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A KAZAKH MANUSCRIPT “ADIL SULTAN” FROM THE ARCHIVE OF THE ST. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr Alima Yeleukulova Medical University, Astana, alima_eleukulova@mail.ru
Dr Gulnara Yeleukulova Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty
gyeleukulova@gmail.com
This article presents a description of a manuscript discovered in St Petersburg archive which represents a piece of Kazakh oral epic “Adil Sultan”. This epical work reflects historical events of the Nogaily period which was common to Nogais, Kazakhs, Tatars, Kyrgyzs. The spiritual legacy expressed in the epical works of the nomads left by the ancestors becomes one of the resources for historical research in the absence of other written resources.
Key words: Adil Sultan, Nogaily period, Kazakh oral epos, Kazakh manuscript, St Petersburg university archive.
1.Introduction
Oral poetry is connected to the historical development of different nomadic tribes. Certain historical events are reflected in the epos. Nogaily period epics existed only in the tribes which referred to Altyn orda (Golden Horde). Zhyrs1 of Nogaily period are common among Kazakhs, Karakalpaks and Nogais. As Zhirmunsky writes thanks to the works of Valikhanov, Radlov, Divaev and others Kazakh epos was studied. According to them Kazakh epos could be divided into two large groups such as heroic poems-zhyrs with historical background of the so-called Nogaic Cycle and epic love tales. (Zhirmunsky, 1969, 277).
2. Historical background
The most prominent scientists who contributed to the study of Nogaily period were Chokan Valikhanov, Victor Zhirmunsky and Amantai Isin. The researchers relate the Nogaily period with the decline of Golden Horde and death of Ormambet khan. New nomadic tribes and unions of tribes who lived in the steppe from Volga and Urals to Issyk Kul and Tien shan mountains such as Nogais, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Nomad Uzbeks, Kyrgyzs appeared on the territory. After the move of Shaybani khan with subordinate nomad Uzbeks to Transoxiana (Maverranahr) (approximately in 1500) new political unions between Nogais and Kazakhs were formed in the Eastern Desht-i-Kipchak. During the XVI century both khanates experienced political infighting in the khanates and clashes between the
1Zhyr - A Kazakh poetic pattern for seven-eight syllable verse-lines, which was narrated by poets-zhyrau in epical heroic song. It was widely used in Kazakh oral art and literature.
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khanates until the XVII century when periodically they made a political and military union in the face of Oirat menace. This period became very important for the development of peoples’s self-conscioussness which resulted in reflection of the circumstances in their epos. Chokan Valikhanov was the first to study the epos of that period. He described epos of that period as “Nogaily period zhyr”. In his view “Nogaily period epic” was common to Kazakh, Karakalpak, Kyrgyz, Nogai tribes. He explained that Nogaily period tribes were the tribes who lived in Desht-i-Kipchak. He suggested that the Nogaily epics and legends appeared in the XIV-XVI centuries and he defined similarities in tune and rhyme. He proposed that all those people historically existed. (Valikhanov 1984:419, 420). Zhirmunsky developed a systematic research from both historical and philological points of view. Another sound historical research of the Nogaily period was done by Amantay Isin.
3. Saint Petersburg manuscript
The text and the research results on the manuscript which was found in the archive of the Saint Petersburg state university’s library were published in the “Abai” magazine in 2000. In 2001 Kazakh historian Amantay Isin published the whole text, facsimile, transliteration, transcription, comments and research done on the manuscript (“Daik-Press”).
The prototype of the main hero described in the manuscript was sultan Adil, the son and kalga2 of the Crimean khan Davletkerei - sultan Adilkerei. There are different versions of the epic poem sang by epic singers of the Nogai, Tatar and Kazakh tribes. According to all the versions of “Adil Sultan” including the Kazakh Saint Petersburg manuscript Adil dies in captivity. There is only one version of this epic poem where Adil’s death was not mentioned. That version was published in Kazakh digest “Shaiyr” in 1910.
3.1. History of the manuscript
The manuscript supposedly belonged to Zhanhgazy Sok Sultanuly as someone hastily wrote his name on the title page. (Isin 2001, 12). He took the manuscript to his trips to Omsk and either presented it or lent it to someone. Supposedly the version was rewritten approximately in the first quarter of the XIX century. For many years it was kept in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the supervision of Dragoman (translator) Yanuari Yartsev and after his death it was transferred to the library of the St. Petersburg university in 1862 (Isin 2001, ibid).
3.2. Content of the manuscript
“Adil Sultan” manuscript which presented medieval Kazakh epic was found in a remarkably good condition. The manuscript paginated by Persian numbers consists of 65 leaves or 130 pages. The first eight leaves introduce eleven zhyrs. The leaves from the eighth to the fifteenth present epic piece entitled by the researcher as “Adil Sultan” epos. However, the version of the “Adil Sultan” included into the manuscript is shortened. This Kazakh version of the epos begins with a dream of Adil Sultan’s wife and its interpretation and finishes with the description of suppressed mood of Adil Sultan imprisoned in cage. Further leaves from fourteen to eighteen have not been translated and studied yet. They are entitled as “Fatiha. Qazaq, yaghni olar bata deidi. Qazaq tilinshe” (Fatiha. Kazakhs call it bata3 in Kazakh language). This part consists of various types of bata reflecting spiritual content which
2
Kalga -a title for the person second in the hierarchy after the Crimean khan )
3Bata - blessing, good wishes
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is invaluable from literary, historical and ethnographic points of view. The last part is entitled as “Kyrgyz-Kazakh oleni” (Kazakh poetry) and starts from the nineteenth leaf. These are everyday “qara olen” (a type of poetry which exists mainly in Kazakh poetry), aitys 4, verses of jokes between girls and boys, jocose allusions (Isin 2001, 10-11).
4.Conclusion
The central core of Turkic Central Asian nomadic epic poetry is formed by the epic traditions of peoples such as the Kazakhs, the Karakalpaks, and the Kyrgyz (Karl Reichl, 1992, 16). Historically, a number of epics typical for this group reflects, however, a later era, the time of the tribal wars between the Western Mongols and the Turks (XVIth to XVIIIth century).
Studying epical works of Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, the first Kazakh scientist Chokan Valikhanov discovered in his early career (1) that Kazakhs and Kyrgyzs in their epos referred to the Nogaily period as “golden age” and heroic period (2) that the tribes who lived in the Nogaily period have many astonishing commonalities in the subjects and the characters of their epics. He proposed a hypothesis on very tense relations which had existed between Kazakhs and Nogais. He translated the concluding part of “Djami at-tavarih” a historical work written in the beginning of the XVII century by Jalairi as an evidence for his proposition. Unfortunately, due to the untimely death in his thirties Valikhanov left his research incomplete. The manuscript discovered in St Petersburg shows the commonality of the spiritual heritage of the tribes who historically lived together during the Nogaily period. The epic works reflect important historical events and develops a collective image of events and the characters.
References
1.Isin A.I. Vzaimootnosheniya mezhdu Kazakhskim khanstvom I Nogaiskoi Ordoi v XVI veke. Avtoreferat dissertatsii kandidata nauk. Almaty, 1988.
2. Isin A.”Adil Sultan” epos. The Kazakh Manuscripts from the Collection of Oriental Department of the St.Petersburg University Scientific Library. Almaty, “Daik-Press”, 2001.
3. Karl Reichl, Turkic Oral Epic Poetry: Tradition, Forms, Poetic Structure, Garland, 1992.
4. Valikhanov Chokan. Sobraniye sochinenii. Glavnaya redaktsiya Kazakhskoi Sovetskoi entsiklopedii. Almaty, 1985.
5. Zhirmunsky V.M. Tyurkskii Geroicheskii Epos, Leningrad, Nauka, 1969.
4Aitys is improvisational poetry performed in front of the audience as a dialogue and competition between two akhyns- oral poetry performers. Very often during the celebrations and feasts the audience takes part in song contests and girls and young men compete in the improvisational skills showing sharp tongue and wit thinking.
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