Have you ever wanted to live like a Nomad? Live in a yurt? Travel around the steppe on your horse? Engage in combat with other nomads? Eat delicious foods? Maybe you’re on edge about committing to it. Well, if you want to get a taste of this lifestyle, visit Ethnocenter “Nomad.”
“Nomad” is located in the foothills an hour west of urban Almaty. In the center of the camp stand Yurts.
Yurts are round, tented structures, built to be portable, thus facilitating the nomadic lifestyle. The insides of the yurts are meticulously designed: Every item found inside a yurt has a purpose beyond its aesthetics. Since movement was guaranteed, it was easier to own only the necessities.
Yurts contained beds, chests for personal items, and a table in the center for meals. The walls and floors are covered with animal skins to keep the warmth inside during the harsh winters of the steppe.
In another yurt, visitors are treated to a traditional Kazakh meal. The staple of Kazakh cuisine is Beshbarmak which consists of flat squares of egg noodles topped with horse meat. Other dishes include chicken, salads, and baursaki, a fried dough dish that visitors have the opportunity to help make themselves.
Encircled by the yurts is a small fireplace. Here, the baursaki, among other dishes, is made. The dough is rolled out, cut, folded, and tossed into boiling oil. There it remains for only a few seconds until it has puffed up and turned golden brown. Then, it is removed from the pot and served.
The third yurt displays the craftsmanship of the nomads. Outside of the door visitors can help weave a rug out of straw. It’s a passive project, taking about 2 weeks to complete one rug. Inside are completed projects and works-in-progress. Visitors are welcome to watch as smaller, intricately crafted pieces are hypnotically woven together. Visitors are offered the opportunity to learn how to weave in this style as well.
Behind the yurts is a large, open field. Approaching the field, visitors are greeted by men on horseback who are dressed in armor and carrying weapons. The armor and the weapons are varied to account for different fighting styles.
Some of the armor styles were lighter, allowing for more mobility. Other styles altered the direction of the plating, thus protecting the fighter from attacks from above versus attacks from below. Some provided more face protection while others forgo this addition in favor of more visibility.
The weapon choice also reflects fighting styles. Weapons include polearms (long, wooden shafts with spears at the end), swords (with alterations that give the fighter a better grip on the sword or a greater opportunity for a second strike), knives (close combat), and bows and arrows.
After the weapon and armor review, visitors are shown combat reenactments. This includes close combat on horses and shooting at targets while on horseback, running at full speed. Visitors are given the opportunity to wear heavy armor, shoot bows and arrows, and ride horses.
An old nomadic game named Kokpar, generally played with a dead goat, is demonstrated as well. The premise is simple: while atop your horse, try to get the goat into the opposing team’s goal. Strategies such as how to hold the goat securely and how to pick up the goat from the ground are shown. The ethnocenter uses a dummy that mimics the shape and weight of a dead goat. It’s extremely heavy and thus most visitors need help getting control of the dummy.
At ethnocenter “Nomad”, visitors experience fundamental aspects of nomadic life that are likely unfamiliar to them. The cultural guides make the information accessible to visitors, providing them with context and explanations about nomadic practices. However, as a foreigner, it’s hard to know to what extent the experience is being curated. Most of the opportunities at the camp are interactive, which is perfect for those wanting to get a taste of the culture, but it’s unclear as to what is missing.
In interacting with new cultures, it’s normal to feel out of place or unable to connect with the new information. However, because of globalization and methods of mass communication, digestibility has taken priority over reality. In this process, censored or ‘lite’ cultural experiences are favored. It is possible that “Nomad” falls into this category, but because I am not particularly knowledgeable on nomadic life, I cannot say this with certainty. What I do know is that the programs that “Nomad” features are interesting and enjoyable.
