The highlight of the steppe woman
Stylish young mother, PhD, writer Madina Kurbanalieva talks about the history of mixing Eastern and Western women's culture. As a result, a unique phenomenon of Kazakh women has developed. We are not exaggerating, we do believe it. A daughter of the steppes, a wise oriental wife, a progressive personality - she contains great strength in a fragile body. Who is a Kazakh woman, why is she worth loving and what her zest is firsthand for the author.
The collective image of the "Kazakh woman" was from ancient times - it is the progenitor of modernity, the mother of batyrs, the wife of the khans, the keeper of the hearth and traditions. And then I realized who and what I want to talk to readers about.
"Kazakh" - the ruler of the steppes, who lived in unison with nature and the sun. "Kazakh woman", capable, without speaking - to pronounce, without listening - to hear, without looking - to see. "Kazashka" who became great despite the sea of millennial prejudices of her people. After all, only a woman who managed to save her energy was able to go a long way from an Amazon warrior to the support of her family and country during difficult trials by wars, hunger and cold. Only a woman with a strong spirit was able to be reborn after an unspoken genocide under the yoke of the Red Terror. Only a woman who has absorbed all these qualities finds strength and energy in herself to give a new life to a whole nation.
Today we, women of the Great Steppe country, can lead an active lifestyle. Many have found themselves in the profession, politics, social media, charity, sports and business. But at the same time, we never for a moment forget our true destiny - to be a woman, mother, grandmother, sister and daughter.
When I pronounce "Kazakh," I do not mean nationality - this is a woman of the East and Central Asia. She is a multifaceted prism: a blue-eyed blonde or a burning brunette with currant eyes. She can be a graceful miniature doe or a stately tall panther, wiry or round, thin or in body. Her appearance is multifaceted, and most importantly, she is a woman of the East, she is a Kazakhstani.
A patriot and an ardent admirer of oriental traditions and rules lives in me. I am sure that our ancestors - nomadic steppe dwellers were strong, careful and observant: they needed these qualities in order to understand how the world works and to survive in difficult conditions. Take, for example, the Nauryz holiday: only people who lived in harmony with nature could know that it was at this time that the day of the vernal equinox comes. The day when sunlight descends on Earth at a strictly right angle and passes from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere.
Today, young people represented by the new emerging intellectuals, not knowing the true meaning of traditional rules, are skeptical about national customs. It is one thing not to fully understand Kazakh traditions, and another thing is not to know or not to recognize them. I think, before judging, it is worth, having plunged into the true life of the nomads, to turn to your roots and remember the history of the country.
Who were we? How and why did the woman of the Steppe live? Who is a Kazakh woman in the modern world? Who should she be? And most importantly, how not to forget our eastern essence in the context of modern globalization? This is what I decided to write about, after weighing all the pros and cons.
My name is Madina. I grew up and was brought up by ata and apa (grandfather and grandmother). That is why, since childhood, I’ve been lucky to understand the essence and beauty of our traditions. Thanks to this upbringing and knowledge of national customs, my husband fell in love with me. We are raising two wonderful girls, and I would really like to raise them in traditional conditions, without going beyond the modern framework. This is my biggest motivation for blogging and writing the third book "Men Kazakpyn".
Concluding the column, I wish the readers: do not complicate your life, don’t perceive our mentality as "outdated" and traditions as complicated. If someone objects to me that it is unrealistic to be a true Kazakh woman, to love traditions and follow them without dropping out of modern society, I will firmly answer: "You do not know anything about our traditions." Speaking about our customs, I mean the East, Central Asia and nomads.
Author: Madina Kurbanalieva, @madina_kurbanali
Photo: ANTIKA gallery archive