“A person who does not know their seven ancestors does not know themselves.”
Kazakh tradition holds that knowing one's lineage back seven generations (zheti ata) is essential to identity, marriage customs, and avoiding kinship conflicts.
— Traditional Kazakhstan Wisdom, Kazakhstan
Source: Traditional Kazakhstan proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Kazakhstan
The five fingers of a hand are not equal.
People differ from one another, and each should be judged and treated as an individual.
A person without a homeland is like a nightingale without a grove.
A person's identity and spirit are rooted in their homeland; without it, life feels empty.
Knowledge is a treasure that never runs out.
Unlike material wealth, learning and wisdom only grow the more they are used and shared.
He who works without laziness will have a full stomach without begging.
Honest, diligent labor provides for a person's needs; idleness leads to want.
The horse is a man's wings.
In nomadic steppe life the horse was essential to survival, travel, and honor, so it is prized as a man's truest companion.
A friend's words may make you cry, an enemy's words may make you laugh.
A true friend tells hard truths for your benefit, while an enemy flatters you to your harm.