Long Live the Turco-Tatar Brotherhood!
The Üsh Jüz Newspaper on Alash Autonomy
Qazaqbai Ajibekuly. Alashorda / 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.
In December 1917, the Second All-Kazakh Congress declared the Alash Autonomy (also known as the Alash Orda) in Orenburg, a Kazakh state formed under the Alash-Orda government. This joyous event prompted many readers to send emotional letters to newspapers, expressing their hopes for a brighter future. The following is an excerpt from a letter by a reader to the editorial board of the Üsh Jüzi
'Three Hordes' in Kazakh newspaper:
The Alash Autonomy is the firstborn of the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz. The sufferings are gone, and here comes the bliss. The Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, who only yesterday bid farewell to Tsarist rule, welcome their child, Alash, who has now appeared at their threshold. We all chanted our battle cry ‘Alash!’ as one, hugged each other, and wept with joy. Even if any of us were to cut our own throat as the Japanese do,iThe writer was slightly inaccurate here. Seppuku or hara-kiri (Japanese for ‘belly cutting’) is a ritual form of suicide involving disembowelment that originated with the samurai in medieval Japan it would still be appropriate. A Kazakh who does not rejoice in this great happiness is not really Kazakh. The same goes for the Kyrgyz.
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—Nurgali Kuljanov, 1918.
A page from the "Üsh Jüz" newspaper
_Üsh Jüz_ (Three Hordes) was the official newspaper of the Üsh Jüz party, which opposed the Alash party and later collaborated with the Bolsheviks. It was published in Petropavlovsk between 1917 and 1918.
A page from the "Üsh Jüz" newspaper
