Halima
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“I am proud to be Dungan, and my daughter should be, too. She should know her language.”
A woman in a black leather jacket enthusiastically gives instructions to her employee while seated in the chair of the company’s director. Despite having an educational background in medicine, Halima hasn’t worked a day as a nurse; instead, she found herself in business.
She is a confident 29 years-old-woman who speaks her mind with no fears.
She is a confident 29 years-old-woman who speaks her mind with no fears.
Alexandrovka
Alexandrovka is a village near Bishkek,
inhabited by near
14 thousand Dungans
inhabited by near
14 thousand Dungans
"You can say that I am a typical Dungan who grew up in the village. I love our traditions, our nation, and what we are like."
Halima grew up in the Alexandrovka village.
She is the oldest daughter in a very traditional and conservative family. Four years ago, Halima got married. She lives with her husband and his parents, raising a 3-year-old girl and a boy from her spouse’s first marriage.
Halima has been immersed in Dungan culture since childhood. She had Dungan friends, lived in a neighborhood with Dungans, and studied at a school entirely of Dungans.
She is the oldest daughter in a very traditional and conservative family. Four years ago, Halima got married. She lives with her husband and his parents, raising a 3-year-old girl and a boy from her spouse’s first marriage.
Halima has been immersed in Dungan culture since childhood. She had Dungan friends, lived in a neighborhood with Dungans, and studied at a school entirely of Dungans.
As the eldest child, Halima had to stay home and look after her two other siblings while her parents worked at the farm.
“
By the time my parents arrived home, I had already cleaned our entire house and garden and prepared food.
One of the houses in Alexandrovka made in a Chinese architectural style
Photo credits: nlkg.kg
Photo credits: nlkg.kg
Living in the Dungan community made Halima an expert in Dungan traditions. She is well versed in Islamic holidays, the main ones for the Dungans - Kurban Bayram and Ramadan. She learns customs as needed. When her children plan to get married, Halima will ask her neighbors and relatives in Alexandrovka to help with Dungan wedding customs and rituals.
Halima revealed that only elderly grandmothers now know old traditional customs that have been lost to time.
Halima revealed that only elderly grandmothers now know old traditional customs that have been lost to time.
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“When I got married, they [senior grandmothers] told me to put a mirror under my dress in the position facing people so it reflects their faces. It works as a prevention of the evil eye. When you are a bride, many people look at you. I think this is a beautiful tradition,” Halima described her wedding memory with a smile.
It’s common for Dungans living in villages to marry their daughters at 17-18. Halima herself married at 25, and despite her love for Dungan culture, that custom irritates her. She resents the idea of excluding Dungan village girls from education and forcing them to marry at an early age. She believes that a girl growing up in this environment is very upsetting because of the household obligations and societal norms.
“Why are you already predetermining the fate of a person? Maybe she wants to study, maybe she has some talent. You are sending her to the same fate that you went through, and it was hard for you along this path, and you deliberately chose it for her, too, ” expressing visual and verbal discontent remarks Halima.
“Why are you already predetermining the fate of a person? Maybe she wants to study, maybe she has some talent. You are sending her to the same fate that you went through, and it was hard for you along this path, and you deliberately chose it for her, too, ” expressing visual and verbal discontent remarks Halima.
Research on early marriages of the Dungans in Kyrgyzstan has yet to be publicly available.
Black Sheep
Halima takes her daughter to the neighboring town, Sokuluk, as Alexandrovka doesn't have kindergartens. The village’s education system is far from ideal.
“I do not want my future life spent here in Alexandrovka. I do not want my daughter to live here because of the lack of education. On the other hand, I would like them to live here for safety reasons; people there never steal or deceive, and they are honest and kind. Everyone helps each other,” shared Halima with her dilemma.
“I do not want my future life spent here in Alexandrovka. I do not want my daughter to live here because of the lack of education. On the other hand, I would like them to live here for safety reasons; people there never steal or deceive, and they are honest and kind. Everyone helps each other,” shared Halima with her dilemma.
Teachers use books created by Dungans themselves in 12 villages-based schools: Mylanfan, Ken-Bulun, Ivanovka, Tokmok, Gidrostroitel, Iskra, Denisovkа, and Irdyk.
Photo credits: Yam G-Jun
Photo credits: Yam G-Jun
"She is like a black sheep among all her peers because everyone speaks Russian."
When Halima talks about Dungans, her voice becomes animated and enthusiastic.
She is proud to be Dungan, raising her daughter with the same love for culture and traditions. Speaking to her child exclusively in Dungan, Halima wants to cultivate a passion for language at a young age. Teachers in the kindergarten ask her to communicate with her daughter in Russian, as they don’t understand her. However, Halima is unwavering. She is confident that her child will eventually learn Russian with the help of the environment, but to keep Dungan, she needs her family's engagement.
She is proud to be Dungan, raising her daughter with the same love for culture and traditions. Speaking to her child exclusively in Dungan, Halima wants to cultivate a passion for language at a young age. Teachers in the kindergarten ask her to communicate with her daughter in Russian, as they don’t understand her. However, Halima is unwavering. She is confident that her child will eventually learn Russian with the help of the environment, but to keep Dungan, she needs her family's engagement.
Karim Khandzheza states this notion of parents speaking Russian to their children is a common misconception.
"In many villages, parents try to speak Russian with their children. When children speak Russian, they do not try to talk Dungan with them; on the contrary, they admire him.
Why is this happening? This is the influence of society and social media. We are looking for kindergartens where children can receive an education and learn the state language, but we forget the native language. Parents are deeply mistaken that if a child knows or speaks his native language with them, he will not learn Russian. This is an entirely wrong belief. Parents must understand that they must talk to children in their native language at home," claims Karim.
"In many villages, parents try to speak Russian with their children. When children speak Russian, they do not try to talk Dungan with them; on the contrary, they admire him.
Why is this happening? This is the influence of society and social media. We are looking for kindergartens where children can receive an education and learn the state language, but we forget the native language. Parents are deeply mistaken that if a child knows or speaks his native language with them, he will not learn Russian. This is an entirely wrong belief. Parents must understand that they must talk to children in their native language at home," claims Karim.
"She is like a black sheep among all her peers because everyone speaks Russian. Many Dungans talk to their children in Russian, so they will not have this village Dungan accent. Well, let it be, you’re a Dungan. Why does no one point fingers at the Chinese learning Russian and speaking with an accent?" - Halima discusses the unfair treatment of language learning.
Halima believes that the Dungans must remember that they are self-sufficient people with their own identity.
Halima believes that the Dungans must remember that they are self-sufficient people with their own identity.
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I am proud to be Dungan. Dungans should not forget who they are. We are already without a country and have nothing of our own. We are already here as fish out of water.
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