Elements
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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000072 Country Kyrgyzstan ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills Address In all regions of Kyrgyzstan: Batken, Chui, Issykkul, Jalal-Abad, Naryn, Osh, Talas.Year of Designation 2012
| Description | ‘Kok-boru’ is a traditional game played by two teams on horseback, where the players try to maneuver with a goat's carcass, or ‘ulak’ and score by putting it into the opponents' goal, or ‘tai-kazan,’ while riding on their horse companions. Modern games last for 60 minutes, with 3 periods of 20 minutes each. The team scoring most ulaks into the opponent tai-kazan wins. |
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| Social and cultural significance | Kok boru is an expression of cultural and historical tradition and is spiritual identity of its practitioners. It attracts a large number of audience and each of them interprets is in his/her own way. For the public in general, it is, undoubtedly, more than just a traditional game. It is a competition, which consolidates concerned communities regardless of the self-identification and of social status. The game fosters a culture of teamwork, responsibility, respect for players of the opponent team through the game itself and transmission between all bearers of the element. The game requires not only physical but, life skills as well, such as the expression of patience towards and respect for the animal as the players and other practitioners as well. In this regard, the Ethic code of ‘Kok boru’ plays an important role for the development of life skills. The game, by its nature, bears informal character i.e. the player accepts and follows it voluntarily. However, each player tries to pursue the philosophy of honour and fairness. It also concerns the ‘ethics’ of behavior towards the horse whereby horses are perceived and recognized as partners of the players, not the instrument of the game or the player. All these help to foster socially responsible personality. |
| Transmission method | The specific features and knowledge concerning the element has been mainly transmitted in a natural way through demonstration. They are also transmitted to the players though participation in festive and social events in ordinary life, and to the audiences as well, through their ability of embracement as a mean of pleasure and traditional sport type, a subject of perception of the culture. Both, at the professional and amateur levels, the transmission is enhanced by formal and informal components of the game. Along with the nuances of strategy and tactics, coaches transmit the knowledge on rules and behavioral norms in the game and towards the horse. Kok boru players are mostly representatives of the rural culture and able to stand on a horse well from the childhood. At the initial stage trainers teach young players how to keep saddle and maneuver while moving quick, throwing techniques, caring horse and using gear. The important component of knowledge transfer at the beginning is to inculcate principles of ethics and moral to the players as well. The next stage of the training includes direct participation in games under the supervision of the coach. Thus, players improve their physical skills and at the same time, widen their knowledge about traditional components of the practice. The growth of the number of followers of the Kok boru, including the bearers of the element and those from the public indicates close interaction among them, thus, contributing to the transmission of the game in a more broad understanding. |
| Community | 1. 'Kok-boruchu' are the members of the team of the horse game, the bearers of the element. Players are primarily men. 2. Regional and National Federations unting the Kok boru traditional horse game bearers and practioners: • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Talas region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Chui region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Jalal-Abad region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Osh region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Issukkul region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Naryn region • Federation of Kok-Boru Players of Batken region • National Federation of Kok-Boru 3. Public in general. |
| Type of UNESCO List | Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2017 |
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