crayfish . I often see insects in the ornaments of many carpets , and a linguistic analysis of many Kazakh words has inspired the images of marine fauna as well as snakes and dragons . To understand the deeper meaning of carpet designs , I am studying different religions . It is important for me to understand what the basis of these meanings was . One person once said that all Kazakh carpets are red , and it surprises me . I understand that this is due to the element of fire . Fire is present in Vedic culture , Zoroastrianism , the Kazakh culture , its language , showing the attitude of our ancestors to fire . In the sense of the word otbasy family there is fire , which means that fire was at the heart of everything . This means that there are meanings in the Kazakh culture which we have lost and they are connected with life itself ”.
This is how Dana Eric thinks . But some of the nomads ’ beliefs about the sacred power of fire have survived to this day . For example , it is the rite of Alastau , where fire plays the role of a home cleaner . Traditionally , the Kazakhs endowed fire healing and protective properties .
Dana Erik continues : “ The ornament of the embroidered wall carpets of Tuskiiz with the image of circles is interesting . They say how many circles were , so many yurts were in the aul . But there were more yurts . Tuskiiz was traditionally placed in a place of honor tөr , opposite the entrance , which was oriented to the east . Logically , if there is an entrance , then there must be an exit . The sun enters the door , sets from the other side . Tarot cards have the ace ( tus ) of pentacles , depicting a coin in hand and an arch , that is , a passage . The circles on the tuskiiz correspond to coins , and the words tus and tuz are consonant . The sun comes out on the day in the east and sets on the night in the west , symbolizing nothingness , death . In Western countries , coins are placed in the eyes of a deceased person . Tuskiiz is Kazakh , and in its symbolism there are so many meanings that are characteristic of Western culture ! This indicates a commonality of cultures ”.
“ I take different passages and find a connection between them ”, continues Dana . “ For example , there are fastening tapes bau , baskur . The Kazakhs have bau , and the Kyrgyz have boo . Boa in Latin is Voa , all this leads to the image of a snake . It is interesting to read the Akbau fastening tape . The tradition has preserved a large number of pattern signs on them . When you unwind the bau , you see the relationship with the Chinese writing , which is read from top to bottom . Such similarities are surprising . I understand that one cannot study his or her own culture in isolation from other cultures because everything is interconnected . We live on the same planet , this is our common home , and , apparently , the root of knowledge is the same . Ornament was created not only for beauty , it contains sacred knowledge , and beauty so that through touching beauty a desire to comprehend its meanings arises . Beauty attracts , is remembered , gives birth to new images , everyone wants to touch it ”.
Dana Eric ’ s reflections are consonant with modern theories about the role of thought , consciousness and the purpose of the person himself . The energies of the surrounding world are perceived by us and crystallized into mental forms . This process is continuous and it depends on where the consciousness is directed , where the thought is
See a collection of carpets in the slideshow
directed to , what it is fixed on . A person enjoying the beauty of nature , works of art , living in the world of beauty inevitably rewards space with appropriate beautiful mental forms and embodies them in the products of his labour .
Art and beauty , in their pure manifestations , is the most direct way to comprehend the highest truths , the transformation of an ordinary person into a refined , spiritual person . Beauty and semantic richness of applied art products with various ornaments in the life of the people have always performed not only everyday functions , but also cultural , educational ones . Through the centuries , today we have been given which we decipher with difficulty and comprehend anew .
Text : N . A . Bazhenova , art critic , senior researcher of the Department of Kazakh Decorative and Applied Arts , A . Kasteyev State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Kazakhstan , Member of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan . Editor : L . Glushchenko
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