Farmer Bolot Asanbekov, a local resident, shared his version.
He spoke about his grandfather, Sydyk, who was born in 1890 and was a falconer, owning an eagle and two taigans. His grandfather often shared stories about his ancestors and how these lands were named. However, when he was little, Bolot did not remember all the details.
According to him, in the 1700s, the Sarybagysh tribe lived on the eastern side of Kegeti, while the Solto tribe was located to the west. The Cherikchi tribe, to which his family belonged, was situated in the village of Cholpon, above the area of Ken-Bulun. In the spring, they would cross the Shamshi gorge and settle in places like Sary-Saz, Tarmal-Saz, and Ken-Saz until winter, where there were forests with bushes of beadberry and deer coming down to drink. The locals engaged in deer hunting and trading their skins.
Once, when Bolot's ancestors were returning from the pastures, they encountered a heavy snowstorm that blocked the way through the Shamshi gorge. In search of an exit, they headed to the Kerkebes gorge, but there they also faced obstacles. Even in the Boom gorge, they could not advance due to the flooded waters. As a result, they used deer skins to build huts and stayed for the winter.
With the arrival of spring and the opening of paths, Bolot's ancestors moved back. People, seeing that the tribe was using deer skins as shelter, began to call them "Bughu atkan el," which translates to "the tribe that shot at deer," and thus the village got its name Buguchu.
Currently, the residents of Buguchu are engaged in growing and selling potatoes.
“Previously, there was no market in Kochkor, and people had to travel to Tokmok to sell livestock and buy food. The first livestock breeders from Kochkor, when going to the market, stayed overnight at a girl who had married in the Chuy region. She prepared a dough dish, in which one of the guests found a piece of fat that got stuck in his throat. The girl apologized and explained that it was not fat, but potato, which adds flavor. She offered them two bags of potatoes for planting in the spring and explained how to grow it. Since then, the residents of Buguchu have been engaged in potato farming,” concluded Bolot Asanbekov.
