The article is devoted to the study of the Barymta Institute and determining its place in the customary legal system of the Kazakhs. The article shows the main stages of the emergence, development, and liquidation of Barymta; reveals the essence and content of the Barymta Institute; identifies and analyzes the main forms of Barymta manifestation. The ultimate goal of the legal reform carried out in Kazakhstan is the formation of the national legal system of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In many ways, its success depends on how much the legal heritage of the Kazakh people will be used. Traditional Kazakh society did not know written law. That is why legal regulations were of great social, regulatory and managerial importance. Without studying the customary law of the Kazakhs, developing specific, reasoned views on its nature, as many prominent scientists emphasize, it is impossible to comprehensively study the history of the people of the traditional period, especially since many issues remain completely unexplained.