Belonging to a clan is essential
In the "History" section, we mentioned the many clans that divided up the steppe, whose power varied according to the outcome of incessant, often age-old quarrels between them. Even today, these clans dictate many aspects of the country's social, political and economic life. Nursultan Nazarbaev's 30 years in power have enabled him to place members of his family in many key government positions, but without eliminating the other clans, which are now vying for power. Clan membership is a common feature of all Central Asian republics. In Kazakhstan, belonging to one of the three traditional hordes, linked to geographical origin, has played a role throughout the history of the 20th century. The Little and Middle Hordes, who nomadized the northern steppes, were "Russified" very early on, and their children, educated at Moscow or St. Petersburg universities, often returned home to nurture the national fiber and Kazakh identity through the arts or politics. They bore the brunt of the great Stalinist purges. In the south of the country, held by the Great Horde, the fight against the Russians of the north was often based on adherence to Soviet ideas, which is why members of the Great Horde, such as Nazarbaev, were at the helm of the country from the Communist period onwards, and then at the time of independence. Even today, throughout Central Asia, clan membership continues to play a vital role in the organization of society.
An education system inherited from the Soviet era
Before the arrival of the Soviets, education was reserved for an elite, and higher education was often limited to Russian universities. The literacy rate at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was extremely low in Kazakhstan, where nomadic culture was never based on the written word but on oral traditions. The Soviet education system, imposed in all the socialist republics of Central Asia, enabled the local population to become literate very quickly and to attend school on an equal footing, even for men and women. Universities were set up in Almaty and Kyzyl Orda, and Kazakhs from all walks of life were able to study in Russia. With independence, this pattern was seriously undermined by the simple fact that credits disappeared. Tens of thousands of teachers across the country left their posts because they were not paid, or were paid months late. Economic liberalization has enabled Kazakhstan to bounce back more quickly and easily than its neighbors. But there is a major problem: which language should be used for teaching? Russian or Kazakh? The new teachers speak Kazakh, while the schoolchildren have only learned Russian. The balance is often difficult to strike, but 30 years on, one thing is certain: students graduate with a minimum command of Kazakh, in many cases Kazakh and Russian, and, since a deliberate government measure in the 2010s, English, at least in the big cities. The decline in literacy observed in the early 2000s has thus been halted (the budget allocated to national education is now around 18% of GDP), but there remains a glaring problem of inequality. The major universities are in Almaty or Astana, where living costs are higher than elsewhere, and few students from the provinces can afford to study there. Almaty, Chymkent, Astana and Karaganda account for 65% of the country's students. In 2022, Kazakhstan published encouraging figures: 750,000 students had completed more than 12 years of schooling.
Unequal distribution of wealth
It's not just in terms of access to education that Kazakhs have to contend with inequality. The distribution of wealth is also a point of imbalance that has been apparent since independence, and which became more pronounced in the 2010s, when the hydrocarbon windfall led to growth rates of 7-8% without the entire population receiving the dividends. In 2016, Kazakhstan joined the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries. But within the country, the gap is widening between the very rich populations of the two "capitals" and the cities that benefit directly from the oil windfall, and the more modest populations in the rest of the country. A case in point is the glittering Astana, with its budget of over 100 billion dollars to attract the big names in world architecture, while a large part of the country's population still lives in dilapidated Soviet-era buildings, with limited access to hospitals, universities and other public services.
Enduring nomadic traditions
Despite the sedentarization of populations, the sovietization of minds and the desire for the West that followed independence, nomadic traditions and culture have managed to endure, the fruit of a long habit of clandestinity. Already during the Muslim conquest, many traditions linked to shamanism and Zoroastrianism continued to be transmitted orally and practised in secret. And again, under Soviet occupation, it was often Islam that was practised in secret. After independence, the revival of nationalism and the need to regain an identity brought many habits that had previously been relegated to folklore back to the fore. In Kazakhstan, wedding traditions are closely linked to practices dating back to the nomadic era. First and foremost, any union must meet the political imperatives of alliance between clans or families of the same clan. And, except in the big cities, marriages in the provinces are often arranged from an early age, without the future spouses having any say in the matter. However, they must comply with a very precise ritual, in particular that of the marriage proposal, during which the intellectual abilities, beauty and social status of both are assessed by the family. The engagement ceremony always takes place in the home of the bride-to-be. This is when the details of the ceremony, the roles of each party, the dowry, etc. are determined. Finally, to ensure that everything is done properly, on the day of the ceremony, the bridegroom must ride on horseback to his companion's family and sing an ode he has composed for her. On hearing it, the young girl must burst into tears, expressing her sadness at the prospect of leaving her parents. Then she, in turn, sings a song to her parents, to console them for her departure. The bride and groom can then return to the groom's home and begin their new life, not without first finding a corner of the steppe where they will spend their wedding night, and whose location will be marked by two crossed whips, symbolizing their union.
Of course, especially in the latter part, these practices are no longer followed to the letter. And in Almaty, the big pink limousine or pearly-white Hummer often replaces the horse... Nevertheless, as you travel around the country, you'll certainly have the chance to observe wedding ceremonies and the associated festivities, often supplemented by equestrian games for the wealthiest families.
Women's place in society
In nomadic culture, although it was also a patriarchal society, the woman had a very specific role to play and a status that was sometimes more enviable than in the cities. Responsible for many chores, including keeping the yurt, she was also in charge of education and kept the family's wealth on her person, in the form of jewelry or silks. With the arrival of the Soviets, women, at least for the time of their schooling, became equal to men on the school benches, and officially enjoyed the same rights and duties as them once they had graduated. Independence marked a return to Islamic values, which was rapidly felt in the Central Asian republics, but to a lesser extent in Kazakhstan, where the Russian presence remained very strong for a long time, even a majority in some parts of the country, and where Islamization was later and less profound than in neighboring countries. Nevertheless, in order to counter the high proportion of Russians in the population, as well as to assert the Kazakh national identity, Islam has gradually returned to the forefront, as witnessed by the numerous mosques built across the country. The place of women has suffered in recent years from this return to religion, not necessarily in the cities, but certainly in the provinces and more remote regions of the steppe.
Contrasting habitat
If you're a fan of architecture, you're in luck in Kazakhstan. Don't look too much for Art Nouveau buildings or Baroque churches, as architecture is more likely to help you decipher the country's social history than feed your Instagram account. But you can be sure that Astana is not the country's only architectural curiosity. Behind the capital and its futuristic buildings designed by the world's architectural elite, you'll also come across building blocks from the Soviet era, when it was essential to settle hundreds of thousands of people. Then there are the new towns, led by Aktau with its "Mikrorayons", created to house the workers who came to exploit the riches of the Kazakh subsoil. And finally, there are the yurts, reminders of a nomadic past that is still very much alive, and under which you will certainly have the opportunity to sleep as you wander through the country. The yurt is a place whose structure follows strict rules, reflecting the nomads' vision of the universe as well as the structure of their society. The round hole at the top of the dwelling symbolizes the heavens, and the hearth lies directly below. Two central pillars around the hearth support the entire structure. They are considered sacred: never pass between these pillars, nor let anything pass between them. Traditionally open to the south, the yurt combines geographical and functional divisions. The north is the sacred place, where the ancestral altar and the most precious objects are placed. The south is the working area, home to the hearth, around which the women prepare food. The western part of the yurt is reserved for men and guests, while the eastern part is for women and domestic life.
