Karakalpaks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the medieval border-guards of the Kievan Rus that are known by this name, see Cherniye Klobuki.
| Karakalpaks | |
|---|---|
| Total population | 550,000 (est.) |
| Regions with significant populations | Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey |
| Language | Karakalpak |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Related ethnic groups | Other Turkic people (Kipchaks, Kazakhs, Turkmens, etc) |
The Karakalpaks are a small ethnic group of Turkic people who mainly live in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and in the (former) delta of Amu Darya on the southern shore of the Aral Sea. The Karakalpaks probably number about 550,000 worldwide, out of which about 500,000 live in the so-called Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, which in reality has little autonomy, being essentially no more than a province of Uzbekistan, albeit the largest one (Richardson and Richardson, 2005).
Contents |
[edit] Homeland
The Karakalpak population is mainly confined to the central part of Karakalpakstan that is irrigated by the Amu Darya. The largest communities live in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, and the surrounding large towns, such as Khodzheli, Shimbay, Takhtaitash, and Kungrad. Rural Karakalpaks mainly live on former collective or State farms, most of which have been recently privatised. Many rural Karakalpaks have been seriously affected by the desication of the Aral Sea, which has destroyed the local fishing industry along with much of the grazing and agricultural land in the north of the delta. Karakalpaks have nowhere to go. The majority of Karakalpakstan is occupied by desert - the Kyzyl Kum on the eastern side, the barren Ustyurt plateau to the west, and now the growing Aral Kum to the north, once the bed of the former Aral Sea.
Although their homeland bears their name, the Karakalpaks are not the largest ethnic group to live in Karakalpakstan. They are increasingly being outnumbered by Uzbeks, many of whom are being encouraged to move into the rich agricultural region around Turtkul and Beruni.
[edit] Language
The Karakalpaks speak the Karakalpak language, which is very close to Kazakh. Both belong to the Kipchak family of Turkic languages.
[edit] Origins
The word Karakalpak is derived from the Russian Cyrillic spelling of their name and has become the accepted name for these people in the West. The Karakalpaks actually refer to themselves as Qaraqalpaqs, whilst the Uzbeks call them Qoraqalpogs. The word means "black hat" in Turkic and has caused much confusion in the past, since some historians have attempted to link them with other historically earlier groups, who have also born the appelation "black hat". Many accounts continue to falsely link the present day Karakalpaks with the Cherniye Klobuki of the 11th century, whose name also means "black hat" in Russian. In fact the Cherniye Klobuki were a cadre of mercenary border guards who worked for the Kievan Rus. They were of mixed tribal origin and many adopted Christianity and became settled agriculturalists. There is no archaeological or historical evidence to link these two groups, apart from the fact that their names have the same meaning.
Recent archaeological evidence indicates that the Karakalpaks may have formed as a confederation of different tribes at some time in the late 15th or the 16th centuries at some location along the Syr Darya or its southern Zhany Darya outlet, in proximity to the Kazakhs of the Lesser Horde. This would explain why their language, customs and material culture is so very similar to that of the Kazakhs.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Richardson, D. R. K, and Richardson, S., Karakalpak Demographics (2005), *[1]
