Turkic Studies Journal

The image of dog in Kazakh traditions and folk beliefs

2024-03-30T00:12:48+00:00

The dog, one of the first domesticated animals, played an important role in all epochs of history and found its place in every culture. Among the Kazakhs, the dog was considered one of the seven treasures, such as a faithful friend of man, a keeper of the house, a guard of four types of domestic animals, a shepherd and a hunter. In addition, the dog has become a part of social and cultural life and takes an important
place in the traditions, beliefs, art and vocabulary of the Kazakh people.
This study aims to define the origins of positive and negative attitudes
towards dogs in Kazakh society and to identify their basic expressions
in traditions and folk beliefs. In this article Kazakh traditions and folk
beliefs are carefully considered, as well as a number of crafts in which superstitions and customs are associated with the concept of a dog.
The results of this study show that in Kazakh culture a dog is not only a pet, but also a cultural symbol and mythological figure. Therefore, dogs have both positive and negative meanings in the collective consciousness of Kazakh society, as well as practical, ritual and mythological significance.

Khoomei as the voice of nature of the Tuvans: Is harmony between singing and cultural policy possible?

2024-03-30T00:10:31+00:00

This review addresses the issue of studying the distinctive creative heritage of the Tuvan people, as expressed in their oral musical tradition. It provides information on the structure of the reviewed monograph, evaluates the relevance of the problems, and offers
its own insights into this endangered art form. The author’s perspective is highlighted through a comprehensive analysis of Tuvan throat singing and its performers. At the same time, it should be noted that the author of the book has successfully addressed the tasks at hand, comprehended existing problems in this field, and proposed solutions.
The author of the monograph identified the typology and characterisation of various aspects of Khөөmeology through an extensive study of 492 sources and research materials. In the era of globalisation and digitalisation, this unique phenomenа requires special attention and careful preservation.
The reviewer notes that the book’s author pays attention to the interesting and important aspects of ethnic culture related to oral art. Additionally, the author describes the results of a questionnaire survey of Tuvans, which provides different approaches and views of Tuvans. The book also describes
the history and current state of khөөmezhi and characterises the semantic nuances that are manifested
in the performers of throat singing -khөөmezhi, and the ethnic identity of modern Tuvans.

Abut-Turk poems or the Voice of Turkestan

2024-03-30T00:11:49+00:00

The article is devoted to the study of historical personality and historical theme in the poetry of the famous Uzbek poet Rauf Parfi Ozturk. The object of the research is such poems of the poet as «Mother’s language», «Memory of my father», «Navoi», «Iraqi desert», «Ancient Turks». Historical events in the poetry of Rauf Parfi were studied in comparison with cultural, literary and historical sources. A comparative analysis of the poetry of Rauf Parfi and the works of the outstanding Turkic
poet Alisher Navoi was carried out, in whose works the harmony of human values and ideas can be traced. The article also reveals the meaning of unexplored mystery and mystical secrets in the works of Rauf Parfi and Alisher Navoi, based on the analysis of ayah on the concepts of genuine author and pseudo-author in Surahs of the Holy Quran. It is emphasized that the poetry of Rauf Parfi, who glorified the fate of repressed poets of the Turkestan region, holds a special place in Turkic literature
of the early XX century. The ideas, author’s stance, as well as artistic-poetic and linguisticstylistic characteristics of Rauf Parfi’s works have been comprehensively analyzed.

Bashkir Epic «Ural-Batyr»: foundations of national ideology and spiritual-moral principles

2024-03-30T00:10:49+00:00

The historical and socio-cultural significance of the epic ‘Ural-Batyr’ is analysed from an archetypal perspective. The text explores the mythological ideas, narrative codes, and philosophical approaches that underpin the ethical-moral, legal, and ethnographic orientations of the epic. Additionally, the text highlights the relevance of these themes to contemporary society. The article aims to study the epic ‘Ural-Batyr’ from the standpoint of significant systemic paradigms of human-nature-social studies relevant in the 21st century. The objectives are: 1) to dissect and comprehensively analyze conceptual and narrative episodes as codes reflecting principles of life, national ideology, ethnography, as well as spiritualmoral and ethical values; 2) to reveal the socio-cultural, ethnopedagogical, educational,
and upbringing potentials of the epic text. The methodology involves identifying, systematizing, and representing the text projecting the epic archaism onto modernity and scientific generalizations. The comprehensive study reveals that the epic ‘Ural-Batyr’ represents a system of spiritual-moral and worldview values. These values embody the receptions of the national ideology Yakshylyk-Virtues, which are highly relevant in contemporary society.

Ancient Turkic motifs in the poetry of Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov: semiotic aspect

2024-03-30T00:11:29+00:00

In the poetry of the Kazakh Russian-speaking poet Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov, ancient Turkic motifs are expressed at different semiotic levels of the artistic and aesthetic systemprimarily in the themes of works, plots, poetics and the system of characters. The artistic picture of the world reflects mythologies, folklore and pagan images performing aesthetic functions in accordance with the author’s intention. B. Kanapyanov creates such basis for the artistic and visual means as transcultural metaphors, epithets, comparisons, which act as original poetic signs. The poet uses ancient Turkic symbols in the original archaic sense, or transforms them (for example, the World Tree Ak Terek). Therefore, the poet creates his own occasional symbols in the ancient Turkic context (a white scarf; a path). Kanapyanov’s poetics is saturated with archaic nomadic semiotics: symbols, customs, traditions, rituals (tamga, ritual burial of a warrior, etc.). The author introduces sacred pagan, mythological
characters: Tengri, shyrakshy, Temir-baba, Shakpak-ata, et al. In the embodiment of ancient Turkic motifs and images, significant emphasis is placed on historical facts and events, for example, Turkic El, ancient Turkic tribes, the relationships between the Great Steppe and East Slavic tribes.

Historical significance of the Chinese Emperor’s Edict- Letter to the Kazakh Sultan, preserved in Chinese archives

2024-03-30T00:09:32+00:00

On the basis of Chinese and other sources, the article considers the Edict- Letter of the Chinese Emperor of the Qing Dynasty to the Kazakh Khanqoja Sultan, the owner of the eastern border regions. According to Kazakh documents, the Kazakh Khans Abylai and Abilpeiz established official ties with the Qing Empire after the destruction of the Dzungars in 1757. Trade fairs were opened in Urumqi in 1758, in 1761 in Yili, and in 1764 in Tarbaghatai, thereby favorable conditions were created for the development of political and economic relations between the two sides. That is confirmed by mutual correspondence contributed to a significant increase of official documents. Most of these documents, preserved in Chinese archives, are letters from Kazakh Khans, which were
delivered through ambassadors to the local administration of the Qing Empire, and then forwarded to the Emperor himself. The analyzed archival document is the Edict-Letter sent by the Qian Long
Emperor to Khanqoja Sultan in 1787. The author of the article, exploring the language of the Chinese Emperor’s Edict-Letter to the Kazakh Sultan, reveals the history of interethnic relations between the countries, as well as the history of the Kazakh Khanate in the XVIII century.

Warrior burial of the Tasmola culture at Lake Balykty

2024-03-30T00:12:08+00:00

Article presents excavations results and interdisciplinary research conducted in 2022 at the Balykty mound, located near Lake Balykty in Akmola Region. The burial site consists of 7 mounds, with a diameter of 5-7 m. Excavations were conducted in mound 1, where more than 20 bronze artifacts were discovered. The complex of a horse bridle and arrowheads, whetstone, bone awl are made in “animal style”. Based on the found artifacts, the site was identified as a typical «warrior» burial for the Tasmola culture. The excavation was digitally processed, and orthophotomaps and topographic surveys of the site were conducted. Anthropological analysis determined that the burial belonged to
a male aged between 45 and 50 years. Radiocarbon analysis dated the burial to the 6th-5th century BC. A mineralogical analysis of the stone identified the raw material used. The mound is concluded to belong to representatives of the Tasmola culture who inhabited the northern part based on material evidence and interdisciplinary research.
Comprehensive scientific results regarding the material complexes and ritual issues of warriors and common people of the Early Iron Age of Northern Saryarka can be obtained by studying the elite burial sites and small mounds.

The Ordazy cities. The first archaeological research works in the cities of Sortobe 1, 2

2024-03-30T00:12:29+00:00

The article presents written data on the sites, located in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya river and extensive information about the archaeological research conducted in the Sortobe group of cities. It examines the main written sources, works of Arab-Persian researchers of the 9th-12th centuries, including rare information related to sites of the Oghuz period in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya river, which is
presented for the first time. In addition, detailed information concerning events in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, mentioned in the works of Western researchers in the last quarter of the 19th century is considered, memories of some local historians of the Tsarist Russia times and archival data of the Khorezm archaeological-ethnographic expedition are аnalyzed. The article highlights the process of studying the site and the archaeological excavations conducted there with results. This paper
discusses the current state of the medieval city of Sortobe. It highlights that half of the city has been eroded by the Syr Darya river, leading to the cultural layer of the site being in an emergency condition without state protection.

Regarding the issue of the origin of the Naiman Kazakh tribe

2024-03-30T00:09:52+00:00

This study addresses the origin of the Naiman Kazakh tribe, in particular, concerning the time of the Naimans’ transition to the Kazakh Khanate. Specifically their transition to the Kazakh
Khanate. The analysis of written and oral sources led to hypotheses about the gradual transition of the Naimans from the Shibanid states to the Kazakh Khanate. The research aims to determine the circumstances and timing of the Naimans’ integration into the Kazakh ethnic group. The authors used various Eastern chronicles to describe the history of the Ulus of Jochi and the
Shibanid states, including ‘Sheibani-nameh’ and ‘Tarikh-i Abulkhair Khani’, as well as folklore legends and shejire of the Naiman tribe. The first stage involved subjugating Abu-l-Khair Khan’s population to Kerey and Janibek Khans
after his death. The second stage was the submission of Shibanid Baba Sultan’s possessions by Tauekel Khan. The Khwarazm Naimans transitioned to the Kazakhs, Nogais, and Bukhara after their defeat by Arabshahid Asfandiyar Khan. It is widely accepted that the Kazakh Naimans are descendants of the
Shibanid Naimans. From the time of Batu Khan until the XV-XVII centuries, the Naiman tribe was one of the main supporters of the Shibanid rulers.

Features of the Karakhanid craftsmanship

2024-03-30T00:11:09+00:00

The establishment of Karakhanid rule in Mawarannahr (942-1212) led to the political unification of vast territories from East Turkestan to Khorezm. Political integrity, economic stability and intensive trade between the urban and steppe communities provided an environment conducive to developing local craftsmanship.
This article analyses the mutual influences and common features observed in the craftsmanship of the settled population and nomads in Mawarannahr under the Karakhanids. It demonstrates preservation of the ‘Turkic motifs’ in the new cultural environment. Although the vast territory of the Karakhanid state from Jetisu to Amu-Darya preserved local cultural peculiarities, the formation of universal cultural forms was conspicuous. This article demonstrates the innovations and transformation processes of the Karakhanid era’s craftsmanship, focusing on metal and ceramic products, as well as jewelry. During this period, unglazed pottery of an archaic type, similar to Bronze Age vessels, was widely used, along with fine pottery. These handmade vessels are painted with gray or red engobe. In addition to traditional
products of high quality, there are also metal vessels and female jewelry decorated with zoomorphic images. However the presence of these products does not necessarily indicate a decline in the overall quality of craftsmanship in the region.

Semantic explications of affixal word formation in the «Yrk Bitig» manuscript

2024-03-30T00:10:11+00:00

The derivational subsystem of Turkic written monuments of the early Middle Ages in the semantic aspect has been insufficiently studied. The texts of medieval manuscripts show a wide range of word-formation possibilities, including compound bases, paired and affixed word-formation. The ‘Yrk Bitig’ is the only runic monument written on paper. Research has revealed that semantic relations are evident in the word-formation pair in affixal word formation. In word building, it is important to consider both the producing base and the word-formation affix used, taking into account the meaning of the affix. It is important to define the semantic relations between the derived base and the derived word. These relations are revealed through different types of motivations: direct, phraseological and semantically extended. This article analyses the corpus of word-forming affixes of the manuscript, classifying them based on their productivity and non-productivity. It determines their unique word formation meanings based on the system-forming function of the affixes and the preservation of some historical meanings. Direct motivation is common for both productive and non-productive affixes. However, the formation of names with the affix -laɣ/-lӓg/-laq/-lӓk is only phraseologically motivated.
Names with the affixes -lïγ/-lig/-luγ/-lüg/-lïq and -(a)q/-(ӓ)k/-ïq/-ik/-uq/-ük have all three types of motivation.