Postcard from Bishkek

Numbers play an important part in mankind’s history and culture.  However, many people in the world view numbers with distrust and suspicion (the British Prime Minister, Disraeli, is said to have uttered “There are lies, damn lies and statistics” when presented with ever increasing figures for the cost of building Babbage’s Analytical Engine – the forerunner of the modern computer).  There are even people who have a phobia or fear of numbers (Arithmophobia is the technical name for the “irrational fear of numbers”).  There may be various different reasons for this … such as bad experiences learning mathematics at school or the fact that the idea of “numbers” appears to be very simple and intuitive – but is, in fact, a very complex and abstract concept.

It is thought that mankind’s first recorded use of numbers – in the form of tally marks for counting – dates back some 30000 years.  A one-to-one correspondence between objects and tally mark meant that could calculations be made and records could be kept.  Large numbers, however, presented problems … and so numerals were invented to replace groups of tally marks.  Thus began the history of Mathematics.

The importance of numbers, however, goes far beyond the realm of mathematics.  The ancient mystical art of numerology is based upon the idea that there exists some esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects.  Early mathematicians such as Pythagoras thought that numbers had some mystical power.  The Pythagorean School of philosophy held that numbers were the “ultimate reality” and that through mathematics everything could be predicted and measured in rhythmic cycles and patterns.

Several numbers, in particular, seem to have a specific role in human culture.

• Two: the basis of a pair … and the binary system on which our modern computers are based.  It is said that the Piraha tribe in the Amazon use a very simple counting system: “one, two, many”
• Seven: as in days in the week
• Ten: the basis of the decimal system, may well be based on the fact that we have ten digits on our hand – which are useful for counting off a one-to-one correspondence – has achieved an overriding importance as a result of the Indian invention of “zero” as a place holder and allowed for the development of the number system as we know it today … replacing the convoluted arithmetical techniques that ancient civilizations were forced to employ.
• Twelve: as in months of the year, tribes of Israel, and the concept of a dozen – which was useful because it had a large number of divisors, (2,3,4,and 6)
• Forty: as in “forty days and forty nights”, “Ali Baba and the forty thieves” and so on … the number forty seems to have been used by the ancients as a place holder, (similar to the “many” amongst the Piraha tribe), meaning simply: “a large number”.  Perhaps it is close to the way that many people, (incorrectly) use the word “infinty” or “infinite” to describe a large number.
  (Incidentally, forty is the only number in English in which the letters appear in alphabetical order …)

In Kyrgyz culture, certain numbers also seem to play an significant role in traditional folklore, for example:.

• Three, as in:
  • The three kinds of wealth: health, spouse and the income to support the family, (the equivalent to “health, wealth and happiness”);
  • The three misfortunes: incurable disease, an ill-bred son and a bad word;
  • The three circumstances causing torment: death, fear and power;
  • The three human weaknesses: love of a woman, care for animals and kindness; (!)
  • The three companions that accompany a person in their life’s journey: friends, enemies and family;
  • The three inspirations for sympathy and compassion: incurable disease; unhappy love and a family divorce;
  • The three organs, or senses, that require special care: the eyes (so as not to become blind), the tongue (so as not to say anything wrong) and the mouth. (so as not to eat too much);
  • The three sweetest things in life: life, a child and a dream;
  • The three tyos of the aksakal: of the family, the community and the nation;
  • The three ways to make a mistake: to speak without thinking, to make a lot of promises and to travel too much (the last one is particularly interesting for a nomadic society).
• Five, as in:
  • Beshbarmak – “five fingers” – the quintessentially Kyrgyz dish, eating with the hand, not with a knife and fork;
  • Beshkempir – “fine grandmothers” – a ‘committee’ of female elders who decide the fate of an orphan … it is also the name of a film about an adopted boy and how he comes to terms with the fact.
• Seven, as in:
  • The seven generations: which every Kyrgyz is traditionally supposed to be able to name
  • Jetylik – Seven days after the death of a relative, the family of the deceased will gather to hold the first of a series of “toi” – or feast – in their memory … there is another one held after forty days (Kirk) and a third a year after the death (Aash)
  • Jety Tokoch – “seven som”, or seven lepeyoshki … the name given to alms given to the needy, typically to the elderly sitting outside a mosque
  • Jetyda-amn – the seven dishes, or components of a meal, necessary for the Noruz celebrations (on March 21st)
  • Jetigen - the seven stars which make up the Great Bear (Ursa Major) constellation.

However, it is the number 40 which seems to have specific importance: …

• Forty, as in:
  • “Kirk Kyz” – the legendary origin of the Kyrgyz from the “forty girls” … and hence “Kyrgyzstan” means: “land of the forty girls”
  • “Kirk uuz” – the forty Kyrgyz tribes …descended from the forty girls
  • The legendary hero, Manas, amasses a group of “forty companions” – a sort of personal bodyguard … and in one version of the epic, it is this group of forty warriors who engage in most of the hero’s battles
  • There is a legend that when Ormon Khan first saw Lake Son Kul, he fined the local Kyrgyz tribes forty horses – no small sum, then or now – for keeping such a treasure secret from him
  • Newborn children are kept at home and not shown, even to members of the family, for forty days …traditionally, forty days from the actual birth the infant is brought from the yurt and was considered to have been born on that day, although a modern interpretation of the custom is to give the infant time to grow strong and build up a defence against infections.
  • Forty days after the death of a relative, the family of the deceased will gather to hold a “toi” – or feast – in their memory
  • The forty rays of sunshine emanating from the tuunduk on the modern Kyrgyz flag – representing the forty tribes.

Numbers in Kyrgyz:

No	Kyrgyz	No	Kyrgyz
0	Nol	11	On beer
1	Beer
2	Ekee	20	Jeer-ma
3	Ooch	30	O-tooz
4	Tert	40	Kirk
5	Besh	50	E-loo
6	Al-ty	60	Al-ty-mysh
7	Je-tee	70	Je-tee-meesh
8	Se-geez	80	Sek-sen
9	To-guz	90	Tok-son
10	On	100	Jooz

Tags: For_the_Record, Kyrgyzstan, Language, Mathematics, Traditional_Culture