ger

A defining feature of the nomadic way of life is the ger. They are circular, with a stove in the centre that heats the inside of the ger and a chimney at the top to allow smoke to escape.

  A round and genial home, the nomad's "ger" is tall and wide with a wooden frame with leather straps to keep everything together. The leather straps are woven with designs created by the nomad to keep the weather out or the heat inside.

 
The ger is made of wood and covered by canvas, with smoke billowing from a stovepipe.

Manufacturing process

To construct a ger, a craftsperson affixes a pole made of wood to a wooden frame. The pole is held in place by leather straps, and the frame is covered in canvas. The poles are made of wood, locally found or imported. Poles can be felled or cut down, or traded for. The most common wood is pine, which grows in the mountains throughout the steppes.

History

Early humans made the first gers by stretching leather or yak skin over a tent-like frame. The colour patterns and designs on the exterior and interior of the gers are used to keep out the wind and keep in the heat, as well as to make the home unique and beautiful.
The tradition of building temporary gers, nomads moving from place to place and living off the land has been practised for thousands of years.

Significance

All nomads share in the spirit of their culture, through travel in the summer months, dressing in colourful garb, dancing and singing. Nomads have one thing in common, the need to be flexible. Their day to day life is dictated by the weather. They are able to erect, dismantle and move their homes as the seasons change. The ger is nomadic and once placed, it is able to be moved at the owner's whim.

Raw materials & Components

A ger is made of wooden poles wrapped in leather straps, and covered in canvas. The canvas is thick, waterproof, and often painted with a pattern to keep the weather out and the heat in (or to keep the patterns hidden from the prying eyes of enemies). 
The poles are carefully wrapped in leather, the pieces of leather each painted with a design to ward off evil spirits and protect from storms. Each design is unique to the nomad who made it.
There is a central stone stove in the ger, a wood-fired furnace that burns constantly. Smoke from the fire escapes through a chimney pipe that sticks up through the roof.

Tools

To make a ger, you need to use techniques and materials of the nomads: leather, canvas, and stone. Leatherworking is the art and craft of working with leather. Anyone can learn the basic techniques of softening, dyeing, and tanning leather. 
The most talented leatherworkers are able to create things of beauty or utility, such as saddles, belts, handbags, and boots. All leatherworkers use leather straps to make items like bags, saddles, hats and tent frames.
Tanning leather is a skill that anyone can learn with a modicum of time and a few supplies.