"feel like a
black sheep"
black sheep"
Searching for ethnic identity among Dungan youth
Failing as Dungan
I'm Saliya, and throughout my conscious life, I've struggled with self-identity because I've lived in many places and different cultural environments.
If being a representative of a nation means speaking its language, carrying its passport, cooking traditional dishes, having the nation's beliefs, and dressing up in specific clothes and jewelry, then I failed as a Dungan. I don't cook Dungan dishes, I don’t speak the language my family speaks, and I don't follow traditions.
So, who am I? Am I Kyrgyz because I was born and studied in Kyrgyzstan? Am I Kazakh because I have Kazakh citizenship? Am I Dungan because I have Dungan parents?
If being a representative of a nation means speaking its language, carrying its passport, cooking traditional dishes, having the nation's beliefs, and dressing up in specific clothes and jewelry, then I failed as a Dungan. I don't cook Dungan dishes, I don’t speak the language my family speaks, and I don't follow traditions.
So, who am I? Am I Kyrgyz because I was born and studied in Kyrgyzstan? Am I Kazakh because I have Kazakh citizenship? Am I Dungan because I have Dungan parents?
About author
With these questions in mind, I decided to make a project, telling stories of people with the same struggles in finding ethnic identity. Even though Dungans belong to a separate ethnic group with a distinctive cultural legacy, young Dungan people in Kyrgyzstan struggle to navigate their identities in the country's multilingual and multicultural society.
A close look at the stories of four heroes who are different in age, place of birth, family upbringing, and cultural dynamic will uncover the experiences and viewpoints of young Dungan people, helping to understand ethnic identity dynamics and contributing to the preservation of Dungan culture.
A close look at the stories of four heroes who are different in age, place of birth, family upbringing, and cultural dynamic will uncover the experiences and viewpoints of young Dungan people, helping to understand ethnic identity dynamics and contributing to the preservation of Dungan culture.
Who are Dungans?
This is an interactive map of the population of Dungans in Kyrgyzstan for 2022.
To see the numbers click on the pink dot.
To see the numbers click on the pink dot.
7% of Dungans
live in Bishkek
live in Bishkek
4% of Dungans live
in Issyk Kul region
in Issyk Kul region
3% of Dungans live
in Osh region
in Osh region
Dungans are an ethnic Chinese-Muslim group inhabiting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. In the 18th century, they migrated from China to the territory of the Russian Empire after the revolts against the Qing dynasty. As of 2022, the number of Dungans in Kyrgyzstan was 76,573 according to the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic.
86% of Dungans live
in Chui Region
in Chui Region
Dungan language stems from Mandarin; it is one of its dialects which was transcribed into Cyrillic script. Due to the lack of dictionaries and educational materials, Chinese characters were lost.
Dungan alphabet
Dungan culture is a mix of Chinese traditions and Islamic beliefs
We love red, avoid the number 4, and make dumplings on Lunar New Year. We also pray and read the Quran on occasions like births, memorial days, and weddings. Our culture evolved under the influence of Central Asia and the Soviet Union.
It changed in the style of clothing, language, rituals, and music. Children that grow up in big cities like Almaty, Bishkek, and Astana assimilate with locals and do not need to learn their mother tongue, traditional cuisine, and methods of how to grow plants and treat illnesses that our grandparents practiced, living in rural areas of Dungan majority.
Ali John, a Dungan-Chinese expert and historian, says that youth does not need to learn all of these aspects for several reasons: they reside and receive education amongst their Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Uzbek peers; at home, their parents want to be understood, so they are forced to communicate in local languages with their children.
It changed in the style of clothing, language, rituals, and music. Children that grow up in big cities like Almaty, Bishkek, and Astana assimilate with locals and do not need to learn their mother tongue, traditional cuisine, and methods of how to grow plants and treat illnesses that our grandparents practiced, living in rural areas of Dungan majority.
Ali John, a Dungan-Chinese expert and historian, says that youth does not need to learn all of these aspects for several reasons: they reside and receive education amongst their Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Uzbek peers; at home, their parents want to be understood, so they are forced to communicate in local languages with their children.
The only place youth can embrace their heritage is in villages, where people still preserve the authenticity of Dungan culture. They can reconnect with their authentic self by learning the Dungan language and traditions there.
"shopping carts"
Nagel Joane, in her work “Constructing Ethnicity: Creating and Recreating Ethnic Identity and Culture,” says that ethnicity is a “product of actions undertaken by ethnic groups as they shape and reshape their self-definition and culture… It is constructed out of the material of language, religion, culture, appearance, ancestry, or regionality.”
Nagel metaphorically represents culture as a shopping cart, mentioning that a cart is “composed of art, music, dress, religion, norms, beliefs, symbols, myths.” Yet the shopping cart does not come complete, and it is an individual's responsibility to build their culture by “picking and choosing items from the shelves of the past and present.”
In the four stories presented in this article, you will see how heroes loaded their “shopping carts” differently on their way to finding ethnic identity.
In the four stories presented in this article, you will see how heroes loaded their “shopping carts” differently on their way to finding ethnic identity.
Joane Nagel
Professor of Sociology at the University of Kansas, researcher with works focused on gender, race, and Indigenous rights in the United States
Here are four heroes-representatives of Dungan youth. To navigate between their stories, click on any of the illustrations.
Finding Answers
Starting this project, I wondered, “Who am I?”
Like Karina, I didn’t know where I belonged. Like Kemal, I was from three worlds simultaneously. Like Ravshan, I wanted a space to speak with Dungans about everything.
I found answers to my questions by sharing my doubts with them, speaking about our traditions and culture, laughing about strange rituals, and impacting the development of the Dungan nation.
I've realized that I don’t have to stress about not speaking my native language, being unable to cook traditional food, or living in a community with no Dungans.
I have a whole life to learn, explore, and practice it.
Like Karina, I didn’t know where I belonged. Like Kemal, I was from three worlds simultaneously. Like Ravshan, I wanted a space to speak with Dungans about everything.
I found answers to my questions by sharing my doubts with them, speaking about our traditions and culture, laughing about strange rituals, and impacting the development of the Dungan nation.
I've realized that I don’t have to stress about not speaking my native language, being unable to cook traditional food, or living in a community with no Dungans.
I have a whole life to learn, explore, and practice it.
Ravshan said, “Being a Dungan is not about knowing the recipe for this or that dish … not only about what you see but also about how you feel or think. It’s about what is essential and valuable to you.”
I am Dungan because I love my culture and traditions. I am Dungan because I feel the power of my grandmothers and grandfathers, who came to Central Asia, worked hard on new land, built their homes, and found friends. Whenever I go, whether to the United States, Kyrgyzstan, or Kazakhstan, I live and think like Dungan.
Deep inside each of us has Karina’s interest in exploring the unknown, Halima’s love for traditions, Ravshan’s talent in Dungan crafts, and Kemal’s motivation.
All we have to do is awaken this in our hearts.
Credits
Editor — Rustam Khalimov
Supervisor — Jyldyz Kuvatova
Illustrations — Aleksandra Titova
Heroes — Karina Lou, Kemal Kalimov,
Ravshan Ta Jing, Halima Lugma
Special thanks to
My parents — Khalima and Anvar
My American parents — Sarah and Justin
Experts — Ali John, Karim Khandzheza, Rahima Ismaeva
Friends — Tasnim, Salima, Temirlan, Zarina, Bakai, Askar
Professors — Tynymgul Eshieva, Nargiza Ryskulova
Dean — Aizhana Dzhumalieva
Journalism and Mass Communications Department
American University of Central Asia
