Azerbaijanis
The study and understanding of the traditional culture raises various questions, which are related to the processes of globalisation in the modern world, where global changes are going on every day. It should seem that the interweaving of the countries with regard to economy, information and culture would unite the fates of the nations into one single global fate. However, the expected unification of mankind does not occur. Civil wars are going on in many countries, millions of civilians are seeking refuge from the tyranny of their fate.
Also Kazakhstan, as a part of this world, finds itself in the process of globalisation and is undergoing certain changes. Of course, thanks to the policy of our President, our country maintains the atmosphere of stability, friendliness and tolerance. It is our task to preserve and transmit this atmosphere to the next generation. In order to achieve this goal, we should take good care of all the ethnoses that live on the territory of our vast Republic, who naturally desire to preserve their traditional culture. After all, the traditional culture is the basis of the culture of any society.
“Tradition is not only the basis for the entire practical experience of mankind, but also for the creation and development of rules of social relationships (family, community, labor, intergenerational, gender and age), and for the well-ordered relationship and communication of the various ethnic groups with the surrounding world.” [1, с.109]. With this in mind, we can say that “maintaining their fundamental, traditional culture until nowadays has to be considered the most important characteristic of their ethnic experience, which finds expression in the historical path of each nation.” [1, с.109]. History has shown that the neglect and the loss of national traditions might lead to a collapse of the ethno-cultural ties (in the first place, between the generations) and to the loss of national immunity against an education which is of an alien nature to the ethnos and not normal in the life of that society.
In the frame of this article, I would like to highlight the traditional culture of the Azerbaijani people of Kazakhstan. The Azerbaijanis are one of the major ethnic groups of our country. At the moment, the mass media are publishing contradictory statistics about the number of this ethnic group, ranging from 110,000 to 300,000 people. According to the data of the Kazakh Agency of Statistics of the year 2009, there are 85,292 Azerbaijanis in Kazakhstan, 48 % of which are living in villages [2]. As we can see, the Azerbaijanis show a positive dynamics of growth, which can be explained by their tradition of having large families in the rural area.
The formation of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Kazakhstan began in the thirties of the twentieth century. The first wave came in the end of the 1930s, then there was a second phase of mass resettlement of Azerbaijanis in the year 1944, who had lived on the territory of the Georgian SSR. Finally, the third cycle of resettlement took place in the middle of the 50s, during the agricultural project “Virgin Epic”.
At present, the development of the traditional culture of the Azerbaijanis is characterized by a synthesis of the traditional and the new. Moreover, there is a process of Azerbaijani-Kazakh ethno-cultural interaction.
Most Azerbaijanis speak Russian and Kazakh besides their native language.
The traditional occupation of Azerbaijanis is growing cereals, cotton, horticulture, viticulture, the cultivation of industrial crops, as well as breeding sheep and cattle. Their traditional crafts are carpet weaving, goldsmithery and jewelry production, manufacturing forged small utensils, pottery, the processing of wood and stone, the weaving of wool, silk and paper, felting wool, tanning leather, manufacturing lace, knitting socks and others.
Their traditional interior decoration consists of carpets, rugs, bedding (mattresses, blankets, pillows), stacked on a special shelf, as well as copper and pottery, placed along the walls. In the yards, there are usually outbuildings and sheds for the storing of agricultural equipment and wood, and for keeping cattle and poultry.
As for Azerbaijanian folklore, their charateristics and plot structures ressemble the folklore of the Caucasus in many respects. Tales about magic, everyday life, animals etc. are very widespread.
In Kazakhstan, the public national association of Azerbaijanis is very active. Thus, on May 29th 1992, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty registered the Azerbaijani Cultural Center (ACC) "Turan". In the statutes of the ACCs, the following main objectives were delineated: to contribute to the improvement of ethnic relations in the Republic of Kazakhstan and to promote the active involvement of Azerbaijanis in all spheres of social and cultural life. Within a short period of time, ACCs were founded also in other regions of Kazakhstan. There is the ACC “Azeri” in the Zhambyl district, the ACC “Vatan” in the Pavlodarskij district, “Gejdar” in the Kostanajskij district, and “Dostluk” in the Mangystauskij district. Futher ACCs were opened in the districts of Atyrau, Karaganda, East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, West Kazakstan, and Kyzylorda. In the year 2000, according to the decision of the general meeting of the Almaty Society of Azerbaijanis “Ozan”, the “Tashkent Azerbaijanian Cultural Center” and the “Bishkek Azerbaijanian Cultural Center”, the Azerbaijanian Cultural Center “Turan” was transformed into the Congress “Turan”.
Since June 2007, the newpaper of the Azerbaijanian diaspora “Vatan” has been published. The objective of its publication is to create conditions for a harmonious and friendly neighborhood between all the peoples of Kazakhstan.
List of the literature applied:
1. Savina N.V.: Tradicionnaja kul’tura naroda kak rešajuš’ij faktor samosoxranenija ėtnosa pri vxoždenii ego v global’nyj mir. Dis.kand. filosofii: 09.00.11 – social’naja filosofija. N. Novgorod, 2009, 157 pp.
2. Nevskaya, I., Tazhibayeva, S. Sociolinguistic situation of Turkic ethnicities in Kazakhstan / Proceedings of VI International “Conference Building Cultural Bridges”. – April 24-26, 2014.-Vol. II. – SDU, 2014. – 219-227. www.sdu.edu.kz
3. Ėlektronnyj resurs – režim dostupa: el.kz/m/articles/view/content-21423
Also Kazakhstan, as a part of this world, finds itself in the process of globalisation and is undergoing certain changes. Of course, thanks to the policy of our President, our country maintains the atmosphere of stability, friendliness and tolerance. It is our task to preserve and transmit this atmosphere to the next generation. In order to achieve this goal, we should take good care of all the ethnoses that live on the territory of our vast Republic, who naturally desire to preserve their traditional culture. After all, the traditional culture is the basis of the culture of any society.
“Tradition is not only the basis for the entire practical experience of mankind, but also for the creation and development of rules of social relationships (family, community, labor, intergenerational, gender and age), and for the well-ordered relationship and communication of the various ethnic groups with the surrounding world.” [1, с.109]. With this in mind, we can say that “maintaining their fundamental, traditional culture until nowadays has to be considered the most important characteristic of their ethnic experience, which finds expression in the historical path of each nation.” [1, с.109]. History has shown that the neglect and the loss of national traditions might lead to a collapse of the ethno-cultural ties (in the first place, between the generations) and to the loss of national immunity against an education which is of an alien nature to the ethnos and not normal in the life of that society.
In the frame of this article, I would like to highlight the traditional culture of the Azerbaijani people of Kazakhstan. The Azerbaijanis are one of the major ethnic groups of our country. At the moment, the mass media are publishing contradictory statistics about the number of this ethnic group, ranging from 110,000 to 300,000 people. According to the data of the Kazakh Agency of Statistics of the year 2009, there are 85,292 Azerbaijanis in Kazakhstan, 48 % of which are living in villages [2]. As we can see, the Azerbaijanis show a positive dynamics of growth, which can be explained by their tradition of having large families in the rural area.
The formation of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Kazakhstan began in the thirties of the twentieth century. The first wave came in the end of the 1930s, then there was a second phase of mass resettlement of Azerbaijanis in the year 1944, who had lived on the territory of the Georgian SSR. Finally, the third cycle of resettlement took place in the middle of the 50s, during the agricultural project “Virgin Epic”.
At present, the development of the traditional culture of the Azerbaijanis is characterized by a synthesis of the traditional and the new. Moreover, there is a process of Azerbaijani-Kazakh ethno-cultural interaction.
Most Azerbaijanis speak Russian and Kazakh besides their native language.
The traditional occupation of Azerbaijanis is growing cereals, cotton, horticulture, viticulture, the cultivation of industrial crops, as well as breeding sheep and cattle. Their traditional crafts are carpet weaving, goldsmithery and jewelry production, manufacturing forged small utensils, pottery, the processing of wood and stone, the weaving of wool, silk and paper, felting wool, tanning leather, manufacturing lace, knitting socks and others.
Their traditional interior decoration consists of carpets, rugs, bedding (mattresses, blankets, pillows), stacked on a special shelf, as well as copper and pottery, placed along the walls. In the yards, there are usually outbuildings and sheds for the storing of agricultural equipment and wood, and for keeping cattle and poultry.
As for Azerbaijanian folklore, their charateristics and plot structures ressemble the folklore of the Caucasus in many respects. Tales about magic, everyday life, animals etc. are very widespread.
In Kazakhstan, the public national association of Azerbaijanis is very active. Thus, on May 29th 1992, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty registered the Azerbaijani Cultural Center (ACC) "Turan". In the statutes of the ACCs, the following main objectives were delineated: to contribute to the improvement of ethnic relations in the Republic of Kazakhstan and to promote the active involvement of Azerbaijanis in all spheres of social and cultural life. Within a short period of time, ACCs were founded also in other regions of Kazakhstan. There is the ACC “Azeri” in the Zhambyl district, the ACC “Vatan” in the Pavlodarskij district, “Gejdar” in the Kostanajskij district, and “Dostluk” in the Mangystauskij district. Futher ACCs were opened in the districts of Atyrau, Karaganda, East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, West Kazakstan, and Kyzylorda. In the year 2000, according to the decision of the general meeting of the Almaty Society of Azerbaijanis “Ozan”, the “Tashkent Azerbaijanian Cultural Center” and the “Bishkek Azerbaijanian Cultural Center”, the Azerbaijanian Cultural Center “Turan” was transformed into the Congress “Turan”.
Since June 2007, the newpaper of the Azerbaijanian diaspora “Vatan” has been published. The objective of its publication is to create conditions for a harmonious and friendly neighborhood between all the peoples of Kazakhstan.
List of the literature applied:
1. Savina N.V.: Tradicionnaja kul’tura naroda kak rešajuš’ij faktor samosoxranenija ėtnosa pri vxoždenii ego v global’nyj mir. Dis.kand. filosofii: 09.00.11 – social’naja filosofija. N. Novgorod, 2009, 157 pp.
2. Nevskaya, I., Tazhibayeva, S. Sociolinguistic situation of Turkic ethnicities in Kazakhstan / Proceedings of VI International “Conference Building Cultural Bridges”. – April 24-26, 2014.-Vol. II. – SDU, 2014. – 219-227. www.sdu.edu.kz
3. Ėlektronnyj resurs – režim dostupa: el.kz/m/articles/view/content-21423
Sajyn Zhazyra
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