Nomadic Culture’s Place Names Named After the Cult of Domestic Livestock

Abstract

The given research considers toponyms of the Republic of Kazakhstan related to the names of domestic livestock, their species, and products as nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of domestic livestock. The total sum of 341 toponyms named after the cult of domestic livestock from all 14 regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan were taken as the data of the study. They were assembled from different geographical maps of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and they were divided into five main groups that were named after the five main species of domestic livestock. They are: 1. Nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of horses; 2. Nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of oxen; 3. Nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of camels; 4. Nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of sheep; 5. Nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of goats. The complex analysis of research data revealed the percentage of each of the five groups mentioned above; it also identified the 15 most common toponyms named after the nomadic cult of domestic livestock and assisted in classifying the mechanisms of naming nomadic culture’s toponyms named after the cult of domestic livestock. As a result, this research proposes a pioneering classification of mechanisms for naming nomadic culture’s place names, which can manifest some peculiarities of nomadic culture. It also revealed that 56 percent of the 341 toponyms, which were used as data for the study, are associated with the cult of horses. Words associated with the cult of horses in Kazakh culture are widely used in toponyms and serve various functions. These include providing information about incidents that occurred at specific locations, as well as describing the features of geographical objects using characteristics associated with horses and their breeds. The second group of place names in nomadic cultures, named after the cult of domestic livestock, is dedicated to the cult of camels. These constitute approximately 16 percent of all nomadic place names related to the cult of domestic livestock. Camels have played a role in the lives of Central Asian nomads similar to that of horses. Similarly, place names in nomadic cultures associated with the cult of camels serve functions akin to those related to the cult of horses. The Kazakh people even name their children using names that contain elements associated with the cult of camels. The third significant group of place names within the nomadic culture, which is attributed to the worship of domestic livestock, pertains to the cult of sheep. This category constitutes ten percent of all place names related to the nomadic culture's veneration of domestic animals, marginally surpassing the last two groups of such toponyms by only one percent. In Central Asia, nomadic peoples primarily raise sheep for their meat and wool. The Kazakh people have numerous traditions linked to the sheep cult. Even the bones of sheep have been and still are used as toys during national Kazakh games such as “asyk oinau.” The etymological aspects and word structure of toponyms of a given group were studied, and the results of the research contain new details about the etymology of some nomadic culture’s place names that were considered as the data of the study. The whole research process was conducted in three main phases: the phase of reviewing literature and collecting geographical names; the phase of studying etymology and word structure of research data and identifying the 15 most frequent nomadic culture’s toponyms; and the phase of identifying and classifying the main mechanisms of naming nomadic culture’s place names named after the cult of domestic livestock.

Received: 14 July 2024 / Accepted: 20 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024