The Kyrgyz in the Tzarist epoch

The earliest settlers in the land, that is now Kyrgyzstan, arrived as early as the 5th or6th centuries BC. The early Kyrgyz lived a nomadic life in tribal groups, living in relativeseclusion around the mountain of the Tien Shan. Their isolation separated them from many ofthe wars and other events that took place in Central Asia during the early Middle Ages. In thetenth century they apparently began migrating south searching for new pastures or driven byother people--particularly the Mongols in the thirteenth century--until they settled in thepresent-day Kirgiz Republic. By the early sixteenth century, they were the area's predominantpeople.Russian conquest of the Kirgiz began in the mid-nineteenth century, and by 1876 theywere absorbed into the Russian Empire. Kirgizia became a major area of Russiancolonization, with Russians and other Slavs given the best land to settle, reducingconsiderably the grazing lands used by the Kirgiz nomads. Kirgiz resentment against Russiancolonization policies and conscription for noncombatant duties in the army led to a majorrevolt throughout Russia's Central Asian territory, including Kirgizia. Casualties were high onboth sides, and thousands of Kirgiz fled with their flocks to Afghanistan and China.The tsarist government did not recognize the Kirgiz as a separate national entity orpolitical unit. Kirgizia, along with other Turkic nations of Central Asia, was included inRussian Turkestan, created in 1867. The Kirgiz revolted against the Russians in 1916, theiractions brought swift and brutal suppression.Key Words: Kirgizistan, Tzarist Russia