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boy
ICH Elements 10
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Kazakh traditional Assyk games
Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. The community concerned comprises most of the population of Kazakhstan, including members of the Federation ‘Assyk Atu’ Game as well as the larger community of practitioners, mainly children aged between four and eighteen. The element is an outdoor activity that helps develop children’s analytical thinking and physical state, fostering friendship and social inclusiveness. It is also a good model for positive collaboration, uniting people regardless of their age, ethnic background or religious affiliation. It is widely practised at festive celebrations and gatherings, and the community plays a key role in safeguarding the practice, as well as in popularizing it among other ethnic groups in Kazakhstan, turning it into a national symbol of childhood. It is transmitted from older boys to younger ones through observation, as well as through radio and TV documentaries aimed at encouraging children to play Assyk and acquainting people with their cultural heritage.
Kazakhstan 2017 -
KILOGHUZ-GHUZ
Ritual of bringing spring news, which is performed by boys and teenagers. They visit the houses of the village and congratulate people with upcoming the new spring.
Tajikistan -
LAPARBOZI
A kind of traditional children game played with stones. Boys throw their lapar – stones and hit each other’s stones.
Tajikistan -
KHURUS-JANG
Cock-fight. A kind of traditional game. Boys and young men will raise cocks and let them to fight in a field.
Tajikistan
ICH Materials 49
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Assyk Atu – four main positions for assyks in the game
Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. Main positions are the following (high ranking first): alshi (camel); tai (horse); Buk (goat) and shik (sheep). \nAssyk refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. Common size assyks may be painted bright colours. Main assyk – saka usually is bigger. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language source sassyk may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with assyk is sometimes called ankle bone shooting.\n
Kazakhstan -
Assyk Atu – preparing for a game
Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Main assyk – 'saka' - usually is bigger and dyed in bright colours. \nPlayers use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. Main positions are the following (high ranking first): alshi (camel); tai (horse); Buk (goat) and shik (sheep). \nAssyk refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. Common size assyks may be painted bright colours. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language source sassyk may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with assyk is sometimes called ankle bone shooting.\n
Kazakhstan
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Ancient Kazakh Game Assyk Atu
Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. \nAssyk refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. Common size assyks may be painted bright colours. Main assyk – saka usually is bigger. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language source assyk may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with assyk is sometimes called ankle bone shooting.\n
Kazakhstan 2015 -
Ancient Kazakh Game Assyk Atu
Assyk games have been almost the most popular types of games among the nomadic Kazakhs since ancient times. Assyk is the talus bone of a sheep or a goat. Assyk atu is the oldest game of the peoples of Eurasia, as confirmed by archaeological data. Astragalus-Assykians were found in southern Kazakhstan, in the burial place of Borizhari, dating from between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Assyks were painted, drilled from the inside, and filled with lead, which gave them weight, and allowed players to be more accurate. Boys between 5 and 15 years old have typically been the main players. Assyk games include demon taban, alsha, and cantalapai. While there are many variants of the game, the essence is basically the same—knocking out the main assyk of opponents.
Kazakhstan 2017