With a population of 111,718, the Kazak ethnic group is distributed
mainly in the Xinjiang Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, Mori and
Barkol Kazak autonomous counties. In addition, they also live in
the Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
The Kazaks are the descendants of the ancient Wushu tribes. These
tribes were driven from their homelands in the Hexi Corridor, but
became an established power in the Ili region by the first century
BC, when the Chinese envoy Zhang Qian courted them.
The Kazaks have their own language and letters which are based
on Arabic letters. The Kazaks lived in mixed communities with the
Hans, Uigurs and Mongolians. They have assimilated many words from
these languages.
Most of the Kazak people engage in stockbreeding. A small number
of the population deals with agriculture and trade. The Kazak people
are also good hunters and horse riders.
The Kazak people live in portable yurts. Milk and meat are their
staple food. Meat, such as mutton, beef and camel, as well as milk
from sheep, cows, and camels are welcomed by the Kazaks.
The Kazaks' clothing consists mainly of sheepskin, fox-skin, deerskin,
and wolf-skin. The men often wear white fabric shirts with high
collars and embroidered edges. They also wear waistcoats with the
shirt and with a short jacket. Girls and young women wear dresses
with embroidered sleeves and pleated skirts. Middle-aged women wear
white fabric veils which are long enough to reach the hips and wide
enough to cover the head, shoulders and waist, leaving only the
face exposed.
Living a herding life, the Kazaks have created a unique pasture
culture. They have created abundant folk literature, in which oral
literature is the most developed. A-kengs, scatter throughout the
pastures and act as the disseminators of Kazak literature. Kazak
dance is characterized by its lightness and liveliness. The Kazak
people play beautiful music with their traditional music instrument,
the Dongbula.
The Noroz Festival is the traditional festival of the Kazak nationality.
The Kazak people regard the vernal equinox (around March 22) as
the beginning of a new year. On that day, people pay New Year's
calls on each other and hold various activities to welcome the New
Year.
The Kazak people believe in Islam. They also celebrate the Corban
Festival, Almsgiving Festival and Kaizhai Festival, as do other
nationalities of Islamic faith.
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