JIZZAKH OASIS CATTLE BREEDING AND ITS NATURE-RELATED TRADITIONS

Abstract

Cattle breeding in the Jizzakh oasis, one of the most ancient forms of traditional economic activity and one of the main types of labor determining the source of livelihood, along with the customs and traditions associated with it, has been studied to a certain extent by researchers on the basis of written sources and ethnographic materials. This article analyzes the nature-related customs and traditions in the cattle breeding of the Jizzakh oasis population and their ethnolocal characteristics. It also discusses how the traditional calendars of the oasis herders emerged as a result of many years of observing the state and movement of celestial bodies, and how these calendars continue to be used in everyday life. Seasonal labor, the need for water, and the livestock-based lifestyle have historically shaped specific customs in the oasis population’s relationship with nature. This process is revealed by the author using a number of sources and field research materials.