Suggested Readings and Links on the Mongol Buddhist Ritual Dances Known as Tsam

Editorial Introduction

In a forthcoming review in Museum Anthropology, Isabelle Charleux of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris assesses Dancing Demons: Ceremonial Masks of Mongolia, an online exhibition of the Asia Society. The following post is a supplement to her review. In this contribution, Dr. Charleux provides a collection of suggested readings relevant to the study of the Mongolian mask traditions (tsam) discussed in her review and featured in the Dancing Demons digital exhibition. Readers are welcome to use the comments function to note additional sources relevant to this topic. Thanks go to Dr. Charleux for her contribution of this additional resource. The exhibition review will appear in Museum Anthropology 30(1), the Spring 2007 issue.

Suggested Readings

Compiled by Isabelle Charleux

Béguin, Gilles

1993 “Instruments rituels du bouddhisme lamaïque.” In Trésors de Mongolie. XVIIe-XIXe siècles. Françoise Aubin, Gilles Béguin et al., eds. Pp. 210-235. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux. [This is the first exhibition of Mongolian art and artifacts held in a Western country.]

Berger, Patricia

1995 “Buddhist Festivals in Mongolia.” In Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan. Patricia Berger, Terese Tse, Bartholomew, et al. Pp. 149-184. New-York: Thames and Hudson.

Erdeni

1997 Monggol cam. Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.

Forman, Werner and Bjanba Rintschen

1967 Lamaistische Tanzmasken: Der Erlik-Tsam in der Mongolei, Leipzig: Koehler and Amelang.

Hashimoto Kôhô

1942 喬本光寶, Môko no ramakyô 蒙古 の 喇嘛教 [“Lamaism” of Mongolia]. Tôkyô: Bukkyô kôronsha. [See pp. 266-292, on tsam and ritual instruments.]

de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René

1976 [1956] Tibetan Religious Dances: Text and Translation of the ‘Chams-yig. The Hague: Mouton.

Pegg, Carole

2001 Mongolian Music, Dance and Oral Narrative: Performing Diverse Identities. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Pozdneev, Aleksej M.

1978 [1887] Religion and Ritual in Society: Lamaist Buddhism in Late 19th Century Mongolia. Alo Raun and Linda Raun, trans. Bloomington, IN: The Mongolia Society.

Schrempf, Mona

1997 “From ‘Devil Dance’ to ‘World Healing’ - Some Representations, Perceptions and Innovations of Contemporary Tibetan Ritual Dances (‘cham).” In Tibetan Culture in the Diaspora. F.J. Korom, ed. Pp. 91-102. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

1999 “Taming the Earth - Controlling the Cosmos: Transformation of Space in Tibetan Buddhist and Bonpo Ritual Dances.” In Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in Tibetan Culture. Toni Huber, ed. Pp. 198-224. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.

Selected Weblinks

The Dancing Demons exhibition.

Dance Ensemble Khuree Tsam: Traditional Religion Dance of Buddhists.

Photographs related to “The Rebirth of Tsam”.

Photographs of a Tsam performance in a tour context.

Isabelle Charleux teaches at the Sorbonne and is a researcher affiliated with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris. Her work focuses on Mongolian material culture, especially Buddhist architecture in Mongolia.