© Kamla-Raj 2016 Anthropologist, 26(1,2): 18-24 (2016) Sources and History of the Kazakh Statehood: To a Question of Institutes of Management in the Kazakh Khanate Zhambyl Artykbaev1, Tengesh Kalenova2, Gauhar Abdrakhmanova3 Maira Dyussembekova4 and Kargash Zhanpeiissova5 L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan, 010000 1E-mail:[email protected] KEYWORDS Golden Horde. Kazakh Statehood. Oral Tradition ABSTRACT The origin and development of statehood in the territory of Kazakhstan dates back to a long time. Alasha the Khan is certainly the nominal, generalized image of that era. Horse-breeding tribes created the very first nomadic civilization in the world which were far ahead compared to the others on labor productivity level, on benefit to the individual and as a way of improving the economy, it is as well in harmony with nature. In this environment, there was a feeling of statehood among the people and this subsequently made far and close neighbours stick together. The formation of Kazakh khanate is connected with the political disintegration of the Golden Horde at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The events connected with the falling of the Golden Horde and the formation of the Kazakh Khanate have found a reflection in the Kazakh historical legends and in monuments. INTRODUCTION One of the great historians of the east, Rasheed-ad-dyne (1952) wrote a great book: In an ancient phase of development, nomads “Zhami At-tavarikh” which has a story about dominated the Eurasian world and their contri- Alasha khan, the first legendary Kazakh khan: bution in the formation of the society was ex- “Noy–God bless him! – have divided the earth tremely huge. Here is what was written about from the North to the south into three parts, – this period by A. Weber (1999): “Invasion of the Rasheed writes. – He had given the first part to nomadic people from Central Asia which have one of his sons – Hama who was an ancestor of reached China, India and the countries of the the black; Sama, became the ancestor of Arabs West (great cultures of antiquity borrowed from and Persians; and have presented the third part them use of a horse) had a similar consequence to Yafet – the forefather of Turkic peoples. Noy in all three areas: moving on them, these nomad- sent Yafet to the east. Mongols and Turkic peo- ic people have learned a world distance. They ple tell the same, but Turkic peoples called and won the states of great cultures of antiquity. continue to call Yafet Abuldzha khan (Alasha- Dangerous undertakings and accidents have khan) and don’t know enough whether this Ab- helped them to understand the fragility of life, uldzhakhan (Alasha-khan) is a son of Noy or his as the dominating race, they have introduced to grandson; but all of them agreed that he was the world heroic and tragic consciousness from amongst his family and was close to him. which has found the reflection in the epos” All Mongols, tribes of Turkic peoples and all (Weber 1999). Till this time for territories from nomads (inhabitants of steppes) come from his China to Europe there were ancient cultures go- sort” (Rasheed ad dyne 1952). ing to the depth of times characterized partially Authors’ task is to trace how this idea was as matriarchal, it is either the culture of settled viable during the formation of the Kazakh Khan- cattle farmers, or the people who were living in ate. Researchers referred to the texts of the oral isolation occupying a cultural belt from China to traditions of the Kazakhs as the main source for Europe. Then history turns into a fight between the analysis of this process. these two forces – culture of matriarchy, the an- In texts of Kazakh shezhire, it is constantly cient, stable, connected, not awakened and new, claimed that before the reign of Alashkhan the dynamic, released, and realized by tendencies people of Kazakh weren’t well known and nei- of culture of the nomadic people. ther was the country. They had no statehood. In SOURCES AND HISTORY OF THE KAZAKH STATEHOOD 19 the researchers’ opinion Alashakhan certainly words “horse”, “hovel”, “to alash” and others insightful, generalized the image of the state are derivatives of the “alash”. In Indo-European model. Abulgazakhan also gave the characteris- languages, there is a derivative of this word – tic to a mythical era of the government of Alasha- “peku” (skewbald or motley), which is derived khan: “... Alancha-khan had two twin sons, a from ancient turk and Mongolian -ala (alag) senior’s name was Tatars, a younger –Mongol. which means wealth, a personal estate, cattle. It When Alancha-khan grew old, he divided the is close to the Latin word “pegas” - a winged possessions between both sons. Both brothers horse. lived a happy life in good health without being jealous of each other” (Sablukova 1854). Objective Kazakhs attribute a large number of the na- tional traditions connected with rules of philan- From the beginning of the existence of the throphy and charity to the Wise Alashakhan. The Kazakh Khanate, institutions of governance that custom “the guest`s meal” which assumes a free are unique from one side to the other side are a entertainment, a shelter and a lodging for the continuation of the institutions of governance night, not only to the invited guest, but for any that characterized the Great Steppe. Kazakh traveler also belongs to this category. This custom was obligatory in traditional soci- METHODOLOGY ety so that a refusal to comply with it resulted in a punishment aiyp (penalty). Another, not less The researchers considered that in the origi- important custom than “the guest`s meal” is nal statehood, Kazakhs existed on the Kazakh “warm”, that is, a help for lost, or ruined from steppe and continued to the Kazakh Khanate. enemy attack, or relatives suffered from severe The researchers used the methods of historicism, winter. These customs belong to the category of attracting oral sources of the legends and com- radical traditions of the nomadic society of kaza- parative analysis. Judging from the oral tradi- khs. The related principle defines a basis for all tion, which researchers used for the analysis, public system of Kazakhs. strategic role of kinship in Kazakh society was Historical legends stated above give only the fact that the whole system of social relations indirect chronological reference points. It is ex- was built on the principles of tribal organization. plained by legends that the independent begin- Genealogical schemes, legends (shezhire) sanc- ning of nomads‘ state of Eurasia developed dur- tioned in one way or another. The principle of ing the period of pastoralism. In turn, the Altai, kinship, as can be seen from the scientific analy- Indo-European and other people demonstrated sis shezhire could be based both on the actual parallel existence of the general cult of “Alasha (kinship), and the fictitious material. In the pro- khan”. In the researchers’ opinion, the canoniza- cess of the formation of the Kazakh state all the tion of this bright image happened during the existing genealogical tables have been revised. bronze era. The era of bronze is known for the The collapse of the Golden Horde, and then “the largest shifts in the economic and cultural plan. era of fermentation” in the Great Steppe led to The important place in complex economy of tribes the fact that many of the traditional genealogical in the bronze era of Kazakhstan was taken by formations disintegrated. Judging by the texts ancient metallurgy. In the hugest territory of of historical traditional society looks quite hier- Kazakhstan and particularly in her North-central archical on the whole. The upper class there are regions, non-ferrous metals, especially copper, descendants of Genghis Khan - tore (aksuyek). were extracted by thousands of tons. This re- The rapid emergence of strong states of no- gion was the centre of metallurgy during this era mads, and then just as fast in the historic scale and it provided all of Eurasia by its precious of their death, returned to the nomadic society metals. of the pre-state, in which there were no classes, In the process of travel of steppe tribes to no traces of statehood (Weber 1999). It is an ex- the south and west, the cult of Alasha khan, and tremely difficult problem and little developed his- reminiscence of him as about the progenitor and torical and ethnographic science can only be the organizer of the first state founded in the solved with the help of the analysis of the texts western and east historical literature. Old Slavic of oral traditions of the Kazakhs. 20 ZHAMBYL ARTYKBAEV, TENGESH KALENOVA, GAUHAR ABDRAKHMANOVA ET AL. OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSSION near the Sarayshik. His son was called Kishi Zhanibek. This Zhanibek himself took the reins The formation of the Kazakh Khanate from after his father”. the tribes that recognized Alash Khan as the This brings us to our Kazakh khans dynas- ancestor was associated with the political col- ties. Kadyrgali Beck (Kychanov 1997) wrote lapse of the Golden Horde in the late XIV - early about Kishi Zhanibek as one of founders of the XV century. Kazakh khanate. After the death of Barack khan, Strong Golden Horde was a continuous po- the grandson of Urus khan Edzhen Horde lost litical threat, and in particular, to the economic the power in the Great steppe. Power was seized interests of the Mawerennakhr. Timur has always by Shaibang’s descendants (Syban, Shiban, the been interested in the movement of the political Shaibak). In 1428 in the territory of the modern center and the international transit trade ways to Kazakhstan on the ruins of the White Horde there the south.