MAIASP. 2025. No. 20 Gaukhar Kaldybayeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Zhanar Yelemessova (Zhambyl village, Kazakhstan) STEPPE CODE: IDENTITY SIGNS (TAMGA—TYPE) OF THE NAYMAN TRIBE (SECOND HALF OF 18th — EARLY 20th c.) DOI: 10.53737/2713-2021.2025.23.21.002 Access this article (PDF File) Pages: 16—32 |
The study focuses on the morphological and spatial analysis of tamgas — markers of group identity — documented in archival, ethnographic, and archaeological sources related to the East Kazakhstan from the late 18th to the early 20th c. The graphic forms of the tamgas were systematized and chronologically correlated with changes in the region’s administrative structure. Based on morphological analysis, stable and adaptive variants were identified and mapped across the study area in a diachronic perspective. The comparison of cartographic data with ethnographic records and information on land use enabled the reconstruction of probable migration routes of individual clans and their intergroup interactions. Additionally, the mechanisms of tamga usage were examined, including their purposes, conditions of application, and situational contexts. |
Key words: tamga, identity signs, nayman, Kazakh clans, Altai, Eastern Kazakhstan, morphology, territorial localization, archival sources. |
Received June 8, 2025 Accepted for publication June 18, 2025 |
About the authors: Kaldybayeva Gaukhar (Almaty, Kazakhstan). Research fellow, Margulan Institute of Archaeology E-mail: odd_story@mail.ru Yelemessova Zhanar (Zhambyl village, Kazakhstan). Research fellow, State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Berel” E-mail: jako_zhan@mail.ru |