Rentsendorj
Basic information
Interviewee ID: 990458
Name: Rentsendorj
Parent's name: Peljee
Ovog: Genen
Sex: m
Year of Birth: 1949
Ethnicity: Halh
Additional Information
Education: incomplete secondary
Notes on education: This most likely means 7 years of schooling.
Work: none
Belief: Buddhist
Born in: Tsetserleg sum, Hövsgöl aimag
Lives in: Mörön sum (or part of UB), Hövsgöl 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)
collectivization
privatization
industrialization
repressions
democracy
Alternative keywords suggested by readers for this interview are: (Please click on a keyword to see more interviews, if any, on that topic)
To read a full interview with Rentsendorj please click on the Interview ID below.
Summary of Interview 091057A with Rentsendorj
I was born in1949 at Tsagaan tolgoi, above the Har boom brigade of Tsetserleg sum, Hövsgöl aimag, I am the only son of the family. Starting in the 1950s the collectives were unified and a collective called Enh amidral (Peaceful life) was created. In the beginning, people gave their livestock voluntarily. Later, a rule of “household 57” was adopted. On average one person got about one hundred tögrög and two people about two hundred tögrög salary and plus cost for wool and leather and it was quite enough to live on. However, now I think that we were exploited. Later the collective expanded and became a huge establishment. Agriculture introduced new techniques and technology. It became very powerful, but it was shut down. The organization of privatization was very poor after the breakup of the collectives. Someone used to work in mining and left it and joined the collective without giving a single head of livestock. After one month the person received 100 head of livestock. But I gave my 500 head of livestock to the collective and received about 50 head of livestock out of the lame and rejected livestock. Later I worked at the Nogoon gol (Green river) mine. The industry was different from the collectives and it had its work hours and all worked together in groups to complete the tasks. Also, they provide protective uniforms and milk to the workers. In terms of salary it is a lot more than the collectives.
My father’s father was arrested and called a counter-revolutionary, taken to Mörön and all his property was confiscated. My father’s father was not a monk, he was a herder. I heard about him later from one old man who was also arrested and kept with him in one ger. They were kept in a ger and when it was not possible to all fit in the ger, they took them in a truck and shot about 20-25 people at one time. He said that the ones who remained in the ger counted the shootings. I do not know how my mother’s father was arrested and killed. At that time, there was a lack of information and also you could not talk about it openly. Later they many of them were rehabilitated.
