Location: Tian Shan & Pamir-Alay Mountain Ranges, Kyrgyzstan
Overview & Cultural Background
Kyrgyz mountain herders inhabit the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay mountain ranges in Central Asia. Practising vertical transhumance, families migrate seasonally between low-altitude winter villages (kyshtoo) and high-altitude alpine summer pastures (jailoo), where they assemble round lattice-framed felt yurts (boz üy). Nomadic livestock herding – centred on sheep, goats, horses, and yaks – forms the core of both economic subsistence and Kyrgyz spiritual identity.
Kyrgyz women play an indispensable role in pastoral heritage as custodians of traditional felt craftsmanship (ala kiyiz and shyrdak), medicinal herb gathering, and dairy production – including fermented mare’s milk (kymyz) and dried sour cheese curds (qurut). Embedded in animist traditions honouring nature spirits and the Turkic mother goddess Umai, Kyrgyz pastoralism embodies enduring harmony between human livelihood, lineage ancestors, and fragile alpine ecosystems.
Key facts
- Estimated Population: Approximately 1.5 million rural pastoralists and agro-pastoralists
- Primary Livestock Herded: Fat-tailed sheep, Kyrgyz horses, goats, beef cattle, and high-altitude yaks
- Contemporary Challenges: Severe alpine pasture degradation caused by localized overgrazing near villages, climate change accelerating glacial retreat, irregular snowfall patterns, and youth rural-to-urban outmigration.
Featured Films in the Festival Program
-
Ala kiyiz 15 min | Kyrgyzstan | Tynystan Temirzhan -
Alihan’s Village 14 min | Kyrgyzstan | Dastan Borkosh -
Umai 15 min | Kyrgyzstan | Alina Baitokova
