Elements of Household Life in the Epic "Manas"

Characteristics of the socio-economic stages of development of the Kyrgyz people in the epic "Manas"

The epic of the Kyrgyz people "Manas" glorifies the feats of the legendary Kyrgyz hero Manas and narrates many social and domestic events related to his life and activities.

The significance of the epic for characterizing the socio-economic stages of development of the Kyrgyz people is immense. In "Manas," we see a reflection of clan, patriarchal-tribal, and patriarchal-feudal structures.

Elements of clan life in the epic can be traced through a whole series of examples. Thus, in the epic, the main support of each Kyrgyz hero is his clan. The heroes primarily represent a particular clan, which, as a rule, always obediently follows its tribal leader. In the conflict between Manas and the Kyzylkhan, not all relatives of the latter participate, but only his cousins, striving to seize power for themselves.

Moreover, both sides act again as one clan collective against the other, as the sons of the Kyzylkhan against the son of Jakyp, while the Kyzylkhan and Jakyp, as is known, come from the same clan—they are both sons of Nogoy.

Further, Manas's companion Chubak, expressing his grievance against Manas and his companion Almambet, constantly emphasizes his belonging to the Noigut clan and Manas's belonging to the Nogoy clan.

However, it should be noted that these same clan founders could also be feudal lords in the system of patriarchal-feudal relations, characterized by the fact that under them the remnants of clan relations serve the ruling class of feudal lords. But in the epic, we do not see a division into the chosen and the common people. There are heroes and their relatives, there is Manas with his companions, and there is the Kyrgyz people, whom Manas protects, unites, and liberates from foreign oppression. The clan framework in the relations of the heroes and the masses is firmly maintained. In "Manas," we see not only a clan base but also elements of clan democracy. For example, when separate clans jointly went on a campaign against a common enemy, a common military leader was elected at the council of elders. From the "Iliad," we also know that the Greeks, setting out on a campaign against the Trojans, elected the ruler of Mycenae, Agamemnon, as their common military leader. In "Manas," before the "Great Campaign," a common military leader is also elected at the council of khans.

In the "Iliad," we find an address from the military leader to the warriors with a call to voluntarily go into battle against the Trojans, and when they refuse, they are compelled by the force of arms. In our epic, before the "Great Campaign," Manas similarly calls on his warriors to voluntarily go into battle, allowing everyone who does not want to fight to leave. Almost all the warriors intend to return home, i.e., refuse to go on the campaign. Then Manas does not use the force of arms but acts on them with his authority: he bypasses the army, demonstrating his greatness and power, after which all the warriors, as the epic narrates, inspired by Manas, follow him into the "Great Campaign."

Further in "Manas," we encounter events reflecting the formation of an alliance of clans and showing the transition from this alliance to centralized power. After the first clash of Manas with the Altai Kalmyks, when a number of Kyrgyz clans come to the aid of the leader, a decision is made at the council of clan founders to act together against a common enemy in the future. After the clash of Manas with the Chinese heroes Neskara and Nuker, the elders at the council decide to elect a khan who would unite the entire people to protect common interests from the aggression of the Chinese khans. The elected one turns out to be Manas.

We also encounter in the epic such expressions that are characteristic of the period of disintegration of the primitive-communal structure, when war, ceasing to be a means of self-defense, turns into a constant industry and is waged for the sake of plunder, and the military leader stands at the head of the clan. (...)

In "Manas," such expressions are often encountered: "You need cattle, you need wealth! But is there little cattle among the Kalmyks, is there little wealth among the Chinese? Does it not lie in our palm?" When organizing a feast, the initiator is told: "Did he steal horses from the Kalmyks, that he took it upon himself to organize a feast for the whole world?"

Manas himself, with his companions, strongly resembles the military retinue of princes. About Manas's companions, it is said that these are warriors who came from the retinue, some on horseback, some on foot, some full, some hungry, etc. It is especially emphasized that Manas brings them glory and honor, endows the foot soldiers with horses, gives them spoils, wives, etc. From history, we know that in this way retinues were formed at the early stage of feudalism. Thus, in the epic, we see a reflection of the process of establishing a feudal structure, elements of which also manifest in the conspiracy of six khans against Manas. They are no longer simply clan founders, deciding to leave the alliance of clans, but vassals, rising against the suzerain. The conspiracy of the khans itself is a continuation of the struggle of separate feudal lords against the unifier of the feudal monarchy.

However, the process of historical development of the Kyrgyz people followed a special path. Up until the October Revolution, the Kyrgyz remained in the stage of patriarchal-feudal relations.

Therefore, in the epic, we do not see a picture of developed feudal relations, clearly defining the classes of feudal lords and serfs; instead, we encounter a division of the people into free and enslaved. In general, the word "slave" here denotes the greatest humiliation, the most miserable state. However, despite the fact that the Kyrgyz at one time found themselves in the system of such slaveholding states as China and Iran, and that separate Kyrgyz khans even had plantations serviced exclusively by slave labor, the slaveholding system among the Kyrgyz did not achieve full development, as the slaveholding system was not the basis of the economy and could not completely disintegrate the clan.

Among the Kyrgyz, there existed not slaveholding relations but patriarchal-slaveholding ones, where the basis of production preserved the clan framework. Therefore, although slaves are mentioned in the epic (for example, there were 700 of them among the Koket), indicating their number taken as trophies, etc., it is still not visible what role slaves played in the economic life of the people.

Kyrgyz heroic epic "Manas"