Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 48 (3) 2020   DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2020.48.3.124-133

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Karakalpak Family Ritualism:
The Bes Kiyim Custom in the Transformation of Traditional Culture

Z.I. Kurbanova

Karakalpak Research Institute of the Humanities, Karakalpak Branch, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Amir Timur 179 A, Nukus, 230100, Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan

This study describes the bridal and funerary rite of exchanging clothes (Bes Kiyim - ‘Five Costumes’) in the context of the traditions and innovations in the Karakalpak culture. On the basis of field data collected in 2014-2019 and earlier in places with a continuous or patchy distribution of the Karakalpak population (Chimbaysky, Karauzyaksky, Kegeyliysky, Nukussky, Khodzheyliysky, and the Takhiatashsky districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Republic of Uzbekistan) and of earlier sources, changes in ritualism are analyzed. Bridal rites include exchanges of gifts, such as items of clothing. The comparison of sources shows that the Bes Kiyim rite originated in the mid-20th century in the context of socio-cultural changes. It has remained rather stable up to the present time, being an integral part of Karakalpak bridal ritualism. This indicates its importance in the normative culture of that ethnic group. In one district of Karakalpakstan, the term Bes Kiyim was transferred from the bridal to the funerary rituals. The origin of the rite relates to the transformation of the Iyis custom—the distribution of the deceased person’s clothing among those participating in the ablution of the body. In the late 20th century, specially purchased items of clothing began to be used for that purpose. Apparently, the five items distributed among those participating in the rite symbolize the deceased person’s transition to the ancestors’ world. By the same token, the bride’s five outfits allude to her passage to the category of married women and the beginning of her marital life. Therefore, the ritual innovations of the Karakalpaks, caused by socio-cultural and economic changes, mirror the logic and content of traditional family festivals whose complex symbolism relates to status change.

Keywords: Karakalpaks, tradition, transformation, innovation, family rites, ritual exchange, Bes Kiyim custom