Local farmer Bolot Asanbekov shared an interesting version of the origin of the village's name.
“I grew up with my grandfather, Alban uulu Sydyk, who was born in 1890. He was a falconer and had an eagle and two taigans in his arsenal. He often shared his genealogy and explained how the names of various places came about. Since I was still young, many of his stories slipped away from me.
According to him, in the 1700s, the Sarybagysh tribe lived on the eastern side of Kegeti, while the Solto tribe was located in the west. Our Cherikchi tribe was in the village of Cholpon, above Ken-Bulun. With the arrival of spring, our ancestors crossed the Shamsy gorge and stayed in places like Sary-Saz, Tarmal-Saz, and Ken-Saz until winter.
In those places, there were forests with bead bushes (shrubs), and in the autumn, deer descended to the watering holes. Locals hunted them and sold the skins. The hunting took place when the deer came to drink. The ancestors also drove cattle from the pastures and transported women and children to keep them warm. I remember my grandfather telling how, while crossing the Shamsy gorge, they encountered a blocked path due to snowfall. Faced with a dead end, they headed to the Kerkebes gorge, but there the path was also closed. Even in the Boom gorge, they couldn't pass due to floodwaters. They used deer skins to build temporary shelters and stayed there for the winter.
Only in spring, when the roads became passable, did the ancestors relocate again. People who observed how this tribe used deer skins to build their homes began to call them “Bughu atkan el,” which translates to “The tribe that shot deer,” and that is why this area was named Buguchu,” Bolot Asanbekov relays his grandfather's words.
In the village of Buguchu, the main occupation of the locals is the cultivation and sale of potatoes.
“Previously, there was no market in Kochkor. People would go to Tokmok to sell livestock and buy groceries.
The first livestock breeders from Kochkor, when they went to the market, stayed overnight with a girl who had married in the Chuy region. She prepared dough dishes. One of the guests swallowed a piece of fat that got stuck in his throat. After that, he washed it down with water. In response to his confusion, the girl apologized and explained: “This is not fat, but potatoes; they add flavor to the dishes. I will give you two bags of potatoes that can be planted in the spring.” She explained the rules of plowing and caring for the plants. Since then, the residents of Buguchu began to engage in the cultivation of this root vegetable,” concluded B. Asanbekov.
