The Altai Urianghai are renowned Mongolia-wide for their inheritance of the rights to perform heroic epic songs. In a place where musical action is imbued with an efficacious, esoteric power, ritual epic song practice was actively discouraged by the state during the communist period and a trend of shorter stage performances began. Now 21 years past the fall of communism, epic song practice amongst one group of Altai Urianghai in western Mongolia has become a focal point for the negotiated performative expression and embodiment of historical referents, spirituality and familial, social relationships. Since the early 2000’s there has also been a growing interest within the Mongolian heritage sector on the significance of epic song as a part of Mongolia’s intangible cultural heritage. Given this, how do current epic song singers negotiate these different and complex spheres of epic song significance?

This paper will focus on the multifaceted roles played by current epic song singers in one rural location. I will argue that whilst epic song singers utilise nationalised heritage discourse to situate themselves locally, nationally and regionally, this situating is not a new phenomenon. Rather, it forms another facet of a changing epic song practice. Through epic song words and intoning, performance contexts and the responsibility of epic song knowledge, epic song singers dynamically situate themselves on a historical trajectory that spans social, spiritual and geographic spheres.

Rebekah Plueckhahn is currently completing her PhD, which focuses on the roles of musical engagement in Altai Urianghai sociality in and from western Mongolia. Prior to her PhD she worked in the heritage and development sector in Mongolia.