Kazakh Steppe Research Articles

Who Were the Kazakh Jadids?

Abstract Located between the Volga-Ural region and Central Asia, where jadidism has been scrupulously studied over the past half century, the Kazakh steppe was nevertheless also an arena for the development of jadid thought, here, as elsewhere, characterized by the coexistence of modernist and Islamic reformist ideas. During the later imperial period figures identifying themselves, or subsequently identified as jadids were numerous. Jadids were active in urban commercial settlements, including Troitsk, Petropavlovsk, and Omsk, as well as in nomadic encampments on the steppe, and included Tatars, Bashkirs, and Kazakhs. The Kazakh case brings into question problems in defining jadidism itself. This is because figures identified in Kazakh Soviet, post-Soviet and in Western historiography as “intellectuals” or supposedly secular reformers also fit the definition of jadidism.

Kazakh nomads, social class transformations and Soviet power during the period of collectivization

ABSTRACT This research is devoted to the history of the political adaptation of tribal structures to the conditions of social class interactions in the Kazakh aul in the 1920s. Newly uncovered archival materials show how patrimonial and hierarchical institutions tried to adapt and adjust themselves to the system of socialist construction in the Kazakh steppe. The authors have identified three directions that most clearly demonstrated the behavioural motives and adaptation practices of Kazakh tribal cattle-breeding society: the formation of the Soviet apparatus of power in Kazakhstan; the participation of the tribal elite in elections to enter the Soviet institutions of power; and confiscation as a policy of struggle against ancestry and descent groups.

Disruption of Pastoral Nomadism: The Impacts of Russian Colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ Centuries

This study examines the multifaceted impacts of Russian colonization on the Kazakh Steppes during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ centuries. The colonization process caused significant destruction in various fields in the region, including migration routes, livestock herds, socioeconomic life, trade networks, housing and dietary patterns of nomadic communities. Russian expansionism, aimed at establishing control over the steppe, led to the blockage of ancient migration routes and the restriction of nomadic economic resources. The blockage of migration routes, forced transition to capitalism, forced sedentarization and interaction with sedentary life transformed the livestock herds of the nomads. Socio-economic life and trade were restructured by the Tsardom for reasons such as integration into the Russian Empire market, change of commercial centers and concentration of wealth. The changing structure of pastoral nomadism also led to transformations in housing and diet. Comprehending the complex dynamics of Russian colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe will reveal the destruction of nomadic life by scrutinizing the historical and contemporary sociocultural landscape of the region.

Крестьянские миграции в степные области: причинные факторы и способы их преодоления в оценках представителей консервативного направления второй половины XIX – начала XX вв.

One of the characteristic features of Russia’s post-reform development was the migration of part of the agricultural segment to its Asian possessions, which caused a lively socio-political discussion in the country. Supporters of the conservative trend play a significant role in discussing the causes of these migrations, identifying the crisis in peasant farming as the principal driver of mass movement toward the empire’s periphery. This article is based on administrative documentation from the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan concerning the movement of agrarian migrants into the Kazakh steppe and the actions undertaken by regional and provincial administrations to accommodate them. It also draws from materials in periodical literature that shaped societal perceptions of typical phenomena leading to the causes, progress, and consequences of popular migrations for the national economy. Following the principles of historicism and systematic analysis, which facilitate the exploration of the viewpoints of conservative discourse regarding the identification of causal factors underlying migratory mobility, this article examines approaches to possible state support for settlers at the imperial level. The analysis centers on the positions of the most prominent representatives of conservative doctrine, who viewed agrarian migration as an integral component of governmental policy aimed at the economic development of the “Kirghiz” steppe, a region that geographically partially fell within the borders of Akmolinsk and Semipalatinsk provinces.

Reconstruction of the Bronze Age Chariot of Kazakh Steppe

The article is devoted to the study of the possibilities of using reconstructions of the chariots of the Bronze Age in museums' displays and exhibitions. The cultural and historical significance of these exhibits was demonstrated by comparing the artefacts of the Ural-Kazakh and Chinese complexes of chariots. Some general evidence in both complexes, such as the rite of burial, chariot constructions, weapons, the tradition of making vessels from bronze, and victims of people, was analyzed. A series of radiocarbon calibrated dating confirms the chronological priority of the steppe chariots. This fact allows to clarify the technical parameters of the Bronze Age chariots and make their reconstruction reliable. The idea of migrating the early Andronovo clans to northern China along the Altai Mountains and the Tarim desert and suggesting studying the steppe and early Chinese chariot monuments as evidence of a single Asian chariot complex was supported.

Political and cultural situation in Kazakhstan in the XVIII–XIX centuries (historical aspect)

The article describes the political situation and cultural situation of the Kazakh land in the period of the Russian Empire and describes the fact that in the XVIII–XIX centuries, the Tsarist authorities carried out various reforms for the final rule of the Kazakh steppe, expanding the countryethnic basis of the Kazakh people, dividing the ethnic groups, dividing them into provinces and districts, depriving the country of integrity. Our article reflects the colonial policy of the Tsarist government towards the Kazakh Steppe, which in some cases was tactically different from the open robbery attacks of the Khiva and Kokand khanates. It is indicated that the Tsarist government began to use an underground policy that led to the exposure of the Kazakh people to the influence of the Russian state and constant subordination to that state. The article also analyzes the policy of the Tsarist government, how the rulers of the Kazakh steppes work for them, buy them with a large reward.

ОТРАЖЕНИЕ ОБРАЗОВ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ КАРТИНЫ МИРА В ПОЭЗИИ ОЛЖАСА СУЛЕЙМЕНОВА

The article is devoted to the study of such topical issue as ethnic distinctness of works written by translingual authors in the context of the value paradigm of the national view of the world. The notion of “national view of the world” is characterized from the point of view of traditionalism and dynamism of its content. The article considers peculiarities of transculturalism and translingualism and pays special attention to the problem of bilingual and multilingual creative personality’s ethnic self-identification. The author also analyzes the notion “image of linguoculture” and studies the significance of Kazakh linguocultural images in the process of transferring the national content of life and its axiological meanings. The study is based on the material of the poetic discourse of Olzhas Suleymenov. As a result of contextual analysis of the poetic texts of the Kazakh poet, linguistic and cultural images reflecting fragments of the Kazakh national picture of the world were revealed. The article presents objectified images of the Kazakh linguistic culture in lyrical texts, which reflect national customs and traditions, images of the historical past of the Kazakh steppes, traditional images of Kazakh folklore and literature, proper names, objects of national life, cuisine, clothing, crafts of the Kazakhs. As the analysis showed, the translingual poetic creativity of the classic of modern Kazakh literature contributes to the formation of the paradigm of cultural values of the Kazakh national worldview

MODERN KAZAKH NOVEL: PAINTING AND AESTHETICS OF ARTISTIC DECISION OF THE XX CENTURY

The article examines representations of significant historical events related to the history of Kazakhstan at the beginning of the 20th century in fiction and the aesthetics of artistic decision. The main purpose of the research work is to study historical novels published after the independence of Kazakhstan, which contain events such as persecution, famine and colonial plunder caused by the brutal policies of the Soviet government in the early 20th century. At the same time, the problem of historical knowledge and artistic decision in novels based on historical events of this period is considered. The practical significance of the research topic is that the policy of mass conquest and cleansing of the Russian colonial Kazakh steppe, as well as the permanent expulsion of the people living there from their land, began in the first half of the 19th century. In the 20s of the twentieth century, such absurd policies of the Soviet government as the October Revolution, “Little October” in Kazakhstan, artificial famine called confiscation and mass collective farming, reprisals against the Reds, became the basis of the historical novel. At the same time, it is very important to study novels that describe these significant historical events of the Kazakh people in artistic language. The objective of the research work is to study historical novels that expose the atrocities of the Soviet regime against the Kazakh people. In fulfillment of this duty, among the novels that raised this topic, S. Elubay’s trilogy“Akboz uy”, Beksultan Nurzhekeuly’s novel “ay, dunie-ay” and A. Tarazi’s novel “zhaza” are analyzed. The research method is to name many novels that expose the crimes of the Soviet regime, analyze and summarize their artistic achievements. The article also used research methods such as analysis, comparison and discussion. The novelty of the research result lies in the fact that Russian colonialism is one of the darkest periods in the life of the Kazakh people, years full of terrible suffering that have become indelible history. Historical novels that reveal the reality of this pitiful condition of the people, the crime of this man-made massacre, are deeply analyzed in a comprehensive scientific style with a special theme. And the article also analyzes the relationship and skills of the writer in the one-sided acceptance of historical knowledge and artistic decisions.

ОРТАҒАСЫРЛЫҚ АҚТӨБЕ (БАЛАСАҒҰН) ҚАЛАСЫ АУМАҒЫНДАҒЫ ЖҮРГІЗІЛГЕН АРХЕОЛОГИЯЛЫҚ ЗЕРТТЕУ ЖҰМЫСТАРЫНЫҢ МАҢЫЗЫ

In the history of the Kazakh steppe, many hills and urban settlements have been studied. As evidence, we can talk about the early medieval city of Aktobe (Balasagun), which is located on the Shu River, belonging to the territory of the Zhambyl region. The article examines it within the framework of research conducted in the early medieval city of Aktobe (Balasagun), which was the center of the Karakhan state, the capital of the Karakhan era, which was of great importance in history. The fact that on our vast land there are ancient cities, inherited from our ancestors, possessing unique luxury, is already quite known to Kazakh society today. Really, by excavating and exploring the territories in which such historical complexes are located, we can obtain new data and information of great historical and archaeological significance, providing unique information about the society in which our ancestors lived. In history, there were scientists who hastily declared the city of Akbeshim located in Kyrgyzstan as the city of Balasagun. Such a controversial issue requires accurate data and consistent research. There are similarities and differences in the medieval cities along the Silk Road. The central part, consisting of castles and shakhristan, built by local townspeople, is of particular interest to archaeological researchers. The length of collapsed piles in the central part of cities here ranges from three kilometers to tens of kilometers or more. It describes the unique features of each city. Medieval cities were also divided into groups according to importance.

The first educational directions and issues of literary translation in the Kazakh steppe

Since the first half of the XIX century, the experience of public education of the Russian Empire began to spread throughout the Kazakh steppe. The goal was to russify the mind, as well as reveal the literacy of the population through the Russian language. This article considers Y. Altynsarin’s educational works, the first schools opened in the Kazakh country and the main goals of their opening. It is noted that the principles of the Russian Empire regarding the education of the Kazakh people were harmful and useful for the nation. In this article, will analyze the idea of Y. Altynsarin’s translation works for children, focusing on the educational activitiesand his position in education. Attention is drawn to the course followed by Y. Altynsarin, who was in close contact with Russian missionaries. Translation works of the educator for children have been analyzed and methods of translation have been determined. At the same time, it is noted that translation occupies a great place in the literary heritage of Y. Altynsarin, through his translation works, the penetration of Russian culture throughout the Kazakh Sahara had a great influence on the spiritual rapprochement of the two peoples.

Seeds of the Settler Colony: How Peasant and Kazakh Knowledge, Environment, and Bureaucracy Shaped Steppe Agronomy in the Late Russian Empire.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Russian imperial officials hoped to transform the Kazakh Steppe from a zone of pastoral nomadism into a zone of sedentary grain farms. They planned to accomplish this transformation by importing peasants from European Russia and settling them in the steppe along with advanced scientific agricultural practices, equipment, and infrastructure. It was a project that linked steppe settlement and the Russian Empire to a global story of settler colonialism, science, and technology in the first decades of the twentieth century. An examination of this project through the lens of the expansion of grain farming reveals that the changes it wrought were not solely due to European science and technology but were contingent, dependent on local knowledge, the vagaries of climate, and adaptation to the realities of the steppe environment.

INTEGRATION OF KAZAKH NOBILITY INTO THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF THE VALIKHANOV

This article is devoted to the processes of integration of Kazakh nobility into the administrative system of the Russian Empire during the accession of the Kazakh steppe to Russia. The process of integration of the Kazakh nobility into the administrative system of the Russian Empire was considered on the example of the family of Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, namely his great-grandfather Ablai Khan, grandfather Vali-khan and father Chingis. In this regard, two chronological stages of the process of colonization of the Kazakh steppe by the Russian Empire were identified. In accordance with the set task, the influence of the processes of integration of the Kazakh nobility into the administrative system of Russia on the change in the social structure of Kazakh society, which consisted in the formation of a new class group of officialdom, was revealed.

The resettlement policy of Tsarist Russia on the Kazakh steppes of the late XIX � early XX centuries (based on the materials of periodicals and scientific articles)

Relevance. After the conquest of Turkestan in the second half of the XIX century, the tsarist government began to take concrete action. The tsarist government sent special research expeditions to the Kazakh steppes and began to collect a lot of information about the geographical, economic and social situation. The Myrzashol and Kyzylkum districts in the south, notable for their proximity to the fertile and bird-rich banks of the Syrdarya River, offer convenient water access and deserve special attention. The materials collected by the researchers were processed, summarised and published in the Russian periodical �Turkestan Collection�.Purpose. The aim was to show the results of research expeditions and to introduce rulers, military personnel, peasants and peasants of vast Russia in search of work and land in the virgin steppe, where they have not yet plowed.Methodology. This research utilizes a historical review methodology, examining archival materials, periodicals, and previously published scientific articles.Results. The findings suggest that the resettlement was extensively facilitated by the division of Kazakh lands into administrative territories and the systematic imposition of state property laws. The analysis shows that this not only disrupted the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Kazakhs but also paved the way for significant Russian migration and agricultural development, particularly in cotton cultivation.Conclusions. The study concludes that the resettlement policy was a form of imperial strategy that had lasting impacts on the region's demographic and economic landscapes. It underscores the dual role of economic exploitation and cultural domination in Tsarist colonization efforts, reflecting broader patterns of European imperial practices in Asia. The research highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of these historical dynamics to appreciate the complex legacy of colonial policies in Central Asia.

КӨДЕК БАЙШЫҒАНҰЛЫНЫҢ САЯСИ ЛИРИКАСЫ

This article widely examines the work of the poet Kodek Baishiganuly and analyzes his political lyrics, in which his civic position is clearly manifested. Looking at the poet’s works, which reveal the reality of the period in which he lived, the truth and the historical events depicted in them are assessed, and the poet’s civil and political views are comprehensively differentiated. His skill in depicting the arbitrariness of Soviet power in the Kazakh steppe, including in the Alban tribe inhabited by Zhetysu, will be appreciated. In most of poet’s works, the truth life of the colonized people is revealed through specific examples. The article analyzes in depth the lines of the poem that vividly describe the social contradictions that the poet saw with his own eyes and didn’t disappear from his consciousness. Poet’s work provides evidence that the tough policies of the Soviet period in the ХХ weren’t ignored. Together with the poet’s poems, a scene of harsh years is considered, when the cattle of a rich village were swept out and exiled. Even the fact that some of them were shot as “enemies of the people” and that violence, unfair pressure caused public discontent is analyzed in detail. The incurable poet concludes that his sadness is caused by ideals and interests of the country. The dramatic of the work is emphasized, expressing the bitter truth of society, expressing its despair. The political campaigns of the XX are analyzed in depth, declaring that all political campaigns “killed people with a merciless conspiracy.” Without leaving without attention single sad moment in the life of the country, step is being taken to show the legacy of the poet in new light, presenting poet’s life to the gaze of many.

Audience of traditional art in Kazakh steppe

This article considers the evolution of the stage art audience formation in the traditional society of the Kazakh steppe civilization, linking it to the ancient historical, cultural, and ritual processes of our people, as well as to the very origin of the earliest form of stage art. We regard the future improvement of the artistic culture of today's spectator on the assumption that cultural and spiritual continuity between different generations of spectators of the Kazakh steppe will not be broken. Consequently, it becomes obvious that this position is a trend characteristic of the world history of art. For example, folk art activities in other countries are based on the traditional entertainment of the gathered audience. In general, the origin of art is closely intertwined with folk art. They are inextricably related and cannot develop without each other. This phenomenon is confirmed by numerous facts from the history of world theater. There is every reason to come to a scientific conclusion that this position is applicable to the formation of artistic public. We can say that various kinds of entertaining folk games and festive performances, originating in real scenes of nomadic life of the Kazakh people, developed on the basis of national customs and were the initial stage of formation of spectators and listeners of arts and crafts of the traditional Kazakh civilization. Examining the rich cultural history of the steppe, we believe that the study of the audience of the performing arts in the traditional Kazakh society is of great scientific theoretical and practical importance. This issue is still in the category of topics not considered in the framework of scientific research of the national culture philosophy. It is known from history that centuries-old cultural heritage of the steppe region and Kazakh people has a diverse and rich content, along with its own unique style. It is culture that plays a huge role in the vitality of any nation. If we consider the identification of a nation through the prism of its contribution to the development of mankind, then national art is just that distinctive feature that helps defining the nation. Thus, the spiritual contribution of the Kazakh people to world culture is determined, first of all, by its national art.

РЕЛИГИОЗНЫЙ ВОПРОС В СВЯЗИ С НАРОДНЫМ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕМ КАК ЭЛЕМЕНТ СИСТЕМЫ АДМИНИСТРАТИВНОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ В КИРГИЗСКОЙ ВНУТРЕННЕЙ ОРДЕ ВО ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЕ XIX В.

This article examines the issue of religion in relation to the issue of public education in the Kyrgyz Inner Horde in the second half of the 19th century. The inevitable introduction of Russian schools, which embodied the civic model of education, led to a competition between Islamic and civic education. Islamic education in the Kazakh steppe was initially based on the activities of Tatar mullahs. By the example of the document from the F.K. Girs’s Commission of 1873 and the information reflected in the publications by pre-revolutionary researchers A.E. Alektorov and A.N. Kharusina on school education and religious life in the Inner Horde, it is shown that, over time, the Tatar influence was recognized by the imperial authorities as undesirable and contrary to the goals of developing the civicmindedness among the Kazakhs, to the unity with the Russian ethnic group and to the building of a united civil nation. In that regard, the projects of certain restrictive measures against the “Tatar education”, as well as protectionism in the trade sphere, began to be put forward. At the same time, two contradictory trends seem to be visible in the historical development of the Kyrgyz Inner Horde: on the one hand, it was the initiation of European education resulting in the construction of the schools with Russian language teaching, and, on the other hand, there was an increased introduction of Islam into the daily life of Kazakhs by Dzhanger Khan. The field of education needed constant care from the state and local authorities in order to carry out an effective acculturation policy among the nomadic aliens. One of the measures was seen in the increase of government schools practiсing teaching in Russian with the inclusion in the curriculum of the native Kazakh language and the Mohammedan teachings.

THE ROLE OF THE DOG IN THE TRADITIONAL KAZAKH SOCIETY IN THE WORKS OF FOREIGN RESEARCHERS (SECOND HALF OF THE XIX AND EARLY XX CENTURIES)

The article analyzes the works of researchers providing information about superstitions and prohi-bitions related to the dog, deep roots of hunting with eagle and greyhound which have not lost their importance in the life, farming and cultural life of the Kazakh people from the ethnographic history of the Kazakh steppe in the second half of the XIX and the beginning of the XX centuries that continue to this day. The purpose and task of the research – is to study in the course of a historiographic analysis of the works of researchers that the dog, which as the first domesticated animal played an important role in the life of different nations – also in Kazakh society, as a protector of livestock, guard, in the hunting system – as a source of income and food, from a religious and mythological point of view – as a protec-tor from evil. In the research work, the concept of “dog” is common to Turkic peoples, but there were a number of differences according to the peculiarities of the cultural and economic life of the nomadic Kazakh society, in particular, two types of dogs are common among Kazakhs, that is, “tobet” (dog) which protects livestock in nomadic life, and “tazy” (greyhound) which used in hunting were considered based on the works of A. Bram, A. Scherbak, A. Dobrosmyslov, Ya. Polferov, I. Ibrahimov, M. Masson. As well as, superstitions and rituals related to dogs in the worldview of Kazakhs were studied in the works of A. Divaev, A. Budagov, R. Karutz, S. Abramzon. Conclusion. Analyzing the works of researchers who provided information about the Kazakh dog, it was determined that dog played a significant role in the cultural, historical and economic life of the traditional Kazakh society and there were two types that were widespread in the Kazakh steppe.

О ситуации в Акмолинском внешнем округе Омской области в 30-е гг. XIX в

The article deals with the problematic issues of administrative-territorial transformations in the pre-revolutionary Omsk region, carried out in accordance with the “Charter on the Siberian Kirghiz” adopted in 1822. In particular, we are talking about the creation of external districts of the Omsk region, designed to ensure the establishment of the Russian administration in the Kazakh steppe of the Middle Zhuz after the abolition of the khan's power in this region and the introduction of elected government. The creation of the outer districts provoked opposition and an uprising of part of the local nobility and population, led by the descendants of Khan Abylai. It is noted that one of the main reasons for administrative innovations was the need to respect Russia's economic interests in the region, including the safe conduct of trade caravans to the countries of Central Asia.

КАЗАХСКИЕ СТУДЕНТЫ Г. КАЗАНИ ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ XIX В.: ДЕЛОПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННАЯ ДОКУМЕНТАЦИЯ И ИСТОЧНИКОВЕДЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ

Today it is necessary to conduct research that systematizes historical documents and reconstructs the history of education and the fate of Kazakh students in higher educational institutions of the Russian Empire. Based on this, the purpose of my article is to analyze the office documentation of Kazakh students of the Imperial Kazan University and Veterinary Institute. For the scientific analysis of office documentation of Kazakh students of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. a systematic approach and source study synthesis were used, which allows us to see the integrity of historical sources and opens up opportunities for expanding social research, involving in the field of studying socio-cultural changes in the Kazakh steppe of the second half of the 19th century. Additional materials. The type of documents we studied is varied: petitions for admission to students of a certain faculty, graduates of higher educational institutions, metric certificates, information about health status; certificates of completion of gymnasiums; certificate of scholarship amount, educational programs, commission protocols on passing state exams, etc. The source analysis of the office documentation of Kazakh students in Kazan turned out to be perspective, because it reveals not only little-studied aspects of the life of Kazakh students in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, but also identified Kazakh families where Kazakh families where the importance of gaining knowledge and educating their children in educational institutions has become a pattern. And accordingly, from the second half of the 19th century, Kazan became one of the centers of formation of the Kazakh intellectual elite.

The Study of a Kazakh document in Chinese archives related to Khankhoja sultan’s cattle trade and its historical significance

In the following article, Advanced research methods of history and historical philology are used, along with a letter written by the Kazakh’s sultan Khankhoja, who owned the East Kazakh steppe since the end of the 18thcentury and had close relations with the neighboring Qing dynasty, to the local taiji who was in charge of af-fairs in Tarbagatai is studied. The letter is written in the old Kazakh written language, the language is simple, understandable, the content is deep, it is an original document written by the Kazakh, which is very valuable for the comprehensive study of the trade business of the Kazakh steppe. In the previous studies, it was often said that “silk was traded for horses”, but as we can see from the content of the analyzed letter, not only hors-es were exchanged for silk, sometimes other livestock were also traded. The letter is now stored in the First Historical Archives of China in Beijing. From the contents of the letter, the long history of Kazakh- Kyrgyz relations can be indirectly understood.