<b>“The History of Manaschy”: </b> The Story of the Manaschy Kumash Uulu Inash

Ирэн Орлонская • 25.12.2025, 21:15 • Society

On February 18, the National Theater "Manas" hosted the presentation of the book "Manaschylar," which collects the biographies and life stories of 150 manaschy over the last five centuries. The idea for this book belongs to the manaschy and the theater director Nurbek Talantbekov.

The list of manaschy presented in the book is organized chronologically, and the poetic additions to their stories were made by manaschy Rysbay Isakov. Nurbek Talantbekov noted that manaschy are not just performers of the epic but carriers of culture who play an important role in society.

How many names of manaschy have been preserved for posterity, and how many remain in the shadows of history? Even in our time, it is unclear how many manaschy actually exist.

The author of the book emphasized his goal—to pass on the names of all manaschy to the next generation. Future editions of the book will expand this list.

In the AKIpress section "History of Manaschy," we will share the life and creative stories of each of the 150 manaschy.

Kumash Uulu Inash (1896–1971)

Inash was born in the village of Aral, where he also spent his last days. He belonged to the Togunay clan of the Saruu tribe.

According to local residents' memories, Inash was well-versed in the epics "Manas" and "Semetey," but his interpretations were not recorded. He described his first encounter with "Manas" as follows:

“In childhood, we had about 10-15 sheep. We grazed them and milked them in the morning and evening, using the milk for food. My older brother Turgunbek took care of the sheep, while I watched the lambs. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, I was grazing the lambs near Kara-Momo and, falling asleep, had an unusual dream.

I thought I heard a deafening sound of hooves and the loud thundering of horses. Upon waking, I saw thousands of horsemen rushing across the plain, while the herders tried to catch up with them. Some horsemen, frightened, jumped off their horses and ran away. One of the horsemen separated from the group and approached me. I was so scared that I couldn’t say a word. He greeted me and said, ‘You are a good fellow! I have a little chalapa left, but I cannot quench my thirst. It’s better if you drink it yourself and pour water from the spring for my companions.’ I drank the chalapa and was amazed by its taste.

After that, I filled a vessel with water and handed it to him. He thanked me and asked, ‘Give me one of your lambs. It’s getting dark, and we will have dinner with these warriors.’ Not understanding why, I agreed, and he took a large brown lamb. He pulled something from his bag that seemed to me a treat and said, ‘This is our food on campaigns. Take it!’ When I was about to eat it, he added, ‘I Tölök, one of the warriors of Manas. You are a generous man. May your life be full, and may you lack nothing. May your songs be about us, your thoughts about us. Do not forget us and tell the people about our deeds. May we always protect you, and you always sing of us. Oomiyin!’ And with these words, he disappeared.

I woke up and saw that the lambs had gathered around me. I felt saliva flowing like sand, and my heart was pounding as if something was breaking out of my chest. I was excited and couldn’t stand still.

Returning home with the lambs, I felt heavy, as if I couldn’t breathe. My younger brother Jakyp often asked me to sing "Gülgaaky," and that evening he asked me to perform it again. But as soon as I opened my mouth, the epic "Manas" spontaneously burst forth from me. I performed it with full force and fainted. My parents, pouring water on me, brought me back to consciousness, and I told them about my dream. My father asked which lamb I had given to the warrior, and I pointed to the largest brown lamb. My father sacrificed it, gathered the neighbors, and held a ritual. When everyone had gathered, I told them about my dream and what had happened.”

Shortly thereafter, his father Erkebai took him to a manaschy, and he spent several years learning storytelling alongside Usunbai Uulu Alimkul and Sydyk Uulu Ismail. In his memories, he said: “When I started learning, Alimkul was also learning to tell ‘Manas.’ He performed much better than me. When we both told the same story, he was more expressive. Later, Sydyk Uulu Ismail joined us, who performed ‘Semetey.’ Alimkul stopped telling stories after the 1930s and focused on poetry.”

Inash also mentioned that in the 1920s he traveled with his mentor Erkebai through Kazakh lands such as Oluy-Ata, Baikadam, Moyunkum, Kulan, and Merke, participating in various celebrations and gatherings. He also recounted that Erkebai was a well-known manaschy and poet who was respected among the Kazakhs. However, in 1929 he was arrested, and in 1930 he was executed.

Additionally, Inash had a talent for telling anecdotes and stories, making them engaging and entertaining. Many folk tales that he told were recorded.

Rysbay Isakov in his work "Manaschylar" recalls Inash:

The village of Aral in Talas,

The birthplace of talent.

Every house – a homeland of songs,

Each one – a poet of the people.

The son of Kunash, Inash,

Here lies his roots.

Erkebai was his master,

The light that touched his people.

In the rich words of his tales,

From the usual Singer-Bulak,

He must have filled the essence.

As the tiger Manas is known,

His worth has sunk into the people.

Like a student of Asankan,

Always leaving behind words,

Thus his name has reached.

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