Zhety-ata (Kazakh: Жеті ата, "seven grandfathers/ancestors") is a tradition among the Kazakh people, in which one is obligated to know or recite the names of at least seven direct blood ancestors such as father, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great-grandfather etc.^[1] This process often has been taught for generations from childhood by parents.

The main reason for knowing their seven ancestors is that among Kazakhs, marriage within seven generations is prohibited, so in order for a marriage to be licit, the ancestors of the male and female sides must be above the seven ancestors on both father and mother lineages. The second reason is that this tradition regarded a helpful means to know and remember the historical background of each Kazakh and their tribes in the past. This often called Shezhire by Kazakhs, and through this system most of the Kazakhs know their origin and the relations with other tribes within the clan-tribal system of Kazakhs. Each set of seven generations is considered as a minimum unit-clan in Kazakhs, but usually Kazakhs marry above ten ancestors. In the oral folklore of Kazakhs it is said that the new born child will be wise, healthy mental and physically strong under the "Jety-Ata" rule.

The "Jety-Ata" rule probably became entrenched after the Kazakh Khanate with the suggestions of Kazakh medical scientist Oteyboydak Tleukabyl uly (1388-1478) to the Khan of Kazakhs. Before the Kazakh Khanate it was common among the per-tribes of the Kazakhs.

Terminology

See also

• Seven generation sustainability

External links

• Historical Dictionary of Kazakhstan on the Google online books
• The Jety-Ata tradition of Kazakhs in Kazakh language
• The Shezhire: Kazakh Family Tree

References