Kazakh Aitys
01 · Historical Records
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 · Core Techniques & Process
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.
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.
Bubimari Jiahefubai
A noted akyn honoured by the Ili prefecture in 1994, she published poetry collections and trained successors.
Jamalhan's famous duet
Jamalhan made her name in 1963 with a duet against Saiden and trained more than sixty younger akyns.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Ili, Tacheng and Altay are the three principal regions in which Aitys is performed.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Kazakh Aitys.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Its traditional items mainly express the history, culture and feelings of the Kazakh people; from the texts to the music they are full of the marked characteristics of Kazakh oral literature and musical culture, and they have outstanding historical and cultural value. Aitys is honoured as a "mirror" and an "encyclopaedia" that reflect Kazakh social life in an all-round way, and can be called an artistic treasure of the Kazakh nation. Bubimari Jiahefubai (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): She is outstanding in eloquence, strong in her ability to improvise and to compose on the spot, and accomplished and rhythmically assured in instrumental technique, and is highly expressive. For several decades she has devoted herself to sung performance, the training of talent and literary creation; she has trained a group of inheritors, published books such as Journey of Poetry and The Flower of Life, and has published many works in various magazines. A woman of the Kazakh nationality, born in February 1933, died in September 2010, a native of Chabuchar Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Representative inheritor of Kazakh Aitys of the third national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects. She took part in Aitys sung performance for many consecutive years and won an honorary prize, a meritorious prize, an individual performance prize and other awards. In 1994 the People's Government of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture conferred on her the title of eminent folk akyn at prefecture level. Jamalhan Halabate (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): A woman of the Kazakh nationality, born in May 1940 in Emin County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. From childhood she learned poetry, proverbs and the Kazakh narrative epic "Hysa" from her parents, and can recite and sing many Kazakh folk long poems, so that she built up a good artistic grounding. In 1958 she began to take part in akyn duets, and in 1963 she became famous overnight through The Duet with Saiden. She is quick in thought, clear in voice and excellent in speech; she is good at weaving knowledge of folk tales, proverbs, customs and rites into her duets, and her gift for improvising on the spot is outstanding, so that many of the works she has sung and composed have become classics. She has composed and published a number of works. Representative inheritor of Kazakh Aitys of the fourth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage projects. She has trained more than sixty successors, many of whom have already become fine akyns. She has gone abroad many times to perform and win awards, and is one of the well-known female akyns of modern times.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Bubimali Jiahefubai 03-1167
- Jiamaleihanhalabate 04-1714
- Wosierhan Jianimuhan 05-2502
- Hasimuhan Watehan 05-2503
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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