What does it mean to be in harmony with nature? The recent Regional Ecological Summit, which took place April 22-24 in Astana, put ecology in Central Asia at the center of the conversation. The region is at risk of facing a large-scale environmental disaster as it grapples with desertification, plastic pollution, waste management and lowering water levels in lakes, reservoirs and the Caspian and Aral seas.
The summit set into motion a framework that will allow further cooperation between the five Central Asian states on matters of the environment, which are becoming increasingly pressing. However, what some may see as an inception of environmental practice in the region is just a return to the way our ancestors viewed ecology.
Traditionally, indigenous Central Asian peoples saw themselves as part of the environment they inhabited. The nomadic way of life inextricably tied the fate of entire communities together with the fate of their cattle. Knowledge of the land, cattle, and ways to conserve the environment around them was crucial in the life of a nomad.
This knowledge formed the backbone of what is now referred to as the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of Kazakh people. TEK is defined as the shared knowledge, practices, and beliefs that communities develop over time and pass down through generations about how humans and other living beings relate to each other and to the environment.
TEK is irrevocably tied to the cultural fabric and local site-specific context of the ecosystem where it operates. This is largely in contrast to Western worldview, which views humans as separate from and dominant over nature. While TEK was popularized in relation to the Indigenous cultures of the Americas, it is wholly applicable to other indigenous communities.
While Kazakhs are not often framed as indigenous in the same vein as Native Americans or First Nations, it is undeniable that they have a long and deep connection to their native land. Ancient Turkic societies practiced nomadic pastoralism that closely followed natural cycles.
Seasonal movement of livestock allowed pastures to recover, reducing land degradation and supporting long-term ecological balance and biodiversity. Kazakh nomads were deeply aware of their environment, as shown through the strategic selection of grazing land and the forecasting of natural hazards by studying animal behaviour.
Today, we still see traditional knowledge used in daily life. Growing up, many Kazakh children – including myself – were fed parts of meat that are traditionally discarded, from tongue to ears to kidneys. It was seen as deeply wasteful to slaughter an animal without using all of its parts.
Even spinal bones were repurposed into playing pieces for children called assyk, which are still used today in one of the oldest and most popular outdoor nomadic games. This is tied to the concept of obal, which expresses a person’s moral attitude toward other people and all living things.
In Kazakh culture, there was a belief that one should not harm the environment, do evil to living beings, or destroy even inanimate objects without necessity—such actions could be seen as a violation of obal. We are used to learning about ecology and environmentalism from textbooks and working papers crafted by reputable Western institutions.