There are various forms of assimilation and torture in the world, one of which is the once-existing practice of "mankurtization." This brutal method was first applied by a Mongolian-origin tribe known as the Juan-Juan. Later, Russian and Chinese administrations implemented this as an assimilation policy against Turkic states. Here, we explain this concept that resonates deeply in the mind.
In Turkish epics, there is a method of torture called mankurtization.
The barbaric society known as Juan-Juan, believed to descend from the ancient Tung-hu, used a cruel method called mankurtization to turn captured individuals into useful slaves. Those captured by the Juan-Juan were first taken to the desert, where their hands and feet were bound. A metal ring was placed around their necks, and they were left in the scorching desert, starving and thirsty, waiting for rescue for days.
Of course, no one came to their aid during this time, and these individuals gradually lost consciousness. The hair of the captives was shaved off, and then their skin was flayed while they were still alive. The captive, overwhelmed by hunger, thirst, and heat, began to completely forget themselves. Afterward, the hide of a freshly killed camel was stretched and sewn onto the person's head.
The hair that began to grow back now extends inward, towards the brain, rather than outward. This is one of the most tragic moments a person can experience. Of the 200 individuals subjected to this torture in the desert, perhaps only six survived. The survivors, or the mankurtized individuals, were left starving and thirsty in the middle of the desert, abandoned to solitude.
These suffering individuals could not remember their names, their families, or even that they were human, except for one person. Yes, they could never forget the one who flayed their scalp. Whatever that person says, they will do. Thus, these captives turn into beings that can only breathe. In a sense, we could also call this a form of "primitive robotization."
Mankurtization began in the 1800s, and the term "mankurt" was first used in the works of Abiş Kekilbayev, who included it in the Altai, Kyrgyz, and Kazakh epics. The Kazakh writer illustrated how "mankurtization" tragically constructs the individual within society in his story "Küy." Twelve years later, Chingiz Aitmatov addressed this term in his works "The White Ship" and "The Day Will Come." In "The Day Will Come," a young man named Jolaman is subjected to this torture.
In the novel, Nayman Ana, who appears as Jolaman's mother, is killed by her son. This is such a torture that the person cannot remember their mother, father, or even themselves. As a result, the completely mankurtized individual only listens to the person who mankurtized them. This method of torture persisted for many years in Turkistan.
However, later on, this concept transformed from something concrete to something abstract and began to be used in our century to describe "people who cannot think or make decisions on their own." Although this method of torture may not exist in practice today, the idea is still applied as a form of assimilation policy. The concept of mankurt has found its place in social psychology literature as a term representing "social identity transformation and alienation from one's roots."
The mankurt legend also appears in the famous Kyrgyz epic "Manas," where it is stated: "Shall we make him a mankurt by placing the skin of a young camel on his head?"
As can be seen, "mankurt" is a concept quite familiar to the Turkic world. Both Russians and Chinese have occasionally applied this method of assimilation. This term has even reached Anatolia, with a film titled "Mankurt" made in 1990.
