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Abstract

(In Russian) This paper examines the transformation of the Kyrgyz traditional governance institutions during the Russian imperial period. The study analyzes the methods of selecting traditional ruling cohort, such as hereditary lineage chieftains (manaps) and judges (biis), and their interaction with the imperial-era electoral system. Especially, the paper focuses on the impact of the newly introduced electoral procedure on the Kyrgyz tribal structure, as well as to such competitive phenomena as «party division», «vote buying», «kyzyl put» (a household excluded from elections due to non-admission to another volost), and «otoo tutun» (a household temporarily included during elections).

The origin of the manap institution and its role in the political and socio-economic life of Kyrgyz society have been consistently studied in historiography. These studies span the imperial era (Ch. Valikhanov, A. Vyshnegorsky, A. Talyzin, K. Pahlen, B. Soltonoev, O. Sydykov, etc.), the Soviet period (P. Kushner, S. Abramzon, M. Gavrilov, M. Aitbaev, K. Usenbaev, etc.), and the post-independence years (V. Ploskikh, A. Jumanaliev, D. Saparaliev, T. Asanov, R. Joldoshev, etc.). While previous scholarly works focused on the political status of the manap institution and the activities of prominent manaps, this study provides an analysis of the institution’s weakening under internal and external factors, with emphasis on the role of the colonial electoral mechanism in degradation.

The paper supported by new archival documents, historical sources and as well as folkloric materials. As this research demonstrates, the introduction of the imperial electoral mechanism facilitated the deterioration of the traditional manap institution and created conditions for the formation of corrupt mechanisms in local administration. Therefore, during the 1916 Central Asian revolt, the Kyrgyz’s rejection of the colonial electoral model and return to the elections based on the khan tradition can be seen as a response to the crisis of a politically imposed system and an aspiration to regenerate their traditional governance.