KASAKH DAILY ACTIVITIES/DIET/HOLIDAYS/DRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 280
• Publication Date: July 21, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
CENTRAL C (AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY China (Sinkiang)
SUBJECT Kazakh Daily Activities/Diet/Aelidays/Drew
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
25X1
REPORT
CD NO.
UAIE DISTR. 0 July 53
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
The Nora] Daily Actioitiea an ^i
of The sagarhny
a. The Kazakha arise between 900 and 10xOO a.m. and imtediately, the womenfolk
start the fires and warm seas water. Then everyone, including the weten and
children, step out of the 'yurt' (a round felt tent with a eoncial roof)
with kettles, pans and Mils and proceed to wash themselves an by their r prescribed
each of the five This washing process is cal_'_od 'dareht' and precedes
daily prayers. It consists of the careful washing of their
face and neck, the feet and 'Legs up to the knees, the hands and arms up to
the elbows and the fore and aft private portions of the body. If the private
p
rewashed. ortions are used between the time of the vanhing end pray--, they .uict be
After "mullah" (elder of the encampment, ornclan, who acts as their religi te leader)
cries out the prayers while facing the vest. Aftw.- the muLah is through
,
azll ems .~!? _
1- the ?.. a" Ctp"-b his prayer.
b. Following the completion of the morning prayers, the Kazakh women return to
sal heird rtswandh ta prepare the with, The teabreakfast consists of strong,
t
with 'ohilpeko (flour and water pancakes that are a or
about a sva a hal cream inch and had
f nch thick
and six to eight inches wide. They are fried in lamb's fat or cooked in
smoldering ashes) or 'baurinak' (same dough, but formed into rolls which
are about an inch thick and out into lengths of approximately one ipu?},
They are fried in lambia fat).
c. After breakfast, about 11:00 a.m., the menfolk get onto thatr h..r.*e srv_
a superficial check of the aul aid the ;rattle and then ride to the nearby
auls whore they spend the rat of the afternoon talking to the menfolk of
these aids. This pear daily nativity is ealled'anl soh{?ap' (the visiting
of adjoining encam~snts) or 'kuidriip bargaa" (the pleasure of visiting
CLASSIFICATION 001WtM- Ian
TTT- ti..,..~-
LI
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
25X1
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
outsiders). Duri.ag these daily visits the men drink aalted tea "kumis"
(fermented mare's milk), "iran" (fermented ewe's milk), eat baursak, chilpek,
"kurc""'(balls ofzitty cheese that are dried in the sun and white in color)aand
"irimshik" (dry yellow crumbs of milk, made by boiling away non-fat milk) and
talk. The most cceon'topic of conversation at these visits is their sex life,
which they discuss with great frankness. They also exchange items of news and
gossip. The Kazakh menfolk usually get back to their aul about 3:00 or 4:00 p.m.
d. In the meantime, their wives and womenfolk have been tidying up the yurt,
watching after the cattle, washing clothes, gathering and --hopping wood and
preparing a soup which is called "kozhe". This soup is made of rice and the
previous night's leftover mutton. The women also slaughter the sheep for tom'.
evening meal, clean the skins and cut, wash and ,lace the mutton in a "kazan"
(an oval cast iron bowl).
e. After the men get home, each one goes to his yurt and has several bowls of
kozhe and then rests. At about 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening the men order that
the fires under the kazans, containing the evening meal of mutton, be lit. The
mutton usually fries for about three hours. While the women cook the evening
meal, the menfolk visit with one another and again discuss women and other gossip
and news that has been picked up during the day's kuidruip-bargan..
f. At about 9:00 or 10:00 p.m., when the evening meal is ready, the menfolk return
to their yurts and sit down in a circle, with their legs crossed. They then
wash mauths,?faces end hands. This is done by having the younger lwomen?
and .koichi (waiters who are usually young boys o= poor sheep herders) pass
pails of water around and then oramal (towels). Then the koichi pass several
large-platters, either wooden or enamel, of mutton, cut in large pieces, to the
men who act as carvers. These men, who volunteer to do the curving, then start
to cut the meat, placing the cuts of mutton where others can reach them and at
the sane time helping themselves to the choice cuts. The others- reach out and
help' themselves with their hands. Prior to taking a bite of mutton it is
always dipped into individual bowls of "tuizduik" (very salty hot water). A.,.ter
? ea.t ng?great quantities of mutton-each person is served a bowl of "kasyeh"
(bouillon) and followed by salted tea, baursak and chilpek.
g. After dinner, everyone leaves the yurt end goes Through the religiot:e washing
lrocebs and prays. After the prayers, all the members of the awl sit aroutd?an
open fire, for as-long as they wish, and then retire to their yurts. If'it is
a rich aul, having from 20 to 30 yurts, it usually ha.; a "bahktseh" (combination
of clown, minstrel and fortune teller), who entertains them after dinner by
Playing their native tunes on a "dumbra" (a musical instrument resenbltag the
balalaika),-tells humorous tales, sings of their national heroes sad their
victories, and tells fortunes, The bebkt::en also entertains the menfolk
between the time that they return to their aul and dinner time.
2. Kazakh Dwellings and Furnishings: The Kazakhs live i-n turt' ell +h,
ac c:rtpi~c~ oi a Yi i, and its interior Yurts
belonging to the wealthier Kazakh families are gene; al-y carpeted ai`h?fine Khotan
rugs, and they also bang rugs on the insides'of yurts for purposes of decoration.
Since they eat with their hands, they have no eating utensils. Their cooking
utensils are comprised of a large kazan; miscellaneous enamel pots and pans and
wooden spoons, bowls, etc.
3. Holi s Custcaes and Special Events: The biggest Kazakh "toy" (festi'- ty) is
, 'which occurs in September. ? I. don't know the significance of We
o it event. At this time, a whole week is devoted to drinking, eating. horse
rac+ otha pleasur#s and gaieties. The only other toy the? I c:as recall is
"az", which is an individual families _fest'ivity over any end al l annir , sar?-ice. zch
as biri:udays, wings and deaths. 'Fce more iafermauion regs--ding the customs and
b--21-.*. -V-. of the `aiazaim
4. Kazakh Dress:
A. The Kazakh dress, of both the men and women, is the same the year around. The
men wear a hat 'which they call "salahsy". The crown of this hat is made of
' ./ 1IP'Cmi (JTIGIf
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040280-7
blaa':: silk, both on the inside'and the outsidei with a; gay, fluffy feather on
the top. It then has a brim, ear flaps and.a pgrtion which covers the 1!;L"
neck. These are silk on one aide an4.fox.fur,on the other. The fox ' 'i.
uBed for, decorative ? purposes . dewing warm .weather, when the brim, . ear, ?L4ps smd
neck, cover are tied up over the crownr and give the wearer warmth d=IM the
cold seasons. They wear a white cotton, shirt, "koiliok", whichhas l s
and a wide collar. Their trousers "suim"
,.are allo made of 0to 3"QaJ~i~,
b;and , .
are tucked under black o,' red leather knee-high boots. TheseAlto s, co'
are easily distingutahed* by their high heels. They then ~~
and jacket, "ehaket", both rude. of karakul. lamb skin. The e wear
is worn s"on heat",
fur a
inside. on,Che
b. The Kazakh women wear almost the same clothes as the. men,, the only majoor difference
~s their head dress which is a white cotton hood which exposes only the face.
The "khaten kioliok" (women's shirts) extends to the knees. Their underwear
consists of either white or red cotton pantaloons, which extend to the a klea
and are Pulled tight. by a string at the waist. The skirt also.extenda to the.
ankles-and is made of.vari-colored cotton, usually having a flower design#
The Kazakh women also wear a vest and iaeket, but theirs are made of. rod or
black velvet, or a combination of these two colors. The Kazakh women weer the
same knee-high boots as the men, the'only difference being that their heels are
even higher.
c. Both Kazakh men and women in the warm summer days wear a boot called "
instead of the yeshtuk. The miasy is a more comfortable boot made of light, red
or black, loather and fits the foot and leg like a?glove. A part?of?tbe sissy
is matching leather galoshes, which help . protect. the soft leather when outside
and which are kicked off when entering the yurt. .
te
used by .t
_ __ ..
men V would ve the few sit
ed enasesl Cove oolong utensils. which are used by them..
C BBL/fit n pc iiTiat.