On the issue of identity of the anthroponym “Kartkozhak” and the ethnonym “Kartkazak”

A current direction in epic studies is the area that touches on the study of issues of mutual exchange and transition of the epic and its plot lines between different peoples. Recently, scientific interest has also been in determining the relationships between known epics and the genealogies of the corresponding epic characters.

The novelty of the research lies in the detailed study and comparison of data from the Turkic heroic and Nart epics and the genealogical traditions of the Kazakhs (Shezhire) in the context of the possible identity of the selected research objects. The anthroponym “Kartkozhak” (“Қартқожақ”) and the ethnonym “Kartkazak” (“Қартқазақ”) were identified as the objects of research. Variations of “Kartkozhak”, according to the hypothesis, are widely represented in the epic tales of a number of peoples. “Kartkazak” acts as an alternative name for the tribal association of seven Kazakh clans – “Zhetyru” (Жетіру). The ethnonym “Zhetyru” is considered in the sense of “old”, “primordial” or “early”, “first” Cossacks.

The purpose of this article is an attempt to determine the relationship between the epic names “Kartkozhak’ (“Kozhak”, “Kuzhak’) and “Gozhak”, as well as the identity of the terms “Kartkozhak” and “Kartkazak”. The objectives of the study were to present the plots of the epics of Turkic (Kazakh, Nogai, Kumyk and Bashkir), Vainakh (Chechen and Ingush) and Adyghe (Circassian) heroic tales from the perspective of convergent evolution of epics and to compare the data of shezhire and heroic legends of the Kazakhs containing information about “Kartkozhak” and “Kartkazak”. In turn, this approach determined the subject of the study – the probability of transformation and invariants related to the selected objects of research.

As a result of the work carried out, a high proportion of the probable identity of the epic anthroponym “Kartkozhak” and its derivatives (variations of the proper name) in the epics of various peoples has been established. This is confirmed both by the results of the analysis of scientific papers on the research topic, and by the established presence of similar content and characteristics of the plots of the legends of these peoples. It should be noted that these ethnic groups are either speakers of one language group (the Kipchak group of Turkic languages) or live in historically interconnected regions (Crimea – North Caucasus – Kazakhstan). The ethnonym “Kartkazazak” may have a connection with the anthroponym “Kartkozhak”, the origin of which, according to one version, is Shora batyr. He is considered the ancestor of the Kazakh Tama clan, which is part of the “Zhetyru”.

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