In 1992 Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Alexander Bapa, his brother Sayan Bapa, and Albert Kuvezin founded the quartet Kungurtuk, as a means of concentrating on the presentation of traditional songs of their homeland. The musicians later decided to rename the ensemble Huun-Huur-Tu. After the first album 60 Horses in my Herd (1993), Kuvezin left the band to form the more rock-oriented Yat-Kha. Kuvezin was replaced by Anatoli Kuular, who had previously worked with Khovalyg and Kongar-ool Ondar as part of the Tuva Ensemble. In 1995, Alexander Bapa, who had produced the first two albums, departed the band to pursue production as a full-time career. He was replaced by Alexei Saryglar. In 2003 Kuular quit the band and was replaced by Andrey Mongush.
The name Huun-Huur-Tu (sometimes spelled without hyphens) translates literally to "Sun Propeller," a Tuvan term referring to the special kind of light you can see streaming down through the clouds at dawn or down through densely leaved trees at noon.
The most distinctive characteristic of Huun Huur Tu's music is throat singing, in which the singers sing both the note (drone) and the drone's overtone(s), thus producing two or three notes simultaneously. The overtone may sound like a flute, whistle or bird, but is solely a product of the human voice.
The group primarily uses native Tuvan instruments such as the igil, khomus (Tuvan jaw harp), doshpuluur, and dünggür (shaman drum). However, in recent years, the group has begun to selectively incorporate western instruments, such as the guitar. While the thrust of Huun Huur Tu's music is fundamentally indigenous Tuvan folk music, they also experiment with incorporating not only Western instruments, but electronic music as well.
Their website is http://www.hhtmusic.com
Odugen Taiga
Huun-Huur-Tu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Olen sigen chyttyg la men
Chalym Khaya churttug la men
Shaanak sigen chyttyg la men
Myndy charym munupsuzma
Myigak anda dezig le chok
Eder charym munupsumza
Elik anda dezig le chok
Eres anchy oglu la men
Ezim arga kadyr be’rttin
Eglish dives eezi le men
The song "Odugen Taiga" by Huun-Huur-Tu is a hauntingly beautiful piece that reflects the deep connection the singer has with nature. The lyrics speak about the vastness of the Taiga (a type of forest that covers much of Siberia and northern Mongolia) and how the singer is a part of it. The opening lines "Odugen Taiga churttug la men, Olen sigen chyttyg la men" translate to "I'm a part of the vast Taiga, I'm a part of the sacred deer." The singer identifies with the natural world and feels like it is a part of them.
Throughout the song, the singer continues to list different aspects of the Taiga that they feel connected to, including a mountain range and a river. The lyrics mention the Myndy, which is a type of shamanistic drum used in Siberian and Mongolian music, and there are even references to the singer's ancestors: "Ertinelig Odugennin, Eres anchy oglu la men" translates to "The son of Ertinelig Odugen, I am the son of his son." The singer feels a deep sense of belonging and continuity with the natural world and their ancestors, and this is reflected in the lyrics of the song.
Overall, "Odugen Taiga" is a beautiful and reflective piece that speaks to the wonder and majesty of the natural world. The lyrics are full of references to traditional Siberian and Mongolian culture, highlighting the deep connection these cultures have with the earth and the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Odugen Taiga churttug la men
I was born in the forest of Taiga
Olen sigen chyttyg la men
I was raised by a mother deer
Chalym Khaya churttug la men
I lived among the chalym trees
Shaanak sigen chyttyg la men
I was nurtured by a father wolf
Myndy charym munupsuzma
I learned the songs of the birds
Myigak anda dezig le chok
I understood the whispers of the wind
Eder charym munupsumza
I sang with the flow of the river
Elik anda dezig le chok
I listened to the ancient stories of the land
Ertinelig Odugennin
I am a true child of the forest
Eres anchy oglu la men
I am the son of the earth and the sky
Ezim arga kadyr be’rttin
I am blessed with the gift of voice
Eglish dives eezi le men
I sing for the whole world to hear
Contributed by Declan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stevenconroy6786
Mother Taiga is my home
I smell the sedge and the grass
The rocky taiga is my home
I smell the junipers and the grass
Come, riding on your reindeer stag
The shot roan doe tied to the saddle
Come on then, riding your reindeer
The feet of the maral doe tied to the saddle
https://lyricstranslate.com
@rasaecnai
Lyrics (according to the Internet)
Odugen Taiga churttug la men
Olen sigen chyttyg la men
Chalym Khaya churttug la men
Shaanak sigen chyttyg la men
Myndy charym munupsuzma
Myigak anda dezig le chok
Eder charym munupsumza
Elik anda dezig le chok
Ertinelig Odugennin
Eres anchy oglu la men
Ezim arga kadyr be'rttin
Eglish dives eezi le men
@vijnmusic4707
Tuva, Tatarstan, Khakassia, Buryatia, Yakutia, Altai, Nogai, Kazakhstan, Mongolia. Some of my favorite people!
@Lek_2.O
This song made me cry. bringing my childhood memories of me my brothers and our friends playing, hunting and foraging in the forest around our village. Too bad the forest we use to know where long gone, so now no cricket at night let alone hearing the magnificent owl. And the river we use to swim and fish have been dead since a decade ago. In Philippines we have a lot poetic and prophetic song about the tragic future of our nature but no body listened.
@JaroMedienGmbH
There is a great book out now with free CD and DVD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-wwZGCMmM
@internet_internet
The creeks/streams & woods/forests that I grew up exploring in were also destroyed to construction.
I feel this pain.
@wegfarir1963
Those songs are prophetic after all. Do not worry though, all will heal in the end and an ever-green earth will rise.
@j.michaelimpson4157
This song moved me to tears as well. Very powerful. 🥲
@harlequinvoyage2875
The temperate rainforest I grew up in has been sold to developers who are hacking it up into subdivisions. There is no way to express the full extent of the pain I feel over it. My body is incapable of letting the true immensity of the feelings come through. I feel you, and I listen to this song over and over again for similar reasons. May nature overcome the fools who believe she has no spirit and is theirs for the taking.
@user-et3tj7mg7y
Didnt understand the words,but felt deeply the music and the emotions from these enlightened and spiritually uplifted artists !
@asianshoegaze2342
Pardon me while I ascend to heaven
@JaroMedienGmbH
there is a great book out now about Tuva https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-wwZGCMmM