6 kyrgyz culture

8/4/2019 6 Kyrgyz Culture

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6. Kyrgyz Culture

Our comparative analysis focused on biblical parallels in Manas epic. We will see

that such an analysis performed on any aspect of Kyrgyz culture would reveal

similar results. This essay presents only a few of the myriad of similarities in

Kyrgyz culture.

Sacrifice

Kyrgyz have some feasts and traditions related to those in the Torah. For instance,

Kyrgyz will not eat an animal without draining its blood. The Torahs perspective

mirrors Kyrgyz understanding:

you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground

like water.1

Kyrgyz also butcher the lamb at the joints, without cutting the bones, just like the

Torahs Passover:

nor shall you break one of its bones.2

Kyrgyz usually sacrifice an unblemished lamb at twilight just as the Torahs God

commands. I have been invited to many feasts, and arrived hungry at sunset. But

that is only when the lamb was sacrificed. I did not sit down to eat for another

three hours, by which time I was famished. If I knew the Torah better I also would

have understood Kyrgyz culture better:

1 Deuteronomy 15:23 (New King James Version)

2 Exodus 12:46 (New King James)


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Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first

year Then the whole assembly of the congregation of

Israel shall kill it at twilight.3

In Kyrgyzstan we occasionally eat through the night, until morning.

You shall let none of it remain until morning4

Kyrgyz believe they need to stay alert all night while they eat and drink. This

ceremony partly shifted to an Islamic celebration called Kadyr Tun (),

Night of Honor, which celebrates the day Muhammed rose to heaven. But Kadyr

Tun is not the only time Kyrgyz practice their former tradition of staying alert

while feasting through the night. The Torah says:

It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord5

After several hours of feasting I inevitably need go outside to relieve myself. My

host sends someone to accompany me, which is strange in my former culture.

When I ask why they are sending a toilet-companion, Kyrgyz tell me they are

afraid the (soul-snatcher) will take me if I go out in the dark alone.

and none of you shall go out of the door of his house

3 Exodus 12:5,6 (New King James). Emphasis added by author.




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until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the

Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on

the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not

allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.6

The doorposts of Kyrgyz yurts are also red. And yes, the red does represent blood;

the blood of the people. But the whole wooden structure of the yurt is also red, so

their red doorposts do not really give us a good anthropologic lead. Nonetheless,

Kyrgyz joke about their lack of brakes. If a Kyrgyz drinks one ounce of vodka,

the whole bottle will be finished, because we have no brakes, they say. I can

almost imagine Manassehs clan putting blood on the doorposts in accordance to

Moses command, then a little more blood around the smoke hole (tunduk), and

then a little bit more just to make sure the soul-snatcher wont find a hole or some

entrance through the felt. Before you know it, the whole wooden frame is red.

On a more serious note I have heard from Naryn that previous generations woulddab blood on a wardrobe to protect its contents from evil, harm, envy, or a

curse.7 The Torah says not to boil the meat:

Do not eat it raw or boiled at all with water, but roasted in

fire its head with its legs and its entrails.8

6 Exodus 12:22,23 (New King James)

7 I have also seen this practice done with butter. The anointing butter is smeared on an object to

protect it from harm or evil.



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On certain occasions Kyrgyz do roast the whole lamb with fire (kukulait) in line

with the ancient decree. Kyrgyz usually reserve this past custom for special

guests,9 but most Kyrgyz take a big departure from the Torah here. They usually

boil their meat in water, but always make sure to roast the head and legs in fire, as

if trying to obey at least the last part of the Mosaic command: roasted in fire its

head with its legs...

We should note one record of Jacobs tribes within Josephs tribal territory who

defied their book to boil meat:

Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the

Lord. And the priests custom with the people was thatwhen

any man offered a sacrifice, the priests servant would come

with a three-pronged flesh-hook in his hand while the meat

was boiling. Then he would thrust itinto the pan, or kettle,

or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all

that the flesh-hook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to allthe Israelites who came there. Also, before they burned the

fat, the priests servant would come and say to the man who

sacrificed, Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will

not take boiled meat from you, but raw.10

There are also occasional sacrifices requiring biblical tribes to boil meat like

modern Kyrgyz:

9 Every time I have observed Kyrgyz roasting the lamb it was done with a propane torch. I can

not imagine how they did this in ancient times.

10 1 Samuel 2:12-15 (New King James). Authors emphasis added.


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Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and

eat it there with the bread11

Kyrgyz also serve unleavened bread, kalama, like the prophets. Kyrgyz, however,do not use kalama for specific feasts as decreed by Moses:

So you shall observe the Feast ofUnleavened Bread12

This resemblance would not be worth mentioning if we had observed only forty or

fifty junctures between biblical texts and Kyrgyz traditions. But now we arebeyond that point. Cultural evidence confirms the startling conclusions highlighted

from our literary analysis. As the evidence mounts, less significant aspects like

unleavened bread only serve to tighten the case.

Payment Feast

The list of affinities between Kyrgyz culture and biblical prophets is unending. We

will examine a few more traditions before moving forward.

Kyrgyz have a special feast called or , which seems rooted in the

word to pay (). Families or clans go some distance from town, usually up a

mountain and sacrifice the , the firstborn lamb. This usually takes place

in spring. As shown earlier, the Torah requires a similar sacrifice:

All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your

11 Leviticus 8:31

12 Exodus 12:17 (New King James Version)


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flock you shall sanctify to the Lord you God13

And the famous passage about Abels sacrifice:

Abel also brought from the firstborn of his flock14

Jacob sacrificed on the mountain to confirm a covenant with his father-in-law,

Laban. They also ate through the night.15 Obviously, these two nomadic groups,

Kyrgyz and the prophets, offered sacrifices for many reasons: divine favor,

forgiveness, protection, blessing, thanksgiving, and authenticating covenants. Not

only do characters and events from the epic and holy books mirror each other, but

also traditions and customs surrounding shared sacrifices and faith.

Islamic Influences

Animal sacrifices are a continual part of the Kyrgyz worldview and daily life, but

not as important from a Quranic perspective. Even when holy covenants are

mentioned the Quran is silent about sacrifices and blood:

And when we extracted a covenant from the prophets, and

from you and from Noah and from Abraham and Moses and

Jesus son of Mary. We took from them a solemn covenant;

that He may ask the loyal of their loyalty...16

13 Deuteronomy 15:19 (New King James Version). Authors emphasis added.

14 Genesis 4:4 (New King James Version). Authors emphasis added.

15 Genesis 31:54

16 Quran 33:7 (Pickthall). Authors emphasis added


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The sacrifices and covenants pertaining to these Quranic prophets are expounded in

the Torah and, in Jesus case, in theInjil(Gospel or Good News), but not found in

the Quran, except the provision given in place of Abrahams son. Muslims still

celebrate that sacrifice, Korban Aitor Kurman Ait. So the topic is not totally

absent from Islam, but Islamic sacrifice plays a much smaller role than in Kyrgyz

and traditional bible-based cultures. It seems highly unlikely that these Torah-

traditions entered Kyrgyz culture through Islam.

Is there another reason for the pervasive intertwining between the forbidden bookand Kyrgyz practices?

Finishing the Feast

In by-gone times Kyrgyz would not let any meat be left over till morning. If they

were unable to finish the meat they would give it to their neighbors or to their

guests to take home. This custom is still widespread in Kyrgyzstan. Biblical King

David did the same after one seven-day celebration:

Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole

multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to

everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of

raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.17

I doubt Orthodox rabbis practice these Torah customs as well as secular Kyrgyz do.

17 2 Samuel 6:19 (New King James)


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God-Guest

Kyrgyz have a beautiful god-guest () custom that seems to be taken

directly from the Torah. Believing God could pass by anytime, Kyrgyz welcome

guests, just like Abraham welcomed God. The only difference between the Torah

and Kyrgyz hospitality is that Abraham washed his guests feet. Kyrgyz wash their

guests hands.

Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of

Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the

day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three menwere standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from

the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the

ground, and said, My Lord, if I have now found favor in

Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little

water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves

under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you

may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by,

inasmuch as you have come to your servant.

They said, Do as you have said.

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said,

Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it

and make cakes. And Abraham ran to the herd, took a

tender and good calf, gave itto a young man, and he

hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the

calf which he had prepared, and set itbefore them; and he

stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Then they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife?So he said, Here, in the tent.

And He said, I will certainly return to you according to the

time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.

This god-guest custom consistently causes a paradigm shift among my Kyrgyz


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audiences. This section of the foreign book is too Kyrgyz to be foreign. The

great books foreign reputation can only be maintained in Kyrgyzstan as long as

its opponents prohibit Kyrgyz from studying it in a Kyrgyz context.

Ark (Sandyk)

Kyrgyz keep a chest (sandyk) like Moses ark, on the yurts west side, furthest from

the easterly door.18 This sandykis so prominent in its place of honor that it

immediately brings the Torahs Ark of the Covenant to mind:

And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a halfcubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a

cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure

gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it

a molding of gold all around19

Some Kyrgyz sandyks are the same size as Moses variation, but usually they are

slightly smaller. The Kyrgyz variation is also covered with beautifully decorated

metal. The metal stands out, because the rest of a traditional yurt is made from

organic material, without one nail or metal bracket.

Moses ark is also mentioned in the Quran:

And their Prophet said unto them: Lo! the token of his

kingdom is that there shall come unto you the ark wherein is

18 Some regions in Kyrgyz dont hold the ancient tradition that yurts must face east. Therefore,

the ark would not be to the west in those regions.

19 Exodus 25:10,11 (New King James Version)


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peace of reassurance from your Lord, and a remnant of that

which the house of Moses and the house of Aaron left

behind...20

Jewish tradition typically holds that the ark disappeared before or while

Babylonians sacked Jerusalems temple in 586 B.C. It has been lost or missing

ever since.

Ethiopian Christians claim the missing ark rests in a chapel in Aksum, a the small

town in their northern highlands. It arrived nearly 3,000 years ago, they say, but no

outsider has seen it.21

Altians, closely related to Kyrgyz, also told me their legends about lost golden

chest,22 and Kuki, from Northeast India, sing about a god-box they carried across a

river, but eventually lost to the Kitai enemy.23 Japanese also have a sacred box, the

omikoshi, which Shinto priests carry exactly as Moses instructed. And finally,

temple reliefs at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia seem to depict a procession

carrying sacred sandyks in a manner similar to Japanese omikoshi and Moses ark.

Later we will explore more about the relationships these other nations-of-the-ark

have to Kyrgyz, the Torah, and each other.

20 Quran 2:248 (Pickthal)

21 Paul Raffaele, Smithsonian magazine, Keepers of the Lost Ark? December 2007

22 Personal interviews (Altai, 2004, 2005, and 2006)

23 Personal interview with Dr. Khuplam (Guhati, India; 2006).


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Bride Stealing

Bride stealing seems barbaric to many, but it is still practiced in Kyrgyzstan.

Surprisingly, this barbaric tradition was once endorsed by biblical tribes:

Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do

for wives for those who remain, since the women of

Benjamin have been destroyed? And they said, There must

be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe

may not be destroyed from Israel. However, we cannot give

them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel

have sworn an oath, saying, Cursed be the one who gives a

wife to Benjamin. Then they said, In fact, there is a

yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of

Bethel...

Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying,

Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, and watch; and just when

the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances,

then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a

wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the

land of Benjamin. Then it shall be, when their fathers ortheir brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to

them, Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not

take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though

you have given the women to them at this time, making

yourselves guilty of your oath. And the children of

Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number

from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went

and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the

cities...24

24 Judges 21:14-25 (New King James Version)


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This bride stealing took place among Josephs tribes and territory. Kyrgyz, who

seem to be connected to Josephs tribes, still practice this controversial custom.

Kyrgyz readers will notice the achuu basuu () or calm-the-anger

custom in this biblical account. After girls were stolen, Jacobs tribes had to return

to Shiloh to calm the anger of the girls fathers and brothers. Modern Kyrgyz

still perform this achuu basuu custom after perpetrating their biblical tradition.

Let me note that many Kyrgyz do not believe bride stealing is a Kyrgyz custom.Others contend it is. The Human Rights Watch notes that bride stealing with the

girls consent was once more popular.25 Consensual bride stealing is closer to

Hebrew marriage customs from Jesus day; a bride consented to marriage, went

home, and eagerly waited for her grooms surprise visit. Jesus uses this custom to

symbolically portray his departure and return:

Inmy Fathers house are many rooms. If it were not so,

would I have told you thatI go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again

and will take youto myself, thatwhere I am you may be

also. 26

Wailing

I noticed a posture at Kyrgyz funerals, which I had only seen by Jerusalems

Wailing Wall. Jews face the wall, mourning the loss of their temple. Their

25 Human Rights Watch, Reconciled to Violence, State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and

Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan, September 2006, Volume 18, No. 9 (D). p. 94

26 John 14:2,3


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mourning is accompanied with rocking back and forth. Kyrgyz place their dead in

a yurt. Mourners face the yurts outer wall and mourn their loss in a manner that

mimics Jews at the Wailing Wall.27 This custom, however, Jewish and Kyrgyz,

does not seem to be rooted in the Torah.

Circumcision

Circumcision is a topic that is difficult to tackle in an Islamic context. Obviously

there are many who believe circumcision came to the Kyrgyz through Islam. But

there are many Kyrgyz who disagree and say it had a preIslamic origin. Both

camps use circumcision as a defining marker. More Islamic folks say circumcision

makes a boy Muslim. Traditional Kyrgyz say circumcision makes him Kyrgyz.

Oral tradition claims Mohammeds son-in-law, Ali, came with the sword

converting Central Asians to Islam. When he found circumcised Kyrgyz believing

in one God and behaving in a civilized manner he turned away, telling his armies,

Dont touch them. They were Muslims before us.28

There is a line from the epic which startled me the first time I read it:

27 Mourners in Issyk Kol actually face away from the yurt. Mourners in other regions face

toward the yurt, where the deceased lies.

28 When I lecture, several Kyrgyz from my audience have contributed with different versions of

this oral tradition (1997-2003).


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Prince Manas at the head,

Led Muslimjuda.29

Thankfully the texts commentary says (juda) means: 1) all, every, exact, or2) very, many, extreme.30 So the phrase Muslimjuda ()

probably means all the Muslims.31 But there is a line from the epic that refers to

an ethnic group called juda ().32 Manas had a dream which he could not

interpret, so he invited the surrounding peoples including Bukhara, Chambil

Turkmen,33 Karakalpak, Churchuk, Juda, and Kalcha:

, ,

, ,

,34

Levirate Command

The Levirate Command is so common around the world that it cannot be a

significant aspect of this comparative analysis. Nonetheless, the following story

29 Orozbakov, Sagymbai; edited by the Kyrgyz Republics Academy of Sciences; Manas, Volume

5, 5780-5781 (Sham, Bishkek, 1997). Translated by the author.

30 Page 610

31 A Kyrgyz Baptist interviewee told me German Baptist leaders had pushed Kyrgyz to become

like Germans. Kyrgyz submitted to the Baptists until German Baptist leaders told them not to

circumcise their children. Circumcision was the point that caused a Kyrgyz revolt in the Baptistchurch.

32 Kyrgyz do not capitalize ethnic names.

33 Possibly Scattered Turkmen.

34 Mamai, Jusup The Kyrgyz Peoples Historical Epic - MANAS, told by Jusup

Mamai (XingJian Peoples Publisher, Urumchi, China, 1995) p. 186


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was very moving: recently a Kyrgyz acquaintance died in an accident, leaving his

wife and children. According to Kyrgyz tradition the widow was given to the

deceased mans younger brother. They married even though she was slighty older.

The Torahs decree differs slightly from Kyrgyz tradition:

If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no

son, the widow of the dead man shall not be marriedto a

stranger outside the family; her husbands brother shall go in

to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of ahusbands brother to her... that his name may not be blotted

out of Israel35

The Torahs version of the levirate command clarifies that the widow is given if she

has no sons, for the sake of preserving the deceaseds name. Kyrgyz, however,

favor giving widows with children for the sake of preserving the deceaseds name,

by preserving his living descendants. A widow without children might return to

her clan and remarry, but one with children must be protected by the mans clan.

Kyrgyz and biblical impetus remain consistent; both seek to preserve their late

brothers family line.

The case I am familiar with is going well; the new couple seems happy, the kids

have a new father, and now a new baby brother too.

35 Deuteronomy 25:5-10 (New King James Version)


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Noahs Nakedness

Kyrgyz helped me understand an emotional event from Noahs narrative that I

could not comprehend as a Westerner. I was startled to learn that seeing ones

father naked is a terrible shame. Kyrgyz boys and men go to the bath house at

different times to prevent this shame. When I lecture, Kyrgyz emphasize the

importance of this tradition again and again:

Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.

Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became

uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, sawthe nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers

outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid iton

both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the

nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and

they did not see their fathers nakedness. So Noah awoke

from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to

him. Then he said: Cursed be Canaan

I thought Noah should be cursed; he was the one who got drunk. But Kyrgyz

assure me that Ham was wrong. He should have covered his fathers nakedness

and sin, with a garment and with silence.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Words

Words, sayings, and proverbs can come from various sources. I remember a

university professor who said that the origin of a nation should never be

determined by its language or the appearance of its people, because both language

and physical features can change in a few generations. Nonetheless, there are


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some words, sayings, and proverbs that are worth noting, if not for scientific

purposes, for fun.

MessiahThe word Messiah is found in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic holy books.

Kazaks, Uzbeks, and other Muslim nations around Kyrgyzstan use Arabic

variations,Mesikh or Mesih, in their translations of the Bible and Quran. But

Kyrgyz do not need an Arabic import, because they have their own archaic word

Mashayak, meaning toughest of the tough and highest or the high. One

grandmother from Naryn told me theMashayakis the one to whom we all bow.36

Today the wordMashayakis mostly used in a negative context, to put down

arrogance with a comment like: Who do you think you are, God? Have you

become theMashayak?37

(Lord Nasir)

Nasir could mean help or Nazarene from the Arabic wordNasaaraa, often

used to represent Jesus followers. Kojo () means Lord. The Central Asian

mythological character Kojo Nasir is an individual who travels on a donkey

bringing wisdom, justice, and proverbs to the people. This character fits an eastern

prototype of Jesus the Nazarene.38

36 Turusanali kizi, Mistakan (April, Chui Valley, 2008)

37Note the similarity to Hebrew, Moshayach.

38 Hewitt, R. Alisher Navois Kydyr-Messiah (2008)


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(Beyit)

Beyitin Kyrgyz means ancestral grave. Kyrgyz consider the grave to be a dwelling

place for deceased ancestors. Beyitin Hebrew means house. Of course, this word,

likeMashayak, may have been introduced through a myriad of avenues.

(Oliya)

An oliya or oliya-jan (o-) is a holy person or saint. Aliyah is a term

used for someone immigrating to Israel or for someone called to read the Torah.

Both Hebrew uses ofaliyah denote a religious honor similar to oliya.

(Sabat)

Today Sabatmeans quality, but was once used solely to denote a literate person. A

Sabatperson was one who could read. This is quite different from the Hebrew

holy day, Shabbat. Nonetheless, Shabbatis the day when religious Jews all over

the world read the Torah, a day devoted to study.

(Misir) or Misir is an archaic Kyrgyz term for Egypt, still used in Islamic

literature, but it is also used to describe a house or person who is tidy and yet cold.

Kyrgyz will sometimes ask ? (Why are you looking

like a misir?) Might this be a saying from the days when Jacobs shepherding

descendants were enslaved in Egypt? Additionally, Kyrgyz say every one has his

own or homeland, - - . Why would

Kyrgyz use the word (Egypt) to describe ones homeland if they did not


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originate there? Well, Manasseh was born in Egypt and oral tradition states a

Kyrgyz tribe came from Egypt.39

(Beipel) (Beipil) means 1. serene, and 2. bounty in Kyrgyz. The biblical holy site

Bethel means House of God, a place of supposed serenity and bounty.

- (Babel)

(bapyl), often pronounced babyl is a root verb meaning babble. Kyrgyz

might say, ! (Dont speak nonsense.) This word is taken

from the biblical tower of Babel, where, according to the text, God came down and

confused human language.

(Opol Mountain)

Opel or Ophel refers to the fortified mount upon which the City of David, now Old

Jerusalem, was built. It may also refer to the fortified mount upon which Samaria

39 Genesis 48:5,6. Kyrgyz have oral traditions of origins in Egypt. Dastan Sarygulov quoted S.

Abramzon, a Soviet ethnographer, at the History and Genealogy Seminar (Feb. 21, 2009 -

sponsored by the Kyrgyz Republics Ministry of Culture and Informations Archive Agency)

tracing Kyrgyz origins back to the Nile River.

Bolot Shamshiev, a famous Kyrgyz movie producer, said the Azik tribe left Egypt with Moses,

traveled with him for many years, and settled in southern Kyrgyzstan while Moses and the others

traveled back to the warmer Middle East. Several hundred years later Solomon sought to

embrace the Azik Tribe into his kingdom by extending his throne to Solomons

Mountain (Sulaiman Toocu) in southern Kyrgyzstan. (Personal interview, Bolot Shamshiev,Bishkek, November 2008).

Nasira Turganbai from Narins At Bashi region told me her grandmother used to say that Kyrgyz

were redeemed or delivered from a place called Misif, which means orderly civilization or

slavery. Misif could be a version ofMisir, a Central Asian word for Egypt. (Personal

interview, Nasira Turganbai, 2009). I have not had others confirm these accounts.

Turusbek Madylbai says the famous 19th century Kyrgyz author, Togolok Moldo, wrote that

Kyrgyzstans Sayak Tribe traced their origins from the Nile.


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was built. The Kyrgyz phrase Opol Mountain () is only used to signify

majesty and strength, usually not a geographic location.

...

Meditating before Sunrise

Covered in prayer

Manas, like Opol Mountain40

Orozbakov does give Opol a location, the fort of Manas grandfather, Nogoi.41

Jerusalems Opel mount is only a hill, but must have been an impressive

fortification during Davids dynasty, and as in the epic, may have been used

poetically to conjure images of splendor.

Asa-Musa Staff

Kyrgyz have a straight, hard, light-weight branch which they call Asa-Musa.

Asa is the name for staff, andMusa is Moses. Knowledge of Moses staff may

have entered the Kyrgyz epic later, through Islam since his staff is mentioned in the

Quran:

And We inspired Moses (saying): Throw your staff! And lo!

it swallowed up their lying show.42

40 Jakiev, Beksultan Manas, The Kyrgyz Heroic Epic Translated by the author. (Biyiktyk,

Bishkek, 2007) p. 201.

Davids adoration of mountains is noted in the Quran 21:79, Psalm 15, and Psalm 23

41 Orozbakov, book 1, verse 117

42 Quran 7:117 (Pickthall)


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Moses staff is also a prominent symbol in the Torah.

SolomonKyrgyz have a mountain called Solomons Mountain (Sulaiman Too) in the

southern city of Osh. Osh recently celebrated its 3000 year anniversary, which

situates the citys origin during Solomons reign. As you might imagine, there are

plenty of legends about Solomons kingdom extending to Osh, and tales about

Solomon himself coming to the city and praying on Solomons mountain.

There is one oral tradition I heard about Solomon that is relevant to this study. One

old Kyrgyz lady said King Solomons throne was in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. He had a

Hebrew servant boy. When Solomon was old he told his relatives and advisors to

make sure the Hebrew servant receive his part of the inheritance. After Solomon

died his advisors asked the Hebrew servant what he wanted. The servant said he

only wanted the piece of land under the throne. People asked why he did not want

any of Solomons gold or great treasures. The Hebrew servant said again that all

he wanted was that small piece of land. They gave it to him. The servant dug 70

meters on the spot until he found anInjil(Gospel), which he fled with. Two pages

of theInjilfell out. To this day Kyrgyz have been living from the wisdom of

those two pages, said the old lady.43 Of course there are aspects of this legend

43 I heard this story third hand from a man who was with the lady in the hospital. I have not had

this story confirmed by anyone else.


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that do not line up with history, not to mention biblical chronology,44 but the story

does acknowledge a Kyrgyz-biblical link.

Jobs Healing SpringNot far from Solomons mountain the modern pilgrim can wash in Jobs Spring.

Job is one biblical book that stands out from the rest. Scholars hold a diversity of

opinions regarding the date and origin of Job. Biblical narrative places him in a

city called Uz. Kyrgyz folklore says the waters that healed Job flow from Jobs

Spring in Kyrgyzstans southern province, Jalalabad, near two places originating

with Uz: Uzgon and Uzbekistan.

Tengiri Ata

Kyrgyz often call the Creator Tengiri Ata, or Tengir Ata which means Lord

Father or Fathers Lord. This preIslamic title Lord Father parallels biblical

concepts of a fatherly God:

But now, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.45

And Jesus famous prayer:

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come...46

44 Solomon lived nine hundred or a thousand years before the Injil existed

45 Isaiah 64:8

46 Luke 11:2-4


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Ege or Egederim

Ege is another archaic Kyrgyz title for God. Kyrgyz have a variation,

Egederim (EGE DER IM) which is interesting:

EGE- is a title for God

-DER is a plural suffix

-IM is the 1st person possessive

So Egederim is literally translated my gods, but means my God.

Elohim is a Hebrew name for the singular God. But the -im ending of Eloh-im

is plural, making it gods or Gods. Theologians present various reasons for this

plurality of the one God. The debate is not limited to Kyrgyz and Bible scholars

alone, because the Quranic Allah often refers to Himself as We.47 Lets leave

this section with the acknowledgement that Kyrgyz and Jews and Christians and

Muslims believe in a singular Creator, but often refer to the One God in the plural.

Common Kyrgyz Comments

Some Kyrgyz/Bible proverbs and sayings are worth noting against the backdrop of

biblical themes.

, .

Let me take your curse and be crucified for you.

47 Surah 2:53


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This popular Kyrgyz saying may have astounding implications that we can not

discuss, but we can note that this let me be crucified (or nailed) for you is the

ultimate expression of love for Kyrgyz grandmothers doting on precious

grandchildren. Crucifixion is also the ultimate display of Gods love for millions

who embrace Jesus sacrifice.

The Kyrgyz concept, Let me take your curse and be crucified for you, also

carries images of a substitutional sacrifice, which mirrors Mosaic beliefs and

Jesus later sacrifice. The apostle Paul quotes the Torah when he writes:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a

curse for usfor it is written, Cursed is everyone who is

hanged on a tree48

The Kyrgyz phrase, Let me take your curse and be crucified for you, might sum

Jesus message better than anything the apostle Paul wrote.

, .

Die and be raised. Kyrgyz use this saying when they hate a loved one's behavior,

but not the person. This is not a typical curse thrown out carelessly. The speaker

simply wants the other's behavior to be completely renewed. A similar concept is

at the basis of baptism:

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And

48 Galatians 3:13 (English Standard Version). Authors emphasis added.


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just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious

power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 49

.God will not abandon you. This Kyrgyz saying is a common biblical theme.

One example from Jesus teaching follows: I will not leave you as orphans; I will

come to you.50 Another example can be taken from several biblical references

promising the reinstatement of Israels decimated and scattered tribes.

,

When God says, Let me save, he saves from the red hot coals. This seems to

be a biblical reference to God saving Daniels (Danyars) friends from the

furnace,51 but could also be a reference to God saving one from hell, or perhaps a

reference to God saving at the last minute.

.

Throw food to those who throw stones. This Kyrgyz proverb catches the same

concept from the famous biblical proverb: If your enemy is hungry, give him bread

to eat; And ifhe is thirsty, give him water to drink52

, .

49 Romans 6:4 (New Living Translation). Romans 7:4 also captures the same concept.

50 John 14:18 (New King James Version)

51 Daniel 3

52 Proverbs 25:21 (New King James Version)


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Do what the mullah says, not what he does is a concise Kyrgyz variation of a

similar comment by Jesus,practice and obey whatever they (religious teachers)

say to you, but dont follow their example. For they dont practice what they

teach.53

.

As pure as a virgins child. This seems to be a reference to Jesus virgin birth.

This Kyrgyz quote may have come through Islam, because the Quran claims Jesus

was born after Allahs breath impregnated Mary (Mariam):

And Mary, daughter of Imran, whose body was chaste,

therefore We breathed therein something of Our Spirit. And

she put faith in the words of her Lord and His Scriptures,

and was of the obedient.54

.Let me convene with my rib, is a funny, round-about way of saying, let me get

my wifes advice. This Kyrgyz saying is an obvious reference to the biblical

creation story claiming God made Eve from Adams rib.

Again, there is an unending stream of material in this cultural arena that begs to be

researched. We only nibbled the topic to get a taste of the intricacies contained in

53 Matthew 23:3 (New Living Translation). Parenthesis added by author.

54 Quran, Surah 66:12 (Pickthall)


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this topic. Such a profusion of cultural parallels would be expected if Manassehs

clans did make their way into the Kyrgyz confederation.55

55 Those wanting to experience ancient biblical culture and nomadic world-view might consider

traveling to Kyrgyzstans nomadic camps. My personal experience with the ancient writings was

enhanced by my time among Kyrgyz, where many dead biblical customs came to life.

6 kyrgyz culture

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