The first national workshop was held on November 21, 2021.
We purposefully invited the participants from the organizations that actively work on ICH elements. The priority was given to the governmental and non-governmental structures, which have produced tangible results on ICH. Based on these criteria, we have selected the following people to participate in the workshop:
- Altynai Abetekova, head of PF Kyrgyz Kayryk (Kyrgyz melody), lecturer at Kyrgyz National Conservatory named after K. Moldobasanov. The mission of the Kyrgyz Kayruk is dissemination, promotion and revitalization of Kyrgyz traditional musical art;
- Altynai Kudaibergenova, representative of Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev;
- Aida Alymova, director of State Museum of Nomadic Civilizations named after K. Datkа;
- Aisha Sabyrbekova, head of the department on preschool education and statistics at the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic;
- Nazira Tentigul kyzy, representative of National Medical Academy, a specialist on Kyrgyz folk medicine;
- Jumagazy Sadyr uulu, head of Arysh, community based self-support organization. One of its goals is popularization of traditional knowledge among young people
- Doolot Rysbaev, member of PF Kyiz Duino (“The Felt World”). The mission of the organization is spreading the traditional knowledge of Kyrgyz people among the population through the revival, preservation and development of nomadic culture;
- Meerim Baigojoeva, member of PF Kyiz Duino.
- In addition to the personal invitation, the Aigine CRC made a call through Aigine Facebook page and website in two local languages, Kyrgyz and Russian. The call perused the goal to inform ICH related communities and to invite more motivated participants. As a result, the following participants joined the workshop:
- Saikal Janyshbaeva, member of PF Ak Shumkar Kut (“Blessed by White Falcon”), junior student of Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn. The mission of the organization is preservation and transmission of traditions using modern platforms, styles and approaches;
- Katycha Aitikeeva, former librarian, currently affiliated with the State Patent and Technical Library;
- Meerim Aitikeeva, representative of National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic.
In the framework of the workshop potential national collaborators were informed about the goals, conditions, and expected results of the project.
6 participants from the first year workshop expressed the interest to become national collaborators. Altynai Abetekova was replaced by her colleague Aidai Kudaibergenova.
These participants formed a network of national collaborators:
- Aidai Kalmamatova – PF “Kyrgyz Kayryk” (Kyrgyz melody)
- Altynai Kudaibergenova – official of Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev
- Katycha Aitikeeva – former official of State Patent and Technical Library
- Aisha Sabyrbekova – official Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic
- Meerim Aitikeeva, representative of National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic.
- Doolot Rysbaev, member of PF Kyiz Duino (“The Felt World”).
The training on entering new sources into the database took during the first National Workshop and was moderated by Gulnara Aitpaeva and Aiza Abdyrakhmanova.
The participants worked in groups and individually. Each section and column of the data entry sheets was carefully discussed based on concrete research sources.
Selecting five keywords became a challenging task. Many participants had the similar shortage entering almost the same keywords like water related rituals, water related traditions and water using traditions.
Moderators suggested diversifying keywords in order to present an entering source broadly and from different angles. The participants considered a few approaches to select keywords like “from general to specific” and vice versa. Particular attention given to the columns on Authors and Research focus.
The main method of building the network of national collaborators has been to cover as many areas of research of ICH elements as possible. For this reason, it was decided to involve two more national collaborators in the network – philologist Kiyal Tajieva official from Kyrgyz Test, who was able to collect research material in the field of literature and traditional oral art, as well as Elmira Kochomkulova Director of Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit Graduate School of Development, University of Central Asia, who was able to enter in the data entry sheets her own research on traditional music and traditions and rituals.
Both joined collaborators also received a little training on the enter of publications in the data entry sheets.
