Metal Production and Artistic Metalworking
The production of metal products among the Kyrgyz is dedicated to a special work by A. F. Burkovsky.
The products of the Issyk-Kul Kyrgyz are characterized by E. I. Makhova.
Despite many common features in both the production itself and the range of metal products, there are some specific characteristics in the south that we attempt to note.
Metal production among the southern Kyrgyz is represented in two forms: from iron (temir) and from silver (kumush). Accordingly, craftsmen are distinguished as blacksmiths (temir usta) and silver craftsmen (kumush usta). The latter are also referred to as zergarchi, zergir.
However, work with silver is often combined with blacksmithing, which is driven by the very nature of production: many decorations are made from iron, which is covered with a layer of silver. Craftsmen who master both specialties are referred to in the folk as chon usta (great master).
Metalworkers worked in different conditions. Blacksmiths operated in specially arranged spaces, although these often consisted of hastily made awnings with screens or sheds, and sometimes small yurts. Later, with the formation of settlements, more durable adobe structures began to be built.
Jewelers, who did not engage in blacksmithing, did not have special premises. With their simple tools, they found a place in a yurt or house or worked outdoors. A jeweler usually works sitting on the ground. Nearby is a small forge, bellows made from hides, an anvil, and tools spread out around.
Most of our informants were older craftsmen. Only among the blacksmiths were there younger ones. We did not encounter jewelers under 50 years old in the south, which is a clear sign of the decline of traditions in this ancient craft.
The craft of a jeweler (all its secrets, as well as tools) is passed down through inheritance among the Kyrgyz. However, in the south, alongside this widespread phenomenon, there are many craftsmen who learned the art of jewelry from Uzbeks, who were more proficient in this craft. Among Kyrgyz blacksmiths, there are masters who learned from Russians.
Silver craftsmen are mostly men, but, as among the northern Kyrgyz, there are women among them as well.
Most often, these are widows who learned the jewelry craft from their husbands.
In the second half of the 19th century, a master named Jyeenbek was renowned in the western part of the Alai Valley for his mastery of many techniques for producing metal products.
He passed his skills to his daughter Barnisa, who is still celebrated as a skilled jeweler. Until recently, her craftsmanship was sought not only by residents of the Alai Valley but also by Kyrgyz from Pamir, who descend into the Alai Valley during the summer.
Among the prominent Kyrgyz masters, one should mention Joldosh Matraimov (born in 1875, group Teit, settlement Kara-Dzhigach of the Frunze district). He studied with an experienced jeweler, an Uzbek named Abdykerim from Uch-Kurgan. Joldosh mastered blacksmithing while working with the Alai Kyrgyz. He worked on orders throughout his life, always using the same tools.
According to all our informants, the raw materials for producing metal products were mainly purchased by craftsmen at the market, which was associated with difficulties. Therefore, iron was particularly valued. It was brought to Central Asia from Russia.
Silver was bought in the form of ingots. Many decorations were made from the customer's material, often melting down old items. Silver coins were widely used.
Kyrgyz masters never took their jewelry to the market. This distinguished them from neighboring Uzbek masters, who made items specifically for the market.
They often even copied the products of Kyrgyz masters, trying to "meet not only the requirements presented by the Kyrgyz but also the forms characteristic of Kyrgyz work." Thus, Kyrgyz masters had competitors. Naturally, Kyrgyz people also purchased Uzbek jewelry.
However, Kyrgyz always distinguish items made by Kyrgyz masters from jewelry produced by Uzbeks.
Ethnography