Khöömii, World Lists, and the Question of Representation

Based on an ethnomusicological approach, including literature with media sources and a self-reflective approach, this article describes the sociopolitical issues related to the practices of khöömii in Mongolia, the regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang (China), and Tyva (Russia). Through different narratives, it explores and analyzes the inscription of khöömii by UNESCO but also traces the historical path by which khöömii was spectacularized and institutionalized, two steps that contributed to the establishment of khöömii as a National Heritage and then as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The author argues that khöömii has always sparked competition and questions about representation, whether on the political UNESCO's list or as a popular Guinness world record.