The tradition of genealogy in turkish culture and Kazakh genealogies

Şecere (genealogy) is defined as a genealogical chart that displays all individuals descending from a person's most ancient ancestor up to the present generation. In Kazakh Turkish, these genealogical narratives are known as Shezhire (шежіре) and have held a significant place in the tradition of Kazakh oral literature. For many generations, they were transmitted orally by traditional storytellers such as zhyrau, aqyn, and shezhireşi. Today, however, most of these narratives have been transcribed into written form. Despite the alterations they may have undergone through generational transmission, genealogies continue to serve as one of the most valuable sources of oral history. This study examines the genealogy tradition—one of the ancient cultural practices of the Turkic world—from both historical and cultural perspectives, focusing particularly on Kazakh genealogies to explore their functions, modes of transmission, and folkloric layers. A şecere is not merely a biological lineage chart; it is a multilayered narrative form that embodies social legitimacy, cultural identity, and historical continuity. Among nomadic communities, history is structured not along a chronological axis but rather around persons and places; thus, genealogies have played a central role in preserving the historical memory of nomadic Turkic peoples. Within the framework of the Mädeni Mura (Cultural Heritage) project, the folkloric legacy of the Kazakh Turks has been compiled into a 100-volume series entitled Babalar Sözi ("The Words of the Ancestors"). Volumes 32, 81, and 82 of this series are dedicated specifically to Kazakh genealogies and contain a total of 47 şecere texts. In this study, these genealogies are categorized into three main groups based on their content: 14 genealogies that indicate Turkic origins, 14 that trace Arab origins, and 19 that focus directly on Kazakh communities without emphasizing any external origin. These 47 genealogical texts contain not only information about lineage but also a rich world of folkloric narrative. Within them, examples of various genres of folk literature—including legends, menkıbes (hagiographic tales), epics, folk tales, folk poetry, proverbs, blessings, curses, folk medicine, and oral legal norms—have been identified. To provide representative examples, three of the genealogies have been translated from Kazakh Turkish into Türkiye Turkish.