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Sierra Wilson
Dr. Jenson
Honors 298
21 September 2021

Caged

Wild Pigeon by Nurmuhemmet Yasin showcases how all the Uyghur people are caged.
The Uyghur people’s lack of freedom centers around the government’s control of their private
and public lives. The Uyghur people’s decrease in independence fatally wounds them. Yasin
describes the government as “‘Heartless humans who have killed my freedom’” (12). Given the
perspectives presented in the fable Wild Pigeon by Yasin, it can be argued that the existence of
freedom for all Uyghur people, when viewed both literally and figuratively, has been irrevocably
vanquished.
In a literal sense, freedom begins at home. For Uyghurs, “The home is an intimate and
deeply private place. The home is an important carrier of culture, community, and identity”
(Gross). Unfortunately, homes are systematically being dismantled. Most Uyghurs have a
government official living in their house, watching their every move. The officials interrogate
the Uyghur people, and use the information gathered to compile a large human database to keep
track of each person. With the invasion and exploitation of their homes, the Uyghur people no
longer have a safe place. Their houses are like cages, lacking freedom and mobility. As the wild
pigeon states, “This cage is supremely clever in its cruelty, I think, in allowing anyone caught
inside ample view of the freedoms denied to him-with no hope of regaining them” (12). Uyghur
homes are no longer a bastion for freedom.
Similarly, the Uyghur intellectuals who have been put into the internment camps or jail
are also caged. Human rights advocates call the act a “state led campaign of cultural genocide”
(Kuo). These imprisoned Uyghurs probably relate to the wild pigeon when he says, “The air
inside and outside this cage are identical, I think, but the life possible on my side of these iron
bars might just as well belong to a different universe” (12). The Uyghur people did not commit
an offense worthy of imprisonment. Joshua Freedman explains the reasoning for the jailing of
the Uyghur people, stating, “‘I think it is abundantly clear that their crime was being born
Uighur. The targeting of intellectuals and cultural figures sends a clear message…”” (Kuo).
Imprisonment denies freedom.
The Uyghur people are figuratively caged in the sense that they cannot openly express
their culture, which helps them to remain a distinctive people group. For example, “…Uighur
poetry is now on the verge of extinction as the Chinese government detains and silences poets”
(Kuo). In further support, Dr. Gross explained that young men are not allowed to grow beards.
Young women cannot wear face coverings. Overtly religious names must be changed. Also,
students, retirees, and many other Uyghurs are not allowed to celebrate Ramadan and other
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religious holidays. The Uyghur people are being forced to speak a language they do not
understand. Yasin bemoans, “These tamed pigeons are very strange-so many of their words I
don’t recognize” (5). All efforts against assimilation have been largely unsuccessful. The Han’s
campaign “‘…is essentially to end Uighur culture and identity’” (Kuo). The freedom of Uyghurs
is eliminated because of their inability to express themselves.
Uyghurs are being caged both figuratively and literally because the Chinese government
insists upon adherence to a collectivist mindset. Maintaining a separate cultural heritage is
unacceptable; therefore, many Uyghurs want to move. However, according to Dr. Gross, it is
almost impossible for Uyghurs to obtain passports, which means they are trapped. “‘The humans
are more and more aggressive, using all manner of tactics to trap us” (9). The Uyghur people,
who were once autonomous, now cannot leave their houses or their country without government
approval. For the Uyghur people, true freedom has ceased to exist.
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Works Cited
Gross, Timothy. “State Violence in the Uyghur Homeland and the Possibility of Resistance.”
Honors 298 Lecture, 14 Sept. 2021, Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, MO.
Guest Lecture.
Kuo, Lily. “Poetry, the soul of Uighur culture, on verge of extinction in Xinjiang.” The
Guardian, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/06/poetry-the-soul-of-uighur-culture-
on-verge-of-extinction-in-xinjiang. Accessed 7 August 2021.
Yasin, Nurmuhemmet. “Wild Pigeon: A Uyghur Fable.” Radio Free Asia, www.
rfa.org/english/uyghur/uyghur_listerature_20050627.html. Accessed 23 July 2021.