Woman of the Steppe
The collective image of the “Kazakh woman” has been passed from ancient times. She is the progenitor of modernity, mother of batyrs, wife of khans, keeper of the hearth and traditions. And here I understood who and what I want to discuss with readers.
“Kazashka” (a Kazakh woman) is 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 observe. "Kazakh woman", who became great, despite the thousand-year prejudices of her people. After all, only a woman who managed to save her energy could handle a long way from the Amazon warrior to the support of the family and the country during difficult trials by wars, hunger, and cold. Only a strong-willed woman could be reborn after the unspoken genocide under the yoke of the Red Terror. Only a woman who has absorbed all these qualities, finds the strength and energy in herself to give a new life to people.
Nowadays, we, the women of the Great Steppe, can lead an active lifestyle. Many found themselves in the profession, politics, social networks, charity, sports, and business. But at the same time, we never for a moment forget our true purpose - to be a woman, mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter.
Saying "Kazashka", I do not mean nationality - this is a woman from East and Central Asia. She is a multifaceted prism: blue-eyed blonde or burning brunette with currant eyes. She can be a graceful miniature doe or a stately tall panther, wiry or round, lean or in the body. Her appearance has many faces, and most importantly - she is a woman of the East, she is a Kazakhstani.
I am a patriot and an admirer of oriental traditions. I believe that our ancestors - steppe nomads were strong, cautious, and observant: they needed these qualities to understand how the world works and survive in difficult conditions. Take, for example, the holiday of Nauryz: only people who lived in harmony with nature could know that it was at this time that the day of the vernal equinox came. The day when sunlight descends on Earth at a strictly right angle and passes from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere.
Today, the youth like the new emerging intelligentsia, not knowing the true sense of traditional rules, is skeptical about national customs. One issue is not to understand Kazakh traditions, and another issue is not to know or recognize them. I believe, before judging, it is worth delving into the true life of nomads, turning to their roots, and remembering the history of the country.
Only a woman who managed to preserve her energy was able to overcome a long way from an Amazon warrior to the support of the family and country during difficult trials of wars, hunger and cold.
Author: Madina Kurbanalieva, @madina_kurbanali
Translator-editor: Chingiz Smakov
Photo: from the archive of the ANTIKA gallery