THE UBIQUITOUS SHEEP

Sheep have an important place at the heart of Kyrgyz culture — probably, rivaled only by that of the horse.

Sheep were, however, far more important in economic terms than the horse. They were much more versatile in that they provided the nomadic Kyrgyz with meat, fat, milk and wool for the felt — which was then turned into shyrdaks, ala kiyiz, hats (the traditional kolpak), jackets and even yurts. Each and every part of the animal will be used and nothing is allowed to go waste. For example, a sheep's skin provided the sack in which khoumiss is stored and stirred. A family needed at least some 33 sheep to provide for all their needs — meat, milk, cheese, fat, wool.

The population of Kyrgyzstan has always been outnumbered by it«s livestock : sheep, horses, goats, cattle, and yaks (and a few pigs and camels). Sheep made up something like 60—75% of the total livestock and so numerous and important were they, that, (it is said), Kyrgyzstan was able to provide all the sheepmeat to meet the needs of the whole of the Soviet Union. Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, numbers fell drastically — and have only recently started to increase again.

At a feast the guest of honour is presented with the head of a sheep and expected to cut off the juiciest part. The sheep's eyes are held to be a great delicacy — but if the thought of eating the eyes or the brains does not appeal then the guest can simply cut off a tip of the ear … and place it on the side of their plate. The ears are normally a delicacy given to young boys — a symbol that they should listen to their mothers. Other parts of the body also have symbolic importance attatched to them. In winter, sheep milk would be used to make small balls of chese (korut) — which formed the main source of protein.

There is a saying that «cheap mutton has no fat». If you visit a market, of see sheep tied up on the side of the road — (ready for sale to some passing motorist) — don't be surprised to see a potential buyer lifting up the rear legs to examine the animal to check how much fat the body carries.

Even in the towns, it is not unusual to see sheep grazing in a fenced off paddock or garden. If you see one tethered in the yard of an apartment block — it is probably destined for slaughter, to provide meat for «besh barmak» — for some family occasion.

Sheep have been used as a means of measuring a man«s wealth, as were horses and yurts. A Khan or bai may have thousands — and a poor man just one or two. Even today some people talk about the cost of a driving lisence being equal to «one and a half sheep».

One of the standards patters which are found in traditional Kyrgyz crafts — for example, on shyrdaks — are the Ram's Horns.

Sheep have even played a part in shaping the landscape, as flocks of sheep would be marched to the jailoo, (mountain pastures) each spring and back down the mountains again in the autumn. In thew days of the Soviet Union, large numbers of sheep were regularly marched over the mountains from the Chui valley to the Suusamyr plain — but since this practice has come to an end — many of the tracks are no longer cleared each spring. The Kyrgyz phrase for a path, «koi jol», translates as «sheep road».