Norov
Basic information
Interviewee ID: 990426
Name: Norov
Parent's name: Samdan
Ovog: Sutai
Sex: m
Year of Birth: 1939
Ethnicity: Halh
Additional Information
Education: higher
Notes on education:
Work: retired (Teacher's College Lecturer)
Belief: None
Born in: Darvi sum, Govi-Altai aimag
Lives in: Sühbaatar sum (or part of UB), Ulaanbaatar aimag
Mother's profession: herder
Father's profession: herder
Themes for this interview are:
(Please click on a theme to see more interviews on that topic)
work
education / cultural production
herding / livestock
collectivization
family
Alternative keywords suggested by readers for this interview are: (Please click on a keyword to see more interviews, if any, on that topic)
childhood
education
collectivization
socialism
wolf hunt
To read a full interview with Norov please click on the Interview ID below.
Summary of Interview 090330A with Norov
Norov was the youngest child in his family. At the age of 3 he started to participate in house chores, and at 5 he learned to herd sheep. He went to elementary school in Darvi sum, then continued his secondary education in Tonhil sum and finally in the centre of Gobi-Altai aimag. After finishing secondary school Norov studied mathematics at the State Pedagogical Institute in Ulaanbaatar, upon the completion of which he was sent to work in a secondary school in Bayan-Uul sum. In 1962, he was appointed as an inspector in the department of education of Gobi-Altai sum which he headed in 1970. In 1995, Norov moved to Ulaanbaatar where he now works at the State Pedagogical Institute as a lecturer.
An important part of the interview is dedicated to his childhood memories. He recounts the following from his childhood: how his father taught him about animal-husbandry, the elementary school where he studied, and when he first saw a lorry, a two-storey building, and people dancing a European dance. He recalls that in 1956 their family joined a collective farm. According to him, collectivisation not only helped to eliminate poverty, but also was instrumental in spreading a new habit of consuming meat in summer. Before that people ate meat only in winter. Norov’s stories about his years in the department of education are full of interesting details. When he started to work in the department, Norov, as a young man, had to do all sorts of seemingly unrelated work, such as killing animals, helping elderly people herd their cattle, etc. Norov accomplished many things during his career as the head of the department. According to him, a period from 1970 to the beginning of the 1980s was the best time in Mongolia in all respects: people listened to their superiors, were active, respectful, enthusiastic and helpful, there was no theft, and the state did a lot of work to improve public education.
Norov also tells in great detail about how he went wolf hunting.
