Associated with yurts, yaks and fermented mareÕs milk, the Kyrgyz were the first people to gain sovereignty over their homeland when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Kyrgyzstan is the most democratic of all the former Soviet Republics. Over three-quarters of the country lies above 1,500 meters on one of the highest plateaus of the world. The stunningly beautiful Tian Shan and Pamir Alay mountain ranges cover 95% of its territory. Ancestors of the Kyrgyz, however, probably didnÕt begin settling in the region until Mongolian invasions caused them to migrate from Siberia around the 10th century. Interestingly, with their high cheekbones and narrow eyelids, the Kyrgyz bear the genetic imprint of the Mongolian hordes more than any other Central Asian people.

Kyrgyz number 2.2 million and make up over half of the population of Kyrgyzstan. Small numbers of Kyrgyz also reside in the neighbouring countries of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and China. Over 60% live as nomadic herdsmen, raising sheep, goats, horses, cattle, yak and camels. Characterised as gentle, hospitable and peace loving, they travel in family groups and live in circular, felt tents called 'yurts.' Increasingly, however, many are exchanging the nomadic life for a more stable existence in villages and urban areas.


CULTURE

The arts

Music, dance and story telling play an important role in the culture. The Kyrgyz have a highly developed folklore and often sing their folk tales to the accompaniment of a three-stringed guitar called a dombra. Most famous of all their stories is an epic known as the 'Manas.' Based on a hero of the same name, the Manas is 20 times longer than the Odyssey and a veritable dictionary of Kyrgyz customs, habits and philosophies.


Language

Kyrgyz comes from the Central Turkic group of languages. The written language uses a modified Cyrillic script adopted in 1940. While both Russian and Kyrgyz are the official languages, English is fast supplanting Russian in popularity as a second language.


Food and Hospitality

"Come in and take the honoured seat," the host says to complete strangers and friends alike who enter his dwelling. He will not ask why they have come, but rather offer them tea to begin the festivities, followed by flat bread, butter, fresh and dried fruits, and candy. Hospitality is vitally important to the Kyrgyz. Even their Muslim heritage, which forbids alcohol, gives way to the demands of hospitality as they readily drink with their visitors. Compatible with a nomadic, herding lifestyle, Kyrgyz cuisine is heavy on meat, milk products, and bread. A traditional dish called beshbarmak combines chipped meat and pasta with a spiced onion sauce. Another dish, bozo, consists of thickened, fermented millet. Meals can also include meat balls made with minced yak, mutton soup and noodles cooked in meat stock. Fermented mareÕs milk, known as kumys, is a seasonal alcoholic drink available when the mares are foaling.


Dress

The Kyrgyz wear both western-style and traditional clothing. Men in rural areas dress in baggy leather trousers, course shirts, sheepskin coats, boots and white felt hats or embroidered skullcaps. For special occasions, the wealthy wear tall, steeple-shaped hats embroidered in gold. With the exception of hats, women dress much the same as men, though their shirts usually extend to the ankles. Married women often cover their heads with white turbans fashioned from long scarves.


ECONOMY

Kyrgyzstan suffers from an economic crisis sustained by high inflation, low wages and a primitive banking system. There are severe shortages of consumer goods, and approximately 60 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Development of the mining industry is considered crucial to economic recovery. Kyrgyzstan not only has coal, mercury, petroleum, antimony, uranium and zinc, but also enough gold reserves to place it in the top twelve countries of the world. Two-fifths of economic production currently comes from agriculture, which relies heavily on raising and breeding livestock. On the 10 percent of the land suitable for raising crops, farmers grow cotton, sugar beets, grain, tobacco, fruit, and vegetables. Chemical products, fertilizers, raw leather, wool, cotton and glass are among the chief exports.


SOCIETY

Kyrgyz society is organised around tribal organisations and clans. Each tribe consists of a number of clans, and a clan includes those sharing a common ancestor on their fatherÕs side. People tend to marry within their own clan. Community leaders are traditionally the senior members of a clan, but the most esteemed members of society are tribal leaders. Today these leaders fill most of the regional and national government positions.

Kyrgyz women, particularly those of nomadic families, bear heavy workloads. Aside from domestic chores, they are responsible for spinning, weaving, milking and sometimes even herding. Additionally, it is the womanÕs job to assemble and take down the tents when the family moves. However, Kyrgyz women also enjoy more freedoms in the areas of dress and speech than their Central Asian counterparts. They may talk freely to men, ride unaccompanied on the grasslands, and are not required to wear veils.

Births, circumcisions, weddings and funerals provide occasions for feasting, generosity and gaining recognition. People judge a hostÕs importance by the number of animals slaughtered for a feast, how far tribal chiefs will travel to participate and whether or not an event exceeds the expectations of the guests.


RELIGIOUS LIFE AND ISLAM

Although the Kyrgyz converted to Islam in the 17th century, today they practice a hybrid of shamanism, black magic and Islam. They are fascinated with black magic and devoted to television programs that air demonstrations of this power. Many Kyrgyz resort to shaman priests or priestesses to cure sickness, communicate with spirits and control events in their lives. In spite of this, villages are experiencing a resurgence of conservative Islam. Government officials have resisted pressure to turn Kyrgyzstan into an Islamic state, and fear that religious extremism could destabilize the country. For this reason, they encourage interfaith dialogue and recognize both Muslim and Christian holidays.


Contact with Christianity

Although the Kyrgyz enjoy religious freedom, they are one of the least evangelised people groups of their size in the world. There has been some openness to the gospel, however, and since 1991, the number of indigenous believers has risen from nine to an few thousand. The New Testament is available in Kyrgyz, as is the Jesus Film and limited Christian radio broadcasts. The least fundamentally Islamic of all the Central Asian republics, Kyrgyzstan may be the most strategic for evangelism.


PLEASE PRAY:

• For God to raise up individuals and mission groups to work among the Kyrgyz.
• For teaching materials in the Kyrgyz language and training for pastors.
• For government officials to resist outside efforts to turn Kyrgyzstan into an Islamic state.
• For a strong Kyrgyz church to evangelise itÕs own people and become a springboard to reach other Central Asian countries.

© International Teams and People International 2003.