The concept of kinship in kazakhs according to social anthropology approaches
Sosyal antropoloji yaklaşimlarina göre kazaklarda akrabalik kavrami*
Shadkam Z.
2021Milli Folklor Dergisi
Milli Folklor
2021#17Issue 131113 - 122 pp.
Each society has accumulated a certain experience acquired throughout history in the social, economic, political, military and cultural (written, oral, material, spiritual) dimensions. The concept of kinship and relationships are also among the main elements of this accumulation. This is because the concept and relationships of relatives and kinship are directly related to the family, which is the cornerstone of society. The fact that peoples lifestyles are different directly affects the perception and understanding of societies. So until 20th cen-tury, the perception and philosophy of life of the Kazakh society that lived a nomadic life may differ from other societies that live in an established way. Since there is no place for an individual and ego-oriented way of life in the life of a nomadic tribe intertwined with nature, the existence of an individual depends on neighbors, relatives and close people and can exist with them. For this reason, each member of society occupies an important position in terms of physical, intellectual, political, economic and military aspects for Kazakhs in their migration to the summer pasture and winter pasture, war and social activities. Researchers who study Kazakh history, traditions and customs, language and beliefs cannot fail to mention the Kazakh family, kinship structure and relationships. Thus, the concept of kinship and relationships among Kazakhs can be considered from the point of view of many disciplines. In ethnolinguistic and socio-cultural studies, various studies have been con-ducted on the sphere of kinship and its meaning, understanding, and stereotypes. In particular, questions such as related names, classification, or kinship classification have often been the subject of research and investiga-tion. In these studies, we see that the classification of kinship in Kazakh culture and related names assigned to persons belonging to each category, their structure and functions are considered. Some ethnolinguistic, socio-cultural/ethno-cultural, and ethnographic studies have discussed specific issues such as the fact that Kazakhs should know seven kedds from the father of each Kazakh consisting of three tribes (juz), and the prohibition of marriage among relatives by fathers up to seven generations. Strong family and kinship relations of the Turks are one of the features that distinguish them from many people. Like all Turkish noble people, Kazakhs are bound by great and strong family ties. However, some situations, such as Kazakhs knowledge of seven prede-cessors, the prohibition of marriage between seven generations by their father, their preference to establish ties with distant and foreign families, and some situations, such as kurdastyk (peer), make the relationship and concept of Kazakhs somewhat different from other Turkish communities. Our aim in our article is to describe this system within the framework of some approaches in social anthropology by defining the family, kinship system, concept and boundaries in Kazakh society rather than the names of Kazakh relatives. At the same time until the 21st century concepts such as tuwıs-tuwıskan, ağayın-tuwıs, ağayın-anju, kurdas, atdas, kındık şeşe and ot-bası, which we think can help in studying the foundation of the Kazakh society, which has maintained its national identity and continued to exist on the basis of traditions, will also be mentioned.
Family , Kazakh society , Relations of kinship , Social anthropology , The concept of kinship
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Faculty of Oriental Studies. Turksoy Department, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Al Farabi Kazakh National University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026