Makhambet Otemisuly ( kk, Махамбет Өтемісұлы, ''Mahambet Ötemısūly''; russian: Махамбет Утемисов; 1804 – October 20, 1846) was a Kazakh poet and political figure. He is best known for his activity as a leader (with friend

Isatay Taymanuly Isatay Taymanuly ( kk, Исатай Тайманұлы, ''İsatay Taymanūly''; russian: Исатай Тайманов, translit=Isatay Taymanov; 1791 – July 12, 1838) was a Kazakh hero (батыр "batır") and leader (with his friend Makhambet ...

) of rebellions against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

. This activity is believed to have resulted in his murder in 1846. His first rebellions took place against Zhangir-Kerey Khan of the

Bukey Horde The Bukey Horde ( kk, , Бөкей Ордасы, ; russian: Букеевская Орда, ), also known as the Inner Horde or Interior Horde was an autonomous Khanate of Kazakhs located north of the Caspian Sea in between the Ural and Volga River ...

. Because the rebellion was badly defeated and a bounty was placed on Utemisov, he had to flee the region. Makhambet's early education took place at a

Russian language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...

school in Orenburg. However, his poetry was more closely tied to

Kazakh culture Kazakhstan has a well-articulated culture based on the nomadic pastoral economy of the inhabitants. Islam was introduced to Kazakhstan in the 7th to 12th centuries. Besides lamb, many other traditional foods retain symbolic value. Kazakh culture is ...

and literary tradition. The major themes of his poetry were of two types: political criticism of Russia or the khan, or more general poetry devoted to themes about human existence and life.

Bibliography

Ereuwil atqa er salmay: Olengder, edited by Qabibolla Sydyzov. Almaty, Kazakhstan: Zhazuushy. 1989

Sources

Encyclopedic Biography of Makhambet OtemisulyKazakhstan Pravda Discussion on Makhambet's possible birthdates
Kazakh-language poets 1803 births 1846 deaths 19th-century poets {{Kazakhstan-bio-stub