Reviews Of Different Books

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266 REVIEWS Bergmann's Nomadische Streifereien belongs to the small group of books which are of lasting importance to Mongolian and Lamaist studies. Bergmann lived for more than a year among the Kalmyks. He was a very good observer without any prejudice. The second volume contains a detailed description of Kalmyk life and customs: "Die Kalmuken zwischen der Wolga und dem Don. Ein Sittengemalde" (pp. 1-322). Other ethnographical observations are to be found in the thirty-seven letters, written by Bergmann during his stay with the Kalmyks (vol. I, pp. 32-138; vol. IV, pp. 216-355). Some brief information on Kalmyk medicine, chronology and astrology is to be found in Vol. II (pp. 324-340). For the history of the return of the Torghuts from Russia to China in 1771 Bergmann's "Versuch zur Geschichte der Kalmukenflucht von der Wolga" (Vol. I, pp. 140-246) remains one of the important sources, because he was able to obtain many details from an eye-witness, M. S. Weseloff, who was carried off by the Torghuts as a prisoner. Bergmann was very interested in the religion of the Kalmyks. The third volume contains a treatise on their religious rites: "Die Religionsdienst der Kalmuken" (pp. 72-184) and the "Ideen zu einer Darstellung des tibetanisch-mongolischen Lehrsystems" (pp. 22-70) in which Bergmann describes the Lamaist religious system. Bergmann realized that it was not possible to study the literature, the philosophy and the religion of the Kalmyks without a knowledge of Mongolian and Kalmyk. It is interesting to note that he was also well aware of the importance of a knowledge of Tibetan for the study of Lamaism: "Um das mongolische Religionssystem gehorig kennen zu lernen, wird nicht bloss erfordert, dass man die gewohnlichen mongolischen Dialekte, und die mongolische Schriftsprache, sondern auch die tangutische oder tibetanische Sprache kennen lerne." (Vol. I, pp. 18-19). Bergmann's advice has too often been left unheeded by Mongolists in later times. Several important texts have been translated by Bergmann: thirteen stories of the Siddhi kur (Vol. I, pp. 248-351), Kalmyk anecdotes (Vol. II, pp. 342-352), the Mirror of the World (Yertuncu-yin toli, cf. W. Heissig, Mongolische Handschriften, Blockdrucke, Landkarten, Wiesbaden, 1961, Nr. 3) (Vol. III, pp. 186-230), two chapters of the Gesar epic (ibid., pp. 232-284), the Mongolian version of the Visvantara Jataka (cf. Heissig, op.cit., Nr. 159) (ibid., pp. 286-302), the Geu cikitu (cf. Heissig, op.cit., Nr.158) (Vol. IV, pp. 14-180) and a chapter of the Kalmyk epic, the Dzangar (ibid., pp. 182-214). Bergmann's book has for many years been a bibliographical rarity. We must be very grateful for the publication of this reprint. By reproducing four pages of the original edition on one page it has been possible to publish the four volumes of the original edition in one large-sized volume. An introduction by Siegfried Hummel has been added to the reprint (pp. V-VIII). Hummel's knowledge of Tibetan and Mongolian seems to be rather superficial. His etymologies of Mongolian words are surprising. Yirtincu is explained as the Mongolian pronounciation of Tibetan 'Jig-rten-bcu "Zehn Behalter des Zerstorbaren, Die zehn Welten, eigentlich die zehn kosmischen Richtungen - Universum"; oron as the Mongolian pronounciation of Tibetan grong "Stadt".1 The information, given by Hummel, is sometimes incorrect. For instance, the Dzangar is said to have originated in the eighteenth century. The Dzangar contains elements of different origin. Probably it obtained its present form only at the end of the eighteenth century but some parts must be much older (cf. Nikolaus Poppe, "Das mongolische Heldenepos", Zentralasiatische Studien, 2, Bonn, 1968, pp. 198-199). For the return of the Torghuts Hummel refers to Sven Hedin's Jehol but no mention is made of the recent study by C. D. Barkman ("The Return of the Torghuts from Russia to China", Journal of Oriental Studies, II, Hongkong, 1955, pp. 89-115). No information is given on Bergmann himself apart from the indication that he comes from Latvia and that his complete name is Benjamin Furchtegott Balthasar von Bergmann. It 1 For the etymology of yertincu see F. W. Cleaves, HJAS, 17 (1954), pp. 89-90, n. 16.