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National Geographic : 1962 Mar
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Journey to Outer Mongolia illiterate now teaches all its youth to read and write. Mongolia has abandoned its ancient script for official use; it has adopted a Cyrillic alphabet of 35 letters, as compared to Russia's 33. But the oncoming generation is not cut off from Mongolian history or ancient cul ture. Between the ages of eight and eleven, children still study the old Mongolian script in school. "Moment Camera" Wins Many Friends On my earlier journeys to the rural areas of Asian nations, I had always carried gifts for villagers who extended me hospitality. I had found that a ball-point pen was much appreciated. This time, however, Dean Cong er had a happier idea. We packed a Polaroid camera, a large case of film, and a strobe flash. This camera with its instant pictures pro duced gratifying results. On official visits in Ulan Bator, in offices in provincial centers, in sumas (villages) and resthouses, along the highways, on state farms and at cooperatives, in the gers - everywhere we went, the "moment camera," as Ochirbal called it, broke down barriers and created a trail of good will. Whenever we stopped at an ail and took one picture, the word spread. A dozen people arrived, politely asking to be photographed. When the pictures dried, they went up in the gers with those of Lenin, the Soviet cos monauts, and Mongol heroes. Family-group pictures were most honored of all. For Mon golians, though in midstream of the 20th cen tury and on their way to a mechanized soci ety, have retained the basic values of the arat under Genghis Khan. Their pride in ancestry and offspring and the love of family are as strong as their passion for independence. Herder wanders within the confines of her cooperative. Grass covers valley and hills KODACHROMEBY JORGEN BISCH ( NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
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