Bubimali Jiahefubai
01 · Lineage & Regional School
From childhood she learned the techniques of dombra playing from her father, and at the age of fourteen she sang in an aitys duet with the akyn Hawani, becoming an akyn singer. Within the regional tradition and school record of Kazakh Aitys in Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang: Ili, Tacheng and Altay are the three principal regions in which Aitys is performed. Aitys grew out of the oral poetry tradition of the Kazakh people, and its performers as a rule learnt the long Hysa epics by reciting them from childhood.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
She was an outstanding orator, with strong powers of adaptation and improvised composition, consummate instrumental technique and a keen sense of rhythm, and her performances were highly infectious. For several decades she devoted herself to aitys singing, the training of successors and literary creation, bringing up a group of bearers of the tradition. She published books including Shige Zheng Tu (Journey of Poems) and Shengming Zhi Hua (Flower of Life), and published numerous pieces in various journals. Within the documented technical tradition of Kazakh Aitys in Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang: Kazakh Aitys is a typical representative of Kazakh quyi, a contest form of performed singing in duet. There is no fixed tune pattern or corresponding vocal style handed down for the Aitys duet; the singers generally raise melody and rhythm out of the language itself according to the content of the duet, and most of them play the dombra to accompany themselves, while some sing unaccompanied with no instrument. The texts of Aitys are all improvised and are not fixed, so the demands made on the performer, that is, the akyn, are very high. An Aitys performer must have quick wits and wide learning, must have the talent of speech that comes ready to the lips, must have insight into the ways of the world and a thorough understanding of human relations, so as to reply in a torrent of words in an instant and to win people by reason and by talent. Because it is a contest form of duet, Aitys performers usually set about extolling themselves and disparaging their rival, seeking to seize the initiative with the first word; the language is biting yet the contestants forgive one another; the victor is not proud and the vanquished is not discouraged by defeat; the victor is modest and courteous and the loser is not ashamed to have lost. An Aitys performance must be held before a gathered crowd, and is usually carried on between performers of different tribes and different regions. With the development of the market economy and the diversification of cultural life, people's aesthetic demands have also begun to change greatly; the younger generation of the Kazakhs is growing ever more indifferent to Aitys, and this ancient traditional art faces the danger of dying out. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "With and without the dombra": Singers usually accompany themselves on the dombra but may also perform unaccompanied, improvising every word. "The rules of the contest": A contest of wits held before a crowd, where biting language is paired with mutual forbearance and graceful defeat. "Historic duets": Among the finest surviving duets, works that stage a contest of skill between two tribes. "Mirror and encyclopedia": Called a mirror and an encyclopedia of Kazakh life, its texts and melodies carry the whole oral tradition.
With and without the dombra
Singers usually accompany themselves on the dombra but may also perform unaccompanied, improvising every word.
The rules of the contest
A contest of wits held before a crowd, where biting language is paired with mutual forbearance and graceful defeat.
Historic duets
Among the finest surviving duets, works that stage a contest of skill between two tribes.
Mirror and encyclopedia
Called a mirror and an encyclopedia of Kazakh life, its texts and melodies carry the whole oral tradition.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
Female, Kazakh, born in February 1933, died in September 2010, a native of Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. National representative bearer of Kazakh Aitys, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. For many consecutive years she took part in aitys singing events and received awards including the Honorary Award, the Meritorious Service Award and the Individual Performance Award. In 1994 the People's Government of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture conferred on her the title of Famous Folk Akyn of the Autonomous Prefecture.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Aitys grew out of the oral poetry tradition of the Kazakh people, and its performers as a rule learnt the long Hysa epics by reciting them from childhood.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubimali Jiahefubai | Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang | 03-1167 | This page |
| Jiamaleihanhalabate | Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang | 04-1714 | Same declared area |
| Wosierhan Jianimuhan | Akesaihasakezuzizhi, Gansu | 05-2502 | Other regional school |
| Hasimuhan Watehan | Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang | 05-2503 | Same declared area |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。