Kazakh

Asiapastoralists
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expand_more Description

The Kazakhs are a central Asian people who live mainly in the Republic of Kazakhstan and in the Xinjiang Uigur autonomous Region of China. The Kazakhs constitute over 60 percent of the population of Kazakhstan. Their language, Kazakh, is a Turkic language most closely related to Kirgiz and Tatar. Traditionally, the Kazakh were migratory pastoralists who lived in yurts in summer and adobe houses in winter. Their main diet consisted of meat and dairy products from the family herds supplemented by a variety of grains. In recent times most Kazakh have become settled agriculturalists. Traditional Kazak society was organized along descent group lines which played significant roles in regulating marriages, land rights, and religious ceremonials.

Identifier
Region
  • Asia
Subregion
  • Central Asia
Subsistence Type
  • pastoralists
Samples
Countries
  • China
  • Kazakhstan
External Links