Kazakh folk music inherited in Xinjiang

BEIJING. KAZINFORM Aken Aites, or Aken songs, is a folk art form popular among the Kazakh ethnic group, in which the performer sings while playing a stringed instrument. The performer spontaneously chants with the music, and the lyrics are always beautiful or humorous, expressing the lifestyle and attitudes of the Kazakhs. It also shows the talent and eloquence of performing artists.

The art form was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006, and now is aiming for the world heritage list.

Jamalhan Harbat, a Kazakh woman, is a representative inheritor and the only female Kazakh inheritor of the Aken Aites art in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Harbat, 76, was born into an artistic family; her father, mother, grandfather, uncle and brother were all musicians. Influenced by her family, Harbat began to learn Aken Songs in childhood and she performed at parties in her village and nearby when she was as young as 7 year sold.

In 1977, she took part in an Aken Aites contest, and made it all the way through the championship in Xinjiang, which led to her rise to fame.

In 2010, Harbat was honored with the "Lifetime Achievement Award of Aken Aites" in Xinjiang. She's also performed abroad many times. In 1994, during the 11th Kartal International Art Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, Harbat won first prize due to her excellent performance of Aken songs.

Harbat is dedicated to the inheritance of Aken Songs and has 127 well-educated disciples and numerous students.

While she is an older musician, she is still invited to perform during some major events and many people consult her on the art of Aken Aites.

Source: China Daily

Kazinform's note: Aites (spelled as Aitys) is a contest of improvised oral poetry sung to the accompaniment of traditional musical instrument dombra. In 2015, Aitys was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.