The Union KG-NY Kyrgyz Diaspora on May 19 held the III Championship of Ordo in Sheepshead Bay, drawing many Kyrgyzstan nationals and descendants to Brooklyn.
Ordo is a Kyrgyz traditional game that uses a kind of military map, which warriors used to learn how to defeat an enemy. A circle drawn on the ground represented the state territory, and rivals used this to work out the plan of battle. Knocking the khan out of the circle meant dethroning the ruler and winning the game, according to World Nomad Games.
The word “ordo” refers to the general headquarters of the khan’s palace, and the game itself reproduces the fight to conquer the general headquarters, according to a press release.
“Ordo is one of the most common games of the Kyrgyz people that have survived from ancient times to the present day," said Raushan Sydygalieva, one of the coordination committee members at the Union KG-NY Kyrgyz Diaspora. "Even as a child, I watched our boys play. I was amazed at how they, with tense faces, calculated the moves, the tactics of the game, and when they knocked the enemy out of the circle, how noisily they rejoiced. This is a military map. This is the ability to conduct internal policy correctly. I am very glad that my people preserved this game and now we are trying to pass it on to the future generation. And to our joy, this year there were also youth teams. This is the continuity of generations."
The traditional game was held with the participation of Kyrgyzstani athletes from California, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Wiscconsin, Pittsburgh, Penn., Philadelphia and Chicago.
The Ordo championship game aims to preserve and celebrate cultural heritage and foster integration of the Kyrgyz people living abroad. It equally promotes cross-cultural understanding and dialogue between the Kyrgyz community and the broader New York City population, the news release said.
