As our participants rode semi-wild horses across the sun-drenched grassland surrounding our ghers, they were dressed in Mongolian vests crafted from gold-threaded Japanese obi. The way these vests shimmered in the light as I rode behind them, their shine a contrast against the green grass, made me rethink how Mongol women, in particular, wielded animals, textiles like nasij, and the very landscape and light itself to command viewers’ attention and assert their authority. In the evenings, after a long day of riding, our participants would gather in the ger. As they pored over books and debated research, their faces alit by the golden light of the fire, as I fought not to sleep, I was struck by the thought of Mongols of the past, similarly appreciating painted manuscripts and discussing the wider world.
