The resurgence of Tengrism in Kazakhstan has been decried as an artificial and political project by a number of scholars, but researchers report in the Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe (Vol. 45, Issue 5) on recent evidence of a “growing interest in Tengrism…driven by spiritual exploration as well as the quest for identity amidst the forces of globalization.” Tengrism used to be the dominant belief system among Turkic and Mongolian tribes, encompassing shamanism, ancestor veneration, and various rituals, with the worship of the sky-god Tengri alongside ancestral spirits. The authors of the article, Jolaman Bulan, Tussipkhan Imammadi, Aiymzhan Ryskiyeva (all three from Nur-Mubarak University), and Asset Kuranbek (Al-Farabi University), note that an interest in Tengrism emerged in Kazakhstan in the 1990s, after the end of the Soviet period. The initial phase came through scholarly works, which hardly circulated beyond academic circles, but there then came people eager to associate with Tengrism and to promote it through various channels. The authors see Tengrism as a response to the decline of traditional values due to globalization, reinforcing Kazakh cultural legacy and fostering a distinct identity separate from foreign influences.
Tengrist mural in Kazakhstan.
The interest in Tengrism is not limited to Kazakhstan. References to Tengri are found in various places across Eurasia. In 2022, in Turkey, a lawyer won a lawsuit to have his religion changed from Islam to Tengrism in official records. There are Tengrist groups in various countries, with one that seems to be well-organized in Kyrgyzstan. In August 2024, a press conference given by the Tengrist association, Tengri El, in the largest city of Kazakhstan, Almaty, focused on formal recognition of Tengrism and the need for Tengrist places of worship, called Tengrilig. There are none in Kazkahstan at this point. The authors acknowledge that Tengrism currently lacks nearly everything usually associated with a religion. While they are optimistic about the potential for Tengrism in Kazakhstan, it remains to be seen whether it could develop beyond a reverence and interest in the history and legacy of the country into a significant organized religious body. Still, the authors conclude that “the contemporary resurgence of Tengrism has emerged as a significant element in the quest for national identity in Kazakhstan” and is “crafting a distinct cultural identity.”
(Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe, https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/)
