More than a million citizens of the country now identify with this shamanic faith of Turkic-Mongolian origin, based on the cult of nature and altenats. A petition is calling for its official recognition in Astana, but many consider it to be merely a moral philosophy. However, local pre-Islamic traditions survive in Kazakhstan.
Astana () – In recent years, the number of Kazakhstani citizens who adhere to the shamanic religion of Tengrism, of medieval Turkic-Mongol ethnic origin, has increased. Today, they number more than a million people, to the point that its followers have opened a petition on the website epetition.kz requesting legal recognition of their cult as one of the country’s official religions. Experts in the field are quite divided on whether they consider Tengrism a religion or simply a worldview, a philosophy or even a political ideology. However, the basis of Tengrism remains devotion to nature, ancestors and the sun god Tengri.
The petition’s sponsor, Erlan Espenbetov, says that Tengrism is “an important part of Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage” and therefore requires official recognition. He recalls that “Tengrism was the main religion of the Turkic, Uighur and Kyrgyz khanates, and was dominant until 1321, when the Uzbeks introduced Islam as the state religion.” However, Tengri traditions have never completely disappeared; to this day, Kazakhs still adhere to the principle of Žeti Ata (“Seven Fathers”), which does not allow marriage with relatives up to the seventh generation. Other examples include the belief in the aruakhi, the protective spirits of deceased ancestors, and the Nawruz holiday.
Espenbetov claims to be “the one who had the courage to speak openly, while our scholars are afraid of being misunderstood… In order not to be condemned as a sectarian, I myself have thoroughly studied all the dimensions of the phenomenon and have written to the relevant institutions” – namely, the Commission for Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and personally to President Kasym-Zomart Tokaev. Legal expert Mereke Gabdualiev, one of the few who have commented on the matter, believes that “pure Islam has never existed in Kazakhstan, but rather a cross between shamanism and Muslim law.”
Kazakhstanis are familiar with a few suras of the Koran, but on Fridays they traditionally bake Šelpeki, flatbreads with various fillings that do not strictly follow Koranic guidelines. Devotion to the dead, both at home and in public places, often includes the burning of Adyraspan, a plant that dates back to pre-Islamic rituals, and there are several ancient traditions that do not follow the precepts of Sharia. According to religious historian Ajan Oryntaj, followers of Tengrism are very diverse, have no unifying center and there is no general consensus on the main characteristics of their cult.
As the expert explains, “many Tengrians do not consider this belief to be a religion, but rather a moral philosophy, while others demand to be recognized as members of a religious confession, with all legal guarantees.” Tengrism has no sacred scriptures of its own, nor a code of religious norms and rituals. Gabdualiev warns that the danger would be the creation of a caste of pseudo-religious bureaucrats, with excessive authority over the people and society of Kazakhstan.
Ajan Oryntaj stresses that the issue is still hotly debated among experts, not least because there is no consensus on the definition of “religion” in scientific circles: “Normally, this term means a system of belief in some kind of supernatural forces, but this is a very general understanding of the phenomenon.” None of the institutions consulted so far has given an official assessment or response to the requests and petitions about Tengrism.
The petitioners intend to present at least 5,000 representatives from all regions and cities of Kazakhstan, representing communities with at least 300 registered believers, so that they are ready to begin activities at all levels as soon as approval is obtained. Shamanism is officially recognised in Russia for the Siberian ethnic Mongolian population, and Tengrism is proposed as a Eurasian expression of these traditions.
Add Comment