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Further Reading

Population

Today, of the five or six Turkmen tribes that flourished 500 years ago, two major tribes remain, each of them divided into two distinct groups: the Ahal and Mary Teke, and the western and northern Yomut. The Teke is the largest of the modern Turkmen tribes. Its two subgroups, however, share little in common and are political and economic rivals. The Ahal Teke occupy most of the Ahal Region, a populous area in the south center of the country that includes the capital, Ashgabat. The Mary Teke occupy much of the Mary Region, located to the east of Ahal and bordering on both Iran and Afghanistan.

The western Yomut occupy much of the Balkan Region, which borders on the Caspian Sea. Their territory extends southward into Iran. The northern Yomut live in the Dashoguz Region in the north. The Yomut were separated in the 19th century during the wars against Russia.

Remnants of the other Turkmen tribes still live in the country: the Ersari in the Lebap Region, bordering on Uzbekistan and occupying much of the Amu Darya River Valley; the Salor and Saryk in the Mary and Lebap Regions; the Choudour in the north and east; and smaller groups like the Alili and Ata. The emblems of the five major historical tribes (Teke, Yomut, Ersari, Salon, and Saryk), best known for being the focal point of carpet designs, are preserved in the national flag of Turkmenistan.

The value that modern Turkmen place on tribal identity varies considerably according to age, location, and social status. Not surprisingly, the young, urban, and well educated are less likely to consider tribal origins important than the old, rural, and less educated. Still, it is the rare Turkmen who completely discards tribal identity. Even today, many Turkmen marriages in Ashgabat are intra-tribal.

Accents, intonation, vocabulary, and grammatical style are strong tribal/regional identifiers. Dress, particularly among women, can be another giveaway: color choices, embroidery patterns, and jewelry styles vary from tribe to tribe. Names can also give a hint of tribal identity. Preferences for given and surnames and the use of name endings ("-geldy;" "-murad") vary from region to region.

There is one important group-the Russified Turkmen elite-which has genuinely lost most of its tribal identity. For these individuals, Russian remains the daily language despite Government efforts to accelerate a transition to the Turkmen language. This effort appears to be picking up steam, however, and knowledge of Turkmen language is likely to become increasingly important, particularly in government employment and in the universities.

Turkmen social events revolve around the family. Memorials, weddings, and birthdays are celebrated with large parties called "toi." The menu for such occasions consists of traditional nomadic food. A favorite party specialty is "dograma," a thick soup made from dry bread, raw onions, and mutton fat. A must at any Turkmen meal for foreigners is the local version of the ubiquitous central Asian lamb and rice dish, "plov."