©Copyright 2007 Elmira M. Kuchumkulova Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Kyrgyz Nomadic Customs and the Impact of Re-Islamization after Independence Elmira M. Kuchumkulova A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2007 Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Near and Middle Eastern Studies Group Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3252871 Copyright 2007 by Kuchumkulova, Elmira M. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3252871 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. University of Washington Graduate School This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a doctoral dissertation by Elmira M. Kuchumkulova and found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Stevan Harrell Reading Committee: Stevan Harrell £ Daniel Warngh Ilse D. Cirtautas Selim Kuru Date: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree at the University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of the dissertation is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with “fair use” as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for copying or reproducing of this dissertation may be referred to Proquest Information and Learning, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346, 1- 800-521-06600 to whom the author has granted “the right to reproduce and sell (a) copies of the manuscript in microform and/or (b) printed copies of the manuscript made from microform.” Signature. Date. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. University of Washington Abstract Kyrgyz Nomadic Customs and the Impact of Re-Islamization after Independence Elmira M. Kuchumkulova Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Stevan Harrell Department of Anthropology This dissertation deals with three major issues: Kyrgyz nomadic customs, Islamic revival, and the emergence of a new national ideology, Tengirchilik. These three factors have current significance in post-Soviet Kyrgyz society and in the development of Kyrgyz national identity. The socio-cultural legacy of nomadic life and the worldview of Tengirchilik, which are closely related to each other, conflict with fundamentalist Islamic ideas and practices, which come from outside. In the past, the nomadic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz easily adopted Sufism, especially the veneration of Sufi saints, because its idea of “saint worship” was similar to their native religious concept of “ancestor cult.” Today, unlike Sufism, which was tolerant of people’s traditional religious beliefs and practices, foreign and underground Islamic fundamentalist groups in Kyrgyzstan, such as Hizb-ut Tahrir al-Islamiyya (Party of Islamic Liberation), are becoming intolerant towards many Kyrgyz customs and religious practices, and condemn them as bid’ah, idolatrous innovations. In Kyrgyzstan, the clash between “normative Islam” and “local Islam” is most evident in traditional religious practices and customs, such as funerals. Traditional funeral rituals among the Kyrgyz and Kazakhs form an institutionalized custom, which is deeply connected with the socio-economic necessities of nomadic life, and that they were able to survive by incorporating some Islamic practices. However, the core native customs and rituals continue to play a significant role in Kazakh and Kyrgyz societies. In response to the competing Islamic and Christian religious activities in their countries, native Kazakh and Kyrgyz intellectuals are trying to revive the ancient, but living worldview of Tengirchilik, which comes from the Old Turkic word Tdngri (Sky/God). To replace the commonly accepted term “shamanism,” which focuses on the figure of the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. shaman, native intellectuals coined a new term, Tengirchilik, by systematizing all the native religious beliefs and practices shared by Turkic peoples. The advocates of Tengirchilik believe that this ancient worldview offers much more sophisticated views about life and the world than other world religions such as Islam and Christianity. Tengirchilik might find universal support in the future, especially among international environmental organizations, for it treats Nature as God and puts it above everything. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... iv Transliteration Guide ................................................................................................................v Introduction: Theory and Methodology ...................................................................................1 Chapter I: “Fieldwork” in The Native “Field” .......................................................................7 The Term “Fieldwork” .........................................................................................11 My Personal, Family, and Academic Backgrounds ...........................................13 Ethnographic Research Experience in my Home Town Ki'zil-Jar ...................38 Chapter II: The Town of Kizil-Jar: The Main “Research Site”.......................................... 53 Ethnic and Tribal Composition ...........................................................................53 Short History of the Town...................................................................................55 The Uch-Korgon Bazaar and Bridge ..................................................................68 Cotton Monoculture during the Soviet Period ...................................................76 Schools ..................................................................................................................83 Medical Care ........................................................................................................ 84 Chapter III: Dynamics of Identity Formation among the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks: Legacies of Nomadic-Sedentary Differences ...................................................87 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 87 Nomadic-Sedentary Interaction in Eurasia ......................................................89 The “Nomadic Factor” in Kyrgyz Identity .......................................................93 Uzbeks in the Eyes of the Kyrgyz:................................................................... 99 a) The “Naive” Kyrgyz and the “Cunning” Uzbeks ...........................107 b) Food and Hospitality among the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz ................... 109 c) Kyrgyz Tribal Identity vs. Uzbek Regional Identity .......................117 d) Women in Kyrgyz and Uzbek Societies ..........................................120 Conclusion .........................................................................................................124 Chapter IV: Islamization and Re-Islamization of Central Asia........................................129 Sufism: Ancestor and Saint Veneration in Central Asian Culture .............. 140 Islam in the Soviet Period .............................................................................. 158 Re-Islamization in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan ..................................................167 “Hizb-ut-Tahrir al-Islamiyya” (Islamic Liberation Party) ...........................177 The Story of My Paternal Uncle Mirzakal (from a momun man to a fanatic Muslim) ........................................................................................184 i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Conclusion 189 Chapter V: Kyrgyz Funeral Rites: “Islamic In Form, ‘Pagan’ In Content?” .................. 190 Introduction .......................................................................................................190