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From:
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Newsgroups: alt.culture.tuva,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: alt.culture.tuva FAQ Version 1.44 [Part 1 of 2]
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Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked
Questions (and their answers) about the culture of
the Lost Land of Tannu Tuva, an actual country in
the centre of Asia. It should be read by anyone
who wishes to post to the alt.culture.tuva newsgroup.
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.culture.tuva:4324 alt.answers:49130 news.answers:184175
Archive-name: cultures/tuva-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2000/04/15
Version: 1.44
URL:
http://FOTuva.org/faq/t-faq.html
Anyone wishing to take a shot at improving this should go ahead and send
the edited section along to me <
[email protected]>. Thanks to
Bernard Greenberg [BSG] for his numerous additions and edits and to
Bernard Dubriel [BD], Alan Shrives [AS], Kevin Williams [KW], Albert
Kuvezin [AK], Dr Oliver Corff [OC], Mike Vande Bunt [MVB], Ralph
Leighton [RL], Masahiko Todoriki, Alan Leighton, Ken Simon, and Sami
Jansson.
Alt.culture.tuva FAQ Version 1.44, Part 1 of 2 (April 15, 2000)
===============================================================
Table of Contents - Part 1:
===========================
1: How can I get a copy of this Frequently Asked Questions list?
2. Are there any WWW sites for Tuva?
3: What is Tuva?
4: What is all the fuss about?
5: How can I contact X in Tuva?
6: What's this about two voices from one singer?
7: Where can I find out more? (Friends of Tuva)
8: Are there any video tapes about Tuva?
9: Does anyone still collect the old Tuvan stamps?
10: What can you tell me about travel to Tuva?
11: How can I learn to sing khoomei?
12: How did the "Tannu" get into "Tannu Tuva"?
Table of Contents - Part 2:
===========================
13: Any recommended reading about Tuva?
14: Any recommended reading about Feynman?
15: Are audio recordings available?
Questions and Answers:
======================
1: How can I get a copy of this Frequently Asked Questions list?
A: You're reading it, aren't you? :-) Save it! The FAQ is posted
monthly to the Usenet newsgroup alt.culture.tuva. The latest
version is also available online at the Friends of Tuva WWW site
(see below for the location).
2. Are there any WWW sites for Tuva?
A: Try the Friends of Tuva site at
http://www.FOTuva.org
This has all of the old Friends of Tuva Newsletters, along with all
kinds of neat stuff like the HTML version of this FAQ and numerous
photos.
Other recommended sites are:
Michael Connor's Tuvan rafting trip site at
http://fargo.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~connor/catapult/tuva.html
feature photos from a rafting trip to Tuva in the summer of 1995.
Connie Mueller-Goedecke's Tuva pages at
http://www.avantart.com/tuva
feature extensive info on Biosintes, the Shaman Exhibition,
electronic and musical webcards from Tuva, examples of stone
carving, Sainkho Namchylak's homepage with RealAudio, a report and
photos from the shaman exhibition in Antwerp (1998), RealAudio from
"Tarbagan Rises on the Earth" by Todoriki Masahiko and Saga
Haruhiko, and much more.
The official Huun-Huur-Tu WWW site is at
http://www.huunhuurtu.com
The official Sainkho WWW site is at
http://www.avantart.com/sainkho.html
The "Central Asian Studies World Wide" WWW page at
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/
provides some useful background information for the researcher in
this area, as does the Leeds University Centre for Russian,
Eurasian and Central European Studies at
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lucreces/resourc.htm
3: What is Tuva?
A: The Republic of Tuva is the former Tannu Tuva, a country in south
Siberia absorbed by the former USSR in 1944. Tuva was at one time
an oblast of Russia, and then the Tuvinskaya ASSR, and is now a
member of the Russian Federation.
Tuva is arguably in the centre of Asia, nestled just north of
Mongolia between the Sayan mountains in the north and the Tannu Ola
mountains in the south, with an area of 171,300 square kilometres,
somewhat larger than England and Wales. Tuva lies between 89
degrees and 100 degrees east longitude, and 49 and 53 degrees north
latitude.
Tuva's population is 308,000 (about 64 percent Tuvan and about 32
percent Russian). The capital city of Kyzyl (pronounced stressing
the second syllable) (population 75,000) lies at the confluence
of two major forks of the Yenisei River.
Tuva was known under its Mongol name of Uriankhai until 1922 and
deserves interest for the fact that it was twice annexed by Russia
within 30 years without the world paying the slightest attention.
The first annexation came in 1914 when when Russia proclaimed Tuva a
protectorate of Russia, and the second time was in 1944 when the
People's Republic of Tuva was transformed into an administrative
unit of the USSR.
Since 1992 the Republic of Tuva has been a member of the Russian
Federation, but this does not imply a large degree of independence
from Russia. As one would expect of a Russian republic, the working
language in the capital and other larger centres is Russian, but in
the countryside and in less formal situations the working language
is Tuvan. The Tuvan language is closely related to certain ancient
languages (Old Oghuz and Old Uighur) and modern ones (Karagas and
Yakut). Tuvan belongs to the Uighur group of Turkic languages,
forming a special Old Oghuz subgroup with Old Oghuz, Old Uighur, and
Karagas.
The ethnic composition of the Tuvan people is complex, comprising
several Turkic groups, as well as Mongol, Samoyed, and Ket elements,
assimilated in a Turkic-speaking element. These ethnic traits
(Mongol, Samoyed, Ket elements) also apply to the language. There
are many Mongol loan words in Tuvan, and many words having to do
with modern Western culture has been borrowed from Russian. The
Turkic elements are common to the Tuvan, Altai, Khakas, and Karagas
peoples.
4: What is all the fuss about?
A: In 1977 Nobel Laureate (Physics) and raconteur Richard Feynman asked
"What ever happened to Tannu Tuva?" One of his friends, Ralph
Leighton, helped Feynman turn their search for information on this
country into a real adventure, as explained in Leighton's book "Tuva
or Bust". Feynman's interest originated in the 1930's when Tuva, in
a philatelic orgy, issued many oddball stamps memorable for their
shapes (diamonds and triangles) as well as their scenery (men on
camels racing a train, a man on horseback with a dirigible above
him, and so on).
When they looked Tuva up in the atlas, they saw that the capital was
Kyzyl, and decided that any place with a name like that must be
interesting! They also soon found out that a monument near Kyzyl
marked the centre of Asia, and that some Tuvans sang with 2 voices -
one voice usually a lower drone and the second voice a high pitched
flute-like sound, both from the same person. This information
piqued their curiosity and things snowballed.
5: How can I contact X in Tuva?
A: If you have additional addresses to share, please send them in.
The Lyceum in Kyzyl can be reached at:
Lyceum,
16 Lenina Street,
667001 Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation
tel: (39422) 3-65-30
[email protected]
The Lyceum's students have made the first Tuvinian web-wite in
Russian at:
http://solar.cini.utk.edu/partners/harmony/ISLP/tuva-ph.htm
Khoomei scholar Dr. Zoya Kyrgys can be reached at:
Director, International Scientific Center "Khoomei,"
46 Shchetinkin-Kravchenko Street,
667000 Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation
Fax: (7) 394-22 3-67-22.
Anyone in Kyzyl can be FAXed at:
Kyzyl Business Center:
011-7-39422 36722
Keep in mind that the recipient has to pay a fee to pick up the FAX.
6: What's this about two voices from one singer?
A: It's called ``khoomei'', or throat singing, and numerous CD's are
available. This is not unique to Tuva - singers come from Mongolia
as well, and the Tantric Gyuto Monks of Tibet (now living in India),
also practice this two-note singing in their chanting. They also
have several recordings available.
7: Where can I find out more (Friends of Tuva)?
A: Friends of Tuva is an organization headquartered in Tiburon,
California, founded and run by Ralph Leighton. It is a central
clearing-house for information about Tuva and Tuva-related
merchandise.
The FoT newsletter is no longer available by mail, but is available
only on the WWW at the FoT site (see elsewhere in this FAQ for the
address).
FoT also has a variety of wonderful things for sale, including many
of the recordings and videos listed here (recordings, books, maps,
etc.). The goods are very reasonably priced, and anyone seeking to
learn more about current news related to Tuva would do well to
browse through the back issues of the newsletters available on the
WWW.
Friends of Tuva can be reached at:
Friends of Tuva
Box 182,
Belvedere, CA 94920, USA
phone or FAX (415) 789-1177
8: Are there any video tapes about Tuva?
A: Yes, there are. Many of these are available from Friends of Tuva.
1. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
A NOVA episode about Richard Feynman. It, as well as "Fun to
Imagine" and "Last Journey of a Genius" are about Feynman,
although the set of Tuva-heads and the set of Feynman-fans has a
large intersection. FoT has a scheme through which the first two
tapes may be rented in the USA; the third may be purchased. Last
winter the BBC aired a 2-part special on Feynman (sorry, no Tuva)
that was whittled down to one episode for broadcast in the USA
under the title "The Best Mind Since Einstein". The longer
English version is great.
2. They Who Know: Shamans of Tuva
A Belgian production in English featuring "45-snowy-I" Ondar
Daryma.
3. Tuva TV
Over 7 hours of broadcasts from Tuva TV, all in colour, with a
written guide to describe the action.
4. Tuvans Invade America
Alt.culture.tuva's own Jeff Cook had a large hand in this
informal documentary on the visit of 3 extraordinary Tuvan
performers to California for the Rose Bowl Parade on January 1,
1993. (90 minutes, videotape)
5. Lost Land of Tannu Tuva
Another famous PBS show, narrated by Hal Holbrook.
6. Throat Singing In Tuva
This 30-minute documentary from the Tuvan Ministry of Culture (in
English) features masters past, present, and future. Historical
footage from the 1950s shows Tuvans appearing in Moscow for the
first time; contemporary scenes show Kongar-ool Ondar (pre
shaved-head) and some of his students, including Bady-Dorzhu
Ondar.
7. Tuva - Shamans and Spirits
Tuva is the setting for the reemergence of ancient spiritual
traditions after their near extinction under Soviet communist
repression. From the capital of Kyzyl to isolated nomadic yurtas
in remote alpine mountains, the Tuvan people are rediscovering
their indigenous Shamanic and Buddhist rituals and healing arts.
A group from the West is invited to participate in the first
public forum and display of previously forbidden practices. A
good insight into Tuva's recovering shamanism after years of
Soviet repression as well as an interesting Tuva travelogue.
Produced in conjunction with the 1993 visit of Foundation for
Shamanic Studies members to Tuva, the documentary was completed
in 1994 but was not available to the general public (non-members
of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies) until 1996, which is a
shame; I would recommend this to all those interested in
spiritual life in modern Tuva.
The documentary is great. Filmed in Kyzyl, Todje, Chadaan, and
elsewhere, it is a mini-travelogue of Tuva that showcases various
landscapes of the country. I would highly recommend this for
anyone who wants to see for themselves what Tuva looks like
(albeit on TV).
The video interviews numerous practitioners and shows them at
work, explaining the significance of their dress or actions. The
video is as realistic and life-like as can be expected without
actually being there. The shamans are open and willing to share
their histories and their feelings about their work; a man who is
both a Buddhist monk and a shaman provides a unique insight on
Tuvan attitudes towards health and healing.
55 minutes VHS videotape, completed 1996.
$30US including tax, shipping, and handling within the USA.
Contact: Tom Anderson, PO Box 1119, Point Reyes, CA 94956, USA.
Fax (510) 649-9719, or call (510) 649-1485.
8. Tuva - Two Short Videos
Ben Lange (
[email protected]) has produced two short videos made
during his two visits to Tuva; one is a general video of little
more than 7 minutes about the beauty of Tuva, and the other is
about a winter ceremony by a female shaman (also little over 7
minutes).
These videos have been shown at the Ethnographic Museum in
Antwerp, Belgium, since October, 1997, and they are available for
purchase from Oibibio, the new-age centre in Amsterdam. The
video is no available directly from the producer:
NGN produkties
O.Ph.(Flip) Nagler
Korsjespoortsteeg 16
1015 AR Amsterdam
Netherlands
tel: +31 (0)20 638 2633
fax: +31 (0)20 638 9199
The video format is PAL (NTSC can be arranged for North
Americans). The price is 40 NLG (Dutch Guilders): 30 for the
video and 10 postal charges. Currently, this would be about
US$20. People can obtain a tape by sending a money order to the
producer in Amsterdam, with the amount given above and with their
name and address. The tape will be mailed after receipt of the
money order. Eurocheques are also accepted.
9: Does anyone still collect the old Tuvan stamps?
A: Yes, there is a group of stamp collectors devoted to the old
diamond-shaped and triangular stamps of Tuva from the 1920's and
1930's. These stamps feature many fanciful images of people,
animals, machinery, and nature (sometimes all on the same stamp!).
You can contact them at the Tannu Touva Collectors Society:
WWW:
http://www.blarg.net/~brad/ttcs.htm
http://www.seflin.org/Tuva/
In North America: Ken Simon, 513-6th Ave. S., Lake Worth, FL
33460-4507
In Europe: David Maddock, 49 Dinorben Ave., Fleet, Hants,
GU13 9SQ, UK
In Asia: Wilson Lin, No. 74 Section 1 Anhe Road, Annan
District, Taiwan City, Taiwan, 709 R.O.China
In Pacific: Bruce Grenville, P O Box 876, Auckland, New Zealand
TTCS member Eric Slone has produced The Tuva Files, a Windows and
Mac CD-ROM with philatelic information and other data. The
philatelic contents include high-resolution scans of Tuva's stamps
(early and modern issues), postal cancels, postal stationary,
covers, postcards, a collection of Tuvan philatelic literature
featuring Blekhman's postal history of Tuva (in English) and more.
The many other items of interest to Tuva-philes include Tuvan
fonts, a nearly-complete archive of all posts to alt.culture.tuva,
the contents of a few WWW sites, several maps, and more. Contact
the TTCS (
[email protected]) or Eric Slone
(
[email protected]) for more information.
10: What can you tell me about travel to Tuva?
A:
GETTING THERE
==============
BY AIR
==============
Some flight information is available online at
http://havayollari.webjump.com/misc.htm#tu
This includes data on the fabled and feared Yak-40 jet airliners.
In Moscow in 1995 it was possible to purchase a ticket to Kyzyl
for about $150 US (cheaper than a flight from Moscow to Abakan,
which costs about $250 US). As of February, 1998, the asking
price according to Victor Akiphen is $500 US for the return
flight.
The entity that used to be Aeroflot doesn't exist any more, and
several smaller (more regional) airlines are filling in the
holes; some even lease their planes from Aeroflot. The Aeroflot
in Kyzyl is a different company than the one in Moscow, and
that's still a different company from the one in Montreal.
Yak airlines flies once a week to and from Kyzyl, from Moscow.
There are stops both ways in Omsk, lasting about 1.5 hours.
Route 727 flies from Moscow to Kyzyl on Saturdays. Route 728
returns from Kyzyl to Moscow on Sundays. The quoted price is
$148.00 each way (please note: in general, in Russia and the
former Soviet Union, there is no such thing as a ``round trip
rate''. Round trip is simply twice the one-way rate.
The Yak Flight Director, Victor Akiphen(r?), is a nice guy, a
mountain climber, and speaks some English. He can be reached in
Moscow at 151-66-92 or 151-89-86, or by fax at 956-16-13, and
will be happy to provide further info and assistance. By the
way, Yak's planes are OK, and the service is pretty decent by
Russian standards. If you contact Victor, please give him Steve
Sklar's regards.
As of November 1997, there were weekly flights from Moscow to
Kyzyl on Sundays, leaving Vnukovo Airport (take Bus #511 from
Metro Station "Yugo-Zapadnaya"), at 21:45 (9:45pm) on "Yak
Service" flight IB 727, arriving in Kyzyl at 08:15 Monday
mornings. Flights from Kyzyl to Moscow are on Mondays at 12:25
pm ("Yak Service" flight IB 728), arriving in Moscow at 14:45
(2:25pm) Monday afternoons. This is presumably the flight that
previously departed Moscow Saturdays (listed above) and stopped
at Omsk enroute to Kyzyl.
As of April, 1999, Yak Service from Moscow Vnukovo to Kyzyl is
now non-stop. Current cost is supposedly 1500 roubles (cheap
like borscht!). Flights are still Sunday evening to Kyzyl,
Monday morning to Moscow.
Other flights are still available via Abakan.
Khakkasia Airlines fly as follows to Moscow Domodedevo:
Moscow to Abakan Wed, Fri, Sun, dep. 22:55, arr. 07:25 1450 roubles
Abakan to Kyzyl Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 07:05, arr. 08:00 250 roubles
Kyzyl to Abakan Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 08:40, arr. 09:30 250 roubles
Abakan to Moscow Wed, Fri, dep. 09:30, arr. 10:20 1450 roubles
Sun, dep. 19:30, arr. 20:25 1450 roubles
BETWEEN AIRPORTS IN MOSCOW
==========================
In Moscow, use the blue Aeroflot transit busses to go from any
airport to the central Aerovokzal (Airstation) where you can
either change to another bus to another airport, or get on the
Metro (nearest is 'Aerport' station on the 'V. I. Lenin' - pale
green - line). The Aerovokzal is next to the Aeroflot hotel.
Busses to and from Vnukovo cost 12 roubles plus 3 roubles for
luggage, take 70 minutes and leave hourly between 06:10 and
23:10.
Busses to and from Sheremetevo cost 12 roubles, 3 roubles for
luggage, take 45 minutes and leave every hour between 07:15 and
23:15.
Busses to and from Domodedevo take 1 hour 40 minutes, cost 18
roubles plus 5 roubles for bags and leave hourly between 06:30
and 22:30.
OVER LAND
=========
From Novosibirsk, trains head south to Abakan where there are
frequent buses to Kyzyl. The bus between Abakan and Kyzyl takes
about 7 hours and costs 85 roubles (as of April, 1999). Some
prefer the daytime bus, not the overnight, to arrive in Tuva
overland, and later leaving by air to get the morning bird's eye
view. Be warned, the bus ride looks long and challenging.
MONEY
=====
Bring lots of new bills. Outside of Moscow and a few other large,
western Russian cities, they don't accept American Express. Or
Visa. Or traveller's checks. Or anything. You must have 1990 or
newer dollars, preferably very new, and they must be unwrinkled,
untorn and unmarked if you don't want difficulties.
Although the exchange rate in Kyzyl is theoretically higher than in
Moscow, exchange your money in Moscow. Kyzyl's banks may have no
roubles to exchange. The exchange rate on the street in Moscow is
better than that in the bank in Kyzyl or via official channels in
Moscow, but be careful.
As of the summer of 1998, there is an ATM in Kyzyl - in one bank
only, for now. It is in a main street backyard establishment (ask
for it, in front of OVIR and Bank of Tuva). It works with Visa
cards.
GUIDES AND REFERENCES
=====================
Buy your maps in your home country, or in Moscow. Topographical
maps are hard to come by in Tuva. When you meet people along the
road and in villages, you will be proud to show off with your
1:1 000 000 scale map from the US Defence Mapping Agency.
The Lonely Planet guidebook for Russia is has seven pages on Tuva
(seven among 1200) but they are useful and include a map of Kyzyl.
Some experienced travellers are now leading tours into Tuva. We
can not give first-hand recommendations for anyone, but we will
not list anyone who has not already travelled into Tuva.
Gary Wintz
1247 Lincoln Bl.
PMB 232
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel/fax 310.822.7908
email:
[email protected]
Sasha Lebedev
An independent guide who has worked with Catapult Adventures for 6
years.
Email:
[email protected]
OTHER
=====
You don't need to have Kyzyl listed on your visa any more, but it is
advisable and will generate less hassle.
There is a classical process to obtain a visa in order to travel
freely through all Russia. The classical process makes it almost
impossible to travel there independently and without personal
invitation. The Lonely Planet guide for Russia has a section on
visas. This section is very complicated but details the best
(quickest) way to get a visa - this has worked for some
correspondents but be warned that there is some question as to
whether this approach is completely legal.
Patience and flexibility are the greatest of virtues. Practice the
mantra ``we will wait, and we will see''.
11: How can I learn to sing khoomei?
A: It's not easy; the best singers begin their training before they can
walk. However, it's not impossible to learn later.
- Dan Bennett has volunteered his advice, reproduced below.
- Steve Sklar has some online instructions at
http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/g057/sklar001/khoomei.html
- I also recommend an excellent pamphlet, "Khoomei - How To's and
Why's" by Michael Emory, PO Box 648, Westbury, NY, USA, 11590.
Michael's illustrations, while not exactly helpful, are fantastic.
His text is quite useful.
- Teachers are available for seminars or workshops in North America.
Paul Pena and Steve Sklar are both reachable online and are
willing to travel to teach.
The absolute best advice was offered by Ralph Leighton, namely,
listen to masters and imitate.
How to Sing Khoomei (by Dan Bennett,
[email protected])
========================================================
Khoomei is easiest for men. I *have* heard a recording of a Mongolian
Kazakh women singing khoomei, but it's simply not so easy or
spectacular, because of the higher pitch of the female voice.
(Sainkho Namchylak can sing khoomei too.)
1. Sing a steady note while saying "aah" (to start with). Pitch it in
the middle of your range, where you can give it plenty of energy,
i.e. - Sing it loudly.
2. Aim to make the sound as bright - not to say *brash* - as you can.
The more energy there is in the harmonics, the louder and clearer
they'll be when you start singing khoomei. Practise this for a
while.
3. OK, with this as a basis for the sound generation, you've got to
arrange your mouth to become a highly resonant acoustic filter. My
style (self-taught, but verified for me by a professional
Mongolian khoomei singer I had a lesson with in Ulaanbaatar) is as
follows:
Divide the mouth into two similar-sized compartments by raising
your tongue so that it meets the roof of your mouth, a bit like
you're saying "L". Spread your tongue a bit so that it makes a
seal all the way round. At this point, you won't be able to pass
air through your mouth. Then (my technique), break the seal on the
left (or right) side of the mouth, simply to provide a route for
the air to get through.
Then (here's the most difficult bit to describe over the net - or
even in person, for that matter!), push your lips forward a bit,
and by carefully (and intuitively) adjusting the position of your
lips, tongue, cheeks, jaw, etc, you can sing Mongolian khoomei!
Put it this way: the *aim* of the khoomei singer ("khoomigch") is
to emphasize ONE of the harmonics which are already present in the
sound generated by the throat. This is achieved because he is
forming a resonant cavity, which (a) is tuned to the chosen
harmonic (overtone), and (b) has a high resonance, or "Q" factor.
By adjusting the geometry and tension of your mouth you can choose
which harmonic you're emphasizing, and thus sing a tune.
12: How did the "Tannu" get into "Tannu Tuva"?
A: Several Mongolians and the band Ozum were asked about the word
"Tannu"; they did not know the word or its source. Mongolians and
Tuvans both answered "it may not be Tannu, it must be Tangdy".
They opined that it must be a Tuvan term; it is certainly not
Mongolian. Their guess is that Tangdy is the word printed on some
maps as "Tannu-Ola" (in Tuvan dictionaries this appears as "Tangdy
cyny" or "Tangdy-Uula"). As you may know, tangdy (ta"ng"dy) means
"high mountain" or "taiga surrounded by high mountain" in Tuvan.
Here is some supporting information, mainly from a book by S. A.
Shoizhelov (Natsov), Tuvinskaya Narodnaya Respublika, Moscow 1930.
(Written in Oct. 1929).
Tuva was indeed called "Tang-nu Wulianghai". The Czarist Russians
called Tuva "Uryanhai". P. 29-30 of the above mentioned book
talks about a "Russo-Uryanhai regional meeting", in which, of
course, a resolution was passed. This meeting was after, and
supposedly in response to, the February Revolution. (Note: Which
year was that? 1915?) The meeting was held in Byelotsarsk, and
was convened by the Immigrants' Administration (Pereselencheskogo
Upravleniya).
Article One of this resolution refers to "Tannu-Uryanh[a]i",
obviously a corruption or Russianization of "Tang-nu Wulianghai".
Once the Russians decided to call the Tuvans "Tuvans" and not
"Uryanhais", then it was a natural step for them to quit calling
the place "Tannu-Uryanhai" and call it "Tannu-Tuva" instead.
In his discussion of the first meeting of the Party in Tuva, Natsov
refers to the "Tannu-Tuva", but then afterwards it is always simply
"Tuva". At the founding of the nominally independent state, it was
called the Tannu-Tuvan People's Republic, but that soon afterward,
in just a few years, the "Tannu" was dropped.
As we all know, the first Tuvan postage stamps, issued in 1926,
have "Ta Ty" for Tangdy Tyva on them. The next issue, from 1927,
has just "Tyva".
[Heroic answers provided by Masahiko Todoriki and Alan Leighton.]
