Jety-ata () is a tradition among the Kazakh people, in which one is obligated to know or recite the names of at least seven direct blood ancestors such as father, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great-grandfather etc. This process often has been taught for generations from childhood by parents.
The main reason for knowing their seven ancestors is that among Kazakhs, marriage within seven generations is prohibited, so in order for a marriage to be licit, the ancestors of the male and female sides must be above the seven ancestors on both father and mother lineages. The second reason is that this tradition regarded a helpful means to know and remember the historical background of each Kazakh and their tribes in the past. This often called Shezhire by Kazakhs, and through this system most of the Kazakhs know their origin and the relations with other tribes within the clan-tribal system of Kazakhs. Each set of seven generations is considered as a minimum unit-clan in Kazakhs, but usually Kazakhs marry above ten ancestors. In the oral folklore of Kazakhs it is said that the new born child will be wise, healthy mental and physically strong under the "Jety-Ata" rule.
The "Jety-Ata" rule probably became entrenched after the Kazakh Khanate with the suggestions of Kazakh medical scientist Oteyboydak Tleukabyl uly (1388-1478) to the Khan of Kazakhs. Before the Kazakh Khanate it was common among the per-tribes of the Kazakhs.
Terminology
Kazakhs
The naming method is as follows which starts from the grandson then descends to the further generations:
Nemere - grandchild
Shobere - great grandchild
Shopshek - great-great-grandchild
Nemene - 4th generations
Jurezhat - 5th generations
Tuazhat - 6th generations
Juargat - 7th generations
Jegzhat - 8th generations
Жеті ата - 7th ancestry
Түп ата - 6th ancestry
Тек ата - great-great-great-grandfather
Баба - great-great-grandfather
Арғы ата - great grandfather
Ата - grandfather
Әке - father
Жеті әже - 7th ancestry
Түп әже - 6th ancestry
Тек әже - great-great-great-grandmother
Баба әже - great-great-grandmother
Арғы әже - great grandmother
Әже - grandmother
Ана, шеше - mother
Other ethnicities
Bashkirs
Бала - дитя, ребенок. Балам - (мое) дитя, (мой) ребенок
Ейән, ейәнсәр — внук, внучка
Бүлә, бүләсәр — правнук, правнучка
Тыуа, тыуасар — праправнук, праправнучка
Тыуаят — прапраправнук, прапраправнучка
Һаратан — прапрапраправнук, прапрапраправнучка
Етеят — прапрапрапраправнук, прапрапрапраправнучка
Туңаяҡ — прапрапрапрапраправнук, прапрапрапрапраправнучка
Kyrgyz (ancestors) Ата — father Чоң ата — grandfather Баба — great grandfather Буба — great-great-grandfather Кубар — great-great-great-grandfather Жото — great-great-great-great-grandfather Жете — great-great-great-great-great-grandfather
Kyrgyz (descendants) Бала — child Небере — grandchild Чөбөрө — great grandchild Кыбыра — great-great-grandchild Тыбыра — great-great-great-grandchild Чүрпө — great-great-great-great-grandchild Урпак — great-great-great-great-great-grandchild