Slavery in the Social Structure of the Kyrgyz
Slavery in the Social Structure of the Kyrgyz
Among the Kyrgyz of the South, there also existed a category of sharecroppers - chayrikers, day laborers - mardikers, characteristic of the Tajik and Uzbek populations of the Fergana Valley. In the trade sphere, there was a layer of people daldalchy, ortomchu, engaged in intermediary services: facilitating transactions, reconciling the interests of the seller and the buyer.
Between the strata of the rich and the poor were the middle class - orto charba. “Although the middle class made ends meet, their confidence in tomorrow, given the omnipresence of manats and frequent famines, was quite relative” (Abramzon, 1990, p. 171). They could join the ranks of the wealthy or find themselves among the poor.
In the social structure, there also existed slavery kulchuluk, which had a patriarchal character. Slaves were prisoners of war, as well as criminals for whom their relatives refused to pay a ransom (Abramzon, 1990, p. 171).
A male slave was called "kul", and a female slave - "kun". B. Soltonoev lists eight categories of people: 1) booru takyr kul - hereditary slave; 2) uydo tuuma kul or tonduu kul - a slave born to people who are in slavery; 3) teshke zhatar kul - a slave born to a slave woman from a lover; 4) zhumsha-tylyp kelgen kul - a slave who came as part of a dowry; 5) kalynga kelgen kul, kun - a slave, a slave woman who came as part of a bride price; 6) olzho kul - a slave-prisoner of war; 7) tupsuz or zhetesiz kul ~ a slave who does not remember their origin; 8) kesik kulak kul - a slave bought in slave markets (Kyrgyz, 1991, p. 600). In cases of good behavior, obedience, and loyalty, slaves could gain their freedom; moreover, by starting a family and having descendants, they could remain in the lineage of their master, as there is a wealth of historical evidence for this.
Thus, slaves became the progenitors of new subdivisions within various Kyrgyz tribes. This practice existed among almost all Turkic-Mongolian peoples from ancient times until their settlement in the first quarter of the 20th century. Over time, slaves were incorporated into the structure of the pastoral society, and their descendants, under favorable circumstances, could form noble clans.
