This story about the moments before
before my day of reckoning, really, okay?
On our last expedition, I came down off this mountain top
and these trucks pulled up to our camp.
And they were shamans.
There were these seven shamans
who had showed up at the base of the Burkhan Khaldun
this mountain to pay tribute to…
Genghis Khan.
And Professor Ishdorj comes to me and he goes, “Albert…
the head shaman wants to see the leader of our group.”
( audience laughter )
I was like, “Oh, shoot!”
( audience laughter )
This is the moment before, you know
I’ve a little bit of video, not a lot.
( speaking in Mongolian )
I can’t say I’m not nervous.
I’m terrified, okay!
Like, what’s going to happen here.
And these guys are running around preparing,
and you’ve got that arrow, you know, pointed up at the mountain
and the shaman is putting on, you know, his gown.
And what else could I do…
( sound of pounding on rustic drums )
You know, you couldn’t even see his face
because he was covered in this black, this black felt
that wouldn’t allow you to see his eyes.
But he had these big eyeballs painted on to his headband
and these huge feathers…
these huge massive feathers that went from
you know, above his headband into the sky.
And he had these massive dreadlock-like things
flapping around him as
the pounding got more and more intense.
Boom, boom, boom over my head and my heart started pounding
with the same rhythm underneath him
as he is pounding over my head and I’m literally stuck
like a stone to the ground, terrified.
( sound of pounding on rustic drums )
And then it just stops.
( sound of pounding on rustic drums )
And he falls to the ground
you know, he just sort of collapses.
And he just asks me these really simple questions, like
“what’s your name, when were you born…”
You know, then he asked me
“why am I here?”
And I’m sitting there and I’m…
And I tried to give this great explanation, you know, like
the whole deal with the technology and the search
and why we’re doing it all, and…
you know, it’s a long explanation and it gets
translated into Mongolian and a little bit gets lost there.
By the time it gets to the attendant
who is translating it from Mongolian to ancient Mongolian
it’s like one or two words, you know.
( audience laughter )
And…
I’m like, “Wow, didn’t really work out.”
And I am sitting there and the shaman just
he doesn’t even care, you know.
And he starts talking, he was like, “it doesn’t matter
about the technology,” he says.
He says, “I was sent here
by my own soul to try to know more about my past.
And it’s my intentions that matter.”
And he says, “Go off and tell the world about this story.
And then your intentions will be true.
For you will have followed through with
what you told me.” You know.
“Stay true to your traditions, stay true to your honor
but do this, tell the story of our mountain.”
So, today I am standing around you, you know
at the National Geographic headquarters
years after I launched this project
which has totally changed my life.
And you are just
so deeply in my heart…
the edge of that journey, the continuing part of that.
You are the reason why I did it all.
And now you are part of that whole story.
So, thank you very much.
( applause )
”
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