CONDITIONS OF THE PEOPLE The geographic conditions favoured cattle breeding of a nomadic type from earliest times, and the isolation and vast extent of the difficult steppe-desert have preserved this primitive nomadic life of herdsmen up to present times, though in diminishing num bers. After the Russian conquest, up to the latter half of the 19th century, the occupation of the region was purely strategic, but then agricultural settlement began in the northern black earth region and in the south-east, where irrigation could be practised, and even in these vast territories the pressure of settled cultiva tion on nomad herding begins to be felt severely and the region is in a transition state to agriculture wherever possible, with con sequent limitation of movements of herds and need for replacing extensive by intensive breeding, with supplementary foods to pasture. Already a few winter camping grounds with provision of artificial foods have been arranged. Of the population of Kazak stan in 1926, about six and a half million, 62% were Kazaks, 19.7% Russians, 13.2% Ukrainians, 3.3% Uzbeks, and 1.8% Kara Kalpaks. Thus 32.9% of the population were Russian colonists, and it is estimated that of the total area under cultivation, at least 20% is in the hands of Kazaks who have taken to a settled life.
The Kazaks are a branch of the Kirghiz, a name applied to them by the Russians, their own name for themselves being Kazaks, said to mean "riders." The name was borrowed by the Russians and the term Cossack applied to Russian soldiery must be dis tinguished from that of the Kirghiz-Kazak. They are of Turkish origin, allied in physique to the Mongolians, and in language to the Tatars. They are of medium stature, square built, with black hair, small, black, oblique eyes, broad flat nose, high cheek-bones, small hands and feet. They are brachycephalic and have a brown or swarthy complexion. The Kazaks of the steppe region, however, have intermarried with Finns in the north, and light eyes and com plexion occur among them. They ride on horseback from earliest
infancy and keep flocks of sheep, goats and camels, both horses and camels being small, sturdy, and very shaggy. Though nom inally Mohammedans of the Sunnite sect since the 16th century, their type of life prevents the observance of strict rules; their women go unveiled; ablutions in the great scarcity of water are impossible ; the fasts imposed by nature take the place of religious fasts, and mosques and mullahs are absent. Their herds supply them with food and clothing, but in summer butter, sour cheese and "kumiss" or fermented mare's milk are the staple food; meat must then be eaten sparingly in order to preserve the flocks, depleted by wolves, storms, and exchange for necessities. An example of the severity of the storms is that of 1827, recorded by Helmersen, when a blizzard swept over the region between the Volga and the Urals and in two days the Kirghiz of the Inner Horde lost 280,000 horses, 30,480 oxen and 1,012,000 sheep, in addition to camels. The recurrent droughts and famines of the cultivated areas have their repercussions on the steppe, when sup plementary barley for the horses and flour for the "balamyk," flour fried in dripping and diluted in water, are unobtainable, and the increased aridity cuts off water supplies in wells and streams. The 1921 famine, following on the requisition of horses and sheep for military needs, diminished the flocks so severely that the num ber in 1923 was only about 30% of that in 1916. In 1923 the numbers began to increase and in 1926-7, the total number was about 30,000,000, more than half being sheep, draught cattle coming next, then horses, goats, camels and pigs. The amount of recovery still needed is indicated by the fact that before the World War draught cattle alone numbered 35 million. The in crease in the number of horses, here as everywhere in Russia, lags behind that of sheep, cattle and pigs.