ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 7 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
248
CULTURE OF KARAKALPAK PEOPLE
Qońıratbaeva Shaxnoza Aymurat qızı
Nukus State Pedagogical Institute, Faculty of Turkic Languages, student of "Karakalpak
Language and Literature"
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8170507
Abstract:
This article talks about the organization of the culture of the Karakalpak people,
its formation and development.
Key words:
Jirov, Oydosbiy, Edige, nationality, people, life, culture.
КУЛЬТУРА КАРАКАЛПАКСКОГО НАРОДА
Аннотация.
В данной статье рассказывается об организации культуры
каракалпакского народа, ее становлении и развитии.
Ключевые слова:
Жиров, Ойдосбий, Едиге, национальность, народ, быт, культура.
For many years, the Karakalpaks have experienced the transition from a nomadic lifestyle
to a settled one. The majority of the population lived in villages consisting of grass and straw
houses. Later, fortresses and cities were created. The four sides of the fortifications were
surrounded by walls or high hills. Karakalpaks were formed from several clans, and each clan
member tried to ensure the strength of his clan. It was forbidden to marry and give daughters within
the same clan. Therefore, taking a girl from another clan was considered a normal phenomenon.
After a certain time, the place where the girl was taken was announced, the girl's parents, close
relatives and clan elders were treated with various gifts and consent to the wedding was obtained.
The Urug priest married the bride and groom. At the wedding, the Bakhshis sang songs from the
epics, and the speeches reached their climax. Wrestlers and heroes would fight. Islam was the
official religion of the Karakalpaks. Sufi sects of various directions were widespread among the
population. Craftsmen accepted 12-13 year old children as apprentices and taught them the secrets
of their trade. Young people of Karakalpak were also educated in Khiva and Bukhara madrasas.
The folklore of the Karakalpaks is very rich. The publication of 20 volumes of Karakalpak folklore
samples is proof of our opinion. They love chechens and bakhshis who are masters of words. El
elders and leaders were not spared by the storytellers. Like Effendi of the Uzbeks, the Karakalpaks
are interested in Omirbek. Omirbek Lakqi is embodied in his oral anecdotes as a folk hero who
laughs at certain individuals and shortcomings in society. He exposed the lies of unjust officials,
judges, and priests whose deeds do not match their words, and sang about courage, correctness,
truth, and justice. He delighted the audience by concisely expressing his anecdotes with light
humor and bitter humor. The heroic epics of the Karakalpaks have been known since ancient times.
In the epics "Kirq qiz", "Alpomis", "Qoblan", "Máspatsha", "Edige" the story of the Karakalpaks
is sung. For example, in the epic "Edige" the events related to the activities of Amir Temur and
Tokhtamis are described, in "Kirqqiz" the freedom struggle of the Karakalpak people against the
Dzhungar Kalmak in the 18th century, and the struggle of the Khorezm people against the Iranian
king Nadirshah found their artistic expression. . People of Karakalpaks the leaders and heroes of
the country, Maman Batir, Esangeldi Mahram, Oydosbiy, and Ernazarbiy, are glorified in their
songs. The words of the Kazakh enlightener Choxan Valikhonov: "The Karakalpaks are the first
poets in the desert and singers, followed by the Kyrgyz and Turkmens." In the literature of
Karakalpak, the epic "Kirqqiz", which reflects the historical events of the XVII-XVIII centuries in
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 7 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
249
an artistic form, occupies a special place. This work is a Karakalpak folk heroic epic. This epic
was recorded in 1939-1940 by the son of the famous folk bakshi (jirovi) Kurbanboy bakshi
Tajiboy. The work is imbued with the ideas of philanthropy, patriotism and humanitarianism.
Guloyim, the main character of the play, together with his forty friends and his lover Arslan, goes
to defend his country from the attack of the Iranian king Nadirshah and the Jungian Khan
Surtoyshi. Guloyim liberated Khorezm and created a state there that united representatives of the
Karakalpak, Turkmen, Uzbek and Kazakh peoples. The characters of Oltinoy, O'tbosgan, Arslan,
Sarvinoz, who fought in the same line with Guloyim in the work, emdiv the ideas of courage,
bravery, patriotism, humanity, and at the same time cruelty towards the enemy. Karakalpakstan
has a unique and rich cultural heritage. This is reflected in its ancient archeological and
architectural monuments, unique folklore, performing arts, traditions and national crafts. There are
many archaeological and architectural monuments in the territory of Karakalpakstan. The most
ancient of them dates back to the 4th century BC (the time of the separation of Ancient Khorezm
from the Achaemenid Empire). At the beginning of the 1st century BC, Ancient Khorezm was
influenced by the culture that reached the Kushan Empire. The most striking example of this is the
construction of the magnificent Tuproq-kala city and fortress. By this time, new forms of
construction appeared, including somewhat smaller fortresses within settlements. Ancient
Khorezm is also the birthplace of Zoroastrianism. This is evidenced by many preserved
archaeological monuments: temples, fire-worshiping temples, ossuaries (corpses' bones)
cemeteries, etc. With the introduction of Islam in the 8th century, not only the lifestyle and religion
of the inhabitants of this area, but also the architecture of the city underwent major changes. The
first baked brick appeared, and from it magnificent mausoleums, mosques and domes were built,
decorated with magnificent architectural decorations and epigraphic inscriptions. The Aralboyi
region has been at the crossroads of cultures for thousands of years. The Great Silk Road, which
greatly contributed to the development of cultural and economic relations between the peoples of
Europe, the Caucasus, East Asia, Central Asia and China, passed through this region through the
Ustyurt Plateau. One of the main routes of the Great Silk Road passed through the large ancient
city of Tanais, located in the lower reaches of the Don River. There are hypotheses that later it
crossed the southern Russian hills, the Lower Povolgie, the Arolboi, went through South
Kazakhstan to Altai and Eastern Turkestan, and joined the main highway of the Great Silk Road.
One of the directions of this road, which passed from the North Aral Bay through Khorezm, went
to Sogdiya and further south. Thus, several thousand historical and architectural monuments
related to the history of the Great Silk Road are located in the area from the Fergana Valley to the
coast of the Aral Sea. The uniqueness of the Karakalpaks is reflected in their folklore, dance and
music culture and rituals, and today they are an integral part of the people. Their most popular
types include jiras (folk tales) and bakhshis (singing songs) and epos (Alpomish and Kirq kiz,
etc.). The traditions of Karakalpakstan are also well represented in crafts. The simple patterns and
shapes of Karakalpak ancient crafts show their connection with the art of the ancient and medieval
Central Asian nomads. The ancient crafts of the Karakalpaks developed on the basis of their
ancient dwellings (yurts), necessary household items and available materials (wood, leather, bone,
wood, cotton). At the beginning of the 20th century, women made decorative mats, colorful felts,
knitted embroidered polos and shawls, and were engaged in the weaving of qiqims to decorate the
country. All adult women mastered the craft of embroidery. Men were engaged in more complex
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 7 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
250
crafts, making yurts and musical instruments, woodcarving, jewelry, leather processing, etc. The
rituals and customs of the Karakalpaks originate from the cultures of the Saks, Pechenegs and
Oghuz tribes. They are reflected in many aspects of the life of Karakalpaks, for example, in their
hospitality. Therefore, when waiting for guests, the greatest place is reserved for guests. He is also
offered a certain part (head or other part) of the national dish prepared from the sacrificed animal.
After the meal, the new bride or the owner's wife takes a tray from the hands of the guests. Then
the bride bows deeply to the guest, takes the tray from the guest's hand, and then slowly returns.
After that, the guest of honor will make a speech, wishing everyone good wishes and special thanks
to the owner of the house. After that, the youngest member of the family (for men - the youngest
son or for women - daughter-in-law) pours water from the sand for the guests to wash their hands.
Pre-wedding and post-wedding rituals of Karakalpaks include very interesting processes. For
example, a celebration and a party are organized in the bride's house, in which the bride's family
members, all clan members and neighbors participate. On this day, the groom brings a sheep or a
calf (sometimes a bull) to the bride's house, as well as gifts for the bride's relatives.
As soon as the groom approaches the bride's house, the women of the bride's side (often neighbors)
ask for money for the groom to enter the bride's house. The groom is supported by young men
throughout this process, and the "representative father" makes the payment instead of the groom.
After the end of the feast, money is taken from the groom a second time, and the groom leaves the
money under the plate. Then the groom should give money to the suitors. Matchmaking women
enter guests' houses with a container full of water and "threaten" to pour the water on the
bridegroom if the groom does not pay. All these actions are carried out in a humorous way.
Nature
Karakalpakstan is located in the north-west of the Kyzylkum desert, the south-eastern part
of the Ustyurt plateau and the Amudarya delta. The southern part of the Aral Sea is in the territory
of Karakalpakstan. The northwestern part of Kyzylkum is a wide flat plain descending towards the
Aral Sea, with a series of hills and sandy bar-khans (75 to 100 m high). There are separate mountain
massifs (the largest, the Sultan Uwais mountain, with peaks of 473 m and 485 m). Irrigated lands
and irrigation canals are mainly on the right bank of the delta. In the west is the Ustyurt plateau
with several depressions (Borsakelmas, Asakaovdon depressions are 29-101 m high). The plateau
fell into the Aral Sea and the Amudarya delta, forming a steep cliff - chinks. South-east of Ustyurt
is the northern end of Sarikamish valley.
Minerals include table salt and Glauber's salt, mineral raw materials and building materials,
etc. The climate is sharply continental, with dry summers and relatively cold winters, with little
snowfall. The average temperature in January is -4.9° in the south, 7.6° in the north, 28.2° in the
south in July, 26° in the north. Annual precipitation is 110 mm, mainly in winter and spring. The
vegetation period is 194-214 days. The largest river is Amudarya (downstream). The Amudarya
basin has been known as an irrigated area since ancient times. River water is used for irrigation.
The water management department located in Nukus controls all the river's drainage facilities in
the area from Takhiatosh hydro-route, Kipchak hydropost to the Aral Sea (283 km). As a result of
the large amount of river water used for irrigation in the middle and upper reaches, the current
Amudarya does not flow directly into the Aral Sea.
The largest lake of Karakalpakstan is the Aral Sea, as well as the Sudochye lake system
connected with the Khojakul-Kara-Zhar lake system, as well as artificial reservoirs created in the
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 7 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
251
dry part of the Aral Sea. As a result of the expansion of irrigated lands in the Amudarya and
Syrdarya basins in the last 40 years, the water level of the Aral Sea decreased by 23 m at the
beginning of 2005. Fish are caught from all water bodies of Karakalpakstan, fish farms are
established in them.
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