The Kalmyks are a testament to how identity survives not through isolation, but through a constant, deliberate weaving together of old and new.

This film was created by Dechen Kelden, a Kalmyk Mongolian who was born and raised in Jackson, NJ. She is a current student at Sarah Lawrence College who took on this project to create an accessible film for young Kalmyks to learn about their history as an Oirat group from the Western Steppes of Mongolia. She is interested in Cultural Preservation studies and working within the Tibetan community based in New York City.