Since 1895, he has been a full member of the Syrdarya Regional Statistical Committee. Member of the Archaeological and Ethnographic Society of Kazan University, member of the Society of Lovers of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography of Moscow University.
He was one of the initiators of the opening of the Turkestan People's University and the Turkestan Oriental Institute in 1918, since 1919 he was in charge of the departments of ethnography and archeology of the Turkestan People's Museum (Tashkent). In 1921-1923 he led the expeditions of the Kyrgyz Scientific Commission and the Commission for the Study of the life of the indigenous population of Turkestan. He conducted an active scientific correspondence with V.V. Bartold, N.F. Katanov. He was awarded the Orders of St. Anna of the 2nd and 3rd degrees, St. Stanislaus, foreign orders. Author of more than 100 scientific works devoted to folklore and ethnography of the Turkic peoples. He recorded and translated into Russian ethnographic materials, samples of folklore of Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, etc., including Kazakh epics "Alpamysh", "Idiga-batyr", "Koblandy-batyr", "Kambar-batyr", fairy tales, sayings, riddles, works of akyns and zhyrau.
There is a A.A. Divaev's translation of "Signs of the Kyrgyz during the journey" from the manuscript of Mullah-Kubey Tokfulatov of Ak-Dzhar volost of Tashkent county.
If someone, sitting on a horse, is going to go somewhere, and at this time his horse defecates, then such a person rejoices, anticipating that he will reach the goal. If the same horse yawns, this is also a good omen. This is a long-standing omen. Because there were cases when a horse defecated or yawned before leaving, then the person riding reached the goal and received benefits, which he passed on to (familiar) people. When a horse yawns, the person sitting on it should touch its mane with his hands, and then with the same hands should pass over his face.
It happens that the horse stumbles on the way. This is also considered good. Then (usually) they say: "stepped on the prey." But the horse is not beaten for this.
If someone on the way meets a ready meal somewhere, he should immediately get off his horse, because there will be a good way. And they (usually) tell him: "You have arrived at a ready meal." Therefore, the rider eats food, and then continues on his way.
If someone has spent the night as a guest and is going home the next day in the morning, and the owner will tell him: "ertengi asty tastama, keshki aska karama" (Do not refuse an early meal, and do not expect evening food), then such a guest (first) should eat, and then go. The words taken here in quotation marks have become a Kyrgyz proverb.
It happens that when several people are traveling on the road and when one of them has a horse stop to urinate, the rest of the companions, pulling their reins, wait for this horse to urinate. And if any of those traveling will continue to go, then such a person is called an unreliable companion. Because if intruders had met on the road, beyond hope, then he would have abandoned his companions even then. It must be assumed that the Kyrgyz are seriously looking at this sign. During my 30-year stay in the region, I had to observe this many times. But it did not occur to me then that this was due to a well-known omen.
If a horse is standing in the yard or on a leash to a stake and at this time straightens and spreads its tail, then they say: "this horse has to make a journey."
When traveling on the road and at this time there is water (river), the horse is watered without removing the bridle. And this is why they do it: you are going, for example, on urgent business; there is no time to take off the bridles, and if your horse is trained, then she drinks and unbridled; if she was accustomed to drink without a bridle, then she will not drink bridled, and time does not tolerate taking off the bridle.
When someone goes and sees a woman at a close or at a more distant distance, he (usually) worries that she might cross his path. But this woman herself makes it possible for a traveling man to pass and crosses the road only when the traveler has already passed. If this woman was in a hurry to cross his path, then the rider would have called out to her with the words: "Oh, woman, wait, let us pass."
If a woman crosses the road to a traveler, then there will be no good in his way, and especially if the woman who crossed the road at that time was in the period of menstruation. A Kyrgyz woman will never allow herself to cross the path of a man, no matter how far she is from him. Sartyankas do not adhere to this sign, but cross the road to the rider. But on the other hand, the Kyrgyz have full attention and services for a woman when she goes as a companion to a man. Because everyone looks at her as an infirm and weak creature.
If several horses standing on a leash (slightly), biting, scratch each other's manes, then they usually say that the path will not be far.
When someone rides out of the house, the oncoming person says: "Have a good trip!". "So be it!", - the person who left answers. But if an oncoming person asks: "Where are you going?", then the person driving in anger with irritation says: "What's it to you?".
If someone gets on a horse for the purpose of making a trip, then he asks for a blessing (bata) from his father and mother, or from old people who, after giving "bata", pronounce: "Have a good trip!".
Tashkent, November 14, 1898