August  05, 2019

The Siberian Tatars welcomed guests from all over Russia in the historical capital of the Siberian Khanate Isker: The XII International Festival of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Siberian Tatars “Isker-zhyen” was held in Tobolsk district on August 2-4.

The festival began with the XIII All-Russian scientific-practical conference “The historical fate of Isker.” Isker-zhyen is a new holiday in honor of Isker, the capital of the Siberian Khanate, said a guest from Tatarstan, a representative of the World Tatars Congress, doctor of historical sciences, an ethnographer, and editor-in-chief of the journal «Native Land», Damir Iskakov from Kazan. According to him, at the place of the historical and memorial complex Isker during the Golden Horde was Iskersky Astana.

“From historical sources, starting from the XVII century, it is known that the holy sheikhs are buried here. Including Sharbati sheikh – this is a historical figure, a representative of the Sufi order of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, who, at the invitation of Kuchum, arrived from Bukhara with the supreme seid. Then in his hands was teaching. The Siberian Tatars were Islamized later than the others in the Golden Horde, ”Damir Iskakov explained.

Preserve  your language

According to scientists, Siberian Tatars are    being  assimilated in Russia. In 2019, UNESCO included the language of the Siberian Tatars in the list of endangered languages.

“The disappearance of language leads to the fact that people are vanishing. I would not want us Tatars to be studied only in museums. I want us to preserve our language. It is necessary that from early childhood a child learns his native language and that there should be  a language environment, ”said Fausia Marganova, chairman of the Council of Siberian Tatars of the Tyumen Region.

Honor traditions

For the first time, Isker   has been  visited by  the Kuchum’s descendant, Kuchum Kuchumov from the village of Odinarskaya, Vagai District. The road from Zabolotia is not easy – the Kuchumovs arrived by helicopter.

“He will be at the festival for the first time, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. This man is a true descendant of Kuchum. Before, we would select someone similar to this role, ”said Luiza Shamsutdinova, organizer of the festival, chairman of the board of the Tyumen public organization“ Heritage ”.

Wife Olesya Kuchumova played the role of the Siberian hanbike – the beauty  Suzge. “To be the wife of a descendant of Khan Kuchum is a lot of work. It is necessary to correspond to the husband, to honor traditions. For example, as a wife, I should be able to cook our Tatar dishes: chak-chak, baursaki, uchpuchmak,  beshbarmak, ”she said.

On the territory of the Isker complex, a competition of homesteads unfolded, the regions of the Tyumen oblast were surprised by the decoration of the yurts of the Siberian Tatars, folklore and a hospitably covered dastarkhan. The head of the club formation in the village of Mullashi, Taskia Nazmutdinova, treated the commission by  peryamyach  with wild strawberries and phvorost, especially  judges liked  kurt and kulaga.

Soloists of the Tatar song ensemble “Sandugach” made fish soup on a fire, a herbal tea in  coal samovar, treated  jury with national dishes, demonstrated handicrafts and performed on the main stage of the festival.

The guests from Altai Irkul Chulunov and Maadiy Kalkin got acquainted with the culture of the Siberian Tatars and talked about their traditions. Soloists were dressed in stylized national clothes. As in antiquity, besides ornament, on the chest of the dressing gown is depicted tungaise – a sign of gender. The vocalists performed a wedding song in the Altai language in a duet, complementing it with throat singing to the accompaniment of the national instrument topshur.

Maadiy Kalkin presented the Altai Greek epic to the judges in the traditional manner of execution – the biggest legend of Altai in 7 thousand 752 stanzas, which was recorded from the words of his grandfather. Altai and Tatars are united by one ancestor – they are descendants of Genghis Khan. To this day, these peoples have much in common in traditions, food, and language.

“Altai is the ancestral home of all Türks. In the days of the great Haganate, all these nationalities were one nation. The latest exfoliation was in Teleuts. There is such a saying about them in Altai: Teleuts went for salt and did not return. The Siberian Tatars separated even earlier, ”joked Irkul Chulunov.

On August 4, awarding of the festival laureates took place at the Center for Siberian-Tatar Culture of Tobolsk. The festival ended with a gala concert at the «Syntez» House of Culture. Actors from  the Kazan City Philharmonic, vocalists from Novosibirsk, Nur-Sultan, Ekibastuz, Kemerovo performed, artists from Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Altai, Tuva, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tyumen, Tobolsk and the regions of the Tyumen region shone.

The XII International Festival of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Siberian Tatars “Iskar-zhyen” according to the results of the popular vote on the portal of the national calendar of events EventsInRussia.com, the festival took fifth place in the twenty ranking of “Best Events of 2019”.

Irina Romashkina

t-l/.ru