Cattle Breeding Cults of the Kyrgyz in the Early 20th Century.
Forage Preparation
Forage preparation became widespread in the late 19th century due to a lack of pasture lands and the processes of sedentarization. Wealthy livestock owners harvested up to 10-15 thousand bundles of hay. Sometimes family members participated in this, or they worked as ashars - using collective mutual assistance, while some purchased hay from others (Manuscript fund of the Ch. Aitmatov Institute of Language and Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic. Inv. No. 1679). In the early 20th century, hay harvesting was practiced to some extent by 79.7% of all Kyrgyz households in the Namangan district, while in the present-day Naryn region, 77.6% to 97.3% of households kept livestock on hay, feeding from 26.4% to 79.7% of horses, from 16.6% to 80.3% of cattle, and from 3.4% to 30.6% of sheep and goats (Rakitnikov, 1936, p. 58). In the current Talas region, the figures were higher: from 68.8% to 82.5% of horses, from 78% to 87.9% of cattle, and from 7.3% to 31.5% of sheep and goats (MKZ, Vol. 4, pp. 96, 97). In 1913, forage crops occupied 187 thousand hectares in Kyrgyzstan, or 29.2% of the total sown area (KSSR, Encyclopedia, 1982, p. 223). Overall, the supply of hay was insufficient, and livestock farming continued to be extensive in nature (History of the Kyrgyz SSR, 1986, p. 118). By the end of the 1920s, only sheep remained on pasture in winter where it was possible; all other types of livestock were fed (Kushner, 1929, p. 26).
Livestock Cults
The Kyrgyz revered mythological "patrons" of all types of animals they raised. The patron of sheep (koidun piri) was Cholpon-Ata (known as Shopan-Ata among Kazakhs and Chupan-Ata among Uzbeks). He was called upon for help in cases where the safety of the herd needed to be ensured due to animal diseases, lack of feed, etc. When making a sacrifice to the "patron of sheep," livestock owners would say: "May all that is holy accompany us. May (the spirit) Cholpon-Ata protect us. Our thoughts are pure; livestock and the soul of a person are equally valuable." Kambar-Ata served as the "patron" of horses. Before battles, participation in major races, or overcoming difficult crossings, livestock owners would appeal to the spirit of Kambar-Ata for support in their trials. Similar cults existed among other Central Asian peoples: among the Turkmen, the patron of horses was Duldyl-Ata; among the Yakuts, this figure is associated with Dyakhoga; and among the peoples of the Sayan-Altai, with Izykh-khan.
The patron of camels was Oysul-Ata (a distorted name of one of the first Muslim ascetics, Uveys Karani, who was also known among other peoples of Central Asia (Basilov, 1973, p. 190). The camel itself, especially the image of a white camel calf, was revered as a spirit-patron by certain shamans. The patron of goats was Chychan-Ata; compared to other spirit-patrons, he was not called upon often, as the Kyrgyz did not highly value goats. Zetsgi-Baba was the "patron" of cattle and was used as a general name for them. Among the peoples of Central Asia, various rituals and legends existed related to this character; in the case of a cow's illness, they would appeal to him for help.
Annual Cycle of Pastoral Livestock Farming Among the Kyrgyz
