“In our family, 13 children were born, but unfortunately, 11 of them died in infancy. To avoid home births, my mother was sent to relatives before I was born. This was related to the tradition of ‘yrym’, which involves performing various rituals with good intentions. When I was born, a stranger cut the umbilical cord. Initially, I was named ‘Tobokel’, but then my mother had a dream about an aksakal with a book. He asked her, ‘What is your son’s name?’ She replied, ‘Tobokel.’ To which the aksakal said, ‘That name belongs to another child. Your son’s name is Kepichkul.’ That’s how my name was changed. By the way, the word ‘kepich’ translates to ‘galoshes’, and I have not met anyone with that name,” he shared.
Kepichkul recalled how 64 years ago, on a frosty winter day, he picked up his future wife on horseback.
“I was born in 1939 in Jangy-Alysh, and my wife Aysalkyn was born in 1940. We studied at the same school. My mother was ill, and I dropped out after the 7th grade to help at home. My father worked in the mountains, engaged in livestock farming,” he said.
“We got married when Aysalkyn was in the 9th grade, which happened in 1958. Due to my mother’s illness, I decided to marry at her request while she was still alive. I was dating Aysalkyn and waiting for her to finish school. My mother said that the school principal was my uncle and that we had relatives in the district administration, so I could confidently bring my bride home. In the end, on December 31, I took my uncle’s car to get her. The next day, January 1, we reached the wintering grounds of Terek, where my father was with the livestock. Halfway, we were met on horseback, as it was impossible to drive further due to the snow. After spending the night, we headed to the mountains, where my father and family lived in a yurt. We performed the ‘nike’ ceremony, made a sacrifice, and celebrated a small wedding. Previously, such weddings were modest, and my parents were happy to see their daughter-in-law. Later, my wife finished evening school, and my mother recovered and lived to be 92, while my father lived to be 86,” he added.
Kepichkul also noted that he and his wife have 10 children: 8 daughters and 2 sons, as well as 29 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and 8 great-great-grandchildren.
“We worked on a collective farm, where maternity leave for women was only one month, after which they returned to work. I was a foreman from 1965 and received several awards for my work. One of my sons, born in 2004, died from illness, and the other passed away at nearly 60 years old. After that, one of my daughters with her children moved in with us to take care of me and my wife. My daughters and sons-in-law always show us respect,” he concluded.
