Transhumance in the Kyrgyz Pamir, Central Asia

Abstract

Transhumance is a typical form of subsistence in the livestock industry that involves the climatic difference between lowlands and highlands. There are several types of transhumance but its most important factor is the natural difference in climate and vegetation between lowlands and mountain regions. In this paper, we will discuss the connection between mountains and human activities through transhumance (kuch in Kyrgyz), the use of natural resources, and age-based livestock naming differences in the Alai Valley, located in the northern part of the Pamir in Central Asia. In 1920, the region called Kyrgyz was integrated into the Soviet Union. Before the Soviet era, Kyrgyz people had maintained a purely nomadic lifestyle, travelling from one pasture to another in groups. The integration into the Soviet regime caused a rapid transformation in this region from nomadic pastoralism to livestock farming. The transition period that Central Asia went through after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union diverged greatly from the initial optimism that surrounded it. Livestock farming became a matter of individual enterprise, or fermer. Today, the eastern part of the Alai valley is characterized by two types of transhumance: horizontal and ascending. In contrast with the conditions of the Soviet era, the region is now independent, so pastoralists will unavoidable need to gain autonomy in the new market economy.