Reflections & wisdom from a Central Asian yurt manufacturer...

[TSRalex]

From time to time I post in this thread statements and reflections of a yurt manufacturer from the Central Asian region.

I have subscribed to this content on another platform and translate it into English using DeepL from Kazakh or Russian languages....

Today I start with the following text:


URAL'S HOUSE

The most important type of dwelling in the Urals in the 18th and early 19th centuries was the yurt (kiz uy). It was very similar to the yurts of the Central Asian peoples and differed only in a few details. It consists of a wooden frame and a felt covering.The base of the walls is ...
Latticework made of talus (bush willow). The number of lattice links determines the size of the yurt: a large yurt has up to 8-10 of them, a small one consists of 4-5. A door frame with a double-leaf wooden door is stretched between two of them. The dome-shaped part of the yurt - shanyrak - is formed by a rim of two bent birch trunks and poles of talus bent in the lower part. The poles are inserted into the holes in the rim and tied to the upper forks of the wooden lattice at the bottom.

There is a place for a fireplace in the middle of the yurt. The entire floor, with the exception of the fireplace and a small area near the door, is covered with felt. Opposite the door, behind the fireplace on the wall, there was a zhyuk - chests, felt blankets and bales of household items, spare felts stacked on top of each other. The place in front of the yurt was considered the most honorable in the yurt. The part of the yurt to the right of the entrance was considered the female half. Near the entrance they kept household goods and utensils, a sack for koumiss, a cupboard for the most valuable products. This part was usually separated by a screen.

Then there was the place of the master and mistress of the house. Here they made a bed of felt, blankets and pillows for the night, which was placed in the zhyuk during the day; often there was a wooden bed, which was quite common at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century. To the left of the entrance was the place for the younger members of the family. To the left of the door the harness was hung, a saddle was placed, hunters placed a golden eagle or a falcon here. In cold weather, sick and weak animals were brought here. During the hikes, the yurt was dismantled into parts. Dismantling the yurt, loading the yurt and all the utensils was women's work, as was setting up the yurt in a new location.
It took an hour to set up the yurt

 

[TSRalex]

☀CONCEPT OF TIME

The cyclical perception of time is linked to the recurring phenomena of nature (movement of the stars, change of seasons, weather, etc.), according to which people organize their way of life.

*♀Die traditional culture, which is part of the Mongolian and even the Central Asian - Central Asian civilization - is characterized by a cyclical model of time perception. Time is represented as a “cycle” (“time-cycle”), which is reflected in the language by expressions such as

sagai eriese - “the cycle of time”,
sag dүhărig - “the cycle of time”,
sag zhelei sakharig - “the wheel of the seasons”,
sagay hүrdă - “wheel/drum of time” (hүrdă - a rotating prayer drum),
durben sag - “four times” (seasons),
sag toono - “time toono” (round hole of the chimney in the yurt, which was used to measure time)

 

[Jafo]

I lose all track of time in my yurt.

 

[TSRalex]

☀

Yurts are traditional dwellings of many nomadic peoples. The round shape of the dwelling was chosen for its functionality.

The round shape has the least resistance to the constant steppe winds, which makes it more resistant to the natural elements.

The round shape facilitates the assembly of the shelter and the seasonal change from winter to summer storage.

Ensures better air circulation inside.

The sphere has a maximum volume with a minimum surface area. And the smaller the surface area, the faster the yurt can be built (less material is needed) and the lower the heat loss.

The round shape of the nomadic dwelling also has a sacred meaning. In shamanism, the circle is often associated with the symbol of harmony. The circle stands for the cyclical nature of time and life as well as for the unity of the universe. The circle also symbolizes protection and security, as it has neither beginning nor end.

 

[TSRalex]

SUTTUG SHAI Shai (tea) is a drink obtained by boiling, brewing and/or infusing a specially prepared tea bush leaf.

Tea is a sacred drink.*♀ Tea is drunk ...
all day long, all the time.

In the morning, the women sit down at the stove to prepare the tea with milk, and after boiling it, they have to perform a ritual - they scatter it upwards near the yurt, towards the sky and then towards the top of the mountain. In this way, they make an offering to the Nine Heavens and the spirits of nature.

The tea is often drunk according to the tradition of the inhabitants of Asian countries - with milk, salt and butter. Suttug shai is brewed from green tea, with sheep's or camel's milk and, after boiling, salt, ghee (concentrated butter)

 

[TSRalex]

It's not a castle, it's not a palace,
And there are no evil corners.
*♀Built by people, the creators,
*♂Like the best shelter in the world.

That the waves of waddle in the steppe...
To cradle the children,
To keep the canopy open
For the good of all men.

*♂The blood thirsty horde
Melted away into the steppe,
♪ Only my white yurt ♪
Standing by the river

Nikolai Suslov

 

[TSRalex]

LIFEH.9

🖐 In his presence his palm shows, and in his absence his fist shows

In speeches it is better to be few, and in cattle to be numerous....

There's a camel, but no cart; there's a cart, but no rope.

Spinning like a mill, rattling like a cart.

Spring is scarce and fall is plentiful -

♪ To spin a rope of sand ♪

A turtle in love can swim across the sea.

It's bad for your health to drink vodka, and it's bad for your farm to go to your neighbors.

Wolves look up to the mountain when they are full, and people strive to go home when they are full.

A hairy rope won't spoil a leather rope.

A man with a temper turns gray from the top of his head.

Choosing, choosing, choosing - I got a blind one, checking, checking - I sat in the mud.

When they marry off a daughter, they don't regret her earrings.

Grass grows - juice of the earth, old men gather - wedding decoration.

Depth is in the sea, and wisdom is in the scholar.

A fool threatens to go to heaven

The fool follows the fool, the cart follows the ox.

Looking at a shadow makes you straight, looking at your friends makes you smart.

Anger torments the body and the mountain torments the horse.

Speech flows like water

The top of a high mountain is bare, the head of an arrogant man is empty.

A hungry dog gnaws bones, a hungry man chisels rocks

A hungry man can't sleep

It's not a bad dog that barks, but a bad dog that bites from behind.

The mountain is low at its beginning and the river is shallow at its mouth.

Power rests on law and iron on nails.

Sin and virtue are cousins.

A rumbling sky without rain, a defamed girl without matchmakers.

If you give your word, keep it, if you start working, finish it.

Far is the way for a yard horse, and far are friends for a miser.

Two bulls' heads cannot be boiled in one pot.

A big tree is the beauty of the mountains, a beautiful maiden is the beauty of the house.

What you can't reach with your mind, you can't see with your eyes.

A good man appears at a mention, a bad man when it rains.

A long hem confuses the legs, and a long tongue confuses the neck.

Long is the way of a bum, long are the steps of a coward.

Friendly men can fit under a sheepskin.

If you throw a stone upwards, it will fall on your head.

If you stumble once, you'll stumble seven times

 

[TSRalex]

Wherever my fate takes me
I'll never forget my native village...
And it makes my eyes happy
To watch the cauldron being put on the hearth,
To see the family come together from all sides
Greeting Menja*♀....

And I, with the naive joy of a boy
I sit in my father's seat,
On the white felt,
And, as at a feast,
I take the honorable bowl...
And from the depths of the high mountains.
A leisurely conversation is going on.
I keep my eyes on the Aksakalovs.
I take their words of wisdom to spare.
And everything, as they say in our family,
I put it in my pocket, I put it in my pocket

Ezendey Toyushev Translated by G. Volodin

 

[TSRalex]

☀

MEETING

The arrival of guests was an event, because the difficult life of nomads, handed over to the circle of family and close relatives, gave few opportunities for contact with other members of the tribe, so that each arrival of guests is the emergence of new...
information and the expansion of knowledge.

The guests were placed in an honorable corner of the yurt according to their rank and provided with everything the hosts had. There was no stinting on treats and gifts. A ram was slaughtered especially for the guest and the most delicious dishes were prepared.
There was an interesting tradition from time immemorial: when you enter someone else's house, you should not step on the threshold. Because anyone who deliberately steps on the threshold wishes the owners misfortune and conceals evil intentions.

It was necessary to place one's weapons and luggage outside the yurt, in front of the threshold. This showed that one had come with honest intentions and trusted the people living there completely.

The left hand is considered to be dirtier, so when greeting someone, you should only use your right hand as a sign of respect. All gifts are also received with the right hand,

 

[TSRalex]

☀

*♀Shanyrak (= center ring)

Did you know that Shanyrak means heaven and that the place where it is connected to the rest of the yurt is the horizon?


Shanyrak connects the "wings" of the yurt and therefore has a special significance, because it embodies the whole family and sometimes even the clan...,, which is reflected in many proverbs and sayings. To this day, it is customary to mention a large, strong shanyrak in congratulations to newlyweds.

It is customary to protect the shanyrak with ritual objects. For example, the feathers of an owl, a popular amulet, were often hung on it, and at night the shanyrak was covered with a koschma embroidered with protective patterns. In special cases, for example if the mistress of the yurt had a difficult birth, a golden eagle was placed under it.

The elders treated the shanyrak with particular reverence; it was passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom, and children were taught to treat it with great care. If the family was broken up, the shanyrak of the empty yurt was placed on the grave of the last family member.

Many ritual prohibitions are associated with it.
For example, it was not allowed to be knocked over or dropped during transportation, as this was considered bad luck. Under no circumstances was blood allowed to get on the shanyrak. If it did, it was immediately broken and burned to prevent evil spirits from taking possession of the house and all its inhabitants.

The most important vows were made under the Shanyrak.

 

[TSRalex]

NOMADIC DWELLING

Yurts became the ideal nomadic dwelling. After all, it can be perfectly unfolded or folded. It takes only one hour to make one.

The traditional material for making a yurt is felt. The main elements of the yurt are the frame and covering...

The entrance was closed with quilted felt, nowadays, a double door is more often used.

Windows were rarely made, allowing light to penetrate through the center of the roof.

Yurts have different purposes.
Those intended for dwelling have simple decoration so that they could be quickly assembled.

Guest yurts are very ornate.

The doors of the yurt always face south so that one could easily determine the time of day.

The sun's ray would penetrate through the center of the roof and then glide around the perimeter, thus creating the semblance of a sundial.

There are a number of customs that must be observed when visiting a yurt.
Undesirable actions include:
- Visiting a yurt without being asked;
- Approaching the yurt by car;
- Talking across the threshold;
- Visiting the yurt with weapons;
- Silent entry - only robbers could do this;
- Entering the yurt during childbirth;
- Taking milk or fire from the yurt;
- To whistle loudly means to summon evil spirits

 

[TSRalex]

The grassy steppe under the horse's hoof,
A bird of prey lurks in the sun.
☀The foreign nomads do not remember me,
*♂They can only dream of me now and then.

Let me, my father, heavenly Tengri.
*♂From now on, life is free to fly and walk,
On the tips of fingers or toes
A gray totem that runs east.

The yurt's stepson is warm
In the wind that holds the wing,
And his thirst is not in cold streams,
And in the reins of his worn hands

Timur Abdumaminov