Ethnographers of the REC "The Greater Altai" of Altai State University conducted an expedition to the Tien Shan mountains

The results of the international expedition in search of the Altai-Kyrgyz ethno-cultural ties "From Altai to Chatkal" were reported by the news agency "Scientific Russia".

The organizer of the expedition to the hard-to-reach Chatkal region of Kyrgyzstan was the Osh State University with the participation of the REC for Altaic and Turkic Studies “The Greater Altai” of Altai State University and the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn. For 10 days, 15 Russian and Kyrgyz ethnographers collected material for a comprehensive comparative study of the ethno-cultural parallels of the Kyrgyz and Altai peoples as part of the "Turkic World of the Greater Altai" project.

This is the fourth expedition, starting from 2021, within the framework of the project. In addition to the organizers, it was attended by experts from the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic named after B. Dzhamgerchinov, Gorno-Altaisk State University, National Museum of the Republic of Altai of V. Anokhin, I. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz Medical Academy, International University of Kyrgyzstan. The scientific consultant of the expedition was Director of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnology named after B. Dzhamgerchinova, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic Abylabek Asankanov.

“Within the framework of the REC “The Greater Altai”, unique conditions have been created for the interaction of scientists from different countries to search for common historical and cultural roots of the Turkic peoples of the Greater Altai and Central Asia countries in several scientific areas,” said Head of the REC “The Greater Altai”, President of AltSU Sergey Zemlyukov. “Ethnographic studies of related Turkic peoples began on our initiative, were continued by the efforts of colleagues from leading universities in Kyrgyzstan, and now our neighbors from the Gorno-Altaisk State University and the National Museum of the Altai Republic have joined this team. This is an example of Eurasian scientific and educational integration in action.”

According to Ivan Nazarov, a leading researcher at the REC “The Greater Altai”, Director of the Institute of History and International Relations of Altai State University, over three years of work, scientists have collected ethnographic material that allows talking about the common past of the Kyrgyz and Altai peoples.

– On the expedition in 2021 to the Issyk-Kul region, then in 2022 to the Chon-Alai region of Kyrgyzstan and the Altai Republic, our team studied the traditions that have survived to this day. They compared preserved crafts, methods of raising livestock, building a traditional Turkic dwelling – yurts, and recipes for preparing national dishes. We found a lot in common, but also something different. The current expedition supplemented the already collected material, and also brought new scientific discoveries.

First of all, ethnographers drew attention to the important role of hunting in the Tien Shan mountains. Scientists have found that the inhabitants of the area continue to use home-made "snowshoes" ("zhakpak") for winter hunting for wolves - a kind of skis that have an ancient history. With the help of such snowshoes, made of a wooden rim and leather straps, hunters can move through snow 2-3 m high.

According to Head of the expedition, a senior lecturer at Osh State University Tazhibai Aitbaev, this is a unique find for Kyrgyzstan and, in general, for Asian countries.

– We plan to study in more detail the safety of this method of transportation in other regions of the republic, and also intend, together with colleagues from Russia, to analyze the ethno-cultural traditions associated with the sacred image of the wolf among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and South Siberia. The second significant discovery of the expedition was a method of making traditional felt carpets (“shyrdaks”) by local craftswomen, which is uncharacteristic for other regions of Kyrgyzstan.

– Here we saw traditional “shyrdaks” made using the technique of stitching small details, but we also found “shyryks” – two-layer felt carpets, the pattern on which is embroidered with braid. This is reminiscent of the ornamentation and style of the Uzbek "suzani", and it is obvious that this method is the result of the influence of the traditions of neighboring Uzbekistan, said Professor of KNU named after Zh. Balasagyna, an expert of the REC "The Greater Altai", a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan Anisa Bikbulatova.

Studying the methods of drawing a pattern on a carpet, a senior researcher at the National Museum of the Republic of Altai of Anokhin Vera Kydiyeva discovered an ornament used by the Altaians in the manufacture of leather flasks. This pattern ("tandai") among the Altai people symbolizes the prosperity and health of domestic animals, and the Kyrgyz use it in carpets that are given as a dowry to the bride.

Another Kyrgyz-Altai parallel was revealed by Surna Sarbasheva, Dean of the Faculty of Altaic and Turkic Studies of Gorno-Altaisk State University, while studying local toponyms. The Kyrgyz, like the inhabitants of the Altai high-mountain villages, define geographical objects not only on the basis of external characteristics (by color, height, size), but also by the type of rocks - limestone, copper, and sand. So, in the Chatkal region, the namesake village of the Altai village Aktash (from the Altai “limestone”) was found, and similar zoomorphic comparisons were also found – “a mountain of a thousand mountain goats”, “a place where a mare will not pass,” and others.

Next year, a team of Russian and Kyrgyz ethnographers plans to conduct a final expedition to the Altai Republic in order to jointly complete a comprehensive ethnographic study to identify the ethnocultural traditions of the two kindred Turkic peoples.