The Kirgiz ethnic group, with a total population of 143,500, is
scattered throughout the southwest of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
A small percentage of this ethnic group lives in northern Xinjiang
and Heilongjiang province.
The Kirgiz history can be traced back to the Jiankun people living
in the upper reach of Yenisei River 2000 years ago. The ancient
Kirgiz people are an amalgamation of the Qidan, Turki, Mongolian
and Uigur peoples. This combination has created the features of
the current Kirgiz.
The Kirgiz have lived a herding life for generations. They created
their own language, based on Arabic letters. During economic and
cultural exchanges, the Han language was gradually adopted into
the Kirgiz Uigur and Kazak languages. The Han language is also used
by the Kirgiz in some localities.
The nomadic Kirgiz live on the plains near rivers in summer and
move to mountain slopes with a sunny exposure in winter. Their material
life is closely related to animal husbandry; garments, food and
dwellings all distinctively feature their nomadic lifestyle The
Kirgiz people live in portable yurts and eat pasture food, such
as mutton, beef, yoghurt, cheese, milky tea, etc, which are welcomed
by other nomadic nationalities. The Kirgiz people believe in Islam
and avoid meat from pig, dog, cat, mouse and other ferocious animals.
The Kirgiz men normally wear a round-collared white shirt with
embroidered edges, or black or blue cotton gowns without a collar.
They wear trousers with wide legs and high boots. Girls wear jackets
with silver buttons down the edges, with black waistcoats or gowns
without a collar. Their pleated skirts are always decorated with
fur at the hem. Men often wear a corduroy cap with a round crown
in green, blue, purple or black and the woman often wear red, green,
or white shawls.
The Kirgiz are renowned singers and dancers. The songs are rich
in content and include lyrics, epics and folk songs. They have over
10 kinds of musical instruments, in which a "kumuzi" (a
kind of *bandore) is especially popular among the Kirgizs.
*Note: a bandore is an anciect musical instrument, similar in form
to a guitar; a pandore. A bandore in Kirgiz means beautiful musical
instrument. The ancient bandore is usually made of Corean pine.
A bandore has three strings.
As with other nationalities of Islamic faith, the Kirgiz celebrate
the Kaizhai Festival, Corban Festival and Almsgiving Festival.
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