The Transition of the Kyrgyz to Sedentary Life

Sedentary Life among the Kyrgyz

The transition to sedentary life, being an extremely complex process, involves "the replacement of one form of economic life — pastoral-nomadic, with another — agricultural-sedentary," which led to a significant disruption of long-standing traditions and primarily a change in the form of housing. Initially, the yurt retained its significance as the main dwelling. In winter, it was insulated. Later, the yurt became only a summer dwelling and was used only in summer pastures.

“The yurt is losing its significance as the only dwelling for the entire family; it is now used only as a temporary shelter for those, along with their livestock, going to mountain pastures. The yurt has lost its significance as a home for receiving guests. Its dimensions and external appearance have also changed.”

Many Kyrgyz villages in southern Kyrgyzstan arose in places where winter encampments used to be located.

They settled usually in compact tribal groups. For winter encampments, they chose locations near mountains, cliffs, and in valleys at low elevations, where winds were less strong. The main factor in choosing winter encampments was the availability of water sources. They settled not only by rivers but also by springs (bulak), of which there are many in the south. Hence the names of the villages: Kara-Bulak, Toguz-Bulak, Sary-Bulak, Kyzyl-Bulak, etc.

The size of settlements in winter encampments was determined by the wealth of the herders and farmers.

Kyrgyz people with a small number of livestock settled more closely together. Winter encampments were primarily characterized by the presence of pens for sheep (koroo), made of stones or clay, as well as covered adobe structures that were

built for horses and cattle. Some of the premises were occupied by families.

Regarding the buildings of the Kyrgyz in winter encampments in the Fergana region at the beginning of the 20th century, Stokasimov writes: “These buildings are made of clay and appear as covered pens for livestock. In one of the sections, the family of the owner usually resides. There are no windows anywhere, but in the living space, there is a small hole in the ceiling, no larger than a square arshin, serving for the exit of smoke from the hearth located beneath it.”

Valuable information that allows us to judge the time of the emergence of housing among the Kyrgyz was left by A. P. Fedchenko. In the 1870s, during his travels in southern Kyrgyzstan, he noted the populated areas where Kyrgyz engaged in agriculture lived. He highlighted “Kara-Bulak, which lies in a vast extensive hollow... to the north, about 7 versts, it is bordered by wide mountains that separate it from the main valley of Fergana... This entire extensive plain represented a vast steppe... Kara-Bulak is inhabited by Kyrgyz, who sow barley, wheat, millet, and alfalfa, and cultivate trees such as tal (willow) and tere (poplar).” A. P. Fedchenko also mentions the villages of Batken and Budzhun that he encountered on his way. On the road to Shahimardan, he saw “a group of adobe houses with a shelter for livestock” located near fields sown with dryland wheat. The traveler notes the village of Okhna and the extensive Kyrgyz winter encampments of Kera-Shura, Shuvail-Bel, Chavay, and Ak-Terek.

In 1909, G. V. Pokrovskiy and N. I. Stogov, who studied two aul societies (Alaï-Kypchak and Alaï-Teit), noted the presence of 54 winter encampments in which 3,800 Kyrgyz lived. Regarding the type of housing, the researchers wrote: “In the winter encampments (kshou), the dwellings consist of 812 tamas and 15 yurts, while the remaining 652 yurts serve only as auxiliary dwellings in the jailoo.”

The 19th Century — A Turning Point in the Life of the Kyrgyz