The Polish
researchers of the Õ²Õth century are in the
Kazakh steppe
Professor
Koksheeva Zaini Talasovna
Caspian
State University of Technology and Engineeringnamed after Sh. Esenov
In the 19th century the Polish progressive revolutioners and democratic view
who took part in the Polish national liberation movement attracted
the West Europe attention to the history, customs and traditions of Kazakh
people. That time the policy of colonial Russia which led to the people of
Central Asia was one-sided. Especially to the nomads, they wanted to say: “You don’t
have the systematically history. We had begun your history”. In the
contrary the nomads were the people who always remembered their history and
literature. Although, we had no systematically written history, the foreigners who
visited our country at those times, wrote everything as they heard and saw
without using any policy because they loved the science.
In 1830
when Poland was in the territory of Russia, national liberal movement was begun there, Russia persecuted
the organizers and the active participants out. That’s why the Polish were
mostly moved to Siberia and Kazakh steppe. In difference from other researchers and
missioner-travelers they tried to take independence several times. Every Pole
citizen dreamed of the independence. So, when they came to Kazakh steppe they
understood the situations they had at that time. Ņhat’s why we can say
with pride the names of Pole
intelligentsia. They were the members of the intelligence of that time, poets, writers,
painters and doctors and so on. The immigrants were greatly interested in the
history, customs and traditions of Kazakh people and investigated the flora and
fauna, the weather and minerals. That’s why the names of Poles in the Kazakh
history are connected with the openings of schools, libraries
and museums. Who are they?
A graduate
of Vilniaus Universitetas, candidate of
philosophy, a participant of Polish national liberation movements Adam Suzin
(1799-1880) who was a
secretary of social organization “The Greens” exiled to
the Orenburg Province in order to be taken to prison. In 1826 he departed punishment in
fortress of Orsk. In 1829 having taken permission he moved to Orenburg and there
he worked as a treasurer and
archivist. Being in exile he hadn’t lost his connection with his group-mates. So in 1837 after
coming back from the exile he wrote memoir works about Kazakh steppe.
Democrat, publicist Adolf Januszkiewicz (1803-1857) entered the philology faculty of Vilniaus Universitetas (1821), he was a member of the organization “The Greens” which was
ruled by A. Mickiewic. Later on he worked as a teacher in Podolia and also was
a city deputy. In 1830 he took part actively in the Polish national liberation
movement. At one of those movements he was injured seven times and was detained. In 1831 he was
sent to Viyatka through Brest and Moscow. He was brought to Kiev from Viyatka on the 4th
of March in 1832, he was immigrated to Siberia for 25 years with the verdict of
court martial. The first 12 years of the exile Januszkiewicz spent in
Siberia. After that he lived at Tobol and Ishym. Here he met his countryman, a
famous poet G. Zieliński who was also in exile. In 1841 he was
permitted to move to the frontier management. Working as a registrar of
business papers from 1843 he entered the expeditionary command which was sent
to the Kazakh steppe several times. He wrote everything he saw and heard during
this trip in his diary and sent to his relatives in Poland in his letters.
After Januszkiewicz’s death his
relatives who moved to France published his letters and diaries as a book named
“Adolf Januszkiewicz’s life” firstly
in Paris in 1861 and then in Berlin in 1875.
Lubich Hoetski was the first Polish
memoirist who gave the first general geographic view of the steppe where Kazakh
people were settled. In 1822, Polish pharmacist, Jozef Senchikovski opened the first chemist’s in Vernyi (Almaty). There was a
pharmaceutical laboratory in his house, then it was the
first pharmaceutical factory in Kazakhstan.
In 1851
one of the organizers of Karatau expedition Ludwig Turno and a member of
the expedition, a talented painter Bronisław Zaleski (1820-1880) were in the west part
of Kazakhstan, especially they were in the exile for nine years in
Mangystau region. He was one of the soldiers in Orenburg corps. In 1837 he
entered the Derpt University. In 1846 he was taken to prison twice because of
his participance in the youth’s revolution, and after the
investigation in 1847 he was sent to Orenburg military corps as an ordinary
soldier with the decision of the court. In 1848-49 he was a member of A. Butakov’s Aral
expedition as a painter. In 1851 was in A. Antipov’s
Mangystau expedition, in 1853 he participated in expedition to Akmeshit
(Kyzylorda) which was organized by the Army of Russian empire. During the
scientific expedition he got introduced with Ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko. In 1865 after coming back from the exile to
Paris, he published an album-book “The life of Kazakh steppe” about the
natural features of wide Kazakh steppe, about ethnography and social-economic
conditions of Kazakh people in the middle of the 20th century. Zaleski’s opinions
about Kazakh people and the pictures which he painted when he was in Kazakhstan
are the most valuable things for ever.
We can also name Severin
Gross (1852-1889) who was
immigrated to West Siberia for five years under the control of police because of
the active participation in the Polish
youth’s revolution. At first he settled in Ishym, after in 1883 he
moved to Semey. He worked in Semey region committee of statistics,
worked hard at investigating this region widely and helped to open local museum
and social library. The great Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbaev got introduced
with him when he worked in Semey region statistics committee, related with him
very well and was an adviser to him. S. Gross published a scientific work “Kazakhs’
ancient customs and traditions” in 1886 in Petersburg where he graduated from
the university. He was a candidate of legal sciences. One of the most famous man – a composer,
ethnograph, music investigator is Alexander Zataevich (1869-1936). At the
beginning he learnt the music in the military gymnasium in Oriel where he was
born. For many years he worked for
newspaper “The diary of Warsaw” which was
published at Warsaw conservatory as a music reviewer. working there
he agitated folk music and the classical music of Russian and western classics.
In such kinds of a musician and ethnograph as “1000 songs of
Kazakh people” which was printed in 1925, “500 songs and
kuiy of Kazakh people” which was published in 1931 and “Three volume of
Kazakh music” and “Non published songs of different nationalities” published in
1971. There a lot of Kazakh classic songs and kuiys were given. By these
works of Zataevich, Kazakh music was known all over the world. The whole Europe
knew about Kazakh music and they estimated Kazakh music highly.
Among these persons we can name Bronislav Zaleski and Adolf Januszkiewicz with
the special respect. One of them investigated the Eastern part of
wide Kazakh steppe and the other the Western part.
In December of 1864 when Zaleski finished his nine
years’ exile in Paris, giving his works to the publishment he said: “If I am not wrong, no one in the West had
written a composition about this country, no one had painted the landscape
of this land. The things which I give in my work are taken from the life.
That’s why every detail even a little dash may be a mistake, but there is no
doubt in their reality and exactness” [1, 12].
As our search is
about judges – eloquents in Mangystau, we’ll talk about some persons who lived
at that time. In
traditional Kazakh society a fine democratic system of managing country was
formed. It is – the right of “biis” (judges), the concilium of these judges and the court of judges. In
general, according to the ancient Kazakh concept judgement is the meaning of “governing the country” and “to order”.
At the times of “Deshty-Kypshak”, “Zhoshy ulysy” and then at the period of kingly Russia there
were many-many Kazakh wits and eloquents. They always were as the connection between
the people and khan, even they were the carriers out of the morally-ideological
policy of the state. Such kind of job in the state structure of Kazakh is
called “the institute of judges”. B. Zaleski wrote in his book: “Kazakhs are wit and they consider it as the
proof of good bringing up. When highly authoritative person begins his speech,
he uses more eloquence words. They speak in a loud voice and they like to speak
waving their hands” [1, 38]. It is
right to say a few words about their rules of deciding any problems and their
ways of punishing.“A person who commit a crime or hurt somebody must be
punished. The payment which must be paid for the crime is called “cost” (blood-money). Another way of paying for crime may be
giving cattle.
If anybody killed the king specially he had
to pay 1500 or 2000 sheep. If he
killed the judge, he had
to pay 1000 sheep and so
on. The number of sheep decreases even to the degree of the poor.
If a man kills his wife, it is the same as killing a
foreigner. If a woman kills her husband or a son who kills his father, in this
case they must be killed. And if someone kills his mother, it is the same as killing a foreigner, so he must pay the “cost”.
If anybody kills his child
he won’t be punished. He’ll be punished and damned by God. The “cost” is given to the relatives of the victim or
to the heir. If they decide not to
take the “cost” and demand “blood for blood” there must be a judge’s court. In these situations the problem would be solved
by the duel of chosen two people, exactly by
the death of one of them. Situations like to blind, to deafen, to flaw hand-foot and to
break teeth is
the same as killing a person. So if someone does five kinds of crime, he must
pay five times as much. He must cure the damaged one. If anybody steals one’s wife he has to return the
woman to her husband and pay the “cost”, the 9/1 part of his properties. If a woman leaves her
husband and lives with another man, judge decides to
return this woman to her husband and to punish that defendant
in front of people. But in most cases a victim takes revenge himself without complaining to the judge. When husband is dead the wife would be married to one of the relatives
of her husband. If a man dies before paying marriage portion
or be exiled for his crime, his fiancée is given to one of his
relatives. This rule isn’t performed for women whose children are grown. A boy of 15 can be owner of a
family. If the father is dead the mother would be the owner of her children but
if both of the parents are dead the relatives would look after them” [1, 112].
These are the main parts
of Kazakh people’s traditional laws “Zheti zhargy” (“Seven laws”) which was
accepted in 17th century at the time of Zhangiruly Tauke khan (1626-1718).
The word “zhargy” (“law”) means “decision”, “justice” in Kazakh
language. Kazakh judges decided correctly the political problems and the
problems in the country thanks to this law “Zheti
zhargy”. “Zheti zhargy” mainly consists of proverbs, aphorisms according to the Kazakh
national eloquence. Almost every judges knew these laws by heart.
The life of these judges who made the decisions of these problems firstly, on the basis of these laws, then,
certainly by eloquence
was very hard. It will be enough to say about some of them. First of
all it is necessary to say about Mambetniyaz Tolepuly (1801-1876). He
was one of the sons of famous hero Tolep Anetuly, also he was a leader of the
nation. The greatest among the works which wrote Mambetniyaz is “The decision of
three mothers’ quarrel”. In some places it is called as “Mambetniyaz’s
sakal sipar bitimi”. When the poet
Murat Oskinbaiuly wrote: “That side is Alash, this side is the three mothers’ son”, the quarrel
among three parts of Kishi zhuz (Little horde) in the 19th
century was the main theme of the poet Ygylman Shorekuly’s poem “Isatai-Makhambet”. Mambetniyaz was
too fat that there was no horse to sit for him on, so he went to the public
meetings on a big camel and made decisions of great problems wisely and
quickly. In 1868 Mambetniyaz was against the tsar government’s governing system “New system” and the tax, so
he was one of the leaders of Adai revolt. That time he was one of the six commanders who
were elected by people’s wish and made decisions of “Segiz arys
Adai” (“Eight tribes of Adai”) and he was the main commanders.
In 1844
according to the new rules of governing Kazakh people of the steppe the head of
the higher distance of Adai people was Baimambet Maiauly (1810-1870).
Obeying his father’s way he took part in judgment from early age. He judged his
first problem when he was 15 years old. Adai judges who were led by Maia were
called for calming down the quarrel among the Alim and Tabyns of Kishi zhuz
(Little horde). It seemed that the quarrel wouldn’t be finished.
Then a tired old man said: “I want to listen to the decision of this little boy who
is near Maia”. Then Baimambet began to speak throwing his whip to
the middle: “If the hand of my whip is so short then a man’s life is so short too.
Let the quarrelers change their whips. Let’s decide this problem as cattle for
cattle”. Everybody liked his decision. From that time people called Baimambet
as a judge. The government gave him the name as “zauriyad khorunji”. By supporting
of B. Maiauly Russian fishermen came to Sarytas and began to build a border,
so the poors of Kazakh worked for them. So civilization began to come step by
step to Kazakh steppe. B. Maiauly knew well that the khan wouldn’t take care of Kazakh people’, he knew the
power of Russian kingdom and that the Khiwa kingdom can not stand against it. He told people
not to stand against Russian people, to be friendly with them. On the
15th of 1870 the army led by Baimambet left for setting the revolt
of lieutenant Rukin. Their aim was to settle the peacement between the
government and strikers. But they didn’t reach the aim. He died at the strike
on the 25th of March in Ushauyz. The head of the lower distance of Adai people Ghafur Kalbyuly (1827-1880) was
also a judge and one of the leaders of Mangystau movement. His name given by
the government was “zauryad khorunji”. At his time he made contracts of making trade
Adai people with Khiwa kingdom and their living in peace. In 1870
he took part in Mangystau movement and tried to ask help from Khiwa’s khan but
the army of this khan didn’t help. When they lost this strike Ghafur biy moved to
the land of Khiwa kingdom with the other leaders of the movement. In 1873 when
kingdom of Khiwa took the government under its power, they forgave Ghafur noting
that he was an authoritative bii. After being elected as the head Gafur bii took under his
control building the mosques. He demanded the right of Kazakhs for fishing
as the Russian from the local government. He supported different scientific expeditions which came
to Mangystau.
The hero and the bii (judge) of that
time is Suinghara Urgenishbaiuly (1756-1841). He is a man who
stood against Russian empire, khans of Khiua and the high power of Turkmens. In 1831 he
wrote a letter to Russian military gubernator, graf P. Sukhtelen about that the
Mangystau people would be in a friendship with Russia and that they would give
freedom to the Russian people who were in prison. Graf Sukhtelen wrote a
letter thanking for it and presented a sword to him. Suingara byi helped to gather an army for the movement of Issatay-Makhambet
which crossed to the east part of Zhaiyk (River Ural). There
are a lot of myths about the tragic life of Suingara’s daughters Aisalkam and
Zhansalkam, about the heroism of his sons Kotibar, Satybaldy
and Burkitali, also about his brother Kezhi’s too.
One of the
famous biis who decided a lot of problems between two rus (tribe-clans) was Ermembet
Turuly (1818-1908). He was one of the heads of the armies in Issa-Dosan movement
in 1870-1873. He met Russian punishing army at the lands of Auyzorpa
and Mastek with his army and didn’t let them go further. Later on, when tsar
forgave them he came back to the Motherland and managed farming. In 1890 when
German ethnograph Richard Karuts came, Ermembet helped him to show the way. R. Karuts
took photo of him and then published it in his work “Turkmens and Kazakhs of
Mangystau” in German language.
If B. Zaleski praised poets and akyns and said: “it seems
that they know steppe literature by heart” [1, 41],- A. Januszkiewicz valued Kazakh biis and wits too. He said: “I think
deeply, I have heard everything with my own ears sitting among the nomads but
the others say about them that they are wild. Several days ago I was a
bystander of the quarrel of two enemy countries and clapped to them, they’ve
never seen and never heard Tsitseron and Demosfen, but they are wits. And today
I’ve seen the art of poets who can neither read nor write. I was too glad from
the bottom of my heart. So, are they wild too? No, they are not! It’s my
veritable truth! It is impossible that these talented people can not be
civilized. In future these nomad people will stand side by side with the
developed countries” [2, 79].
They
supposed the future of an Independent and leader country Kazakhstan even at
that time. These are the main pages of our history. Only these last years it was begun to be
investigated widely. So, one can’t stop saying about the Polish scientist’s works when
speaking on this theme. Nowadays about 50000 Polish live in Kazakhstan.
They work in different fields, they speak both languages Kazakh and Polish.
They know traditions. It will be better if these two nations know each other’s
history too.
Literature
1.
Zaleski Bronisław. The
life in Kazakh steppe. F. Steklova.,
B. Sadykova translated from French. K. Segizbayev translated from Russian. Astana:
Translation, 2003. – 136 p. ISBN 9965-18-031-8.
2.
Januszkiewicz Adolf. The notes about the trip to the Kazakh land. Gabit Zulkharov translated. Astana: Translator,
2003. – 264 p. ISBN 9965-18-045-8.