National upbringing is inseparably connected with all other branches of the social life of the people, their traditions and customs, signs and beliefs, types of activities and crafts, as well as forms of social order. All this combined determine generally accepted ways of conduct, develop into customs and traditions that guide the formation and development of the personality of the students.
Our ancestors never had a chance to go to school, institutes and universities, did not have their own mass media that were available to people in highly-developed countries. Instead, they concentrated their knowledge and wisdom in rich oral folklore, preserved it and passed to the next generations. What is the fastest way to transmit information in the great steppe with its enormous distances? The word is the key. They believed in the power of the word.
Since folk poetry is created by the people themselves, it is closely connected with their way of life. The events experienced by us directly are the most valuable for us. This is why Kazakh poems and zhyrs are so close to every Kazakh's heart: they contain the feelings and thoughts, traditions and customs of the people. In addition, folklore can reflect the entire history of the people, their hardships and sorrows, their hopes and expectations of the future. Each narrator-improviser was a mentor for his listeners, as he directed their thoughts and feelings towards good intentions.
Kazakh zhyrs (songs about everyday life) can be devoted to сhildcare, upbringing, weddings, funerals, shamanic beliefs, religious traditions. They can be divided into several categories based on their content and topics:
One of the ways of helping the child explore the world is riddles. Riddles are very effective for child's development as they teach to make observations and focus attention on specific aspects of an object, notice its basic features and qualities, find similarities and differences with other objects, compare it with other animated and inanimate objects.
For example, when the right answer is a cart, the riddle can be as follows:
It leaves traces but makes no footsteps,
Its cane does not touch the ground.
Its arms hug the horse,
And it sings its ancient song.
Probably the most difficult kind of riddles is the one about domestic animals. They usually include description of characteristics peculiar to the corresponding animal, its qualities, appearance, functions, etc. Such riddles deepen the child's cognition and thinking. Folk pedagogy knew that starting from an early age, the child should be taught to determine what an object is intended for, its features, what it is made of, etc. Some of these characteristics of an object do not come to mind easily and require careful observation. Thus, people taught their children to be accurate and observant.
Fairy tales. The genre of fairy tales is very diverse. They are divided into magical, everyday, instructive, and tales about animals. Any kind of fairy tales is very close to the soul of the child. Fairy tales teach diligence, intillectual curiosity, and instill love for crafts.
Famous public speaches, words of edification, proverbs and sayings, riddles, tongue twisters – they all rich with folk wisdom. Proverbs and sayings are the result of the nation's experience, they represent the moral code of the people, their vision of education and upbringing. In the ancient Turkic language, proverbs and sayings were called "words of the ancestors". This emphasizes the connecton between the ancestors and descendants.
Proverbs and sayings form a set of the nation's logical formulas and rules. In just a couple of words, they explain what otherwise would require a very long explanation. It may take just a few words to show your great love for the homeland and your own people. For example, "It is better to be a commoner in your homeland than to be a sultan in a strange land.”
Kazakh people have always paid special attention to the upbringing of children and passing on to them the wisdom and experience accumulated over centuries. Our anscestors established rules on how their descendants should choose their future spouses, preserved various wedding traditions, ceremonies and rituals. When a baby was born, a suitable name was chosen for him or her, the cradling ritual was perfomed, later the tie-ups were cut. When the child grew up, he or she was told about the national shezhire (chronicle of the clan) of Kazakh people, about the ancestors, the meaning of the edification words and national wisdom were explained. The child was introduced to the basics of faith, taught to respect the elders, take care and protect the younger, live in peace with neighbors, relatives and other people. A special role was played by aksakals and grandmothers. Mothers-in-law always took an active part in the upbringing of their grandchildren thus easing the lives of their daughters-in-law. Children were surrounded by attention and care. Kazakhs say, "A grandmother is a spring, a child is a lawn on the shore", "The boy raised by father will know how to sharpen an arrow, the daughter raised by mother will be able to cut out a fur coat."
"Teach your child starting from early years", says the folk wisdom. In the upbringing of children, special attention was paid not only to edification, advice, and control, but also to games. A game was believed to be the beginning of all arts. Our ancestors understood that a game is not just a way to pass the time having fun, but it also serves the aim to train certain abilities.
Parents. The ancient tradition of Tengri worshiping ensured caring attitude towards nature and respect for the ancestors through worshiping aruaks, i.e. spirits of ancestors. Starting from those ancient times, respecting one's parents has been an inalienable characteristic of all Turkic peoples, including Kazakhs. A sense of duty to one's parents will always be a universal measure of humanity of every person. We must be grateful to our fathers who gave us life and brought us up, and to our mothers who carried us for nine months, gave us birth, fed us and loved us.
Preparing boys and girls for independent lives. Children were taught to listen to their hearts in the search of true love. They were told fairy tales about pure love. At the same time, parents always remembered that along with fairy tales, it was also necessary to tell other kinds of stories to their children.
In stories and fairy tales, it is often told about how girls chose their future husbands. It was common to test possible candidates. They might be asked to build a house, grow a tree, win a horse race, solve a difficult riddle, or show excellence in a specific craft. The girls accepted the marriage proposal only if the candidate has passed the test. So boys knew that, in order to win a girl's heart, they have to be brave, inventive and persistent.
Upbringing of children, boys and girls alike, has always been of utmost importance in any Kazakh family. It was believed that a positive influence needed to be exerted on the child already in the womb of the mother. Development was perceived as a permanent process. In people's understanding, it was not limited to young age only. Adults and even the elderly were expected to continue to develop too through accumulation of life experience and wisdom.
The ultimate source of folk pedagogy is life. A book is believed to be a friend, adviser and source of knowledge. Kazakhs say, "Power is in knowledge, and knowledge is in books." Our ancestors' worldview, their understanding of person-environment relations, attitudes to the world, beliefs and ideas were formed as a result of their own experience and traditions of the past transmitted from one generation to another orally.
Labor nurturing in the family is based on the adults’ experience. Changes that have occurred over time are taken into account, and result in the emergence of new rules of upbringing in accordance with the dictates of the time.
Games for children are not only a way to pass the time, entertainment, joy and pleasure. Many children's games help to instill good human qualities, educate aesthetics and develop physical strength. These games, to name just a few, are Sokyr Teke, Kok Siyr, Borik Zhasyrmak, etc. At tois and during ait, the aul youth still play national games such as Kyz Kuu, Kokpar, Audaryspak, etc. These games contribute to physical education.
Kazakhs usually divide young people into three groups. There are specific games for each age group.
|
1-7 years of age |
infancy |
ancient Kazakh games |
|
7-10 years of age |
teenage |
active games |
|
15-30 years |
youth |
sports games |
Kazakhs couldn't live without games, even during travels the youth held various competitions. To make sure that their children grew up without flaws in character, intellect, behavior and even pronunciation, people would come up with various games. One of these games is tongue twister competition.
According to the traditions, when young people gathered to have fun together, they had to sing and read poetry. If they could not, then they should say tongue twisters. The leader of the game said a tongue twister fast and without any flaw, and other players had to quickly repeat it.
An example of national games that contribute to the child's development is a tongue twister game. This game was used particularly often with children who had flaws in pronunciation and could not clearly pronounce certain sounds. There are special tongue twisters (often in the form of songs) for specific sounds and/or pairs of sounds. This game allows parents to help their chidlren to learn to pronounce each sound correctly and in its place.
The use of folk pedagogy leads to comprehensive development of children, including the process of socialization.
Tongue twisters, poetry and other kinds of oral folk art not only help instill moral values but also serve as a means for getting rid of the pronunciation mistakes.
Folk pedagogy has been and will remain a valuable and effective tool that has been formed and perfected for centuries.
Folk education program for training a well-rounded person is extensive. Forms of its implementation are numerous. The very life of your own people influences the personality formation. Everything influences, everyone influences and everyone is influenced.
Our people have a clear understanding of what a well brought-up person should be like: it invlolves not only eloquence and nice manners, but also willingness to work hard, humane attitude, and pursuance of the beautiful. The best qualities of a person existed not just in the form of words and wishes – they were made real through careful targeted influence on children. So, there was no discrepancy between words and actual deeds.
Folk traditions of upbringing have become widespread among people, which has lead to their consolidation. There are many ways to influence people's feelings and consciousness. Traditional blessings and bata exert a strong impact. Children, when they got old enough, swore loyalty to the family and home aul. Public opinion has always supported those who kept their words and vows.
The most effective tool for children and young people is games. Folk pedagogy considers them as a strong development factor. People say, "A parent, who raises children, should play like a child; and a teacher, who teaches children, should think like a child."
Games are not just a way for children to pass the time or entertain themselves. Many of them are aimed at the development of physical strength, aesthetic taste and humanity.
The most popular games among Kazakhs are the ones related to horses. They say, "a horse is a young man's wings". There are two games that are particularly important to Kazakhs. They are horse racing and kokpar. Both of these games require from the riders to become one with the horse. The history of these games can be traced back to ancient times, and they are still extremely popular now. For example, kokpar has preserved some signs of ancient turkic beliefs. For instance, it is known that nomadic peoples worshiped grey wolves. They believed that these animals have magical powers. Ancient Turkic tribes believed that they had common roots with the grey wolf. The traces of these beliefs can be found not only in legends, but also in the game of kokpar.
This game is made special by the fact that the role of the ball is played by a goat carcass. The goat was chosen for a reason: its skin is relatively durable, so it doesn't gets torn easily during the game. To win the game, the player needs to try to snatch the goat carcass out of the opponent's hands, and try to throw the "ball" into the opponent's goal. There are two varieties of the game: zhappai or takym tartys (every man for himself) and doda (competition between two teams). At the moment, kokpar is gaining popularity, both in Kazakhstan and in other countries of Central Asia.
Asyk. This is one of the national games played on tois together with horse games, checkers, and togyzkumalak. It is played both indoors and outdoors, as well as on special playgrounds.
Types of asyks are saka and kenei. For saka, the right asyk of koshkars, or a two-year-old ram is used. Kenei is a common name for the asyks of various animals, such as a sheep, goat, saiga, lamb, or kid.
The game called "Khan" can be played by from two to six people. Each player puts a few keneys at stake. As a rule, forty asyks are taken plus the khan, which makes it forty one. One asyk is chosen for the khan. It is not included in the number of keneys.
Bektas. Two or three players can participate in this game. Five asyks are needed to play bektas. In some regions, round stones are used in this game instead of asyks. Players take turns throwing asyks and hitting one of them. The asyk that was hit is put aside. Then goes the second asyk. The rest are hit in the same way and collected.
In the second round, the player has to hit two asyks with one. In the third round, not two but three; in the fourth round – four. In the fifth round aysks are held in the palm of the hand, and the task is to throw them up and catch. The rounds get more and more difficult. The player who has successfully passed them all is the winner. The remaining players get their punishments depending on how far they were behind from the winner.
There are different types of punishment: pinching, scratching, slapping, etc. Since the index finger gives the strongest slaps, it is allowed to use other fingers instead depending on the age of the opponent.
Taike. From two to five (sometimes six) players can participate. Smooth flat surface is required for the game. A straight line is drawn on the play ground, then the players put one or two keneis each along that line leaving short distances between them. Players take turns making three steps back from the line and throwing their sakas. If it shows taike, the player can go on and shoot at keneis without having to wait for other players to throw their sakas. While shooting at keneis, if it is taike, the players gets all asyks on the line. If it is alshy, the next player gets the turn, and the game goes on. If the saka thrown by the player falls on the alshy, the other players shoot on his saka, if they hit it, then it is taken out of the game. If the saka of the shooting player falls on taike, he also picks up the keneis. In case of an accurate hit, he takes the due, and again throws up his own saka. If it is neither alshy, nor taike, players take turns aiming and shooting at the keneis. In case of a hit, they win the asyks. The player who hits the target but steps over the line can not take the kenei he won. There is a penalty for stepping over the line. The player shooting at keneis continues until he misses.
Shyk Eter. The difference between this game and taike is that players have only one shot that has to be made standing on the line. If the player hits a kenei, he takes it. If he misses, he waits for the end of the game. After each player has made his shot, all of them get together in a circle. All asyks are put together. The first player throws his saka, and if he hits an asyk, he takes all asyks that lie on the same side as the saka that he has just thrown. This is called "zhabailatu".
Shyr. From two to five players take part in this game. A circle is drawn where each player puts one or two asyk. This is called a "shyr". Players throw up their sakas to determine who takes the first turn. The first player throws his saka to such a place where other players could not hit it with their throws. This position is called zhattym. If somebody's saka is within reach, a players can throw his own saka at it. If he hits it, he says, "Killed". The player whose saka was hit leaves the game. After that, the player can continue shooting at other players' sakas trying to "kill" them. Or he can shoot at shyr exactly from the same place where the "killed" saka was.
The player has the right to pick up all asyks that lie on the same side as his saka. After that he starts to shoot keneis. If they fall in pairs, the player takes his prize and continues the game. If they fall separately, the player remains where he is. If there is no pair, but the saka shows alsha, it can be put somewhere further. This rule also applies when the saka is thrown to hit another saka. If there is no hit, and the saka lies on its top or bottom side, it stays at the same place. The next player now can "kill" it. The winner in this game is the one who either has "killed" all other sakas or broke the shyr and scored maximum points. The fact that players are quite far from each other and from the shyr makes the game even more difficult. The winner of the previous game starts the next one.
Bestaban (five footsteps). In some regions, it is known as ushtaban (three footsteps). Asyks are put in a row at a distance of one footstep from each other. This row is called 'the stake'. The order in which players throw is determined in the same way as described above. The main goal of the game is to hit the asyks in such a way that they move from their original position by the distance of at least five footsteps. In this case, the player takes this asyk to himself. If the player hits an asyk but it bounces off by less than five footsteps, it remains where it is. Players begin the game from the starting line, but each subsequent shot is made from the place where the saka fell. This game requires accuracy.
Iirsok. It is also known as “uiirmekil”. This is a game for two. First, they throw up their sakas to determine the order they will play in. The player whose saka shows alshy is the first. He throws four keneis onto the ground and asks the opponent to guess how many pairs of asyks there are. For example, two asyks fell on the alshy side, three on the taike, etc. The second player also throws the keneis onto the ground. If asyks fall exactly the same as was told, he wins. There is always a certain punishment for the loser.
Asyk has many other sub-types. They play a significant role in instilling in children such qualities as dexterity, carefulness, persistence, and prudence.
Kazaksha Kures. This is one of the earliest Kazakh games. Kazaksha kures is a sport that is inextricably linked with the life of the nomadic Kazakh people. Compared with other marital arts, kazaksha kures has some distinctive features. Before the Soviet era, kazaksha kures competitions were held only in compliance with the traditions or during tois and celebrations. There was a motto "force does not recognize kinship", so no distinctions were made in terms of the weight, age and other characteristics of fighters, even a father and a son could fight against each other. In addition, there were no clearly defined rules. The strongest won. Most competitions took place during tois and celebrations, but sometimes even a domestic conflict could lead to a kazaksha-kures-style fight. The best fighters were well-known among people.
Kazan Dop. Players gather on a flat ground, draw a large circle, and dig a small pit (about 10 cm deep) in the center. This is the kazan pit. The distance between the circle line and the pit should be about half a meter. The game is played by five or six players. Each player has a stick, about one and half meters in length, with a curved end. A medium-sized ball is used. All the players, except the game leader, stand in a wide circle, at the distance of about one meter from each other. Each player digs a pit in front of him. Standing outside the circle, the game leader tries to move the ball with the stick between the players and throw it into the kazan pit. Other players try to prevent him from "scoring", but at the same time they have to defend the pit in front of them which is considered protected only if the end of the stick is in it. The game leader tries to get inside the circle with the ball. When he finally succeeds, players quickly change places. The game leader, like everyone else, tries to occupy a free pit by placing the end of the stick into it. Whoever stays left without a pit is the new game leader.
Another kind of this game is called "Kyz Dop". This game is mainly played in the northern and eastern regions where winters are long and there is a lot of snow. Players dig a pit in the snow (the kazan pit) and smaller pits around it, at the distance of 1.5 - 2 meters. These small pits are called "otau". Each player has a stick with a curved end. A small ball is used for this game. It used to be made from light wood. This little ball was called "kyz dop". In order to determine who will be the game leader, all players throw the ball as high as they can. The player with the lowest throw becomes the game leader. Other players need to defend the pit in the center, as well as the ones right in front of them. At the beginning of the game, each player places the end of the stick into the pit located in front of them. The game leader tries to "score" by placing the ball into the kazan pit. The game leader's aim is not only to score but also to "steal" another player’s otau. Whoever stays without an otau becomes the new game leader. There is always only one game leader, no matter how many players there are. The game teaches teamwork, develops the ability to work towards achievement of the common goal, improves motor functions.
Hot Ball. This game is played in open areas. For this game, you need a small ball. It used to be made from the cow wool sprinkled with water and rolled in palms. Nowadays, rubber balls can be used. A one-meter-long stick with a curved end is also required.
Kyzmai Dop. This game is played in open areas. In order to play it, you need a small ball. In former times, such balls were made of wool sprayed with water and rolled into the right form. Nowadays, rubber balls can be used. Just like in the previous game, a one-meter-long stick with a curved end is also required.
Zhanylma. A group of children gather in the field. They stand in a circle holding hands. With the help of the counting-out game, one child is selected. He or she stands in the middle and recites a poem or tells a story. He or she accompanies the narration with various gestures and movements. All other players need to repeat exactly what the person in the center is doing. If a certain player cannot do that, he or she loses, and now it is his or her time to stand in the circle. The game helps to develop creativity, attention, and carefulness in children.
Baikap Kal! In this games, players are divided into two teams. Each team may choose a captain. From 15 to 20 different small items are put onto the table and covered with with a rag. Captains prepare the list of items in advance. All the items on the table are uncovered for one minute only. Then each team needs to write their own list of items that they have just seen (without looking into the captain's list). The team, whose list is the most accurate, wins. The game develops visual and mental memory.
Audaryspak. This game is one of the most spectacular, interesting and exciting ones. Audaryspak is fighting on horses. Only the best riders are allowed take part, because this games requires exceptional endurance, strength, agility and excellent ability to stay in the saddle. The task of each player is to push the opponent out of the saddle.
Baige (horse racing). It is a very famous and well-developed game. The number of players is usually not limited. Before the start of the racing, the distance is set, and the route is planned. Players must clearly know where the starting and the finishing points are. At the beginning of the race, all riders line up at the same position (start). When the signal is given, the racing begins. Whoever reaches the finish line first becomes the winner of the baige. This person is usually given generous prizes and gifts.
Zhorgha Zharys. Competitions on pacing horses. A kind of race for horses with special softness and rhythm in their walking and running. The number of participants is not limited. When pacing, the right front and right rear (front left and right rear) legs of the horse move forward simultaneously. During the competition, good pacers never switch to normal running. For each violation of this rule, pacers are fined; after the third violation, they are removed from the competition. It is common for girls and young women in festive national costumes to take part in such competitions. In the old days, organizers of competitions did not set any specific distances. For example, it could be the distance between two auls. The winner is the one who reaches the finish line first without breaking any rules.
National sports and folk games play an important role in the civic and patriotic upbringing of the youth. The problems of developing civil and patriotic education of young people deserve the greatest degree of attention, since they are the ones who will determine the future directions of our society's development and security of the country in general.
Promotion of national sports among youth is an integral part of civic and patriotic education. Preservation of national traditions and customs is the result of centuries-long educational activities of our ancestors. Through the system of national traditions, each nation reproduces itself, its spiritual culture, and distinctive features of national psychology.
One important aspect of the national traditions is the Kazakh national sports. National sports are traditions because they meet the general requirements of the categories of traditions for a number of reasons: they are formed historically, they are passed on from generation to generation, and contribute to instilling the feelings of duty, honor, pride, patriotism in members of the national community. National sports promote the consolidation of certain norms of ceremonies, rites and rituals, thus strengthening their emotional and psychological impact on people. At present, Kazakhstan is actively working on the promotion and development of national sports.
The system of patriotic education aims to ensure the formation of an active position in life among young people, promote their inclusion in solving national problems, create conditions for the formation of statesmanship, and develop the skills and habits of acting in accordance with the national interests of the country.
Questions for students’ knowledge assessment:
Literature:
1.Жарыкбаев К., Калиев С. Қазақ тәлім-тәрбиесі. Алматы, «Сана», 1995
3.Қалиев С. Халық педагогикасының тағылымдары. //Бастауыш мектеп-1991-№5 – 26 б.
6.Абилова З., Калиева К. «Этнопедагогика оқулығы» Алматы 1999.