ALL
traditional knowledge
ICH Elements 163
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Epic art of Gorogly
The entire epos includes a historical range of the legendary achievements of the ancient national hero of Gorogly and his 40 cavalrymen by recording all major events of traditional lifespan of the Turkmen people. The aspiration of the Turkmen nation for a happy life, unification, freedom and justice as well as their features such as bravery, honesty, partiotism, freindship, tolerance and fairness have been reflected in the epos. The element is a combined genre of oral traditions and performing art incorporating narrating, singing, vocal improvisation and musical composition, where a prose and poetry are alternated in its perforamnce. Its bearers and practitioners are epic performers-dessanchy bagshy specialized in the Gorogly epic. It is by tradition performed by one dessanchy bagshy playing the dutar (a two stringed, long-necked lute) in a sitting position, while narrating prose and reciting poetry in a way to deliver the characters' feelings and emotions to the accompaniment to the traditional musical instruments such as dutar and gyjak (a fiddle-like Turkmen musical instrument). It is traditionally performed at social gatherings, celebrations, national ceremonies, life rituals, national festivals and special "Folklore Festivals". The element provides related communities with a sense of social and cultural identity and it is considered as a main symbol of Turkmen people to sustain their cultural identity being as an oral encyclopedia and it remains the inexhaustible fountain-head to nurture their cultural psychology, national character, mentality, creative capacity and artistic skills.
Turkmenistan 2015 -
Traditional knowledge of mutual aid - ‘ashar’
Ashar is a form of mutual-help when the entire community comes together to perform a labor- and resource-intensive task such as building a house or a school, making felt carpets, cleaning canals, etc. Ashar helps to finish a large amount of work in a short time. For better efficiency, the roles are distributed among the participants based on their skills and capacities.
Kyrgyzstan -
Traditional knowledge related to piled carpet technique
Today, piled weaving is vividly demonstrated in the patterned piled carpets that are distinguished by their quality and durability. Sheep, caprine or camel hair is used for base of the carpets. Piled carpets are original and colorful as are other items of the applied and decorative arts of the Kyrgyz. Kyrgyz piled carpets, are weaved on a simple horizontal machine – ‘dyukoun’. Instruments of masters also include wooden comb – ‘tokmok’, which is used to nail picks and piles, a knife – to cut piled threads, and scissors – to trim the piles. Geometrical shapes are prevailing in the Kyrgyz piled carpets. These are: squares with jogged edges or elongated endings – ‘omurtka’, triangles – ‘tumarcha’, cross shaped figures – ‘chaidosh’, simple or stepped rhombs – ‘it taman’, star shaped forms – ‘jyldyz’ as well as various octangulars and etc. Plant and horn shaped motifs are also present in the ornaments such as ‘toguz doubou’ (nine hills), ‘alma kouchout’ (apple pattern) and etc.
Kyrgyzstan -
Traditional knowledge related to the technique of leather work and leather products manufacturing
Historically, livestock herding has been one of the main livelihoods of the Kyrgyz people. That is why leather crafting has become an important craft and many household items are made out of leather. The skin of such domestic and wild animals as cows, horses, camels, yaks, sheep, goats, foxes, otters, mountain goats and deer is used for leathercraft. Sheep and goat skin is most widely used due to their accessibility. Sheep leather is used for making shoes and cloths. In the context of nomadic and pastoral lifestyle, dishes made out of leather are still popular. The vessels for milk products such as sabaa, kookor, konok, konochok were made out of processed camel of cow skin. The vessels are smoked with juniper or pine branches before use. Cattle skin is used to make leather for some household items such as wooden chests for dishes and utensils, horse tack (stirrups, various strips, reigns and whips), etc. Both women and men are engaged in leather work. At the same time there is a clear separation in labor. E.g. only men slaughter and skin animals. Men also process leather for horse tack and other large things. Women process skin of smaller animals such as sheep and goats. Women make such household items as vessels for milk products, various bags, sacks and cup-holders. Kyrgyz people tried to decorate leather items just like any other household item. There were many ways to decorate leather items. E.g. cup-holders were decorated with silver clips or patterns were craved right on the surface of leather. Leather items were made in different shapes. E.g. kookor, a vessel for kymyz, was made in a shape of an anchor, cup holders were cylindrical or semi-spherical. Carving or stamping patterns on the leather surface looks very good because it livens up the monotonous surface and makes it more pleasing to eye.
Kyrgyzstan -
Traditional knowledge related to making of – ‘Gulazyk’
Gulazyk is an ancient meal of the Kyrgyz people. It is meat made into powder. Preparation of gulazyk: salted meat was boiled and then dried in a cool, well-ventilated and dark place. Then, the meat was grinded several times with millstones until it turned into a very fine powder. Sometimes, the dried and grinded intestines of wild animals are added into gulazyk.
Kyrgyzstan -
Traditional knowledge related to making of meat products (chuchuk, zhorgoom, byzhy, olobo, tash kordo)
One of the main meat delicacies is a horse meat sausage called ‘chuchuk’. It was made out of horse intestine stuffed with horse meat and fat. Sheep meat and internal organs were used to make such delicacies as ‘jorgoom’ (made out of sheep lungs and stomach), ‘byzhy’ (a sausage made out of sheep liver, fat and blood) and ‘olobo’, that is sheep lungs filled with milk and boiled in water. Tash kordo is an ancient Kyrgyz dish. Literally, it means “food prepared on hot stones”. The separated and marinated meat is wrapped into the game skin and prepared in a hole in the ground about 1.5 m long and 70 cm wide, with stones at the bottom and sides hanged over the hot ashes.
Kyrgyzstan -
Knowledge and practices related to year seasons
Knowledge and practices related to year seasons are the result of centuries-old observations of nature applied to the life. For many centuries and millennia, people carefully collected folk signs about nature. Every trifle, every natural phenomenon not even significant at first glance, could one day become a reliable harbinger of an important event in human life. Taking into account the relationship between certain natural phenomena, a person remembered them in the form of short acceptances, which over time were transmitted from father to son, from grandfather to grandson. Many of these will not lose their relevance to this day, and some have long passed into the category of superstition.
Uzbekistan -
Knowledge and skills related to cattle breeding
A cattle breeding is one of the ancient activities dealt by Uzbeks. It is the dominant animal husbandry industry specializing in breeding cattle for milk, beef, leather raw materials, as well as as a traction force. Even the holy book of Zoroastrianism, “Avesta”, calls upon careful attitude towards cattle, in particular, in relation to horses, bovine animals, sheep and goats. A cattle breeding was one of the main activities in mountainous, submontane and steppe areas of Uzbekistan. The essence of traditions, knowledge and skills related to cattle breeding and goals pursued by them, were always the same - they were aimed at breeding animals, protecting them from various diseases, predators and thieves, preventing their loss, etc.
Uzbekistan -
Cookery
Uzbek cuisine (cookery) today is a special national brand. It is no coincidence that every year it is gaining increasing popularity in the countries of near and far abroad. The great culinary heritage of the Uzbek people has passed the test of time. Each new era brought new products and new technologies. Accepting new things and developing, Uzbek cuisine has invariably remained national, bright and original. It is the highest dignity, wealth and special harmony of Uzbek cuisine that attract an increasing number of fans around the world to it. With a three-thousand-year history, the gastronomy of Uzbekistan is distinguished by its diversity, calorie content, healing properties, as well as its aesthetic qualities. At the same time, the traditions and culture of cooking, characteristic of our region, form a nationwide culinary art.
Uzbekistan -
Dried fruits making
The production of dried fruits is one of the effective ways to solve the problem of seasonality without loss. Fruits and vegetables cultivated in Uzbekistan are distinctive with their taste. In particular, the degree of sugar is very high in them, which maintains sweetness of dried fruits. For this reason Uzbekistan is famous for its dried fruits. Traditional way of drying fruits (drying in an open air) is widespread. Methods of drainage vary with the type of fruit. Sometimes, the same type of fruit is dried in different ways. For example there are such ways of raisin making (drainage of grapes) as: avlon, bedona, garmiyon, sabza, soyaki and others. In simple way of making raisin, grape is laid on the plastered square, on bordon or buyra. In this method, the grape dries duing 20–30 days. Grapes, dipped to an acid solution, dry in 7–10 days, in specially cooled rooms, it takes 4–8 weeks to dry the grape.
Uzbekistan -
Traditional knowledge of choosing, training and racing the swift horses
Since ancient times, Mongols have developed the complex knowledge of choosing the swiftest horses among the flock, coaching and training them to race for a month before the race. The food is reduced and raced at the shortest to longer distances day by day. The training goes on same way and continues until the race. The race horses are classified by 6 ages as ikh nas, soyolon, azarga, khyzaalan, shüdlen and daaga and race at different distances depending upon the age. The jockeys of swift horses in general are children between 6 and 13 years old, but mostly children between the ages of 6-8 ride the swift horses. The forelocks and tails of swift horses are bound with strips. The sweat-scraper and brush are patterned with symbolic designs of the horse’s prowess and promptness.
Mongolia -
MUYBOFI
Braiding called muibofi is an ancient tradition among Tajik people. The women wash their hair nicely before the braiding and towel dried. To nourish the hair or make it softer oil is applied. For braiding the hairdresser uses two or three different combs, first for brushing it then for diving it that a much finer comb to divide the hair into an exact amount to make same size braids.
Tajikistan