ABSTRACT
For the Altai indigenous people the Karakol valley represents the spiritual heart of the Republic. The sacred mountain which stands at the head of the valley is so revered that the replacement name ‘Uch Enmek’ meaning ‘three fontanel’ is used to avoid speaking the mountain's true name. The valley supports a wide range of characteristic wildlife including rare and endemic species and is filled with enigmatic ancient monuments, rock art sanctuaries and the world renowned Bashadar kurgan complex. These monuments are placed in a specific relationship to the natural landscape. They reflect centuries of sacred knowledge which has transformed the valley into a shrine. A naturally formed ring of magnetite located at the centre of the valley is believed by the indigenous population to represent the ‘navel’ of the valley which together with the kurgans surrounding it brings a life force and knowledge through the sun's rays to the middle world of man. The indigenous culture encodes the sacred knowledge of the ancients while the local people continue to guard the valley's secrets. The rock art sanctuaries are the people's ‘sudur bichik ’, their sacred text for the future. The epic spiritual giants of the past are said to rest in the kurgans offering their strength to future generations. Threatened by a rapidly growing tourist industry, archaeological excavation motivated by the perceived threat of global warming to permafrost burials and the uncertainty of new land and tenure laws the people of the valley have responded by creating their own nature park in an attempt to preserve their land, heritage and culture. Combining traditional sacred knowledge with contemporary scientific methods of research, the indigenous community attempt to formalize their knowledge and to deepen understanding of the ritual function of kurgans. After generations of keeping the valley ‘closed’ to outsiders local spiritual leaders now offer initiation and pilgrimage in the hope of raising a broader awareness of their spiritual worldview. Concerned for the status of sacred lands the world over, the Karakol indigenous leaders dream of creating a model territory in their sacred valley for the study and harmonious development of such sacred places and for the well-being of humanity.
