Goals and functions of Ethnography and history museum of Abylaikhan university of international relationships and world languages

The goals of the museum:

• Stock-taking and safety of funds;
• Storage of museum items and collections;
• Detection and collection of museum items and museum collections;
• Publication of museum items and museum collections and education activity.

To reach these goals and according to its profile the public-supported museum performs the following functions:

Collection, counting, storage, learning the objects of material and spiritual culture of historical, scientific, and ethnographic value; scientific, cultural, educational work among the faculties, assistance in organization of excursions, lectures, solemn rituals, initiations, and other events.

Functional duties of the museum manager:

The museum manager performs his/her duties in accordance with internal rules.

• Consideration of the most important questions of museum’ activity and confirmation of calendar and prospective plans;
• Work account to the president;
• Responsibility for the caretaking of the museum (heating, lighting, cleaning, security, repair and decoration works) as well as the purchase of necessary equipment;
• Counting and security of the funds;
• Studying archive documents;
• Organization of excursions;
• Supporting the collaboration with the faculties and Youth center; taking part in educational process;
• Scientific research with the emphasis on additional studies;
• Supporting public relations, relations with university veterans;
• Strict count, proper storage and exhibition of collected items;
• Supporting public relations with state museums and archives;
• Running the program “University museum in the system of educational work”;
• Organization of activity on detection of the items to be restores, prophylactic measures for the safety of the fund; preliminary requests for the necessary materials and equipment;
• Prevention of possible damage and theft of the exhibits;
• Following the rules of the labor security, security technique and fire-prevention;
• Museum funds counting and inspection;
• Writing the visit book and prospective plans.

History museum

In 2001 the 10^th anniversary of the Republic of Kazakhstan coincided with the 60^th anniversary of Abylaikhan university of International relationships and World languages.

Under the management of the university president Salima Sagiyevna Kunanbayeva the ethnography museum was opened and the History museum was restored (it was created in 1981).

The museum is a path fr om the past to the future, the way to the history – history of the homeland Kazakhstan.

Patriotic education is paid big attention at the classes as well as outside the classes.

The study plans of public disciplines and foreign languages include the themes of the RoK Constitution, its sovereignty, rights and duties of the RoK citizens and history of Kazakhstan.

These classes are continued through educational events in ethnography and history museums. University WWII veterans Council and Labor veterans Council take an active part in these events.

The meetings with WWII and labor veterans support the patriotic education of our students. It preserves the warm attitude towards our roots and the connection between ages and generations.

The activity of the university’s administration and Scientific council is largely devoted to the improvement of the education quality and organization of the learning process. In 1999 the university became the winner of “Zhibek Zholy” (“Silk Way”), the Tempus-Tasis program. In accordance with this program the university professors and students went through the training in universities of Belgium and Spain deserving the laudable papers and awards that are now at the museum. Italian language departments that were opened with the support of Italian and Spanish embassies, presented a lot of education literature. French language and German languages faculties work on giving international diplomas. Annually these faculties together with French embassy, Austria Council and Vienna university hold the exams for international diploma certificate. University staff together with British Council, USIS-Kazakhstan, French embassy and Goethe University published the manuals of English, German, French languages for secondary schools (the museum presents the manuals for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9^th grades). Training of our students in education centers in France, Germany, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, South Korea, and other countries as well as exchanging experience have good results. At the moment 10 resource centers work actively at the university. The museum exhibits visual plans of 4 research centers. The university contributes a lot into shaping and development of the education system of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The spiritual education also takes important pace through the students’ “Club of merry and inventive” people, mini-theatres, foreign languages clubs, sport club, orchestra of national instruments. The museum is the mirror of university life; it exhibits the faculties’ cups, souvenirs, and gifts from ambassadors. The “Honorable guests’ book” contains warm and sincere wishes in different languages of foreifn and Kazakh guests.

Ethnography museum

Ethnography museum is a handmade gift of the master Arkabay Abdykadyr for the 60^th anniversary of the university. It performs an important educational function, helping know the history and essence of national traditions, telling about high aesthetic taste of our ascendants, and improving the mood. The yurt decoration, wooden bed with ornament, wooden trunk, special tare for cups were highly valued for their beauty and elegance. The harnesses decorated with ornament and iron insertions as well as neatly done warrior equipment (shield, sword, quiver, bow etc.) attract a lot of attention. Ethnography museum tells about the history of our nation. The weaved portraits of honorable wise men of the passed centuries attract one’s sight. The images of scientist and biys make one think about the past and show the way ahead.

Aesthetic and moral values of our ascendants in the process “Nature – Human – Society” take part in shaping of ecological thinking of modern people, being the basis of spiritual development. The ascendants were the nomads, cattle-breeding was their main occupation. Following the laws of the nature, they migrated 4 times a year – to the spring, summer, autumn and winter pastures. They took care about their pastures and used the unlim ited possibilities of the nature. They gained the power from the ground, took the energy from the sky to satisfy their needs. They observed the movement of Earth, changes in the nature and valued them. Nomad people lived off 4 cattle types. Milk, meat, carriers, wear – the cattle was the source of all that. This is why the Kazakhs valued the cattle and used the fur, skin and bones for their everyday needs.

A brief information about the museum exhibits:

The yurt basis consists of the cupola (shanyrak), cupola poles (uyk), lattice walls (kereguei). The yurt cupola is passed from the grandfather to the father, from the father to the son during the centuries through generations. The house of the youngest son is considered to be the head house.

National spinning-wheel gave clothes to our ascendants, awl and embroidery embellished them.

Harness – the saddle of a rapid horse who can escape from any pursuer and reach anyone. The person who coud define the horse’s temper only having looked at its harness was called atbegi.

Our ascendants highly values the horses and had racy horses. It is proved by the noble horses: Koblandy batyr’s Taiburyl, Alpamys’es Baishubar, Yertargyn’s Tarlan, Kambar’s Karaaska. Power of the modern transport is measured in “horse-powers”.

Musical instruments – dombyra, sherter, kylkobyz, zhetigen – are of special importance in our everyday life. Kazakh people considers Korkyt the great-father of kyui. His kobyz with strings of horse hairs played the magical melodies for the first time.

At the end we can say that the museum contains a lot of other exhibits with their own stories.