The Romantic Life of the Kazakhs

2 min read

Burqin County is located at the western foothill of the middle part of Altay Mountains and the northern margin of Junggar Basin. The northern and northeastern county borders respectively on Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. It is a border county. The world famous Kanas Scenic Spot is located here, which attracts numerous attentions. The Irtysh River and the Burqin River run through the entire county, a romantic scene with their clear and soft water, accompanying the Kazakhs in their daily life.

Leather weaving objects

The Kazakhs who live a nomadic life on the beautiful Burqin grassland are always accompanied by the hills and rivers in autumn, summer or spring. They gallop and sing and multiply on the grassland. A yurt is a colorful world, conveying the mind of the Kazakhs.

In April, the snow finally began to melt. We finally arrived at Chonghuer Village of Burqin County with the active support of the Culture and Sports Bureau of the county. The road was bumpy; however, luckily, thanks to the good weather, we arrived there without a hitch. Chonghuer Village was out of our expectation. People came in and out of the stores at the crossing in front of the village government, mostly opened by people from Henan.

Leather weaving objects are everywhere in the houses of the Kazakhs. They could be found everywhere as long as you look carefully. The horse and poem are the two wings of the Kazakhs. The horse is a partner of the Kazakhs and a member of the family. Their love for life is fully shown in the horse. Many lether weaving objects are naturally related with the horse. If we compare a horse to a model then leather weaving is demonstrated in every decorating part of the horse. Due to the intimate relationship between the Kazakhs and their horses, many leather weaving objects are connected with horses. We would rather say that what the Kazakhs preserve carefully is a moving world than their leather weaving skills.

When the life of pursuing grass and river is restricted in an increasingly smaller world, leather weaving became a carrier connecting them and their ancestors.