Атты халықаралық ғылыми-практикалық конференцияның материалдары 26 қазан 2019 ж

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From these statistical results, it is clear that the fi rst part Manas, second part Se-
metey, which are the story of hero Manas and his son Semetey, are the most popular 
branch of whole epic cycle, and widely spread orally in Kirghiz people. As a mat-
ter of fact, we have collected, since 1960s, as much as 49 variants of this fi rst and 
second part of the epic from different manasches in Xinjiang China.
27
Among them, 
only Jusup Mamay and Eshmat Manbetjusup’s variant comprise complete parts of 
the epic cycle, the other variants only contain some of the traditional plots of each 
part. 
In Kyrgyzstan, the trilogy of the epic cycle, Manas, Semetey and Seytek, has 
been published in the second half of the last century. Only a few manaschi, for ex-
ample Sayakbay Karalaev could perform some of the tradition cantos of forth part 
Kenenim and fi fth part Alimsarik and Kulansarik, and they are considered to be the 
posterity of hero Manas in this variant
28
. Unlike Jusup Mamay’s variant, interest-
ingly, here the protagonist of the fi fth part of the epic became Alimsarik and Kulan-
sarik, but not Seyit. The “branches”, or the parts from six to eight of Manas-cycle 
are not popular, and they maybe the patents of few outstanding manaschi. Except 
Jusup Mamay, only Manbetale Alaman could perform the forth part of the epic and 
no one could perform fi fth to eighth parts nowadays in Akchi county. 
(4) depend on the performance of traditional plots:
There are 11 persons can perform the traditional plot such as “Manas invits seven 
Khans and confers the expedition”, 9 persons can perform “the story of Almanbet”; 
“heroes died in the battle” 15; “The memorial Feast for Kökötöy-Khan” 9; “Kanikey 
let steed Taytoru take part in the horse race”8; “Semetey crosses river Ürkönch ”4; 
“Aychurek seizes Semetey’s white falcon (Ak-Xumkar)” 7. 
At fi rst, I have to say that each of the traditional plots we mentioned above is 
as long as hundreds or thousands of verse lines. The statistical results show us the 
spreading of each plot in the area. Being comparatively separate structural parts of 
the epic, each plot contains a story and long enough to be performed in one night. 
They are very important for understanding the epic and in studying the structure of 
the epic and its feature. For a great epic like Manas, it is impossible for manaschi to 
fi nish the whole epic in one performance, and the audiences also have not enough 
patience for that. So these traditional plots have become the topics of manaschi in 
normal performances, and were repeated unceasingly with the selection by the audi-
ences. As a result of that, these plots become highly artistic by performing again and 
again through generation to generation. From these traditional plots, we can clearly 
distinguish the performing technique and level of different manaschis.
(5)  the way learning the epic:
27 See Lang. 1999: 23-30; Jumaturdu. 2009: 37-71; Jumaturdu. 2006: 203-216; Liu. 1990. 
28 See A.Karipkulov. ed. (1995), Manas Encyclopaedia, vol. I, 90, 286-287; II,184-190. Bish-
kek.

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There are 41 manaschis just learn the epic with the help of written text (by books 
or by manuscript). And only 3 of them learn the epic directly from their teacher 
by listening, to stay with them for a few years. It means that there are two ways of 
learning the epic. It was the traditional way to learn the epic in the time that written 
language is not popular. Most of the manschis can read and write today, it is clear 
that all younger manasch is just reciting the text from a famous manaschi’s ver-
sion. Oral tradition is challenged by publications and the changing of the social life. 
Among the young manaschis, I have found only one manaschi, Manbetasan Kapar 
living in Saparway village, can not read and write when he was a child and learned 
epic just by listening to the other manaschi’s performance. He is a herdsman in the 
mountain and never vent to school. He can perform the whole plot of “great expedi-
tion” from the Manas-cycle. According to my fi eld-work, although the epic is still 
being performed occasionally by some manaschis, but with the coming of the multi-
media time, younger manaschis are learning the epic in different ways, by tapes, by 
books, by VCD and DVD etc. but it is clear that original epic performing tradition 
is withering away from us.
(6) depend on the sex: 
Within the last century, there appeared 41male manaschis and only 2 female 
manaschis. It is clear that males are the principle group of successors in preserving, 
disseminating and carrying forward the oral epic tradition.
Two female manaschis appeared in Akchi are both of the later generations of 
the famous manaschis. Marjek Jakiwakun (1925-1999) was the niece of Jusupak-
un Apay, the manaschi we mentioned above. Akilay Mukash, born in 1985, is the 
granddaughter of Jusup Mamay. Both of them have learned epic in their family with 
the instruction by their elders. 
(7) depend on the nationality: 
In last century, there appeared one Uyghur manaschi Akchi county. Musa Yakup 
(1914-?) was the only Uyghur manaschi we found in Akchi county. He use to per-
form an episode “Almenbet fl ee from Bejin ”. The text of his performance is 1140 
verse lines long(). And which is written down by the folklorist in early 60’s last 
century. According to his own saying, he used to be a shepherd of a Kirghiz herd 
owner in Karachi village when he was young, and during that time he have learned 
Manas epic by listening to the performance of famous manaschi Jusupakun Apay. 
He himself said that he was the pupil of the former. 
For an oral epic like Manas, the research on epic singer is one of the very im-
portant aspects. Manaschi, the performer of the epic, means various artistic creative 
talents in Kirghiz oral tradition. In regard to their performance, it contrasts with 
“memorization” and stresses the fact that the performer has not merely memorized 
the text of the epic. Put positively, the singer’s work or performance can be char-
acterized by one or both of the following: 1) he has the talent capable of producing 

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“new” epic or some branches of the epic cycles; 2) he is capable of what Parry and 
Lord call “composing in performance,” that is creatively adapting a “text” to his 
audience(Reichl, 1992:76). There are only few elder manaschis, for example, Jusup 
Mamay, Manbetale Alaman etc. could really capable of producing their own vari-
ants by “composing in performance”. But for the young generation, they could only 
perform the epic by reciting the texts. Obviously, the distant source oral epic tradi-
tion of Kirghiz is declining step by step, day by day.

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