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Eagle tamers roam in China’s northwest
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RIDING horses and taming eagles, the Kazaks pasturing on the grassland are unstrained, warm-hearted and brave people living in China’s northwest.
With a population of 1,462,588 (2010 national census), the Kazak ethnic group mainly lives in the Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, Mori and Barkol Autonomous counties in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as in Qinghai and Gansu provinces.
Most Kazak people live in mountain areas, valleys and basins. Tianshan Mountain and Junggar Basin, Ili River, Ulungur River and Irtysh River are all to be found in the Ili region, which is the major nomadic area of the Kazaks. Though the average rainfall is low in the region, there are abundant natural resources. The Tianshan grassland and the Southern Slope of Altaic Mountain are among the five pastures of China.
The Kazak ethnic origins are complex. The Kazak people are said to be the descendants of ancient Uysun, Sogdiana, Alans tribes and Saka, Darouzhi tribes in Central Asia, and Hun, Sienpi, Turk, Trk, Cathay and Mongolian. It became an ethnic group under the regime of Kazak at the end of 15th century. It submitted to the Qing Empire in the 18th century, and thus developed more relations with people of the inland and became a member of the Chinese nation.
The people call themselves Kazak, which means “white swan” or “freeman.” They have their own language that belongs to the Turkic branch of the Altaic language family, while they also use Chinese, Uygur and Mongolian. They used a written language based on the Arabic alphabet in the early 20th century. A new Latinized written form was invented in 1959, yet failed to spread wide and they turned back to the Arabic alphabet-based written language in 1982.
Except for a few settled farmers, most Kazaks live a nomadic life. They live in collapsible round yurts from spring to autumn, and travel for pasturage. In winter, they build dongwozi — flat-roofed earthen huts in the pastures.
The yurt door usually opens to the east. Sleeping berths are usually arranged as the two flanks, while the center is for storing goods and saddles and the front features cushions for visitors. Riding and hunting gear, cooking utensils, provisions and baby animals are kept on both sides of the door. The yurt can be dismantled and reassembled. It can be easily carried by camels or oxen when the Kazaks migrate to another place.
Meat, milk and wheat flour are the staple foods of Kazaks. The meat and milk of sheep, goats, oxen and camels are among their favorite. By custom, they slaughter animals in late autumn and cure the meat by smoking it for the winter. In spring and summer, when the animals are putting on weight and producing lots of milk, Kazak herdsmen make cloudy, sour horse milk wine from the fresh milk. It is a favorite summer beverage for the local people. Milk tea is served to guests.
Rice and wheat flours are usually made into different cakes like naan, either fried or baked while mixed with milk, salt water or tea.
The Kazaks used to wear animal skins although cotton and coarse cotton cloth are very common nowadays. White fabric shirts with high collars and embroidered edges accompanied with a white felt hat and sometimes a short jacket are commonly worn by men in summer. Tumake or kulapare hats and leather clothing and trousers with a belt and a scabbard are more common in winter. The Kazaks wear two pairs of shoes at one time — a soft inner shoe and a water proof outer shoe. When entering a house, only the outer shoes are removed.
Kazak women love embroidered dresses and sleeveless jackets with beautiful patterns. Unmarried Kazak girls wear various hats made of colorful silks, often decorated with owl feathers. They will wear a particular peaked cap decorated with embroidery and jewels on their wedding days.
Kazaks people are known as good horse riders.
Guniang zhui, or girl-running-after-boy, is a game for unmarried girls and boys to show their affection. While riding together to an appointed place, the boys can flirt with the girls. The girls will chase the boys on horseback on the way back. They can whip the boys. But if a girl likes a boy, she will not whip too hard. It is somewhat of a matchmaking event.
Kazaks also believe eagles are the only magical bird that can look directly at the sun without being burned. There is a tradition of eagle taming among the Kazaks. It is passed down orally from one generation to the next. It usually takes three to four years to tame and train a good hunting eagle. An eagle can catch up 100 prey within a year.
Most Kazaks are Muslims.
Kazak
Population: 1,462,588 (2010 national census)
Distribution: Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, Mori and Barkol Autonomous counties in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as in Qinghai and Gansu provinces
Language: Turkic branch of the Altaic language family, Chinese, Uygur and Mongolian
Religion: Muslims
Food: Meat, milk and wheat flour
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