Who+were+the+Mongols?

Who were the Mongols?

The Mongols were pastoral nomads fromthe Eurasian steppe. They traditionally lived in gers, which were large, white, felt, portable tents.

Social Structure:
 * The tedious work that did not require skill fell to the slaves who were captured during warfare or who sought refuge in slavery to escape starvation.
 * The weaker secured land rights and protection from strong groups by providing them with slaves, livestock, weapons, silk, or money.
 * Powerful groups like the Rolling family lived entirely off of tribute, this way they were able to spend less time on herding and more time on warfare.

Women's Roles:
 * They had arranged marriages from childhood.
 * Women from higher class and prestigious families could hold power in negotiation and management but risk assassination.
 * Wives and mothers of rulers managed state affairs between death of king and new successor.
 * They couldn't succeed to the position of Khan.

Religion:
 * Families often practiced many religions.
 * Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam
 * All practiced shamanism
 * Believed in world rulership by a Khan who, with the aid of his Shamans, could speak to and for an ultimate god represented as sky or heaven.
 * Green Tara was the goddess of activity.
 * The White Tara was the mother of all Buddhas and represents the motherly aspect of compassion.

Trade and Goods:
 * Mongol nomads had the exclusive right to wear silk from China.
 * Trade brought new styles and huge quantities of silk westward to feed luxury trade.
 * Art and porcelain also became major trading goods.

Arts:
 * Paintings, folkloric music, dance, and literature.
 * Tsamdances were influencedby nomadism and shamanism to expel evil spirits.

Other: .
 * They put their infants on horses to accustom them to the feel of riding