Askiya in Uzbek Folklore: The History of Its Formation, Development, Oblivion and Features of the Genre
Zilola Narbaevna Khudaybergenova
Every nation has its own peculiar kinds of humor, jokes and discussions. In Uzbek folklore there is a special type of a national humor known as “Askiya”, based on witty competitions organized at weddings, various folk gatherings, parties and festivals. Askiya is also a universal genre. At the same time, we can consider the Uzbek askiya as a spiritual treasure reflecting the worldview and way of thinking of the Uzbek people. Askiya is a specific form of humor, expressing the way of life, tradition, custom and cultural life of Uzbeks. The Uzbeks are very fond of Askiya, which is an important part of their life. Therefore, Askiya evenings are still arranged with small groups but this is no longer a traditional Askiya, it is an updated and modern form. Askiya and ones which are in the group of non Askiya have a number of basic qualities. The most basic of them are intelligence, wit, knowledge, resourcefulness, rich vocabulary, imprompt and a desire to defeat an opponent. Therefore, we can translate the term "Askiya" as "a witty competition in speaking." At the same time, the word Askiya should be a “jeweler of words”. To be a jeweler of words, one should have a required talent, a strong mind, observation, sensitivity, and tireless work on himself/herself with patience and diligence. Askiyaci (the person using Askiya) should be well aware of the national live and their culture, setting and nature. Otherwise, he/she might lose in the contest. He/she should also be aware of the vocabulary of the Uzbek language and be able to use the styles of the spoken Uzbek language, wordplay and words, with two-digit meanings, proverbs and phrases as well as being able to use these types of wordplay like simile, metaphor, description qualification, exeggeration and humour. Askiyachi, at the same time, should be able to use various techniques to attract the attention of the audience and be able to emphasize words and phrases turned to the opponent as well as being able to use facial expressions and body gestures because he/she should enable unrestricted observation of the audience, not only with wit and intelligence, but also with special pronouncing of words, his/her cheerful laughter, mood, force of attraction, even with his/her actions and body language.Traditional Askiya, which is included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, has a long history. Askiya, which has its own characteristics, forms and rules, unfortunately, has begun to disappear so far. We can define this genre as “a competition of humorous discussions,”. To make it meaningful, playful, sharp and funny, participants should also have a rich vocabulary, be fluent in Uzbek, smart, resourceful, witty and especially be able to use such verbal arts like implication, pun, exeggeration, simile etc, in a fast way and in the form of imprompt. Also, to come up with a wittier joke and to defeat the enemy, it is very important to know Uzbek lifestyle, culture, national traditions and customs, history, various activities such as processes of construction, production of cotton, melon, watermelon, and the processes of silkmaking.If we look at the history of the formation and development of Askiya, it is clear that this kind of art had at least 30 to 50 types. Unfortunately, however, many types of this verbal art have now disappeared, as a result of being under pressure and being controlled by the Soviet government for 73 years. Cellecting, recording of the contest based on wit, or videotaping it were among very difficult tasks, since the contest of Askiya occurred in an unexpected situation, as an improvisation.This article will review the history of formation, development and oblivion of Askiya, its characteristics and types of the traditional Uzbek Askiya.
Keywords: Uzbek folklore, Askiya, Askiyacı, Peyrav
