Thursday, July 31, 2008

Maybe Someday Again



Okay here i am .
When I wear this T-Shirt in San Francisco, I meet all sorts of interesting people.
I hope to visit Kazan again someday.
Just next to this tower is a tremendous Black statue of Musa Jalil. He is ripping himself free from his bondage of chains and shackles. We couldn't figure out who he was.

I didn't learn who Musa Jalil was until years later.

Kazan + Prayer = Food


During my visit to Kazan, there were two places where I ate well. They fed us well at the Mosque at a welcome banquet in our honour. The people were very kind and the food was delicious. Some people prayed in the mosque and afterwards, a man interviewed me for Tatar Radio. He was wearing a button with a number on it. I asked him what it stood for. I felt like a big stupid when he told me that it was the anniversary of "The Revolution". He was still very nice to me.


A visit to the Mullah's house was tremendous as well. People played Accordion and Violin, Great food and lots of singing. and the walls were painted. We danced in the street outside. It was incredible. I don't remember eating Peremech at either event, though.

Zeynebim


This song is sublime.




















Al Zäynäbem
Baqçadağı gölläremneñ
Tamırları ber genä şul, Zäynäbem.
Quşımta: Al Zäynäbem, göl Zäynäbem,
Räxät ütsen cäyläreñ.
Qayçan da ber küreşerbez,
Belmim könnären genä şul, Zäynäbem.
Quşımta.
Hawadağı yoldızlarnı
Nigäder sanamadım şul, Zäynäbem.
Quşımta.
Küz tiär dip yözläreñä
Tuyğançı qaramadım şul, Zäynäbem.
Quşımta.
Zäynäb - qız iseme

Kazan Kichlere




Kazan Kichlere is a perfect time to eat Peremech. The days are a good time too. Peremech tastes good cold too, at Three O'Clock in the morning standing in front of the refrigerator. The light from the refrigerator door illuminates the sweaty peremech (Plastic Wrap makes Peremech Sweat) eliminating the need to add a condiment. In the morning, everying will wonder who's been sleepwalking and leaving oily fingerprints on the door. (Kullaring Artik Mayli)

Bibisara


The lovely Soprano Tatar woman (who's name slips me) sang this song at our Sabantuy. I'll always hear her beautiful voice singing these beautiful words, and she made it look like she wasn't even trying. I could see the water spilling out of her bucket, and i think the clumsiness comes from all the making out. (matur irnin ubip ala!)












БИБИСАРА

Билгесез Ә.Ерикәй сүзләре

Чүт-чүт сайрый сандугачлар.
Җәйге таң сызылып бара;
Таң атканда Бибисара
Йоклый алмый бичара.
Йоклар иде йоклатмыйлар
Сандугачның җырлары;
Матур ирнен үбеп ала
Таңның җылы нурлары.
Бибисара суга бара,
Су ала чиләгенә;
Су алганда чиләгенә
Дәрт тула йөрәгенә.
Чәчелә-түгелә, дулкылана
Салкын су чиләгендә;
Салкын сулар чиләгендә,
Кем икән йөрәгендә?..

Merfuga



Now in the Western World, the name Merfuga isn't the prettiest sounding name. It is nowhere nearly as beautiful as the song, and it truly is. What's truly exciting is that this seems to be page number 243 of yet another book that I need.

Aliyebanu - ГАЛИЯБАНУ


This is a beautiful song. I can play this on accordion.

Epipe from the Mystery Book


Does anyone know what book this is from? I think this is from my cousin's piano lessons about 24 years ago. You can see the teacher's notes. I'm guessing this is from a book produced in Finland, but I don't know.
This seems to be page 11 of a much larger book that I'd love to get my hands on! Help!

Seyahatchi Jiri



Yeah, this is great:

Seyahatchi Jiri

Golshat Zeynasheva - Suzlere
Zinnur Guibadullin - Koe

Tanish tugel yullar buylap
Min ozak yordem
Tugan yagim kurenerme dip
Tawlarg mendem.

Iy guzel tugan yagim,
Iy yemle tugan yagim,
Taw bashinda bakcha bulip
Tesheme kerdeng.

Tugan yaktan yerak kitep
Dingezler kichtem.
Sagish digen tiren kulneng
Sularin echtem.

Iy guzel tugan yagim,
Iy yemle tugan yagim,
Talyan garmun mon'i bulip
Jirima kuchteng.

Tugan yaktan yerakta da
Dustlar ochrattim.
Lekin yeshlek dustim kalgan
Ileme kayttim.

Iy guzel tugan yagim,
Iy yemle tugan yagim,
Behetemne chitte tugel
Min sinde taptim!



Colloquial Hostage Crisis


The entire Iranian population of America became "Persian" overnight during the regime of Ayatollah Khomenei. I think this was meant to throw off stupid haters (who don't know where this Persia place is ) by restoring this less used and Flattering term for people from that country. Persian cats are beautiful and have very long hair. Persian women have long fingernails, wear silk dresses and can be seen dancing at Four Star Hotel Rooftop Discoteques throughout the world. Most of the Persian population in California did very well financially under the Shah of Iran. (or was that the Shah of Persia?)

A hundred years ago, a well educated Tatar would be comfortable with the Persian Language, Arabic, and of course Tatar. I see many words in Tatar that are similar to Persian.
This Book is falling apart and a prime candidate for digitizing as it will truly lie flat on the scanner.

It is now pdf'd here.

Analitik Tozelmeler


Tatar Telende Analitik Tozelmeler, and only $4.00 at Szwede Books. Too bad this place isn't around anymore. The staff of Fellini-esque characters were very helpful. They were everything you would expect from a Russian Bookstore Staff. Smart, Stiff, Strange, Cardigans and Glasses, and very intense. If anyone is interested in any of my printed material, I can be persuaded to scan and create .pdf's. I'm getting better at it too. I like the Tatar Online Library, but I wish it was more extensive, and included books with Pictures too. Now it's restricted to text, and alot of text, but not the digitized free online Tatar Language library that I'm looking for.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Tukay Does Gentleman's Quarterly


This is one of the better images I've seen of our most honoured Gabdullah Tukay. He looks kinda GQ. (did you say GT?) no, bad pun.

Russian Language + Tatar Recipes = Yum!

Hey thanks to Nadia for referring us to this very well done page full of Tatar recipes. The only problem is, the page is in Russian, which isn't a problem of course if you speak Russian. There are several recipes here that I've never heard of, which is a good thing. Isn't there a saying somewhere that every time you try something new, you'll live an extra hundred days? ....Unless you're deathly allergic!

http://cooking-book.ru/national/tatar/

Kazan Hem Bolgar




.

















I included the front inner cover and back inner cover, which reminds me of Topkapi, in Istanbul, with the structures along the water. This book is titled "Mustafad Al-Axbar Fi Axvali Kazan Ve Bulgar"
In the front cover it says "Kazan hem Bolgar Hallere Turinda Faydalanilgan Haberler". This book is incredible. It has all sorts of very interesting tales about older Tatar life (very old, during the kingdom of Bulgar/Bolgar. Modern Tatars of Kazan are descendant of Bulgar folk). Mardzhani is a famous historian and orientalist and hero of Tatar people. Front cover in Cyrillic, Back cover in Arabic Script

The author is named  Shihabetdin Marjani - Шиһабетдин Мәрдҗәни

This book is available online here at the Tatar Electronic Library.

The Most Dry Tatar Book Ever


Okay Szwede Slavic Books gets an award for this one. "Handwritten Russian-Tatar Dictionaries of the 17th and 18th Century". Makes for great reading. Books like this are useful for playing the "Find the Longest Word" game. I was shocked by the length of words in Finland. I don't speak Finnish, so that's probably why they seem daunting. Tatar words can be just as long if not longer. I think the Guiness Book lists the longest word as being a Turkish word.

One More Idel & Gorgiy



Gorgiy was one of the guests from Kazan that came to perform at our Sabantuy. He is a very talented Tenor vocalist. I ran across this article about him from an issue of "idel" from April 1991. These magazines would come to me "by boat" and usually were four or five months late! If I were to go today to Kazan, I would bring home as much printed material as I can get. Although these are old magazines, they are precious to me.

Here's what he looks like now.

Idel Zhurnal






The price of this periodical from Kazan also went through the roof. This magazine is directed towards "youth", but I think it's relevant to all. Here are the issues I have in my Tatar library. If anyone is interested in having me scan and send articles, I can do that. This effort is purely academic.

Lenin enjoys Kazan and Peremech




Lenin Museum 1962







Our group wasn't alone at our hotel in Kazan. (I took pictures of the TV because I'd never seen TV shows in the Tatar Language. The problem is that you can't hear the TV when you look at the pictures!) There were many other groups, speaking different languages. I was told that many of the people were on package vacations from other countries under the Soviet Umbrella, visiting places associated with the life of Lenin. He studied at Kazan University. (He wrote once, 'These Tatars are far far better educated than Russians.') We were led on a tour past his statue in the hall to the room where he studied and the desk where he sat. boring.
Someone slipped me this postcard folio of his life in Kazan. There are 24 postcards. I'm not sure, but I think this is the statue in front of Kazan University that locals have been referring to as "Young Leonardo DeCaprio". I've also included the postcard that shows Lenin's Samovar. (I think he had a few of them.) Hot tea warmed him after a delicious Peremech meal. He could gaze at his satisfied reflection in the Samovar's shiny finish. The problem is that it looks like he ate alone, facing the wall, like a child being punished.

Ali Akis



Ali Akis is a relative. He is my uncle's father-in-law's brother. Is there such thing as an "uncle-in-law"? He devoted his life to the cause of the Idel-Ural State. "Idel" is what Tatars call the "Volga" river. These books are written in Turkish and English. He worked at Radio Liberty in Munich. (Azatliq Radio) He is a very important and devoted leader and lives in Turkey.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Russian Language - Tatar Recipe - Peremyach!

Перемяч

Для рецепта Вам потребуются:
- тесто - 200г
- мяса - 120г
- репчатого лука - 1/2 шт.
- соль, перец - по вкусу
- жидкость
- жира для жарения - 1 ст. л.

для фарша: - мясо (говядина или баранина)
- лук репчатый
- перец и соль.

Из дрожжевого или пресного теста сделать шарики весом по 50 г, обвалять в муке и раскатать из них лепёшки. На середину лепёшки положить фарш и примять. Затем приподнять край теста и собрать красиво в сборку. В середине перемяча должно остаться отверстие. Перемячи обжаривают сначала отверстием вниз в жире, затем, как зарумянятся, переворачивают отверстием вверх. Готовые перемячи должны быть светло-коричневого цвета круглой, приплюснутой формы. Перемячи подаются горячими. Их едят с бульоном, катыком. Перемячи можно делать мелкими. В этом случае продуктов надо брать наполовину меньше. Приготовление фарша: мясо (говядина или баранина) мелко нарезать с репчатым луком, пропустить через мясорубку, положить перец, соль, и всё тщательно перемешать. Если фарш получился слишком густой, влить холодного молока или воды и снова перемешать.

I can't read this recipe. I don't know who it's from. I hope they don't mind me posting it.

Russian - Bashkurt Phraseological Dictionary


Now for a while there, at Szwede Slavic Books in Palo Alto, I was buying everything they had relating to Tatars. Here is a beautiful and never been used ( my Russian Sucks!) book that's a Russian to Bashkurt Phraseological Dictionary. I'm not educated enough about the differences between Tatar and Bashkurt Languages. They seem so close to me. It seems that the main difference is that the Bashkurt Language has a few special characters that are not used in Tatar. Published in Moscow in 1989.

Australian Tatars

My father worked for Qantas for years. The closest we got to Australia was Hawaii.
Here is a website of Australian Tatars. The Tatars I met from there are very kind.
http://www.tatarsaustralia.com/tatarsau/default.aspx

Kazan Utlary



Here are two covers of Kazan Utlary Magazine from a few years back. I have about 15 or so issues of this Tatar Literary Journal (The fires/lights of Kazan).


I try to read something (out loud) from these magazines daily. I don't have many people my age to practice speaking the Tatar language with. Sometimes I feel like I'm on the moon, alone. Reading daily from Azatliq Radio helps too, and helps to build different vocabulary than literary stuff like this.


I used to get this mailed to my home for about 12 dollars a year. Now it's more like $200.00 !
which is terrible because this magazine is great.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Long Haired Tatars - Doomed to Hell

Years ago someone had asked me about national characteristics of Tatars. (Behavioral) I was in the company of someone that had immigrated from Peru to the United States. He joked about how Peruvians loved to clean and loved to talk about how clean their homes are. The foreign perception is all drug cartel, but they're actually vacuuming.
I thought about how Tatars would be comfortable behind Lecterns , telling people about exactly how and why we're going to hell and what to do to avoid all that. In Kazan there were more than a few humorous moments when we would be at a function and guests and hosts would often take turns addressing the gathered group, Statements of Nationalism, or long warm greetings and extending of good wishes, celebrations of our culture. There was always an old woman would tell us that long haired men are going to hell. There were numerous Long-Haired Scandinavian Tatar males among our group. We all rode around on the same bus and Hell wasn't a destination. but I still feel like screaming Jehenemmmmmm! when I see long hairs.

In my youth, I thought every Tatar was related to me. I would be told very complex ways in which I was related it seems to all that would come to the Bina, at least through marriage. It was all one big happy family. As an adult, I learn the nuances of Popularity, attitude and about those in our community that others would rather not be around, the messy drunk, the person that always carries on about the same thing, etc... The holier than thou. We're very human, just like anybody else.

I'd heard the word "adaptable" applied to us. Mishars in Diaspora need to be. I like that. I wish the term "Fabulously Wealthy" was higher up on the list, though. Or how's about Stunningly Beautiful and FABULOUSLY Wealthy. and Jet Set! and ...light-hearted, of course.... I'd like to strive to get along with anyone and think I can. Years of bartending taught me that the easiest way to disarm hostile people is to agree with them.

Oh, and it seems that when we're not adapting or lecturing, we seem to spend alot of time carrying buckets of water around and arranging to meet pretty girls down by the River. There we sing and celebrate nature together, and eat good foods and hot tea.

Ayaz Ishaky - On Kazan Tatars - Watch Those Dates

This may be the summary that I'm looking for.

Kazan Tatars (Turks)
The town of Kazan is the historic centre of Kazan Tatars, but the majority of these people live outside the borders of the Tatar ASSR. The Tatars are the most dispersed Turkish people in the (former) Soviet Union.

Historical Sketch (This sketch is base on : a/ Ayas Ishaky, "Idel-Ural" (Paris: Idel-Ural National Committee, 1933/, in Russian.)

Upon the disintegration (ayirilip taralu) of the Golden Horde in the beginning of the fifteenth century, three states sprang up in the Volga region : The Astrakhan Khanate, at the estuary (yilganin kin tamagi) of the Volga River (with its capital at Astrakhan), did not play an important role in the history of the Tatars. Still less significant was the Nogai Horde. The role of the Kazan Khanate, on the contrary, was consequential (ehemmiyetle). The date of the establishment of this Khanate is given by Tatar historians as 1437. The foundation of the state is attributed to a prince of the Tuktamish House named Ulug Mohammet. The capital of the Khanate was established in Kazan and the state was named after the Capital.

Relations with the Grand Duchy of Moscow were very strained from the outset. During the more than one hundred years of existence of the Kazan Khanate, there were about twenty-five wars between Kazan and Moscow. In 1552 Ivan the Terrible, who reigned from 1547-84, conquered Kazan with the help of a large army, well equipped with artillery and aided by German specialists. After the conquest the Russians made great efforts to Russify and colonize the country. Russian colonization of the Kazan area was so dynamic that before the First World War there were no Tatar villages within twenty miles of Kazan itself. According to a ukaz of 1593 all mosques and Moslem schools in Tatar territory which fell into the Russian administration were destroyed. This oppression caused an anti-Russian independence movement and during the Polish occupation of Moscow (1610-12), the Kazan Khanate regained sovereignty briefly, in 1612.

The unrelenting (bash imes) opposition of the Tatars, and their support of the pretenders to the throne of Moscow during the "Time of Troubles" (1584-1613), convinced the Russians that the conquest of the Kazan Khanate by force alone was useless, and that some political moves had to be taken to close the gap between the two societies. In 1613 certain aristocratic Tatar representatives were invited to take part in the "Zemsky Sobor" (National Assembly) of 1613. The Kazan delegates even proposed a Tatar candidate to the throne of Moscow. Many high posts in the army and civil administration were given to Tatars and in a short time a large, influential class of Tatar estate owners sprang up.

In 1628 and 1648 restrictions were promulgated (neshir itel) to reduce the influence of the new rich Tatar class. These contributed to a new wave of dissatisfaction and the Stephan Razin rebellion was strongly supported by the Tatars. (Stephan Razin a Don Cossack, organized a great rebellion of peasants in 1670. The towns of Tsaritsyn / now Stalingrad/, Astrakhan, Saratov and Samara /Kuibishev/were taken. the revolt extended over an enormous area, including all the middle and lower Volga. Razin was defeated by government forces and executed in Moscow in 1871. See George Vernadsky, "A History of Russia", / New York: New Home Library, 1944/, p79.)

During the reign of Peter The Great (1682-1725) the area of the Kazan Khanate was integrated into the rest of the Empire and a large scale attack on the Tatar national life was started. New and still greater unrest among the Volga Tatars came to head in 1708. After defeating the russian troops, the Tatars even seized Kazan but shortly the town was retaken by the russian army and a new wave of repressions began. All estate owners of the Moslem faith were forced to accept christianity in six months' time or face confiscation of their properties. The number of Tatars who were willing to accept christianity, even under this compulsion, was very small.

These acts by Moscow produced new revolts, known in Tatar history as the Ilmiak-Abz uprising of 1735, and the Kara Sakal uprising of 1739. They were mercilessly crushed and a new drive to christianize the Tatars was begun with a liquidation of Moslem cultural and religious centers. In 1742, 418 mosques out of 546 were destroyed in one county of Kazan. The Moslem clergy was refused that legal support of the state. Freedom of trade was greatly reduced and all metal crafts were forbidden to the Tatars (such as the production of knives, sabres, and even horseshoes and nails). Tension was so great that Tatars supported in masse the Pugachev Rebellion, and together with Pugachev's partisans the Tatars again took Kazan. (Pugachev/ or Pugachyov/, a Don Cossack, led a rebellion 1773 which embraced the region of the Ural Cossacks, the Bashkirs, and the whole Volga Region as far north as Kazan. The rebellion took the form of a social upheavel with serfs rising and killing their landlords. It took two years of strenuous military operations to crush it. )

Uprisings and abortive Russian counter-measures forced Katherine the Second (1762-96) to revise imperial policy. The Empress personally went to Kazan and sponsored the building of a new mosque in the town. the law forbidding the Tatars to reside within a twenty mile perimeter of the town of Kazan was revoked. The rights of the Tatar aristocracy were returned, but not their landed estates. Free trade possibilities were offered the Tatar merchants having trade contacts with the East. A "ukaz" of 1788 officially permitted the Moslem clergy to establish a "Moslem Religious Council", and some legal rights were given to the Moslem religious organization.

Under Katherine the Second new mosques were erected in many Tatar localities, plus "medresses" (religious Quranic schools) and high schools for "mullahs" and teachers. In 1844 there were four medresses in Kazan alone. The literacy rate was quite high and there were a number of prominent scientists, theologians, and reformers.

In the second part of the nineteenth century, the Russian government became concerned by the Tatar cultural and material development, and began a new anti-Tatar drive. Tatar trade and industrial enterprises were highly taxed and restrictions were applied to prevent their expansion, while Russian trade and industry was artificially supported.

In the cultural sphere regressions also occured and certain medresses were closed and very few schools or mosques were erected. Several small uprisings took place and many Tatars emigrated to the Ottoman Empire. Politically minded Tatars reacted by increasing their Moslem spiritual counter-offensive and religious orders were founded, headed by "ishans"(sheikhs). The popular order of "Nakshbendi" was supported by tens of thousands of believers. the members of the order popagated not only purely religious dogma of spiritual and bodily purity, but also anti-Russian doctrine. The members of the "Veisi"order urged restoration of the Bolgar-Moslem state, passive resistance, etc.. This order was suppressed by the Russians, and some of its leaders died in prison, and many members were deported to Siberia.

The influence of Ismail Gaspirali's weekly "Tercuman"(Interpreter) was strongly felt, and modern ideologies penetrated deeply into Tatar society. Many European educated Tatars modernized the old, almost medieval, opinions and concepts.

Following the first russian revolution of 1906, the Tatars took part in two Moslem Congesss in 1905 and 1906. After the liberalization of the tsarist regime and the promulgation of the Tsar's manifesto of October 17, 1905, about fifty Tatar periodicals came into existence and political life greatly expanded. In the Russian Duma(Parliament) a unified Turko-Tatar represention appeared which defended the interests of tall Turko-Tatars of russia. Russian countre-measures reappeared and a new ukaz on June3, 190 reduce the liberalism of the manifesto of 1905. The number of Tatar delegates to the Duma was greatly diminished.

In spite of the new restrictions, mass education among the Tatar population made outstanding progress and in the 1913-14 school year practically all Tatar children were enrolled in national primary schools. The printing of books continued to expand rapidly; in 1914 around one thousand Tatar book titles were represented in the Printing Exhibition in St. Petersburg.

The Tatars of the Volga and Crimean Tatars were conscripted for duty in the Russian Army, while the other Turkish peoples of Russia were freed from obligatory military service. During the First World War (1914-1918) most Tatars desired the victory of the enemies of Russia and many tried to desert or avoid military service.

Tatar political emigrants in Ottoman Turkey and Germany were very active in presenting the Tatar point of view. In Lausanne in 1916 a conference under teh chairmanship of Yusuf Akchura -Oglu (A Kazan Tatar who lived from 1876-1933) represented the Volga Tatars. This group of emigrants (supported by Ottoman Turkey and Germany) was busy with the organization of Tatar troops, who were recruited from the Tatar prisoners of war in Germany.

During the revolution of 1917, the Russian Tatars presented their demands as a united national group and All-Moslem Congess was convoked in Moscow on May 1, 1917. A majority of the nine hundred delegates, who represented all of the Moslems in Russia, desired a federative and democratic structure for the Empire. the Congress elected an All-Russian Moslem executive committee, to reside in St. Petersburg. the Second All-Moslem Congress was convened in Kazan in July, 1917, but the delegates of Turkestan, Crimea, and the Caucasus were unable to attend because of the anarchic conditions in many regions of the Empire. thus, the conference represented only the Turks (Tatars) of the Volga and the neighboring regions.

Two other assemblies were convoked in Kazan - the Moslem clergy and the All-Russian Moslem military conference. The Moslem Clerical Assembly was occupied with religious matters while the military conference discussed the organization of national Tatar regiments. The political assembly voted for cultural-national autonomy for the whole Idel-Ural (i.e. Middle Volga region and neighboring Ural area) This decision was repeated at the united conference of the participants of all three conferences.

A National Assembly was convoke in Ufa in November, 1917, which proposd cultural autonomy. It voted certain laws and an autonomous national government was nominated. This autonomous government was responsible for three phases of national life : Moslem religion, finances and education. a delegation of three persons was nominated to proceed to the Versailles Conference in Paris. The National Assembly elected a special body for the study of questions connected with the establishment of a separate Turko-Tatar Idel-Uralian autonomous federative state. the Moslem Military Conference elected an all-Russian Moslem Shura (Council), which began the organization of Tatar regiments.

The communist revolution and rise of bolshevik power prevented normal development of the Tatar National Government. Struggles occured between the local bolshevik organizations and the troops, but until April 12, 1918 the national autonomous government and the military Shura dominated the Idel-Ural area.

In April, 1918, after concluding the Brest-litovsk Treaty, a strong bolshevik force captured Kazan and Ufa after several battles. Tatar national institutions were crushed, national leaders were arrested, and the Tatar regiments were demobilized.

Between May and August, 1918, a new possibility of regaining independence occured when Czech detachments virtually occupied the Trans-Siberian Railway and temporarily eliminated bolshevik influence in the Kazan area. (The Czech military detachments were composed of ex-prisoners of war in Russia who received permission from the Kerensky fovernment to organize themselves as regular military units. these units were returning to Czechoslovakia via Siberia and Vladivostok).

The government of the White Russian Admiral A.V. Kolchak fought not only against the reds but also against the "Tatar Separatists". This anti-independence policy of Kolchak gave the bolsheviks an opportunity to assume the role of defenders of the "oppressed peoples." the bolsheviks in their propoganda promised not merely autonomy but independence for the Tatars. The establishment of the Tatar ASSR on May 27, 1920, was a formal fulfillment of these promises, but in fact the Tatar of Kazan were again subordinate to a centralized totalitarian state.

Distribution and Numbers- A comparison of the population figures for the Tatar ASSR, with the numbers of the Tatars in the entire Soviet Union indicates that the majority of the Tatars live outside the borders of that republic. this fact gains meaning afte4r an analysis of the national composition of the Tatar ASSR, which possesses large non-Tatar minorities. Estimates made in 1933 show: Tatars in the Tatar ASSR formed 50.4 percent of the population. Russians, 41.8% and Others, 7.8%. this means that in the Tatar ASSR there are only about 1.5 million Tatars, while approximately 2.8 million live outside the borders of that republic. In the Bashikir ASSR the Tatars form 17.3 % of the population.

The Turkish Character of the Kazan Tatars. the Kazan Tatars are a mixture of Turks and Finns, but they speak a pure Turkish dialect. At the time of the Khanate of Kazan their literary language was the same as the language in the Khanate of Crimea, but it soon became influenced by Chagatai and by old Ottoman Turkish. In the early nineteenth century the influence of modern Ottoman Turkish became noticable but in the second half of the nineteenth century there was a successful movement to base litereary language on the local Tatar dialect. A modified Arabic alphabet was in use in Kazan for a short while afet the revolution of 1917. The Unified Turkish Latin Alphabet was adopted in 1929-30, and the Cyrillic alphabet in 1939-40.

From theBook: TURKISM and the Soviets
The Turks of the World and their Political Objects.
By Charles Warren Hostler - Colonel USAF
First Published in 1957

The Volga Tatars - A Profile in National Resilience


This book was written by a Lady that lives in Southern California named Azade-Ayse Rorlich. I haven't met her, but I'm told she makes appearances at Los Angeles Tatar events. It is published under the auspices of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. In the tower of the Hoover Institute there is a tower containing a Russian Language Library. Years ago, when desperately looking for ANY books written in Tatar I went there. There is a shelf there full of Tatar books, about 5 feet wide. The books are all written in Arabic alphabet, Tatar language. The director of the Library, The large redheaded Irish or Scottish American man said to me, "If you can get a grant to do it, I'd love you to go through these and tell us what we have here." Looking back at what I'd seen I'd guess that most of those books were published in Tokyo maybe. (I may be wrong)

I loaned this book to an American friend, who I'd consider to be intelligent and well read. He told me he learned very little about us from this book. The first time I read it, I was able to walk away with very little as well. Over time the information in this book became more relevant to me. I think the book is quite good. Perhaps someone needs to publish a book about Tatars that's more palatable to those that are less sophisticated in their knowledge of Russia and Russian history?

Tatarskiy Narod i ego predki



I know people don't spell the Russian Language with Latin letters, but this is the title of this book. It is about old Tatar history. There are alot of entries about archaeological stuff relating to Bolghar and old Kazan. I've included a picture from the book that shows how Tatars, even long ago, were interested in the Space Program. The first Sputnik Launching Rockets were designed after Tatar headgear, and that's where we get the song, Ay Yoldizim!

Yusuf Akchura - Pan Turkism




I don't know why I'm posting my entire book collection relating to Tatars, but I am an this is another relevant addition, published in Turkish. It's a book about Yusuf Akcura. According to Sabirjan Bedertin in "The Tatar Gazette" The first theoretical work of pan-Turkism was written by a Kazan Tatar, Yusuf Akchura. In 1904, he published an essay, "Och Tarzi Seyaset" ("Three Kinds of Politics") in which he articulated the basic tenets of pan-Turkic ideology. Now I'm not an expert on this, but Mr. Akchura saw a potential Turkic State in the unification of Turkic regions in Asia. This state never fully manifested but the notion is still worthy of study and relevant to our asserting our Turkic heritage in present day Russia.


The Peremech Pages



Here are two Peremech Pages from one of Eni's cookbooks. As you can see, there are many variations on the dough. The quality of your Peremech dough is a general indicator of your Marriage-ability. I like them hot right from the skillet. I looked for Peremech when I was in Kazan and found them to be small, very round like a ball and very little meat, certainly not the bounty that I was served at home.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Mini Tukay Sacred Reader




This little book was a gift while in Kazan. It can fit in your shirt pocket. It has a ribbon built in, like a prayer book. There seem to be Communist Themes interwoven with the majesty of Tukay's words. The first pages are of a poem titled "Tugan Awilim". the second is something like, "Before Capitalism ends and Socialism is spread throughout the world, blah blah blah...." What a strange contrast. His name is written in Cyrillic and Arabic on the covers.