Annotation
The article elucidates some aspects of Kazakh traditional education practices as generational knowledge transmission within family networks, closely integrated into a broader social and environmental framework. Major objective of young generation educating was ethno-cultural – reproduction of human being able to live within given social conditions and develop survival strategies.
For centuries nomads inhabiting vast steppe zones in Eurasia accumulated knowledge in systemic and precise ways that allowed them to dominate in these areas for two millenniums. Knowledge about external world and human nature were meticulously compiled, corrected, tested and polished before being transmitted in oral and concisely formulated forms to new generations, to be easy remembered, copied and practically applied. Most of knowledge was coded in folklore, myths, legends, epics, songs and daily practices. Kazakh traditional education system has been a fundamental of cultural and spiritual heritage transmitted from generation to generation orally and through various practices. Although most elements of education culture changed and were lost due to adaptation to environment and social-political transformations, but basic block remains solid and is waiting for careful research. In the XX century, Kazakh traditional life style based on nomadic activities and social structure were eradicated, cultural practices were lost, language corrupted and traditions eroded. Thus, much of traditional education was lost. As nomads, Kazakhs lived in close contact with nature and through diligent work managed to accumulate precious knowledge maintained and spread among younger generations. Within time, Kazakhs used to borrow from neighbors valuable types of educating and knowledge essential for survival. Responsible attitude to environment allowed nomads to preserve ecological balance for centuries that was possible only on conditions of strict observance of nomadic life organization based on knowledge inherited from ancestors. The first rule of nomads living in conditions of scarce natural resources and slow reproduction of biological resources postulated: “Not to take from nature more one needs”, while the second principle concerning rational distribution of humans on the territory were reflected in Juz system maintenance, keeping migration cycles and observance of route patterns to lessen human and animals’ pressure on soil.
Education in traditional Kazakh society was seen as integral part of upbringing process aimed to produce a healthy member of the community (clan, tribe). Mission of education was to indoctrinate adep- knowledge how to behave and survive, that included social aspects, like respecting the seniors, gender codes, and conduct due to one’s social ranking. Purpose of education was seen in equipping an individual with all essential skills for survival in natural and social worlds and integration into the external environment. Each family was to attain its major goal –to give survival secretes transmitted from father to son, and from mother to daughter. In broader dimension education was a process aimed to facilitate reproduction of economic, social and cultural components of nomadic system, perceived through the personal and social lenses depending on one’s position in the clan-tribal hierarchy.
Kazakhs were realistic and pragmatic, and realized that success of education process to great extent depends on 1) genetic predisposition or origin (father’s and mother’s natural qualities), 2) family social background – one was to understand his family position in the tribal hierarchy and behave accordingly, 3) personality factor - role of parents and grandparents in educating, 4) power of word- verbal culture was high through selection of right words and phrases to achieve the goals in explaining something: epithets, hyperbolas, rhetoric questions, exclamations, lexical forms, and morphology: “Басқа пəле тілден”/”My language is my enemy” [1]. All in phrases was united by rhythm, composition, melody, etc. 5) power of model and imitation – selection of proper samples and cases, power of society – it was impossible to ignore public opinion, 7) self-education within all life, as new challenges come out and new roles should be Teaching methodology included instructions, tutoring, encouragement, and blessing.
The Kazakh vision of education mission was to breed er/strong person as a protector of his people and for that end he was supposed to possess the following qualities:
- 1) sana - intellect and responsibility for his actions and words; 2) sezim - harmoniously developed feelings bred by principle: “not to harm people and nature”; 3) ar - dignity and honor; 4) yuat- consciousness/shame; 5) namys- pride; 6) kanagat- modesty and being moderate in needs; 7) igilik- benefit; 8) talap- aspiration to become “bir syrly, segiz qyrly”- a polymath or skillful and talented in many fields.
- ife long: “An individual does not come to this world being smart by birth. Only by listening, watching, and tasting all around him, a child makes difference between good and bad”[2]. parents was in providing conditions so that a child would master knowledge, go in for sports, train to become a good warrior. Parents must figure out his potential and develop it by all means. The seniors were also to avoid negative effects of not proper upbringing process, if a child demonstrates undesired qualities if he becomes: 1) arsyz (no sense of honor and dignity); 2) uyatsyz (no shame); 3) namyssyz (no pride); 4) sanasyz (no reason and intellect); 5) sezimsiz (no feelings); 6) igiliksiz (dishonorable); 7) qanagatsyz (not modest and not moderate); 8) zhalqau (lazy).
Children were the objective of Kazakh families and were seen as the basis of family welfare and happiness. It was duty of wife to produce a child, as her status depended on being fertile and bringing more sons than daughters: “The one who brought up a daughter - left his traces in this world, but if bred a son he would remain forever”. “If son is born, the sun rises”, “Son is a pillar of family, while daughter is acquisition of new relatives» [3]. Nomadic society is usually male-dominated and male-centered. Emphasis on role of sons and their proper educating is traced back to the Turkic times when son was a house and tribe keeper, to multiply the glory of ancestors. In Qorqyt-ata epic we read: "Good son is father’s dignity, Son is like a eye for
Good son is happiness, a fire in the harsh never fading away. Not to be conceived by his mother, and not come out. • Daughters were treated as guests in a family to be sold to others as exchange mechanism to solidify already established inter-tribal relations or build new ones. It was a common practice in Kazakh community not to humiliate and downgrade girls as they were seen to be future mothers to breed new generation, and in that way self-esteem in girls was inputted: “Through a girl an offspring comes”, “Girl’s path is narrow”, “Forty men get drunk from girl’s charm”, “Girl belongs and serves an alien’s side”, “In an girl’s eyelid rests a prophetic gift. If a girl frowns, the community would get into troubles, if she smiles- the community would get welfare”, “The one who humiliates a girl would lose most of his best rights”, “Daughter’s shame would bar the path to forty right men”, “Forty donkeys is needed to bear the burden of the one who is guilty in girls’ tears”. Thus, daughters were viewed as the family’s most precious asset. Young girls coming as guests are seated at the best places (tor). Hospitable Kazakhs sincerely believed that “girls would bring forty carts of wealth” and treated girls as honorable guests. On the contrary, their improper treatment would bring misfortune, especially if a girl is seated at the table corner and next to the exit. Angels protecting girls would watch hosts’ behavior, and they would revenge. • Living in nature, Kazakhs realized what role an external environment could play in the predisposition of child to certain qualities or skills- attentiveness, attention to details, good memory and logic as they were most essential survival skills for nomad in cattle breeding and space navigation. The БƏСІРЕ/literally means personal or private practice was employed to stimulate inborn nomadic intuition [5]. For instance, when a child birth coincides with the animals’ reproduction period, a newborn animal is given to the child as his property. Thus, the boy’s future is closely linked with the animal taming and care. The child grows and appreciates cattle, but at the same learns and develops the skills essential for nomad. Another important component of that practice was vested respect to child since early age. Major components of traditional knowledge were:
- natural and economic calendar to regulate migration cycles, reproduction of cattle and related economic activities- food preparation, hunting,
- ecological culture – spatial and temporal control and protection of areas essential for reproduction of biological creatures, and cattle in particular- pasturelands, water, forests, Some types of flora and fauna were recognized as holy, if they were patrons/totems of clans, and their killing was interpreted as as serious crime,
- observance of natural processes for flora and fauna, during migrations. For instance, was established limit on cattle types number during migration to avoid overgrazing,
- norms of social communication and
The Kazakh education system considered the philosophical issues: “What makes a person perfect?” And the answer was reflected in the Kazakh traditional pedagogic: develop eight senses of understanding and five senses of sensation given by nature: 1) cognition/consciousness (hypopsis), 2) love to someone or something, 3) shame (inner emotional experience), 4), zerde (inner aspiration for beautiful or soul poetry), 5) natural perception and skills, 6) ruh (inner soul sensation), 7) zhiger (inner initiative), 8) external senses (vision, hearing, tongue, inner fear or joy feelings.When a boy reached the age he was to undergo an initiation rite to prove his courage and heroism before the elders’ jury. If passed, he was given an adult name, became full member of clan, got relative freedom from father’s protection and fell under direct control of kagan.
By atalyq custom parents used to delegate the right to bring up children (especially boys) to selected respected persons until boys reach the age. Atalyq/atabek (guide, tutor) trained them in horse riding, archery, wrestling, etc. Since 6 years the boys were trained to be spiritually and physically strong and endure cold, tiredness and heat. "Ата - асқар тау, Ана - бауырындағы бұлақ, бала - жағасындағы құрақ"/Father- is like an
inaccessible mountain, mother is a spring on the foot of the mountain, child is a reed growing on the riverbank.
- "Əкеге қарап ұл өсер" – A boy grows looking at his father.
- "Əке көрген оқ жонар" – Son brought up by father will make an arrow himself.
- Father is the only judge for his children. "Ата - балаға сыншы“.•To be a good father, and pride for your children- is very difficult mission. •"Атаның жүгі - атанның жүгі" – The burden of father is as heavy as the load of a camel.
- "Жақсы əке - жаман балаға қырық жылдық ризық" – Good fame of father serves his bad son for 40 years. •Жақсы əйел жаман еркекті хан қылады" – A good wife will make a khan out of a bad man.
- "Анасын көріп қызын ал" – Take a daughter to be your wife, if you know who is her mother.
- "Ағайынның алтын сарайынан ананың жыртық лашығы артық" – A worn-through mother’s hut is better than golden palace of relatives.
- "Əкесіз жетім - жартылай жетім, шешесіз жетім - бүтін жетім" – An orphan without father is half – orphan, an orphan without mother is a full orphan. •"Анаңды Меккеге үш арқалап барсаң да, қарызыңнан құтыла алмайсың" – If you even take your mother to Mecca 3 times, you will never pay back your debts to her [6]. •"Қыз жоқ жерде қызық жоқ" – There is no joy without girls.
- "Астың дəмін тұз келтірер, ауылдың сəнін қыз келтірер" – The taste of food is in salt, the beauty of aul is in girls.
- "Ырыс алды қыз" – The forerunner of happiness is daughter.
- "Қыз - қонақ" – Daughter is a guest in the house.
- "Жібекті түте алмаған жүн етеді, қызды күте алмаған күң етеді" – The one who cannot card a silk turns it into a wool; the one who cannot care about the daughter makes her a slave. •Жақсы келін - қызыңдай, жақсы күйеу - ұлыңдай" – A good daughter-in-law is like a your own daughter, good son-in-law is like your own son. "Күйеу жүз жылдық, құда мың жылдық" – Son-in-law is given for 100 years, a relative-in-law- for 1000. "Досты періште қосады, құданы құдай қосады" – Angel links you with the friend, and God with relatives-in-law [6].
Start of a new page in ones life was arranged via a special ceremony - b by a reputable person. That also preceded a long journey or some test, and regularly was made before starting a meal at dastarkhan/table, for a good deed, and for prosperity. Bata beru/blessing is an education method aimed to indoctrinate positive symbols and ideas. By Muslim tradition it is given with open palms before the face, and then covering the face. Blessing was believed to work if made to a new moon: "Жана айдын батасы". Compulsory systemic bloc of knowledge included learning, mastering and practicing in inputting into mental map an information essential for survival in nature understood as integral part of nomadic life, that included types of navigation: in space – orientation in stellar mapping and cosmogony, or knowledge of location of celestial bodies, the Earth, the Moon, stars, constellation that would help in finding one’s way in open space by skies, forecasting weather, decoding natural phenomena, and making arrangement for economic life, for instance for planning seasonal migrations and various works. Nomads distinguished seasons by particular works, for instance, bie bailau (бие байлау) was a season of mares milking; qoi qyrqy (Қой қырқу)- cutting sheep wool; qystauga koshy (Қыстауға көшу) was a period to start migration to winter pasturelands migration.
Skills essential for navigation in the natural world and operating in environment covered a broad range of information concerning behavioral patterns of animals, their naming by ages specifics, etc.
For time navigation chronology and history recording by natural (jul qaiury, and jul basy) and social events (the event happened in the year of Tiger). Nomads taught their offspring coded Jupiterian calendar, and historical events relevant to each year cycle. Belief in eternity was reflected in perception of complexity of world after death: bad humans would get in Жеті тоза or seven levels of hell: 1) Жаханнам/zhakhannam, 2) iazi (lazi), 3) zhakhin, 4) hatma, 5) sair (sagir), 6) sakhr; 7) khaiya.
The world structurally, in traditional understanding consists of seven spheres of underground/Жеті қат жер: 1) Тұңғгиық /abyss, 2) Жылан/snakepit, 3. Су/water, 4) қос балық/two monster fishes, 5) қара тас/black stone, 6) Көк өгіз/grey ox, 7) Жер/ground. For effective orientation by stellar mapping one was obliged to know the structural composition of the heaven as •Жетi қатті көк /seven heavenly bodies: 1) Ай/Moon, 2) Кұн /Sun, 3) Шолпан /Cyrus, 4) Есеккырған /Mercury, 5) қызыл жулдыз/Mars, 6) Қоңырқай /Saturn, •7. Есекқырған /Jupiter
For social navigation and operating in social environment was important to get into knowledge of customs, rites performance- sacral and everyday essential. For instance, all related to sacral seven: 7 qabat jer (layouts of land), 7 qat kok (7 layouts of heaven), 7 galamat (7 miracles), 7 qazyna (7 treasures), 7 shelpek (7 breads), 7 ata (7
generations). Жеті шаріп included: 1) Мекке/Mecca, 2) Медина/Medina; 3) Бухара/Bukhara; 4) Шам/Sham; 5) Катым/Qatym; 6) Куддыс (Мысыр)/Egypt; 7) Қалам (Қоран)/Quran. Familiarity with major tribal groups within Juz was essential for social and political navigation to know who is who and what kind of diplomacy should be employed to contact people from certain tribal groups. For example, Жеті ру or seven tribes of the Minor Horde include: 1) Кердері/Kerderi, 2) Tілеy/Tileu; 3) Жагалбайлы/ Zhagalbaily, 4) Рамадан/Ramadan,Табын/Tabyn, 6) Тама/Tama, 7) Керейіт/Kereit.
Ethics education implied avoidance of undesired practices resulting in negative outcomes, known as seven orphans/ Жеті жетім: 1) Тыңдамаған сөз /misheard words, 2) қиюсыз боз /unsown pieces of fabric, 3) Иесіз жер/depopulated land without master, 4) Басшысы жок ел/people without leader, 5) Аққу-қазсыз көл /lake without swans, 6) Жерінен айырылған ер /a man without motherland, 7) Замандасы қалмаған /old man without peers. People were supposed to avoid the following as well: •seven troubles/ Жеті жұт: 1) қурғақшылық/ drought, 2) Жұт/scarcity of forage, loss of cattle during severe frost in winter, 3) өрт/fire, 4) oба/cholera, 5) cоғыс/war, 6) Топан су/flood, 7. Зілзала /Earthquake.
The desirable objectives in human life were given as: seven types of wealth/•Жеті казына: 1) Ер жігіт /Brave man, 2) Сұлу əйел /Beautiful woman, 3) Ақыл, білім/Intelligence, education, 4) Жұйрік aт /Fast horse, 5) қыран бұркіт/ Eagle, 6) Берең мылтық/ rifle for hunting, 7. Жуйрік тазы/ dog for hunting. Some geographical knowledge essential for migration organization was given in must-know information on seven rivers/Жеті су: 1) Іле/Ili, 2) Қаратал/Karatal, 3) Асу/Asu, 4) Көксу/Koksu, 5) Басқан/Baskan, 6) Лepci/Lepsy, 7) Сарқант/Sarqant.
Other geographical information in form of must- know was put in Жеті ғалам/ seven parts of the world: 1) Шығыс/East, 2) Батыс/West, 3) Oнтұcтік /South, 4) Coлтұстік /North, 5) Аспан /Heaven, top of the world, 6) Жер/Earth, middle part of the world, 7) Жерасты/underworld, low part of the world.
Thus, specifics of Kazakh traditional education system can be summed up as follows:
- home planted – young generation was taught in a friendly environment, under close supervision of parents and relatives, and community ingrained- for adaptation to social institutions;
- 2) education effects could be endlessly tested and evaluated through comparison with others, emulating and modeling samples from near environment, and practicing;
- 3) stimulating encouragement from outside and via personal evaluation of mistakes and gains;
- 4) instructive, deductive and illustrative as major incentives worked survival prospect and success;
- 5) dividing education processes into stages to obtain knowledge by age maturity (physiological and moral- psychological) and organizing personal life around them through pass-of age rites and rituals – mushel jas/twelve year cycles (1 year, 12 years, 25, etc.) and requirement to master certain skills, introducing behavioral models to follow and duties to observe. By the age 8-10 boys and girls were supposed to perform various activities consciously.
- 6) establishing links between an individual, society and nature through celebrating traditional holidays - “Наурыз”, “Қымыз мұрындық”, ”Сабан той”, “Соғым”;
- 7) connecting a person with eternity through observance of religious holidays (Ораза айт, Құрбан айт), etc.
References:
- 1 Казахские пословицы и поговорки. Жазушы, 1987.
- 2 Аbai, Book of words, 19 word.//URL: http://bourabai.kz/articles/black_word.htmАргынбаев Х.А. Казахская семья. - Алматы: Кайнар, 1996..{орyыт Ата. - Алматы: «{азаy энциклопедиясы» Бас редакциясы, 1999.“{азаyстан”: Yлттыy энцклопедия/Бас редактор 6.Нысанбаев – Алматы: “{азаy энциклопедиясы” Бас редакциясы, 1998.Тасибеков Г. Ситуативный казахский (мир казахов). 2014//www.sitkaz.kzД.Касымова1, Ж.Кусаинова2