Kazakhnomad’s Blog: A Westerner’s View of Kazakhstan

“Dear Kazakhnomad, Thank you for your attention. Thank you for your blog. This is very important that you try to tell your story about new country.

I do feel like my country was forgotten at the edge of world history. And you open new corner of the history with your blog and the story of Kazakh rugs. I’m really grateful for this.

Soviet government didn’t allow any private business for any soviet citizen. This government plus KGB destroyed millions lives of rich farmers and businessmen in 20’s, then 30’s and made them a factory slaves of new Socialistic Industrial world.

Many of those farmers tried to live in villages and still be a hunters, farmers, to feel like a “free man on a free land”.

My granddad was one of them. He was a miner at first. He was working at Ural gold mining. ( Ural mountains or real name is Jayik, are north from Astana). And meanwhile my granddad was hunting and a small farm with 3 horses, 4 cows, 10 ships, 10 goats, and bunches geese, ducks and chickens. His wife and 10 kids were helping him to take care of their little farm.

So they all live in Russian part of our land. It was all Kazakhstan, lately teared apart by Soviet government.

My granddad would cut a ship’s hair, wash it, color different vegetable dies, and make Kilims, flatwoven carpets. He would probably make other carpets too, but he didn’t have a loom. It was almost impossible to find a loom at that times.

Once again, Soviet Government headed by KGB expropriated everything from farmers during “raskulachivanie”. This is a term Government created for their robbery of honest farmers.

So officially you won’t be able to find a law “no handwoven carpets”.  It was a law no profits, no Bazaars, no flea markets, no profits for private artisans. But people tried to survive after world war 2. They had baby boom and tried at least barter their art for food or clothing. So did my grandfather’s family. It cost him a life. He spent 6 years on WW2, but couldn’t survive “peaceful” Soviet time.

I do live now in USA. I love this land, Navaho arts reminds me a lot of my Kazakh arts.

Thank you for your kind view at my poor country. Poor, because many memorials of Kazakh history was stolen, destroyed, forgotten. Kazakh people do not remember their own REAL history now. Only old people, like my grandma, can tell a little.

I was lucky, I remember my greatgrandmom. She spoke Kazakh&Arabic, no Russian language. She couldn’t communicate with me.

I grew up with my grandmom and she thought me a little of her art.

I came to USA, and I was lucky to rediscover real Kazakh history.

SInce you live in Kazakhstan, you might be know that our culture is Turk’s. We are Turkic people. If you don’t know, you can google “Turkic people” at wiki. We look Mongolian, cause we mixed with Mongols. This is why our rugs look so similar to Turkish rugs, Uzbek rugs, Kurdish rugs. Armenian& Azeri people try to tell that geometrical Kazak rugs is their art. This is not true. But nobody even argue, because Kazakh people don’t remember their history anymore and not interested to protect their rights on Kazak rugs.

I know a little of this, because I was working with Turkish rug dealers. I like to google “Kazak rug” and see what is interesting in web. This is why I found your blog.

Thank you so much for your great job. I understood that you are American only after I posted my comment already, sorry.

I have another concern about Kazak rugs. I know some not very honest Western people who come to Kazakhstan get our antique rugs as a present from locals and collect them. This is not right to take an advantage of too kind and uneducated Kazakhs.

This is why I thank you so much for your great job. This is important to educate our people, to tell them how rich and great is their history. I wish they would make “Kazak rugs&Kilims” museum their and understand their real value.

I wonder what brought you to Astana and what state are you from? 🙂 I traveled a lot cross USA and learned a lot about this wonderful country and people. I actually think that USA and Kazakhstan are very alike and people are very similar too. Open, kind and smiley.

Pls keep in touch I’d be happy to talk to you more.”