Buzkashi
Buzkashi or kokpar (literally "goat bashing" in Turkic, buz is Turkic for "goat" and kashi "means bashing") is the Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to drag a goat carcass toward a goal. Traditionally, games could last for several days, but in its more regulated tournament version also has a limited match time.
Buzkashi is played amongst Kyrgyz, Pashtuns, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajiks, and Turkmens. The Turkic name of the game is Kökbörü; Kök "blue", börü "wolf", denoting the grey wolf – the holy symbol of the Turkic people. Other Turkic names of the game are Ulak Tartish, Kuk Pari, Kök Berü, and Ulak Tyrtysh. In the West, the game is also played by Afghani Turks (ethnic Kyrgyz) who migrated to Ulupamir village in the Van district of Turkey from the Pamir region. In western China, there is not only horse-back buzkashi, but also yak buzkashi among Tajiks of Xinjiang.
From Persian (buz-kaš), compound of Persian (boz) meaning "goat" and Persian (kaš) meaning "dragging, drawing" and suffix (-i). The term "buzkashi" is used in the Persian lingua franca of northern Afghanistan and Kabul, meaning "goat-grabbing" or "goat-dragging" when "buz" ("goat") is used in "buzkashi" to denote either species. The word most likely originated in a Turkic language, literally "goat bashing" in Turkic, buz is Turkic for "goat" and kashi "bashing". The national game of Afghanistan "Buzkashi" may have began with the nomadic Turkic-Mongol peoples who have come from farther north and east spreading westward from China and Mongolia between the 10th and 15th centuries in a centuries-long series of migrations that ended only in the 1930s. Today buzkashi is indigenously shared by several Central Asian ethnic groups, i.e. Uzbeks, Turkmens, Hazaras, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Pashtuns. From Scythian times until recent decades, buzkashi remains as a legacy of that bygone era.
Rules and variations:-
A Buzkashi horseman from Tajikistan.
Play media
Horsemen playing Buzkashi in the mountains of Tajikistan.
Competition is typically fierce. Prior to the establishment of official rules by the Afghan Olympic Federation the sport was mainly conducted based upon rules such as not whipping a fellow rider intentionally or deliberately knocking him off his horse. Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players' whips and boots. For example, riders in the former Soviet Union often wear salvaged Soviet tank helmets for protection. The boots usually have high heels that lock into the saddle of the horse to help the rider lean on the side of the horse while trying to pick up the goat. Games can last for several days, and the winning team receives a prize, not necessarily money, as a reward for their win. Top players, such as Aziz Ahmad, are often sponsored by wealthy Afghans.
Rules introduced by Afghan Olympic Federation
The ground has a square layout with each side 400 meters long.
Each team consists of 10 riders each.
Only five riders from each team can play in a half.
The total duration of each half is 45 minutes.
There is only one 15 minute break between the two halves.
The game is supervised by a referee.
Based on the referee's decision a rider can be substituted during the game.
A photograph documents kokboru players in Kyrgyztan around 1870;[9] however, Kyrgyztan's kokboru rules were first officially defined and regulated in 1949. Starting from 1958 kokboru began being held in hippodromes. The size of a kokboru field depends on a number of participants.
Rules of kokboru have undergone several changes throughout history. Modernized rules of kokpar are:
There are two teams with 10 participants in each
Only 4 players a team are allowed to play on a field at a given time
Teams are allowed to substitute players or their horses
Game is played on a field of 200 meters long and 80 meters wide
Two kazans – big goals with a diameter of 3.6 meters and 1.5 meter high are placed on opposite sides of a field
A goal is scored each time a kokpar (goat carcass) is placed in an opponent's kazan.
A kokboru is brought to the field center after scoring a goal
It is also prohibited to ride towards the spectators and/or receive spectators assistance or to start a kokpar game without giving an oath to play justly.
In Tajikistan, buzkashi is played in a variety of ways. The most common iteration is a free-form game, often played in a mountain valley or other natural arena, in which each player competes individually to seize the buz and carry it to a goal. Forming unofficial teams or alliances does occur, but is discouraged in favor of individual play. Often, dozens of riders will compete against one another simultaneously, making the scrum to retrieve a fallen buz a chaotic affair. Tajik buzkashi games typically consist of many short matches, with a prize being awarded to each player who successfully scores a point. The buzkashi season in Tajikistan generally runs from November through April. High temperatures often prevent matches from taking place outside of this period, though isolated games might be found in some cooler mountain areas.
Buzkashi horsemen from Afghanistan.
A buzkashi or kokpar player is called a Chapandaz or Shabandoz, from chapan, a traditional cloak worn by Central Asian men. It is mainly believed in Afghanistan that a skillful Chapandaz is usually in his forties. This is based on the fact that the nature of the game requires its player to undergo severe physical practice and observation. Similarly horses used in buzkashi also undergo severe training and due attention. A player does not necessarily own the horse. Horses are usually owned by landlords and highly rich people wealthy enough to look after and provide for training facilities for such horses. However a master Chapandaz can choose to select any horse and the owner of the horse usually wants his horse to be ridden by a master Chapandaz as a winning horse also brings pride to the owner.
The game consists of two main forms: Tudabarai and Qarajai. Tudabarai is considered to be the simpler form of the game. In this version, the goal is simply to grab the goat and move in any direction until clear of the other players. In Qarajai, players must carry the carcass around a flag or marker at one end of the field, then throw it into a scoring circle (the "Circle of Justice") at the other end. The riders will carry a whip, often in their teeth, to fend off opposing horses and riders.
The headless carcass of a goat used in buzkashi
The calf in a buzkashi game is normally beheaded and disemboweled and has its limbs cut off at the knees. It is then soaked in cold water for 24 hours before play to toughen it. Occasionally sand is packed into the carcass to give it extra weight. Players may not strap the calf to their bodies or saddles. Though a goat is used when no calf is available, a calf is less likely to disintegrate during the game.
