Culture in Uzbekistan Cultural Characteristic

Culture in Uzbekistan

CULTURAL Characteristic ONE: A strong musical heritage is an important cultural characteristic of Uzbekistan, according to an article by Alexander Djumaev in the journal Ethnomusicology Forum (Djumaev, 2005, p. 165). Djumaev writes that there were two "key figures" that created the original texts regarding the musical culture in Uzbek. Those figures were Abdurauf Fitrat (who lived 1886-1938) and Abdulla Qodiriy (1894-1940). Unfortunately these two writers were "purged" during the Soviet period of Uzbek ("purged" means they were killed for political reasons). The Soviet communist authorities claimed the two were involved in "bourgeois nationalism" and "pan-Turkism" but in fact the contributions the two writers made "remain crucial even today" (Djumaev, p. 171).

Fitrat published his main research (titled "Uzbek classical music and its history") in 1926. His work provided a "scholarly grounding" for the idea that Uzbekistan indeed had a musical heritage, Djumaev writes. A year later it was published in Arabic script. Fitrat based his justification for a national musicology on four principal aspects (Djumaev, p. 171-72): a) he was the first to attempt a definition of Uzbek music in the culture of the Muslim world as contrasted with European musical culture; b) Fitrat identified Uzbek "classical music"; c) he "integrated achievements of the past into Uzbek musical culture (incorporating Muslim, Persian concepts); and d) he "formulated the principles for the study of traditional Uzbek music" (p. 172). The Soviets took Fitrat's book off the shelves in 1935 and purged him in 1938, but his book has been kept in private collections and in scholarly libraries even today (Djumaev, p. 173).

As to the modern musical tradition that is a cultural characteristic in Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Uzbekistan explains that the "koshuk" is a household song; the "lapar" is part of wedding songs using the "ulan" (performed as a conversation between man and woman); the "dastans" are part of musical heritage -- epic legends -- in Uzbekistan (www.uzbekistan.org).

CULTURAL Characteristics TWO & TREE: women's dance ensemble and the ballet (enjoying and participating in the arts is a cultural characteristic of the Uzbek people). Laura L. Adams asserts in her essay that much of today's culture in Uzbekistan reflects Soviet instituted cultural values, because "there was no unified Uzbek national culture" prior to the repressive Soviet (the Bolsheviks) hegemony (Adams, 1999, p. 358). No doubt exists that "many" Soviet cultural policies had "harmful effects" on the citizens in Uzbek, Adams explains. Other Soviet cultural policies -- like dance and folklore ensembles -- were actually instituted by the Soviets, Adams explains. The women's dance ensemble, "a genre introduced by the Soviets," is accepted in Uzbek culture today as "the most characteristic expression of their cultural identity" (Adams, p. 363) Ironically these ensembles were brought into Uzbek by the Soviets with themes that attempted to "destroy a significant aspect of pre-Soviet culture" -- the seclusion of women.

Keeping women hidden was part of the Muslim culture prior to Soviet hegemony and hence the dance ensemble brought an end to that aspect of Muslim culture. The Soviets instituted women's dance to wipe out that part of pre-Soviet Muslim culture and institute one of their own. The Soviets did not destroy the ballet as part of the Uzbek culture, Adams writes (p. 366); the Uzbek "elite are as proud of their ballet as they are of their national music ensembles" (p. 366).

CULTURAL Characteristic FOUR: Hospitality. An essential part of the Uzbek cultural heritage is hospitality. The country is located at the crossroads where trade routes pass through opening up the door to Central Asia. Many villages had oasis facilities and so caravans passing through would stop and use the hospitality of people in small villages where there was water, shade and rest. The "Silk Road" runs right through Uzbekistan. The hospitality that was shown to these caravans was in the form of safety from the dangers of the road, a place to sleep, food and water for the camels, hot tea, food, and graciousness, according to Central Asian Cultures.

The route through Uzbekistan is called the Silk Road because on many of the "complex overland routes gained their name from the most famous of luxury items" to pass through -- and that was silk (www.centralasiacultures.com/silkroad). It was not just silk that passed through the Silk Road routes; also traders from the west carried other precious commodities like metals, stones, ivory and glass. Traders from the east passing through the Uzbek communities on the Silk Road brought furs, ceramics, jade, iron, along with fruits and vegetables from the rich forest lands or Central Asia (carrots, pomegranates, carrots, apricots and apples, to name a few). The cultural tradition of hospitality continues today in this region.