Hunting Traps in Kazakhstan: Types and Patterns of Use
KAZAKİSTAN’DA AV “KAPAN”LARI: TÜRLERİ VE KULLANIM ÖZELLİKLERİ
Kartaeva T.
2025Milli Folklor Dergisi
Milli Folklor
2025#2025Issue 146110 - 126 pp.
Trap is a hunting tool — a metal trap set secretly to catch an animal by clamping its legs. Trap is formed as a result of improvement of hunting methods caused by knowledge of hunters improving hunting equipment, replacing bow in hunting big animals, trap in hunting small animals. If hunter chases animal with bow and shoots it, trap was set on path of big animals, and then captures the prey. Data of making traps, preserved in museum collections and personal collections of hunters in Kazakhstan, dates back to 17th-18th centuries. Trap can be considered innovative hunting tool of this period. Since no trap has been found in archeological excavations, trap prototype can be grouped as “bristle trap”/ “stone trap”. Types of traps are made of horses tail hair, loop that grips leg or head of animal from one end and done by method of buckling which grips animal as it pulls. One end of the trap is tied to a stake or a branch of a tree (willow). Names of types of traps are based on the size, the shape and hunting prey. Names formed according to the size and shape are: bala kapan – smaller size, lighter iron, for hunting small animals as vulpes corsac, foxes, marmots, sables, gopher; kazakh trap or toothed trap – larger size, made of heavier iron for hunting wolves, bears, tigers, lynxes, leopards, wild boars. Names formed according to the prey: tiger trap, bear trap, wolf trap, fox trap, mouse trap. When trap was invented and added to hunting method, iron trap was used simultaneously with bristle trap, but it was more effective than bristle trap. According to prey and setting, trap names are as follows: setting on footpath – setting on path of wolf, for hunting wolf; setting on prey-animals that were taken away by wolf or died in other cases, setting near prey used to hunt foxes, vulpes corsac; setting on den – setting in front of den to hunt foxes, vulpes corsac, sables, minks, badgers, gopher; setting on trail – for hunting rabbit. Setting trap as object of hunting was effective in limiting or controlling animals. Caught animal is gripped by trap, it is difficult to escape, trap trail shows way. However, trap is a cold tool injuring legs of animal and shows cruelty. Method of getting live animal in trap is different, depending on animal type and knowledge of hunter.
bristle trap , Hunting , setting a trap , stone trap , trap and trap types
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Al-Farabi Kazak Millî Üniversitesi, Tarih Fakültesi, Arkeoloji, Etnoloji ve Müzecilik Bölümü Almatı, Kazakhstan
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