Traditional Utensils of the Kyrgyz in the Last Century

TRADITIONAL UTENSILS

The focus and nature of domestic crafts were determined by the nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle of the people and were mainly related to the processing of livestock products. They differed from those of settled peoples - the craft did not have a workshop organization of production. Typical were individual craftsmen working alone. Some of them did not even have a special room (Burkovsky 1954, p. 85).

In the closed cycle of the domestic craft process, any able-bodied family member could be involved, but their participation was strictly regulated (Crafts and Trades... 1966, p. 135). In addition, there was also exchange trade with Chinese (Kashgar), Uzbek, and later Russian merchants, which had been established long before the adoption of Russian citizenship. This is evidenced by the records of pre-revolutionary travelers. For instance, M.L. Venyukov, who led a reconnaissance team to the Chu River valley and the western shore of Issyk-Kul in 1859-1860, wrote that "the Tashkent, Kokand, Kashgar, and partly Russian merchants bring to the auls of the Kara-Kyrgyz everything needed for Kyrgyz life and sometimes stay in the auls for a whole year... Iron goods and leather are especially valued here. In exchange for them, they take bulls, rams, fox and marten furs... Cast iron and iron goods are sold at arbitrarily high prices" (Venyukov, 1861, p. 3).

In addition to livestock products, materials for dishes and utensils also included plant raw materials and metals. The traditional dishes of the Kyrgyz had much in common with the dishes of other nomads in Asia, while at the same time they were distinguished by a special method of production. The dishes necessary for preparing, storing, and transporting food products had to perform several functions: keeping provisions fresh during long journeys, the possibility of being loaded onto animals, which led to the widespread development of soft leather utensils. Mainly, the hides of domestic animals (cows, camels, calves, horses) were used.

The processing of hides was mainly done by women, although male labor was not excluded. The methods of processing varied.

The use of different types of hides depended on what would be stored in them. Whole goat hides were made into bags (mesh, chanač) for storing and transporting liquids (kumys, ayran), as well as for storing various solid food products (bread, meat, cheese, flour, tolokno). The leather bag for kumys (saba) was mainly made from the hide of a well-fed young horse.

Leather vessels and cut pieces of saba, as well as leather bags chanač, were smoked in specially arranged smokehouses - yshtyk. Usually, several families used one smokehouse, and in small auls, there was one for everyone. In summer pastures, more primitive smokehouses were found, which were almost in every family. For sewing pieces of hides, a special thread made from cotton (pahta jip) was usually used. To prevent liquid from leaking, a strip of cotton material (miltyo) was placed between the seams.

An essential item of domestic utensils was the kumys vessel made from camel skin (the skin taken from the hump was used) (Antipina, 1962, p. 125). These were anchor-shaped vessels kookyer, variously shaped buckets konochek, kyonyok.

In the conditions of nomadic life, all possible livestock raw materials were used. For example, from the udder, they sewed vessels in which they kept dairy products, mainly sour cream (kaymak). Melted butter (sary mai) was stored in a thoroughly cleaned stomach. Horns were made into snuffboxes and knife handles.

Ethnography