36 37
Zhuz is an economically and geographically specifi c district in-
habited by a group of communities which, until the formation of the
Kazakh ethnos, was the territory of a tribal union. The word Zhuz
means “part” or “side”. The foundations of the formation of Zhuzes
were a merger of certain tribes into tribal unions.
Zhetysu, the homeland of the Great Zhuz, is one of the main centres
of the ethnogenesis of the forming Kazakh ethnos. The Great Zhuz
was populated by Uisuns, Kanlys, Dulats, Albans, Suans, Zhalairs,
Sirgeli, Oshakty and other tribes, most of which were related to an-
cient inhabitants of Zhetysu. In Russian sources the Great Zhuz was
sometimes called the Uisun Horde or the Great Uisun Horde.
Another specifi c district of roaming was to the north of Zhetysu.
The main winter grounds were in the areas around the Syr Darya,
the Karatau Mountains and the Moyunkum desert, while summer
grounds were around the Tobol, Yesil, Nura and Sary-Su rivers in
central Kazakhstan. These vast lands were inhabited by the main tribal
unions of the Middle Zhuz: Kypchaks, Argyns, Naimans, Kereits,
Konyrats and Uaks. However, the synonym of the Middle Zhuz was
the name of the union of Argyns. As early as in the 17
th
century, like
now, Argyns made up the majority of the Middle Zhuz.
Western Kazakhstan had its own, relatively closed district of win-
ter and summer grounds. Winter pastures were in the lower reaches
of the Syr Darya and the Ural River and in the meeting point of the
Yrgyz and Turgai Rivers and other places, while summer ground
were along the Ural, the Tobol, the Yrgyz Rivers and the Mugalzhar
Mountains. That is where the Little Zhuz was formed by three main
tribal unions – Alimuly, Baiuly and Zhetiru. The nomadic population
of the Little Zhuz was linked to the sedentary districts of the Volga
and Ural Rivers.
Despite the relative distinctiveness, representatives of all three
Zhuzes spoke in one language. There were tiny differences in dia-
lects but they could understand one another perfectly. There were
also differences in everyday life, dresses, furniture and utensils and
folklore.
The social relations of the Kazakhs were conditioned by the no-
madic lifestyle – domestication of livestock and grazing it on pastures,
and the consecutive processing of products of economic activity. One
of the earliest forms of ownership was the ownership of livestock, and
this phenomenon helped property and social differentiation deepen.
At the same time, some scientists believe, there was no private
ownership of land, in contrast to sedentary societies. Land belonged
to a community or tribe. Routes of roaming had been developed by
centuries-long experience. Kazakhs grazed their livestock on hills in
the summer, and on the plains in winter.
Some Kazakhs were involved in farming crops, mainly, in southern
Kazakhstan, Zhetysu and the areas around the Shu, Talas, Syr Darya
and Arys rivers.
Crafts and household trades related to the processing of animal
products – tanning, blacksmith and shoe-making – also played a
particular role in the economy of Kazakhs. Carpentry and jewellery
also developed at that time.
The social organisation of the Kazakhs was above all a combina-
tion of different relations, primarily genealogy. Major groups, even
an ethnos, as Kazakhs understood it, was a result of the segmentation
of one initial family. Family is still a key notion for Kazakhs today.
The socioeconomic relations that existed in nomadic societies
were unique. In traditional Kazakh society there were three large
social groups. Social status, not material wellbeing, was the defi ning
factor.
Ak-suiyek (white-bone) aristocrats, including the Tore and Kozha
(Hajji) subgroups, were the highest social stratum. The Tores were
believed to have descended from Genghis Khan. The Kozhas were
believed to be descendants of fi rst followers of Islam and enjoyed
huge authority among Kazakhs. The Tores and Kozhas were not part
of the traditional Zhuz system and were believed to constitute the
steppe aristocracy.
Middle classes – kara-suiyek (black-bone) – were the biggest
group: these were families which ran their own economic entities.
They were the main force of a tribe, its human, military and produc-
tion resources.
There were several groups among the black-bones which had
professional and administrative nature. These were bis (judges) and
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood