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a thread on kazakh clothing (both traditional and modern); because for the longest time i thought my culture’s clothes were ugly until i read up on the history.
i never see a lot of people celebrate central asian clothing and that’s ok bc im gonna do it for them.
i never see a lot of people celebrate central asian clothing and that’s ok bc im gonna do it for them.
while i do this i want to talk about the aspects of my culture that im proud of and show off what for the longest time i was ashamed of.
probably my favorite physical aspect that relates to kazakh clothing is the swirls. these are iconic and represent how our culture is nomadic. they’re the horns of the sheep we herded in the past. it is very a honored and sacred pattern
because we were a nomadic people before russia essentially organized us into a nation state under their rule, we don’t have a lot of clothing from those times but it was said that women and men dressed almost exactly the same. our clothes were gender neutral and practical.
and even tho it was a patriarchal society, the respect for women was unique compared to many other places. women had just as much say as men did in their councils. women held positions of educational power. women were the teachers and were encouraged to contribute to society
people couldn’t marry within tribes. even if they were completely unrelated in blood all the children of the tribe were raised as brothers and sisters. meaning women were not sheltered in their tribe, they rode horses and hunted with birds if they wanted. most could use a bow.
while the men were the leaders the women were backbone of the society and highly regarded as so. they were educated and proud. heads held high and powerful. other kingdoms described kazakh/krygyz women as strange and bold. they had no fear and were well versed in fighting.
my mother used to tell me that in much earlier times if a woman didn’t kill three men in the times of war she would not be fit to be a mother bc if she could not defend her children, she was unworthy.
since we were nomadic, men hunted (typically) while women herded (typically). men hunted with eagles and highkey it was fucking badass. the kazakh region gets cold especially in the mountains. kazakh men often wore layers on layers especially when they went on hunting trips.
i don’t really know how to end this other than i am now really proud of my culture. i used to genuinely be ashamed and felt like i had no idea who i was since i was raised in a mixed family in america where the only people who looked like me were e. asians.
kazakh culture is beautiful, it’s strong and it’s unique. our clothes were built for warmth, it’s colors were distinct and our patterns represented who we are. we were nomads, we were defenders, we were amazing. and idk why it took me 20 years to realize that.
if you were wondering most of the modern clothing were designed by aya bapani. and in case you’re wondering which tribe im from (@ fellow Kazakhs) im outside of the three main ones. i descend from the hodzha tribe.
while you're here educate yourself on whats happening in turkey. the kazakhs are a turkic ethinic group as well. do what you can to help. https://twitter.com/ITACHIDlLF/status/1356291499642781696?s=20
and whats going on in myanmar! https://twitter.com/Smileyo76976338/status/1356667862249664513?s=20
