Councils - Important Institutions of Governance for the Kyrgyz Tribe and Clan
Kyrgyz Councils
Councils were important institutions of governance for the tribes and clans. Those held at the tribal level were called chon jyiyn, chon top, meaning big council. Decisions were made on a collegial basis, where each participant was required to express their opinion, and the final decision belonged to the supreme biy (manap) of the tribe. During warm weather, councils were held outdoors, in elevated places dёbё (or dёbёge chyguu, which meant to consult). Typically, the beginning and end of the council were accompanied by a feast, for which large livestock was slaughtered. If the council was conducted within the tribe, without the participation of outsiders, the participants were fed and housed at the expense of the supreme biy (later manap). When representatives of several tribes gathered for a council, each group provided for itself, sending service personnel in advance to the meeting place, who would set up several yurts and bring in livestock. The safety of the tribal leaders and personnel was ensured by an armed retinue.
Intertribal gatherings usually took place with strict adherence to the "nomadic protocol." Verbal and non-verbal communication techniques had deep meanings, and every word was carefully considered. The course of the meeting, speeches by leaders, the behavior of participants, and various nuances were thoroughly discussed within their tribe, and a "strategy" was developed for subsequent sessions. Each leader had close associates who were distinguished by their insight, resourcefulness, and political intuition, capable of steering the meeting in a favorable direction. Such abilities were exemplified in the 19th century by Tilekmat, Shamen, Kydyr, Kokotoi (Keketey) (Aktan Tynybek uulu. 1991. P. 19, 187) and others - their words, wise decisions, addresses to meeting participants, and practical activities constitute an invaluable heritage of the post-tribal political culture of the Kyrgyz. Many characters in epics and folklore possessed the art of influencing individuals or the masses of the people.
An important element of the governance institution in traditional Kyrgyz society was the formalization of commonly accepted decisions butum, kesim. In the 18th to the first half of the 19th century, all decisions were recorded in oral form, which, depending on the issue (military, administrative, judicial) and the level of decision-making, was called ant (var. ar. kasam or kasam inuu) (oath), tert (obligation), zhan beruu (oath), kesim (court verdict according to customary law), ubada (promise to keep one's word), etc.
Elders in Kyrgyz Society
