The Kumys Ritual in the Political Culture of the Genghis Khan Empire: Preconditions, Causes of Emergence, and Loss
Ceremonia cumisului în cultura politică a imperiului lui Genghis Khan: premisele, cauzele apariţiei și pierderii
Кумысный церемониал в политической культуре империи Чингисхана: предпосылки, причины возникновения и утрата
Suraganova Z.K.
2025High Anthropological School University
Stratum Plus
2025#2025Issue 5311 - 323 pp.
Based on historical sources and field observations, this paper offers an original interpretation explaining the transformation of the kumys ceremony instituted by Genghis Khan. The concept of the article is anchored in the historical event of the poisoning of Temujin’s father by kumys. This narrative predetermined the dynastic succession and the enduring nature of the ritual within the political culture of successor states. Employing methods of historiographical analysis of the sources, along with critical reflection and the reconstructive approach inspired by J. Assmann, this study seeks to understand the essence of the modernization of the kumys ceremony. The research begins with a brief introduction to the history of the kumys culture phenomenon, which emerged and developed in the steppes of Eurasia among equestrian peoples and their descendants. Nurtured within the kumys traditions, Genghis Khan adeptly reinterpreted the legacy of Eurasian horse riders, incorporating the kumys ceremony into political practice and culture to facilitate the recruitment of the elite from conquered lands. The documentation of the modified kumys ceremony is reflected in the history of the areas of the Golden Dynasty: The Juchids (the elder son of Juchi), the Chagataids (the second son of Chagatai), and the Ilkhanids (the grandson of Kublai). Its history spans the period from the 13th to the 17th centuries. Contemporary kumys offering traditions signify, on the one hand, the loss of the idea instilled by Genghis Khan, and on the other hand, a revival of its ancient cultural foundation.
Eurasian steppe belt , Genghis Khan , Genghis Khan Empire , Jochi Ulus , Kazakhs , kumys culture , medieval-ethnographic reality , Mongols , political culture , Turks
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Candidate of Historical Sciences, Scientific Institute for the Study of the Ulus of Jochi of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alexander Pushkin St., 15B, Astana, Astana, 010005, Kazakhstan
Candidate of Historical Sciences
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026