DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROFESSIONS CONDUCTED BY NOMADIC KAZAKHS OF THE SEMIRECHENSKAYA REGION IN THE LATE XIX AND EARLY XX CENTURIES

Abstract

The article examines various types of crafts practiced by the nomadic Kazakhs of the Semirechye region at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The analysis is based on data from the statistical cadastral historical source "Materials on the Survey of Indigenous and Russian Settler Economy and Land Use..." (hereinafter referred to as MKZ). The author discusses agricultural, trade, handicraft, free, cottage, and other types of crafts in the districts of Jarkent, Lepsy, Verny, and Kopal. It is shown that between 3% to 15% of the nomadic population engaged in these crafts in the districts. Using statistics, it is demonstrated that a small number of adolescents and women participated in these crafts, with the number of adolescents significantly exceeding that of women. The study explains why and for what purpose the income from crafts is presented not only in rubles but also in livestock (sheep). Calculations of income from crafts per family and per member in the districts show that agricultural crafts (herders, laborers, unskilled workers, horsemen, plowmen, harvesters, mowers, drivers, etc.) were the main source of income, thus the author directly proves the livestock-oriented nature of the livelihoods of the region's inhabitants.