so often as the 

 men's. Troubadours or wandering minstrels always 

 secure an appreciative audience. Their musical 

 instruments are the flute and guitar ; we never saw 

 them dance, and they are probably unskilled in 

 the art. 



The lot of the woman is most unenviable. The 

 narrow sphere of nomad life is even more restricted 

 for her. Entirely dependent on her husband, she 

 passes her time in the yurta nursing the children 

 and attending to domestic duties. In her spare time 

 she works with the needle, stitching clothes or some 

 piece of finery made of Chinese silk. Some of the 

 handiwork is in good taste and beautifully finished. 



A Mongol can only have one lawful wife, but he 

 may keep concubines, who live with the real wife, 

 the latter taking precedence in rank and ruling the 

 household ; her children enjoy all the rights of the 

 father, while those of the concubines are illegitimate, 

 and have no share in the inheritance. An illecjiti- 



о 



mate child can be legitimised by the sanction of 

 government. 



At the marriage festivals the relatives of the 



' The most common song in Mongolia is ' Dagn-khara,' i.e. 'The 

 Song of the Black Colt.' 



