Traditional crafts in Kazakhstan: history and present state

Abstract

Annotation. In the end of 2011, Republic of Kazakhstan has ratified the international Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), thereby accepting the responsibility of comprehensive safeguarding of its intangible cultural heritage. Traditional crafts are a part of culture of any ethnic group.

The objective of the present article is to analyze the current state of traditional crafts as one of the main components of Kazakh ICH in comparison with the retrospective status quo. Such an analysis is required for the development of complex of measures to ensure their survival, which will in turn aid continuous transfer of knowledge about the practices within communities, sharing the experience with the youth, as well as raising awareness of the broader society as is required by the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH. Republic of Kazakhstan is mandated to safeguard its ICH as a member of this Convention.

The impact of this article is defined by the pragmatic perspective of obtaining new data on the current state of Kazakh crafts as part of ICH, the development of a complex of practical measures to ensure their survival, the preservation of continuous practice and transfer of knowledge to the youth from both the government and the local communities.

This article was prepared as part of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan project AR09259862 «Study of traditional crafts of modern Kazakhstan: state and preservation ways».

Keywords: intangible cultural heritage, Kazakh traditional crafts, complex measures for safeguarding of ICH