The II International Scientific Forum “National Traditions of the Great Steppe” was held at the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in honor of the Nauryz holiday.
The aim of the forum is to promote the ethnic history and cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples.
Welcoming speeches were also delivered by the head of the department for relations with Turkic-speaking communities of the International Organization “TURKSOY”, chief coordinator of the Association of Museums of TURKSOY, Doctor of Technical Sciences Movsümly Javid Elshad oglu; the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Almaty, Evren Müderrisoglu; and the director of the State Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, R. E. Kharipova.
During the plenary session of the forum, reports were presented by: Professor of the Faculty of Language, History, and Geography of Ankara University Abdullakh Gondugdu (Turkey) on “Nauryz Holiday among Turkic Peoples and in Turkey”; Professor of the I. Arabayev Kyrgyz University, Doctor of Historical Sciences S. K. Alymkulova (Kyrgyzstan) on “The Custom of Laying in a Cradle among the Kyrgyz”; Head of the Department of Ethnography of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan of the Russian Ethnographic Museum L. F. Popova (Russia) on “The First Spring Migration as a Ritual of the New Year Cycle of the Nomads of Central Asia”; and the leading researcher of the Ethnography Department of the State Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor R. Shoibekov on “Nauryz and the Educational Significance of Traditional Holidays.”
As part of the forum, the ceremonial opening of the ethnographic exhibition “Tәрбие басы – тал бесік” (“Cradle — the Beginning of Education”) took place. The main goal of the exhibition is to popularize the heritage of the Kazakh people, rooted in the Turkic era and reaching to the present day, as well as the system of upbringing and national values that have shaped the future of the nation over the centuries.
The exhibition features 11 cradles and over 70 additional exhibits. Among them are vessels and spouts discovered during archaeological excavations of the ancient cities of Sarayshyk and Talgar. The oldest exhibit is a cradle made of willow wood, bent and crafted without the use of nails. This unique item was donated to the museum’s collection by traveler and photographer Taymas Kuanyshuly Nurtayev. A wooden cradle, decorated with carvings, made in 1904 in the village of Vanovka in the Tulkubas district of the South Kazakhstan region, is also on display. It was made by a representative of the Zhudyrik clan of the Senior Zhuz, Tilmebet Zholshybek, in honor of the birth of his first daughter, Azharkul. After her, her sisters, then her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren grew up in this cradle. Over the century, 26 children from four generations have been laid in this cradle. During the forum, the museum benefactor Algazy Yernat also donated a cradle made in 1957 to the museum.
Additionally, the forum includes two-day museum practice-oriented events and scientific webinars:
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Lecture “Modern Exhibition as the Main Communication System of the Museum” (cinema hall of the SCM RK, responsible — G. Sh. Faizullina, Candidate of Historical Sciences);
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Scientific webinar “Historical and Cultural Heritage of Turkic Peoples: Value Foundations for the Formation of Museum Fund Collections (Scientific and Practical Aspects)” (Hall 4 SCM RK, responsible — Galiya Temirton, PhD).
The international forum will continue its work on March 15 at the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments named after Ykhlyas with a lecture “Excursion as the Main Form of Cultural and Educational Activity of the Museum”.