Culture

Before the Russian conquest, the Kazaks had a well-articulated culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Although Islam was introduced to most of the Kazaks in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the religion was not fully assimilated until much later. As a result, it coexisted with earlier elements of Tengriism. Traditional Kazak belief held that separate spirits inhabited and animated the earth, sky, water, and fire, as well as domestic animals. To this day, particularly honoured guests in rural settings are treated to a feast of freshly killed lamb. Such guests are sometimes asked to bless the lamb and to ask its spirit for permission to partake of its flesh. Besides lamb, many other traditional foods retain symbolic value in Kazak culture.

Kazakhs and Kazakhstanis

For many years, Russians outnumbered the Kazakhs in many parts of the area known today as Kazakhstan. Even now, Russians and people of other ethnic origins play an important role in the economy and government and consider the country their home.

The Russian term (Kazakhstani) was coined to describe all inhabitants of Kazakhstan, including non-Kazakhs. The word 'Kazakh' is generally used to refer to people of actual Kazakh descent (including those living in China, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries).

The term 'Kazakh' is derived from an ancient Turkic word meaning 'independent, a free spirit' and fully reflects the nature of the Kazakh people, who have always aspired to an independent, autonomous existence.

Traditional Lifestyle

Because animal husbandry was central to the Kazaks' traditional lifestyle, most of their nomadic practices and customs relate in some way to livestock. Traditional curses and blessings invoked disease or fecundity among animals, and good manners required that a person ask first about the health of a man's livestock when greeting him and only afterward inquire about the human aspects of his life.

The traditional Kazak dwelling is the yurt, a tent consisting of a flexible framework of willow wood covered with varying thicknesses of felt. The open top permits smoke from the central hearth to escape; temperature and draft can be controlled by a flap that increases or decreases the size of the opening. A properly constructed yurt can be cooled in summer and warmed in winter, and it can be disassembled or set up in less than an hour. The interior of the yurt has ritual significance; the right side generally is reserved for men and the left for women.

Although yurts are less used for their original purpose than they once were, they remain a potent symbol of 'Kazakness'. During demonstrations against Nazarbayev in the spring of 1992, demonstrators and hunger strikers erected yurts in front of the government building in Almaty. Yurts are also frequently used as a decorative motif in restaurants and other public buildings.

Literature

Kazakh literary tradition is rich in oral histories. These histories were memorised and recited by the akyn, the elder responsible for remembering the legends and histories, and by jyrau, lyric poets who travelled with the high-placed khans. Most of the legends concern the activities of a batir, or hero-warrior. Among the tales that have survived are Koblandy-batir (fifteenth or sixteenth century), Er Sain (sixteenth century), and Er Targyn (sixteenth century), all of which concern the struggle against the Kalmyks; Kozy Korpesh and Bain sulu, both epics; and the love lyric Kyz-Zhibek. Usually these tales were recited in a song-like chant, frequently to the accompaniment of such traditional instruments as drums and the dombra, a mandolin-like string instrument.

Sports

Kazakhstan has achieved some success in international competitions in weightlifting, ice hockey, and boxing. The country has also won 8 medals in the 2004 Summer Olympics - the largest tally for any nation in Western Asia.

Football (soccer) is also popular, with the Kazakhstan Super League being the top-level competition for the sport in the country.

Many professional cyclists that compete on the European circuit come from Kazakhstan. Most notable is Alexander Vinokourov, whose achievements include 2 Paris-Nice's and 3rd place in the 2003 Tour de France and the Amstel Gold Race.