ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AP) -- In the decade since they overthrew communist one-party rule, Mongolians have regained their freedom, their animal herds and their traditions. Now, they are getting back their names.
A national campaign to restore the traditional clan names the communists suppressed after taking power nearly 80 years ago is prompting Mongolians to rifle through closets, telephone distant cousins and trek back to ancestral homes in search of forgotten family trees.The restoration of clan names is part of a Mongolian cultural revival that has swept this central Asian nation since demonstrations in 1990 ushered in multiparty democracy.
Buddhist temples have reopened. Livestock herds, the lifeblood of rural Mongolia, have been redistributed to nomadic families after being collectivized by the communists.
Genghis Khan, the legendary conqueror who united Mongol tribes into an empire in the 13th century, is again a national hero. His face adorns everything from money to vodka bottles. Now many want to take his clan's name as their own -- so many that bureaucrats are worried about confusion.
To aid people in their search and cut down on duplication, the government has published a directory of names.
For some, the process has been stressful.
"Last year my uncles and aunts were choosing different names. It was like the family was breaking up," said A. Delgermaa, a 24-year-old translator. "But we had a family reunion over the New Year and jointly chose a new name. We are called Bayankhairkan, which is a mountain near my father's home."
Traditionally Mongolians were known by their clan and given names. The People's Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mongolia as a satellite state of the Soviet Union, abolished clan names in 1925 to try to bury the nation's "feudal past."
Moscow feared allegiance to clans, rather than socialism, could create the basis for rebellion. Many family records were confiscated, lost, destroyed or simply forgotten.
The suppression of clan names left most Mongolians with just their given name, adding their father's name or initial to avoid confusion with others sharing the same first name. Even today, flipping through a Mongolian telephone directory reveals rows and rows of Bolds, Jargalsaikhans and other single names.
Experts began work in 1990 on restoring clan names as part of efforts to revive Mongolian culture.