The economic system of Chingistau cattle breeders in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries: transformation of the equestrian culture of the Kazakhs

Abstract

This article examines the economic importance of the Chingistau region for the Kazakhs-pastoralists of the new era. It was described the tribal structure of the region, which developed after the re-settlement of the region by Kazakhs in the post-Dzhungar period. After the displacement of the Dzhungars, land disputes between the Kazakh clan groups for the right to possess Chingistau intensified, the attractiveness of which was associated with the favorable conditions for the development of horse breeding and sheep breeding here. Starting from the second half of the 19th century, new forms of organizing economic activity began to emerge in the region, characterized by signs of a transition to semi-nomadic/sedentary cattle breeding. At this time, stationary dwellings were massively built at wintering kystau. The study of the economic system in cattlebreeding associations and the peculiarities of the organization of the Kazakh kystau allows tracing the transformation of the life support system of the Kazakh society in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries.