“The Legend of the Origin of the Kazakhs”
On Alasha Khan, Мilitant Bachelors and the Three Hundreds
Alasha-khan’s Mausoleum/From open access
As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, a great wave of awakening surged through Kazakh intellectuals, sparking a passionate quest for knowledge. This outpouring of intellectual zeal led to an explosion of new magazines and newspapers being published in Kazakh, heralding the dawn of a new era in sharing culture. However, what these intellectuals wrote went beyond only spreading knowledge. Soon, a variety of publications emerged, covering topics like business, society, politics, art, and humor. Qalam invites you to explore snippets from Kazakh publishing culture and history, offering a glimpse into the important issues of the past.
The Kirgizskaia Stepnaia Gazeta (in Kazakh, Dala Uälaiatynyñ Gazetі), published in Omsk, served not only as the official voice of the Tsarist administration in the Steppe region, where decrees, regulations, and political updates were printed, but also as a crucial instrument of ideological propaganda targeting the local population. The Kazakh-language version was particularly important, as most Kazakhs did not speak Russian. In the newspaper's unofficial sections, considerable attention was given to articles on the history, customs, and culture of the Kazakh people, although these accounts were often distorted to align with the interests of the imperial authorities.
For example, in issue No. 20 of Kirgizskaia Stepnaia Gazeta from 1894, an article titled "The Legend of the Origin of the Kazakhs" appeared, authored by a certain Akhun Abdurakhmanov. This article incorporates some themes found in the earlier writings of the Russian ethnographer Grigory Potanin (1835–1920), although the differences between them are much more pronounced.
The Legend of the Origin of the Kazakhs/From open access
The Legend of the Origin of the Kazakhs
The Kirghiz,i
i.e. Kazakhswho inhabit the steppes of our region, refer to themselves as "Kazaks." This word is of Tatar originiin the Kazakh version of the article — of Nogai originand translates as "bachelor." The following legend is told about their origin.
In the time when Kazan was an independent khanate, the Khan of Kazan had a son whose body was marked by white spots that made a rather unpleasant impression. As a child, he was often ridiculed by his peers, who nicknamed him "Ala," meaning "mottled" or "spotted." This nickname became so deeply attached to him that his real name was eventually forgotten.
As he grew older, he became increasingly resentful of this nickname and decided that it was better to leave his homeland than to continue suffering from constant mockery. Accompanied by one hundred loyal young men, or Kazaks — meaning bachelors — he withdrew with them into the steppe. A year passed, and the Khan, receiving no news of his son and weary of his absence, sent one hundred Kazaks, led by a bi, to find the lost party; however, the searchers did not return.
The Legend of the Origin of the Kazakhs/From open access
Over the next three years, the Khan dispatched three groups of one hundred Kazaks each, but none of them returned. In the steppe, they chose the fleeing son as their Khan, calling him "Alacha Khan" (the "Mottled Khan"), and they began to live there, sustaining themselves through hunting and livestock herding. One day, a large caravan of Sarts passed through the steppe, and the Kazaks plundered it, enslaving the men and taking the women as wives. In this way, an entire new people was formed, which began to grow rapidly. Over time, the descendants of each group of one hundred parted ways and settled in different directions.
The descendants of the first group went south and became known as the "Uly Jüz" (Senior Hundred).
The descendants of the second group remained in the original location and were called the "Orta Jüz" (Middle Hundred), while the last group migrated north and became known as the "Kishi Jüz" (Junior Hundred).
Hence, the Kirghiz-Kazaks are sometimes referred to as the children of "Üsh Jüz," that is, the children of the Three Hundreds.
Akhun Abdurakhmanov
The Kirgizskaia Stepnaia Gazeta (in Kazakh, Dala Uälaiatynyñ Gazetі) was a special supplement to the Akmolinsk (1888–1905), Semipalatinsk (1894–1905), and Semirechensk (1894–1901) regional gazettes. It was published in Omsk in Russian with additional content in Kazakh.
