There are so many variations on how sound is formed while singing and how to create beautiful songs and melodies. And have you seen the multitude of unique and—to some Westerners—unusual musical instruments, for example, the Mongolian horse-headed fiddle?
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is very proud of its collaboration with the famous rock band The HU. The band has become a worldwide phenomenon for its powerful chanting and throat singing accompanied by traditional Mongolian musical instruments such as the morin khuur (horse-headed fiddle), tovshuur (lute), and limbe (flute); blending Mongolia’s folk music traditions with heavy metal. Filling stadiums full of rock fans in Europe and the USA, the band currently boasts over 100 million views on YouTube. The HU was the first Mongolian band to top the Billboard Chart, an amazing achievement for any musician.
Although the band sings only in Mongolian, we can share with you how the lyrics of their songs show immense sensitivity to nature. “Human beings and nature are connected,” says band member Jaya, “And as nomadic people, we have cattle, and we have to move all around so we don’t destroy the land. We respect it.” The band thrives on connecting modernity and tradition through their visuals and content, including their clothes, musical instruments, music sampling, and performances. You can see, hear, and feel it. Their ultimate goal is to preserve and promote Mongolian traditions, preserve Mongolia’s pristine steppes, and connect people to nature.
Their clothes, instruments, shoes, and merchandise are all made in Mongolia, in their signature “Hunnu Fashion” style, mostly leather products designed in the traditional Mongolian way, full of symbolic elements. Each item is made by hand by specially trained craftspeople, including some with special needs. Each and every detail is intricately designed from scratch through a long, complex process, starting with sketches, wood carving, and molding. There is a lot of creativity behind these innovative approaches. Being true to their calling, The HU wants to make sure that their merchandise is designed and assembled using raw materials from Mongolia. They also want each item to be traceable to guarantee to their fans that the items all come from Mongolia. To take a step closer to sustainability in Mongolia, they looked for a brand promoting sustainable and responsible rangeland management.
That’s where the collaboration between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Hunnu Brand, and The HU took off. SDC was launching the Responsible Nomads traceability system as part of its 17-year Green Gold sustainable rangeland management project. The project partnered with herders to ensure responsible herding practices so that pastures are rested and rotated, good quality veterinary services are provided, a proper understanding of desertification is in place, and high-quality livestock products are produced. Source data is recorded in the Responsible Nomads traceability system, which is then available to the end-user of any livestock product, allowing them to see which herder supplied the raw material, how well their rangelands are maintained, the quality of veterinary service, and if adequate animal welfare measures are in place.
“Responsible Nomads” means that herders rear animals on pastures that have been utilized responsibly, allowing natural regeneration and the replenishment of nutrients, and that animals are provided with veterinary care and winter shelters. The system uses nationwide databases that monitor the state of rangelands, pasture rotation and resting agreements between herders and land management agencies, veterinary records, and data from state-run veterinary laboratories operated by capable professionals. Herders, who make up most of the rural population, are the beneficiaries of this well-established public system, and they are directly benefitting from supplying livestock raw materials to domestic processing companies in line with Responsible Nomads standards.
With 185,000 CHF in funding from SDC, Hunnu Brand merchandise and leather garments made for The HU are all labelled as part of the Responsible Nomads brand to demonstrate that the band is committed to environmental protection and preserving nature and traditions. The Mongolian Ministry of Culture will start including The HU’s merchandise in their gift packages, so the promotion of the band and the Responsible Nomads brand is happening at the national and international levels. Although small in size, Mongolia takes great pride in being represented by its herders, great artisans, pristine nature, culture, and traditions. The Responsible Nomads mission is a beautiful and powerful message to share with the world. Let us take care of our beautiful country. Let us make sure that our children will still have access to this unique treasure! We all are responsible for maintaining nature’s beauty and the uniqueness of Mongolia’s traditions in our hearts and minds. We invite you to listen to “Yu ve Yu ve” by The HU, a call to love and treasure the lands left by our ancestors. Enjoy!
