Mambet Chokmorov (1896—1973) is one of the greatest storytellers of the eastern region. According to legend, he was also initiated into the manaschy by Manas himself, who appeared to him in a prophetic dream.
M. Chokmorov was born in the Korumdu area, now part of the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region. He inherited the art of storytelling from his maternal uncle, Donuzbay, who was a well-known manaschy in the area.
Mambet spent his entire life in his native village, performing for his fellow villagers and compatriots with various episodes from the great epic. It is evident that he did not wish to adapt to urban life and culture, nor to the concert-regulated forms of creativity.
From 1963 to 1973, a trilogy of "Manas" — "Semetey" — "Seitek" was recorded from Mambet Chokmorov by employees of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR, based on which his status as a storyteller was defined as a manaschy-innovator, as he created his own version of the epic.
The performance style of Mambet Chokmorov was vividly manifested in the episode "The Great Campaign" ("Chon kazat"), recorded by E. Abdildaev. He also recorded two more episodes of the epic — "The Duel of Manas and Konurbay" ("Manas менен Конурбайдын сайышы") and "The Funeral of Koketey" ("Кекетейдун ашы"), the texts of which are preserved in the manuscript collection of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic.
