“Manaschi”: Enigmatic Adages in Hamid Ismailov’s new Novel

Just finished Hamid Ismailov's new novel Manaschi, about a conflicted half-Kyrgyz, half-Tajik man who feels increasingly fated to become a reciter of the ancient Kyrgyz epic poem, Manas. It's an oddly compelling tale in which Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Chinese laborers --- newcomers to the village which straddles Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan --- eventually come to blows in ways … Continue reading “Manaschi”: Enigmatic Adages in Hamid Ismailov’s new Novel →

Dastan: Ornate Oral History among the Peoples of Central Asia

As I begin to delve into various forms of Altaic story-telling, I am looking for clear and memorable definitions and descriptions. The quotes below are excerpted from H.B. Paksoy's Dastan Genre in Central Asia Ornate Oral History Dastan (jir, ir, chorchok) is ornate oral history, common among the peoples of Central Asia. It conveys the revered … Continue reading Dastan: Ornate Oral History among the Peoples of Central Asia →

Multilingual Guide to Related Links: Performers of Turkic Oral Epics & Folk Romances

Turkish Hikâye & Aşık Hikâye: Turkish Folk Romance as Performance Art A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey Jusup Mamay 居素普·玛玛依评传 Jusup Mamay, Master Performer of the Kirghiz Manas Epic Jusup Mamay, Manaschi: A Rehabilitated Rightist and his Turkic Epic Live Performance Turkish Folk Singer Ruhi Su on Tour in Australia Turkish Musical Terminology … Continue reading Multilingual Guide to Related Links: Performers of Turkic Oral Epics & Folk Romances →

A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey

Below is a list of 20th-century Aşık cited by Ilhan Basgöz in his seminal work, Hikâye: Turkish Folk Romance as Performance Art. Aşık Aziz Aydın Ilhami Demir (1932-87) Adem Efkari (1898-1980) Ishak Kemali (1913-77) Behçet Mahir Sabit Müdami (1918-68) Ali Izzet Özkan Üzeyir Pünhani (1917-98) Yaşar Reyhani (1930-) Mevlüt Ihsani Şafak (1928-) Davut Sutlari Aşık Sümmani Şerif Taşlıova … Continue reading A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey →

The Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗): A Multilingual Guide to Related Links

《玛纳斯史诗》 The Epic of Manas A Multilingual Guide to Related Links Non-Han Oral Epics 《中国史诗》(Chinese) Comprehensive 591-page study of China’s oral epics by scholars Lang Ying (朗樱) and J. Rincindorji (仁钦道尔吉). Dedicates 40 pages to Manas, including synopsis, Kyrgyz oral storytelling tradition, and manasqi. The Manas Epic The Kyrgyz Epic Manas Selections translated, introduced and … Continue reading The Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗): A Multilingual Guide to Related Links →

“Manas” Onstage: Ongoing Moves to Sinicize China’s Three Great Oral Epics

A large-scale, colourful rendition of the Kyrgyz epic Manas (玛纳斯史诗) was staged March 22-23 in Beijing’s ultra-modern Poly Theater. This performance came just two days after the newly anointed President Xi Jinping, speaking at the People’s Congress, cited two of the three great oral epics of non-Han peoples, Manas and the Tibetan-language King Gesar. While … Continue reading “Manas” Onstage: Ongoing Moves to Sinicize China’s Three Great Oral Epics →

Under Threat: ‘Meige’ (梅葛), Creation Epic of the Yi People of Southwest China

In Fading Tones: The Slow Demise of Yunnan's Epic Songs, Matthew Walsh does a fine job of introducing meige (梅葛), the creation tale of Yunnan's Yi people (彝族), via on-the-ground research in Mayou village in Yao'an (姚安马游), interviews with master storytellers, and several short but moving audio clips of the saga as it is still sung: … Continue reading Under Threat: ‘Meige’ (梅葛), Creation Epic of the Yi People of Southwest China →

Jusup Mamay, Manaschi: A Rehabilitated Rightist and his Turkic Epic

A while back I stumbled upon a short Chinese news item about a newly discovered handwritten manuscript of the Kyrgyz Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗). This centuries-old trilogy in verse recounts the exploits of the legendary hero Manas, and his son and grandson in their struggle to resist external enemies and unite the Kyrgyz people. Along … Continue reading Jusup Mamay, Manaschi: A Rehabilitated Rightist and his Turkic Epic →

Beijing Oct 19-20 Event: First Int’l Symposium on Uyghur Folk Dastan (داستان) in China

Event: First Int’l Symposium on Uyghur Folk Dastan in China (首届中国维吾尔族民间达斯坦国际学术研讨会) Venue: 北京市海淀区三里河路7号新疆维吾尔自治区政府驻京办事处1号楼 Sponsors: CASS Institute of Ethnic Literature (中国社会科学院民族文学研究所), Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles (新疆维吾尔自治区文学艺术界联) Organizer: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Folklore Association (新疆维吾尔自治区民间文艺家协会) Attendees: 50 dastan ( داستان , 达斯坦, destanı) scholars from China, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey Background reading: 互动百科：达斯坦试论维吾尔民间达斯坦《玉素甫—艾赫麦德》的流传现状 … Continue reading Beijing Oct 19-20 Event: First Int’l Symposium on Uyghur Folk Dastan (داستان) in China →

China’s New Intangible Cultural Heritage Encyclopedia: Celebration of Multi-ethnicity, or Aggressive Cultural Appropriation?

(Posted: Jun 27, 2015) China unveiled its premier Encyclopedia of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage (中国非物质文化遗产, 史诗卷) on June 12, reports China Daily (Released). This is the first of three volumes, and is dedicated to three great oral epics of the Tibetans, Mongols and Kyrgyz, respectively: King Gesar, Jangar and Manas. The cover is in Chinese and … Continue reading China’s New Intangible Cultural Heritage Encyclopedia: Celebration of Multi-ethnicity, or Aggressive Cultural Appropriation? →