Tazy of Almaty province, Kazakhstan, part i

Contemporary human factors influencing the Tazy

At the present time not many people in Kazakhstan can afford to make a living by hunting. If someone is hunting, this is rather a hobby than an essential necessity. This is even truer of hunting with Eastern Hounds of the Kazakh type.
The very social structure of the Kazakhs had changed long ago. More precisely, Kazakh society, as well as the rest of the world, as a result of objective causes, became a part of the so-called modern civilization, which is changing not only people, but also the specialization of the entire ethnic pyramid, including animals, belonging to it.
During the 20th century people of Kazakh nationality lost their entire nomadic culture which is thousands of years old. Now, Kazakhs no longer live in yurts; they use them only as one of a few still remaining traditional elements, as evidence of their ethnic attributes or only as a commercialhedonistic
one. The change of the Kazakhs’ way of life has touched many aspects, the listing of which would exceed the scope of this investigation of the traditions and modern ways of keeping the Tazy.
Naturally, it is impossible to put the historical process in reverse and nobody is interested in doing so. Even the most traditionally oriented Kazakhs cannot imagine themselves outside the settled system of modern civilized principles. None of the “hard core” Kazakhs would pursue his political interests in favor of returning the Tazy to the natural or traditional way of life side by side with a human hunter with the transition back to the difficulties of natural husbandry, barter trading and hardships of nomadic life and dependence on the vagaries of nature. Nobody in Kazakhstan, even on the scale of a small population, would give up the comfortable accommodation of modern life for the sake of this breed, unless it is done in a format of shows and appropriate remuneration in the form of money.
The real attitude towards the breed has its impact on the culture of keeping of the Tazy as a breed, as described in Kazakhstan’s government programs and in the media and also as glorified and trumpeted by ethnically oriented showmen. The breed irreversibly lost its original place. More precisely, it has been sacrificed by man to the new way of life. This is no longer a tendency, but rather an accomplished fact.
Because collective ethnic wisdom accepts the superiority of “adequate civilization”, the sacrifice of the Tazy does not evoke sympathy in response to a universal cry about it as a national catastrophe, because life dictates other priorities. In the future, the place of the breed in the context of the traditional criteria of its preservation will worsen as a result of the reduction of hunting grounds, population increase, regional and international development, expansion into new territories, railroads, pipe lines etc.
The fact of the shrinking of the distribution range of the saiga antelope in the past 40 years indicates how the natural resources on which the Tazy depends have declined. In the 1970s, the antelope was still close to a satellite city called Boroldai (past Russian pronunciation was Burunbai), 10 km from Almaty. At present, to hunt saiga antelope one would need to travel to Jeskazgan steppes (straight distance to
Jeskazgan is 1000 km). Every year, in Almaty Province, a great number of hares, foxes, wolves and other animals are killed because many people have all-terrain vehicles and modern firearms, and night hunting using powerful lighting devices is popular. Evidently, the enforcement of nature conservation measures and beefing up the budget in this area cannot help. The point of no return at level of the civilization has been passed long ago. Possibly the consequent degradation of the breed will extend for the next tens of years. It is very likely that only show lines will remain as part of commercially oriented programs and some populations of hounds in wildlife management kennels with national parks and hunting refuges. The remaining Tazys will lose their special characteristics and will subsequently become absorbed by the colossal number of crossbred yard dogs.

Approaching natural or optimal conditions for raising the hunting Tazy today

Naturally, the Tazy is primarily a hunting dog. At present, in Almaty Province, the most suitable conditions for keeping this dog exist on the outskirts of villages at distances ranging from 50 to 100 and more kilometers from Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan. This allows the Tazy to have the freedom to get into the nearest steppes, river valleys and mountain foothills. This is the only way how these dogs at the present time can feel natural. Besides, this is the distance at which some game still exists and which allows the Tazy to exercise its capabilities. I should mention also that in winter time foxes can be found closer to the city.
Those few hunters, who can afford regular trips to hunt and keep their hounds in conditions most similar to natural surroundings, can expect that their Tazys will retain their essence and purpose which has been preprogrammed in them during past millennia.
It is necessary to point that such a regime for keeping the dogs is not an easy one. At present, it is a difficult ideal not only for country people, but also for kennels, which most often are restricted to keeping their dogs in pens with sporadic sighthound hunts or coursing. A hunting trip in the conditions of such a hunting regime is a significant event involving adventure, drama and pursuit, as well as a kind of adrenaline therapy for hardcore hunters.
A dog breeder or owner concerned with maintaining the breed must have a budget sufficient for the weekly expenses and be completely specialized in keeping Tazys in order follow all traditional canons. For financing such a way of life, the hunter and breeder will need to do cynological pedigree work with all its subsequent commercialization. As a result, he will sell puppies to support financially such an expensive hobby.
At present, in Almaty Province, the type of a dog food determines the conditions for keeping Tazys. Three basic types can be distinguished: “free foods”, “budgetary” and “meat-bone” feeding. Each of these types has its own benefits and disadvantages. It is possible to say that there are no strict rules to follow in these types of feeding regimes.
“Free foods” is a feeding regime which is characteristic of the Kazakh or rather of the livestock keeping way of life, because in the villages Tazys are no longer an exclusive element of Kazakh ethnic culture. Kazakhstan is a multinational country and you can say that now Tazys are kept by people of different ethnicities: Kazakhs, Russians, Turks, Greeks and others.
Despite the shift from nomadic to settled husbandry, the principles of feeding the “free food” type has not changed much. However, at the time of the nomadic way of life, Kazakhs prized Tobets above other dogs and the Tazy above all; at the present time, because of socio-economic factors, in many cases the Tazy has become like other dogs, except for the fact that they can be used for hunting as well as for shepherding and guarding the home, though they are poorly suited to the latter and are often stolen.
Under these conditions, Tazys live free in their own societies. The dogs’ owners, who use this method of keeping them, do not bother, with rare exceptions, about caring for their Tazys. In such free “Tazy communities” puppies are born and raised by the pack. People do not trouble the Tazys. Only one requirement is a must - respect: according to the ancient covenant of the wild between dog and man, the pack of dogs must follow the herds of sheep and the horse riding master.
The “budgetary” type of feeding is used by those Tazy owners who live mainly in cities. These are often beginner Tazy owners who are convinced by the authority of the recommendations found on packages of dry dog food or by the owners of hunting Tazys, who value this food, because it is easier to feed. It also includes food which owners of the Tazy eat. Sometimes this diet is supplemented with vitamins, but more often not, because vitamins are listed in the dry dog food labels. Tazys kept by hunters, despite being fed with dry dog food and despite their smallish stature and their small numbers, catch foxes successfully.
A “meat-and-bone” diet assumes regular feeding with a broad range of meat scraps, such as parts of cow heads, entrails, legs and bones sold on markets and at slaughter houses. In Almaty, one kilogram of such food is sold for 100-200 tenge (from $0.7 to $1.3). On average, 5-7 kg of food is purchased for one dog, depending on its age. The raw meat which is fed twice per week includes different animal parts so the Tazy chews soft tissues as well as cartilage and bones. This is done to develop and train the jaws. An inspection of the remains of one feeding helps to adjust the next one. The uneaten meat products are cooked and fed to adult dogs by portions twice daily. “Meatand- bone” diet needs to be supplemented with vitamins, cooked with the broth, grains and vegetables, such as radish, beets, cabbage, etc.
When feeding a “meat-and-bone” diet, it is considered necessary to take the Tazy to wide open places for a long exercising run after a horse or a car over 20-30 km distance.
A “meat-and-bone” diet enables breeders and hunters to achieve excellent results, if they regularly take their dogs to the steppes for exercise. Tazys kept this way, if taken to joint hunts with other teams, have an advantage both in their appearance and their ability to chase over long distances across difficult terrain. However, special attention should be paid to maintaining regular contact between the hunter and his Tazy. This depends on the age when the Tazy was obtained and on subsequent training to interact with the master and other Tazys.
It is desirable to take puppies away from lactating mothers when they are still blind or soon after they open eyes. During the first month or month and a half such puppies live inside, because of need to secure correct feeding, sanitary care and the right conditions for development. It is important to point out that when grown up after a prolonged period of life from early age in the society of adult dogs under conditions of free space, such as house yard, sheep yard, or a fox hole in the mountains or hills, such dogs will keep their distance from man, being like simbionts, escorting man and his sheep. Participating in the hunting teams, such dogs
follow “the covenant of the wild” with humans and never forget to work well.
After the age of six months, it is considered important to take puppies to hunts together with dogs of other ages as well as dog teams. Thus, they will start acting not only as well socialized dogs, but also as sighthounds with correct hunting behavior and acute reaction to moving game.
Not all Tazys are ferocious with caught game. Among littermates, some are later maturing individuals than others. This is particularly true about young males. Such participation in group hunting with different dog teams of different owners is beneficial for the necessary socialization of the Tazy and accelerating the hunting development of a young dog.

On pedigree work, safety and the transformation of the principles of pricing of aboriginal sighthounds

Except for those Tazys which live in city apartments and kennels with their pens made of wire, this breed is incompatible with limited space and leashes and even more so with chains. The best places to keep Tazys are on the outskirts of villages, situated conveniently to allow them to escape total degradation among other dogs in labyrinths of streets.
For keeping Tazys, it is true that in modern conditions caused by socioeconomical factors it is sufficient to have a large securely fenced plot supplemented with regular exercise and hunting trips in habitats least modified by human activities.
The need for having an “impenetrable” plot in most cases is determined by the frequent theft of Tazys in rural areas and their sale in other regions of Kazakhstan and adjacent countries. It is still not a well-developed industry, but “barymtai on Tazy” is common among certain social groups. Among other things, it is considerably helped by the spread of information and the popularization efforts of this elite breed. This kind of thievery is lucrative, because of the complexity of investigation to find enough evidence and the limited punishment, if a thief is caught.
The use of the term barymtaii, speaking of such intensively promoted national breeds like the Tazy and Tobet, is a social neologism with a satirical streak.
The theft of dogs is radically different from stealing livestock. Thieves sell stolen dogs to other salesmen or use them for breeding themselves. In practice, it is impossible to find the dog and punish the thief. There is no service for searching for lost animals or methods of finding them in the country. Many victims never report the theft to the police. Microchipping is also very expensive and there are no local programs supported by adequate electronic equipment necessary for the identification of microchipped animals.
By the way, the price of a Tazy still in the epoch of Han Tauke (one of the most outstanding state leaders of the Kazakhs) was equal to the price of a kul (slave), according to the law of Zheti Zhargyiii. To understand the principle of pricing a Tazy, it is necessary to explain the importance of a kuliv (slave). In nomadic society this term had a somewhat different meaning than ‘slave’ in Ancient Rome. A kul is a man who does not belong to the system of tribal relationships but he is a dependent part of it. Kuls originated from captives. Slaves were used mainly for work on personal property and around the home of the hereditary steppe aristocracy. Slaveholding as a socioeconomical system did not become established among the Kazakhs and did not spread beyond the limits of patriarchal housekeeping. Keeping kuls as a social institution was superficial and the borders between the social groups and strata were vague. Thus, a kul could become a telengut – mercenary. In the late 19th century, because of the way human rights were interpreted under the rule of the Russian Imperial authorities and the non-recruitment of Kazakhs for participation in military actions, anyone without a certain residence and property could be considered a kul.
A modern equivalent of kuls are migrant workers. They arrive in Kazakhstan from neighboring countries most of the time illegally. The average wage of illegal immigrant workers is about 25,000-60,000 tenge a monthv, which coincides with the average price of a capable hunting Tazy found on the market and in advertisements. Interest in the breed, which is heated up by programs of trendy quasi-national movements, encourages advertisements for puppies at prices up to $500-$800 ($1=T145). Naturally, such advertisements are targeting at breeders and traders from Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and the countries of Eastern Europe and beyond. This is how Tazy trafficking is taking shape. This topic will be discussed in following articles.
Undoubtedly, in the culture of nomadic Kazakhs, a Tazy puppy served not only as a measure of wealth but also as an ethic symbol. It is not just an item of wealth; a Tazy was always considered as a “pass ticket” or a “key” to establishing effective friendly relationships. Thus, puppies out of well-known hounds would replace the payment for a bride and serve as a goodwill gift in inter-tribal diplomacy. Understandably, puppies could be used for bribery too.
At the present time, the majority of Tazy owners have given up on the traditional code for breeding the best hounds. They consider those enthusiast breeders who stick with national traditional ethics regarding the Tazy with the principle of “No selling of Tazy puppies!” as hopeless retrogrades.
In the following article, I will discuss behavioral images of the Tazy, traditional Kazakh methods of evaluating its appearance, as well as some peculiarities of methods of transporting Tazys in cars, veterinary service, care of maturing dogs and other topics.

i «Barymta on Tazy» – a satirical neologism.
ii Barymta – a form of settling tribal disputes concerning such matters as the unlawful taking of livestock, reimbursement for damage caused by herds of horses of a trespasser, when the offender did not obey the decision of the judge; at a later time, it became a form of plunder common between rival tribes. Казахско-русский словарь под редакцией Сыздыковой Р.Г. и Хусаин К.Ш., Алматы: Дайк-Пресс, 2002, стр 542, ISBN 9965-441-62-6
iii «Zheti Zhargy (Seven Laws) is the only preserved document of Kazakh Law from the Khan period of the 15-19 centuries. Kazakh lore attributes Khan Turke as an author of the law. История Казахстана и Центральной Азии. Абусеитова М.Х., Алматы: Дайк-Пресс, 2001, стр. 365, ISBN 9965-441-57-X
iv Kul -1) slave 2) captive, 3) Slave of God, insignificant person. Казахско-русский словарь под редакцией Сыздыковой Р.Г. и Хусаин К.Ш., Алматы: Дайк-Пресс, 2002, стр 542, ISBN 9965-441-62-6

LITERATURE
Syzdykova, R. G. And K. S. Khusain. 2002. Kazakh-Russian Dictionary. Dyke Press, p. 542, ISBN 9965-441-62-6.
M. Kh. Abuseinova. 2001. History of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. (In Russian) Dyke Press, p. 365, ISBN 9965-441-57-X.

Rafael Balgin - Almaty, Kazakhstan
Translation of Vladimir Beregovoy - Virginia, USA