Looking for a Changing Tradition: Kazakh Traditional Puppet in Rites, Arts and Game Practice

Abstract

The traditional doll - kuyrshaқ – has been always placed within the female subculture domain localizing itself between ceremonial and game practices. The doll served to the girl directly from the early childhood and in a certain way it accompanied its hostess up to the eldest ages. Because of the general evening-out of rites and ceremonial tradition and due to the domination of industrial production of the European toy dolls at children's toys market – all these have led to a market failure of a traditional doll. It has almost disappeared by middle of 20th century. The authors collected data on the Kazakh doll and its domestic cultural prototypes by means of the archaeological and ethnographic on-site investigations at museums and field surveys of Almaatinskaya, Karaganda and some other Kazakhstan provinces in 2017-2019 (female inhabitants). In April-May 2019 the authors examined the unique collections of authentic Kazakh toys and shaman dolls (dated by the end of 19th – beginning of 20th centuries) at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of Peter the Great of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Cabinet of Curiosities), the Russian Museum of Ethnography and the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2018-2019 the authors also have interviewed modern Kazakhstan master puppet-makers about the contemporary dolls' art and its ethnic identity. The article considers the traditional Turkic doll (using an example of Kazakh kuyrshak) throughout the life of woman. It characterizes women's owned communication ritual with the high forces - deities and ghosts. The authors used the following methodology retrospective method, comparative method and analysis, structural and functional method and semiotics approach. Such a consideration of kuyrshak as an integral part of female subculture in historical retrospective approach and use of a sacral and profane criterion allowed identifying cultural transfers between the kindred ethnic groups and also tracking the genesis of the changing tradition from antiquity to nowadays. It facilitates comprehending a doll role in traditional culture and serve better interpretation of the modern aspects of puppeteer art. This work was implemented within the framework of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan project AR 09259862 “Research of traditional crafts of modern Kazakhstan: state and search of ways of preservation”.